Short+Term+Causes

=**The Three Main Causes **= 
 * World War 1 brought great economic and social strains on Russian society.
 * Failure of Tsarist government to prosecute the war effort effectively in 1914-1917
 * Behaviour of Tsar Nicholas II and his entourage, which undermined any shred of popular legitimacy left to the monarchy

  **International Women's Day: ** 
 * Frustrations from the workers after the cold and harsh winter of 1916 exploded in the streets of the main cities.
 * The war caused shortages of food, fuel and other materials which drove up the prices causing strikes and riots which created high levels of tension in the capital, Petrograd.
 * News of bread rationing circulated towards the end of February 1917 inciting full-scale riots.
 * The 23rd of February was International Women's Day- women began taking the lead in politicizing a march through Petrograd.
 * By the afternoon, women had persuaded the men from factories to join them and the protest started to gather momentum.
 * Over the next three days, the demonstrations grew and the demands for bread were accompanied by demands for the end of the war and eventually an end to the Tsar.
 * The Mutiny of the Soldiers: ** 
 * By 25th and 26th of February, the soldiers joined the demonstrations because most of them were desperate not to be sent to the front line where the Russian army were facing huge losses.
 * As the Tsar heard of the trouble in Petrograd, he ordered troops to quell the riots- on Sunday 26th of February some regiments opened fire on the crowds.
 * The crowds became more hostile and one by one, the regiments moved over to the side of the people and as Orlando Figes states; //"The mutiny of the Petrograd garrison turned the disorders of the last four days into a full-scale revolution".//

**Inflation and Social Unrest:**
 * The peasants were angry because the army took away the young men and the best horses, making farm-work difficult.
 * Prices, especially food prices, rose, and hunger became widespread.
 * Workers in the cities could not afford high food prices, for wages had not risen nearly so fast.
 * If they tried to strike for better wages, they were accused of disloyalty. For this they can be sent to prison for as long as twenty-five years.
 * Soldiers coming home from the war told of defeat, bad generals, no guns, no boots and no medical supplies.
 * In the cities, soldiers were ordered to stop strikes and demonstrations. This was bitterly resented. Many soldiers had been peasants and workers themselves before the war started.

**Political Incompetence**
 * In 1915 when the Tsar had left the capital to act as commander-in-chief in the field, the home administration was left to Alexandra who depended on Rasputin.
 * He filled the ministries by his own favourites and to please the Tsarina, he encouraged pro-German sentiments in the country. Rasputin's administration was detested by all Russians.
 * By the end of 1916, even the Russian nobles could not tolerate the evil influence of Rasputin in undermining the entire official civil service so they killed him.
 * The liberals in the Duma were not satisfied with the assassination of Rasputin only. They were determined to extract more political concessions from the Tsar.
 * Even though they did not like a revolution, they would be in sympathy with a revolution, if it came.