World War I Disasters and the 1917 Revolution
World War I completely destroyed what remained of the tsar's authority. Russia was catastrophically unprepared - imagine spending 3 billion roubles on a war whilst your people starve at home.
The economic collapse was staggering: wages rose 200% but prices shot up 400%. The transport system collapsed, leaving food rotting whilst Moscow and Petrograd received only one-third of required supplies. Meanwhile, Nicholas II abandoned the capital to personally command the failing army, leaving the despised Rasputin and Tsarina in charge.
February 1917 saw the final explosion. International Women's Day protests merged with striking Putilov workers, creating unstoppable momentum. By 26th February, half the Petrograd Garrison joined protestors. The crucial moment came on 27th February when both the Petrograd Soviet and Provisional Duma Committee formed, creating dual authority.
Nicholas II's abdication on 2nd March ended three centuries of Romanov rule. The Provisional Government took control, but Soviet Order No. 1 gave the Petrograd Soviet complete military authority - a fatal division of power.
Key Point: The February Revolution succeeded because even the army abandoned the tsar, making his position completely hopeless.
The Provisional Government faced an impossible situation: unelected, lacking legitimacy, and sharing power with the radical Soviets. Lenin's return and his April Theses condemned this "bourgeois" government, whilst Bolshevik propaganda targeted desperate workers and peasants. After surviving the July Days and gaining strength from the Kornilov Affair, the Bolsheviks seized their moment in October, taking control of key points and arresting government members. By November 2nd, they controlled Moscow and Russia's fate.
Key Point: The Provisional Government's fatal weakness was trying to continue the unpopular war whilst sharing power with their revolutionary opponents.