Causes of the 1917 February Revolution

Tzar's Mistakes/politics

Loss of military support

WW1

Rasputin

Lack of Political Change

[Lynch] Length of War

17m Roubles spent on WWI between 1914-1917

Increase in Taxes (200% inflation on goods)

4m men killed in 1914 ALONE

15m men taken from countryside by 1917 & 36.7 million men were conscripted

Requisition of Farm horses and Supplies like fertilizer used for ammunition

Army Fed before Cities

Army used transport

Loss of Battles

Desertions due to poor organizations

Made himself Commander and Chief of the Army - Sept 1914

Progressive Doc

Tannenburg

Brusilov Offensive

Poland

Supplies overlooked

Supplies sank into the ground at Archangel

Directly responsible for all battle losses

Ignored D's appeal to replace cabinet

Pressured the Tzar to 'change things'

ZEMGOR

Relieve casualties of war and their families

Formed to help war effort,

Proved there was a workable alternative

Success of the Union of Z, highlighted incompetence in Tzar

Left Tzarina in charge

Heavily influenced by Rasputin

Poor Govt.

Relied on him as cure for handicapped son

Led to increased opposition against the Tzar

Self proclaimed Holy man

Notorious for sexual excesses

Focus of Hatred for the tzarist system

Press was censored

Jealousy of Previous senior ministers

Tsarina relied on Rasputin to treat her Haemophiliac son

Difficult to defend Tsarist system when it was so easily taken over by a corrupt man

'leapfrog' changing of ministers during a time of crisis

1905 October manifesto save Tzar

Could not repeat the October manifesto, and lost trust of true Reform

Rowan