The Tsar's Abdication
History: KS3, topic 17.3.7
Abdication and Collapse of the Regime
Following the dissolution of the duma, members of the Kadet Party and other liberals continued to meet, forming a Duma Committee to reform Russia.
The tsar's options
- The tsar’s ministers held one final meeting, and then most left Petrograd.
- The military now had two options:
- Send more troops to Petrograd to crush the growing revolt.
- A political solution: negotiate with the duma to try and put a stop to disorder.
- Nicholas II chose to negotiate with the duma.
- He could not reach Petrograd because of the mutinous soldiers, so he met representatives of the army and the duma at Pskov.
Abdication
- The tsar quietly agreed to abdicate at this meeting at Pskov. He wanted his son, the Tsarevich Alexsei to take power.
- But his son had a rare health condition, haemophilia. So, the tsar offered the crown to his brother, Grand Duke Michael.
- The Grand Duke declined, the regime collapsed, and Russia’s monarchy ended.
Provisional Government
- Members of the Duma formed a Provisional (temporary) Government, to rule the country until a general election could choose the next government.
- The people would then choose representatives to create a ‘Constituent Assembly’ to choose the rules for how Russia would be governed.
The February Revolution
- The February revolution had not been caused by the radical political parties.
- The revolution had started on the streets, and was carried out by the political ruling class.
- Many of the leaders who would become important in October (including Lenin) were still in exile (away from Russia in punishment).
- The leaders could only encourage the protesters from overseas.
Test yourself on The Tsar's Abdication
Who could not take power because they had haemophilia?