Summary of
Events
The February Revolution
The Russian Revolution of 1917 centers
around two primary events: the February Revolution and the October
Revolution. The February Revolution, which removed
Tsar Nicholas II from power, developed spontaneously
out of a series of increasingly violent demonstrations and riots
on the streets of Petrograd (present-day St. Petersburg),
during a time when the tsar was away from the capital visiting troops
on the World War I front.
Though the February Revolution was a popular uprising,
it did not necessarily express the wishes of the majority of the
Russian population, as the event was primarily limited to the city
of Petrograd. However, most of those who took power after the February Revolution,
in the provisional government (the temporary government
that replaced the tsar) and in the Petrograd Soviet (an
influential local council representing workers and soldiers in Petrograd), generally
favored rule that was at least partially democratic.
The October Revolution
The October Revolution (also called the Bolshevik
Revolution) overturned the interim provisional government
and established the Soviet Union. The October Revolution
was a much more deliberate event, orchestrated by a small group
of people. The Bolsheviks, who led this coup, prepared
their coup in only six months. They were generally viewed as an
extremist group and had very little popular support when they began
serious efforts in April 1917.
By October, the Bolsheviks’ popular base was much larger; though
still a minority within the country as a whole, they had built up
a majority of support within Petrograd and other urban centers.
After October, the Bolsheviks realized that they could
not maintain power in an election-based system without sharing power
with other parties and compromising their principles. As a result,
they formally abandoned the democratic process in January 1918 and declared
themselves the representatives of a dictatorship of the proletariat. In
response, the Russian Civil War broke out in the summer
of that year and would last well into 1920.
A Note on the
Russian Calendar
Until February 1918,
Russia used the Julian calendar, while the Western
world used the Gregorian calendar in use today. This
convention was dictated by the Russian Orthodox Church, which continues
to follow the Julian calendar to this day. During the twentieth
century, the Julian calendar fell thirteen days behind the Gregorian
calendar. Generally, historians writing about pre-revolutionary
Russia today cite dates according to the calendar of the time; this
book follows the same method. Dates prior to February 1, 1918 use
the Julian calendar; dates after that point follow the Gregorian
calendar.
