Russia

• 140,000 march in Petrograd
• Tsar abdicated in March
• Grigory Rasputin


  A Siberian peasant who gained a reputation as a holy man, or starets
• Rasputin's rise to prominence

  1. Came to St Petersburg in 1905

  2. Became known to the royal family

  3. Seemed able to stop the bleeding of the Tsar's son Alexis who suffered from haemophilia

  4. The Tsarina took this as a sign from God

  5. Rasputin gained an elevated position at court with direct access to the royal family

  6. High society women flocked to him to ask for healing or to carry petitions to the Tsar
• There were rumours that Rasputin solicited sexual favours for his help and that there were orgies
• The stories of Rasputin's debauchery

  Caused reputational and political damage to the Tsar
• The Tsar's relationship with the Orthodox Church


  Strained due to the Church's disapproval of Rasputin
• The Tsar's relationship with the Duma

  Strained because the Tsar censored reports of Rasputin in the newspapers
• The Tsar's relationship with Stolypin

  Strained because Stolypin disparaged the effect Rasputin had on the Tsar's public image
• Rasputin was to do much more damage during the First World War
• In February 1917, workers went on strike demanding better pay and working conditions
• Russia's defeat in WW1 led to increased unrest among soldiers who were unhappy with their conditions
• On March 8th, women marched through Petrograd protesting against the war and demanding equal rights
• By March 20th, soldiers were refusing orders from their officers and joining the protests
• On March 3rd, Nicholas II abdicated as Emperor of Russia
• Soldiers began to desert from the front line and return home
• By March 1917, there were over 200,000 deserters
• Alexander Kerensky became Prime Minister of the new Provisional Government that replaced Nicholas II.