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114-668: After the February Revolution , Purishkevich was one of the only leaders of the Black Hundreds to remain politically active. He eventually joined the White movement and died from typhus in 1920. Born as the son of a poor nobleman in Kishinev , Bessarabia (now Moldova ), Purishkevich graduated from Novorossiysk University with a degree in classical philology . Around 1900, he moved to Saint Petersburg . He became

228-620: A provisional government was announced by the Provisional Committee of the State Duma . The Provisional Government published its manifesto declaring itself the governing body of the Russian Empire that same day. The manifesto proposed a plan of civic and political rights and the installation of a democratically elected Russian Constituent Assembly , but did not touch on many of the topics that were driving forces in

342-469: A strike to demonstrate against the government. Strikes continued on the following days. Due to heavy snowstorms, tens of thousands of freight cars were stuck on the rails, with food and coal. On 22 February O.S. (7 March N.S.) the Tsar left for the front. On 23 February O.S. (8 March N.S.), Putilov protesters were joined in the uprising by those celebrating International Woman's Day and protesting against

456-737: A charming, unstable man who could not stay a single minute in one place. In 1925, Soviet writer Liubosh described Purishkevich as the 'first' fascist . He was subsequently referred to as a "leader of early Russian fascism" by Semyon Reznik , who also claimed that Purishkevich participated in numerous pogroms and was a significant proponent of the blood libel against Jews . February Revolution Revolutionary victory: [REDACTED] Government : [REDACTED] Monarchists : [REDACTED] Liberals : [REDACTED] Socialists : The February Revolution ( Russian : Февральская революция ), known in Soviet historiography as

570-614: A conservative, "state-minded" party. At the same time that the Provisional Government was put into place, the Soviet Executive Committee also formed. The soviets were made up of workers and soldiers directly, being a democratic institution, allowing for cooperative decision making, while the Provisional Government was formed from the Duma delegates. The soviets, being formed democratically, ended up with

684-409: A letter to several of the participants calling it "an assembly of whores". One of the recipients of the letter, Anna Filosofova , made the letter public and took Purishkevich to court; he was sentenced to one month in jail. During World War I , Purishkevich became critical of the performance of the government, although not of the tsar himself; he saw the rise of pro-Russian sentiment during the war as

798-524: A member of the Russian Assembly group and was appointed under Vyacheslav von Plehve . Purishkevich was a hardline supporter of Russification and sacerdotal autocracy. Purishkevich was hostile towards Jews , who he believed to be the "vanguard of the revolutionary movement". He wanted Jews to be deported to Kolyma . He believed that the " Kadets , socialists, the intelligentsia , the press and councils of university professors" were all under

912-467: A minister with the "confidence of the country" be instated immediately. Delay, he wrote, would be "tantamount to death". On the home front, a famine loomed and commodities became scarce due to the overstretched railroad network. Meanwhile, refugees from German-occupied Russia came in their millions. The Russian economy , which had just seen one of the highest growth rates in Europe, was blocked from

1026-552: A moderate-left majority, while the government was mostly made of the liberals and did not properly fulfill the demands of most of the country for peace and bread. When these two powers existed at the same time, "dual power" was created. The Provisional Government was granted formal authority, but the Soviet Executive Committee had the support of the people resulting in political unrest until the Bolshevik takeover in October. During

1140-515: A month. Meanwhile, the wartime alliance of industry, the Duma (lower house of parliament) and the Stavka (Military High Command) started to work outside the Tsar's control. In an attempt to boost morale and repair his reputation as a leader, Tsar Nicholas announced in the summer of 1915 that he would take personal command of the army, in defiance of almost universal advice to the contrary. The result

1254-690: A poem describing the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk as 'The Trotsky Peace'. After his release, he moved to White Army -controlled Southern Russia . There, during the Russian Civil War he published the monarchist journal Blagovest and returned openly to his traditional political stance of support for the monarchy, a unified Russia, and opposition to the Jews. In some of the towns occupied by the Volunteer Army, he gave lectures in which he denounced

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1368-411: A popular expression of support for the tsar. Purishkevich was particularly critical of the roles of Empress Alexandra and her close advisor Grigori Rasputin . On 3 November 1916, Purishkevich went to Mogilev and talked with Tsar Nicolas II about Rasputin. On 19 November, Purishkevich delivered a speech in the Duma that denounced Rasputin and the conduct of the government. He compared Rasputin with

1482-526: A system gathered the educated public, workers, and soldiers to facilitate order and food systems, democratic elections, and the removal of tsarist officials. In a short amount of time, 3,000 deputies were elected to the Petrograd Soviet. The Soviet quickly became the representative body responsible for fighting for workers and soldiers hopes for "bread, peace, and land". In the spring of 1917, 700 soviets were established across Russia, equalling about

1596-432: A third of the population, representing the proletariat and their interests. The soviets spent their time pushing for a constituent assembly rather than swaying the public to believe they were a more morally sound means of governing. After the abdication of the throne by the Tsar, the Provisional Government declared itself the new form of authority. The Provisional Government shared Kadet views. The Kadets were now seen as

1710-649: Is a right-hand distributary of the Fontanka and starts its course immediately to the south of the Summer Garden , making the southern border of the garden Island and separating it from the reddish Saint Michael's Castle . The Summer Garden, which during the Swedish possession of these lands until they were taken by Russia in 1703 in the Great Northern War , was part of a Swedish army major. After

1824-440: Is in a state of anarchy. The Government is paralyzed. Transport service and the supply of food and fuel have become completely disrupted. General discontent is growing ... There must be no delay. Any procrastination is tantamount to death. Golitsyn received by telegraph a decree from the Tsar dissolving the Duma once again. Golitsyn used a (signed, but not yet dated) ukaze declaring that his Majesty had decided to interrupt

1938-639: Is next to the Church of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood and a degree college named Higher School of Folk Arts (crafts), originally founded by Empress Alexandra, the wife of Russia's last Emperor, and facing a waterway that starts here off Moyka - Griboyedov Canal , across which westwards there is a square formed chiefly by two buildings of the former Royal Mews and named after them together with two adjoining streets Konyushennaya. The carriage house faces

2052-641: The Admiralty , but moved that night to the Winter Palace . Nicholas's response on 27 February O.S (12 March N.S), perhaps based on the Empress's earlier letter to him that the concern about Petrograd was an over-reaction, was one of irritation that "again, this fat Rodzianko has written me lots of nonsense, to which I shall not even deign to reply". Meanwhile, events unfolded in Petrograd. The bulk of

2166-549: The Allied powers in Petrograd; unofficially they sought to clarify the internal situation in Russia. On 8 February, at the wish of the Tsar, Nikolay Maklakov , together with Alexander Protopopov ..., drafted the text of the manifesto on the dissolution of the Duma (before it was opened on 14 February 1917). The Duma was dissolved and Protopopov was proclaimed dictator . By 1917, the majority of Petersburgers had lost faith in

2280-602: The April Crisis (1917) Ivan Ilyin agreed with the Kadet Minister of Foreign Affairs Pavel Milyukov who staunchly opposed Petrograd Soviet demands for peace at any cost. Vladimir Lenin , exiled in neutral Switzerland, arrived in Petrograd from Zürich on 16 April O.S (29 April N.S). He immediately began to undermine the provisional government, issuing his April Theses the next month. These theses were in favor of " Revolutionary defeatism ", which argues that

2394-750: The February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and sometimes as the March Revolution or February Coup was the first of two revolutions which took place in Russia in 1917. The main events of the revolution took place in and near Petrograd (now Saint Petersburg ), the then-capital of Russia, where long-standing discontent with the monarchy erupted into mass protests against food rationing on 23 February Old Style (8 March New Style ). Revolutionary activity lasted about eight days, involving mass demonstrations and violent armed clashes with police and gendarmes ,

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2508-570: The Fontanka river, and canals including the Griboyedov and Kryukov , the Moyka encircles the central portion of the city, effectively making that area an island or a group of islands. The river derives its name from the Ingrian word Muya for "slush" or "mire", having its original source in former swamp. It is 5 kilometres (3 mi) long and 40 metres (130 ft) wide. The river flows from

2622-797: The Fontanka river, which is itself a distributary of the Neva, near the Summer Garden past the Field of Mars , crosses Nevsky Prospect and the Kryukov Canal before entering the Neva river. It is also connected with the Neva by the Swan Canal and the Winter Canal . In 1711, Peter the Great ordered the consolidation of the banks of the river. After the Kryukov Canal linked it with

2736-623: The July Days , approximately half a million soldiers, sailors, and workers, some of them armed, came out onto the streets of Petrograd in protest. The protesters seized automobiles, fought with people of authority, and often fired their guns into the air. The crowd was so uncontrollable that the Soviet leadership sent the Socialist Revolutionary Victor Chernov , a widely liked politician, to the streets to calm

2850-551: The Petrograd Soviet . After the July Days , in which the government killed hundreds of protesters, Alexander Kerensky became the head of the government. He was unable to resolve Russia's immediate problems, including food shortages and mass unemployment, as he attempted to keep Russia involved in the ever more unpopular world war . The failures of the Provisional Government led to the October Revolution by

2964-582: The Smolny Institute by the first Revolutionary Tribunal. He was condemned to eleven months of 'public work' and four years of imprisonment with obligatory community service and won the admiration of his fellow prisoners in the Fortress of St Peter and St Paul by his courageous bearing. He was given an amnesty on May 1 after the mediation of Felix Dzerzhinsky and Nikolay Krestinsky , as he refrained from any political activity. In jail, he had written

3078-605: The Tsarist regime . Government corruption was unrestrained, and Tsar Nicholas II had frequently disregarded the Imperial Duma . Thousands of workers flooded the streets of Petrograd (modern St. Petersburg) to show their dissatisfaction. The first major protest of the February Revolution occurred on 18 February O.S. (3 March N.S) as workers of Putilov Factory , Petrograd's largest industrial plant, announced

3192-677: The Winter Battle in Masuria in February 1915 and the loss of Russian Poland during May to August 1915. Nearly six million casualties —dead, wounded, and missing— had been accrued by January 1917. Mutinies sprang up more often (most due to simple war-weariness ), morale was at its lowest, and the newly called-up officers and commanders were at times very incompetent. Like all major armies, Russia's armed forces had inadequate supply. The pre-revolution desertion rate ran at around 34,000

3306-531: The last accommodation and museum of Alexander Pushkin . As of 2016 15 bridges cross the Moyka. Most of these have historical and artistic interest: Flowing through the 18th- and 19th-century capital of the Russian Empire , the Moyka, similarly to other downtown rivers and streets got its sides decorated with Russian nobles' city palaces, mansions and gardens, historical churches, monuments, apartment buildings and hotels, public squares etc. The Moyka

3420-538: The " False Dmitri ", and argued that Rasputin's influence over the tsarina had made him a threat to the empire. He stated that the monarchy was becoming discredited: The Tsar's ministers who have been turned into marionettes, marionettes whose threads have been taken firmly in hand by Rasputin and the Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna—the evil genius of Russia and the Tsarina... who has remained a German on

3534-596: The "diarchy" became obvious, and ultimately the regime and the dual power formed between the Petrograd Soviet and the Provisional Government, instigated by the February Revolution, was overthrown by the Bolsheviks in the October Revolution . When discussing the historiography of the February Revolution there are three historical interpretations which are relevant: Communist, Liberal, and Revisionist. These three different approaches exist separately from one another because of their respective beliefs of what ultimately caused

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3648-490: The 19th and early 20th century, to modernise its archaic social, economic, and political structures while maintaining the stability of ubiquitous devotion to an autocratic monarch . As historian Richard Pipes writes, "the incompatibility of capitalism and autocracy struck all who gave thought to the matter". The first major event of the Russian Revolution was the February Revolution, a chaotic affair caused by

3762-457: The Army, General Lavr Kornilov , directed an army under Aleksandr Krymov to march toward Petrograd with Kerensky's agreement. Although the details remain sketchy, Kerensky appeared to become frightened by the possibility of a coup, and the order was countermanded. (Historian Richard Pipes is adamant that the episode was engineered by Kerensky). On 27 August O.S (9 September N.S), feeling betrayed by

3876-819: The Bloc (led by Maklakov) at the session of the Council of Ministers in the Mariinsky Palace . The Bloc spoke for the resignation of the government. During the late afternoon of 26 February O.S (11 March N.S) the Fourth Company of the Pavlovsky Reserve Regiment broke out of their barracks upon learning that another detachment of the regiment had clashed with demonstrators near the Kazan Cathedral . After firing at mounted police

3990-600: The Bolshevik party were arrested. Lvov was replaced by the Socialist Revolutionary minister Alexander Kerensky as head of the Provisional Government. Kerensky declared freedom of speech, ended capital punishment, released thousands of political prisoners, and tried to maintain Russian involvement in World War I. He faced many challenges related to the war: there were still very heavy military losses on

4104-729: The British Secret Intelligence Service in Petrograd . On the evening of 16 December 1916, the conspirators gathered in the Moika Palace and eventually killed Rasputin. A curious policeman on duty on the other side of the Moika had heard the shots, rang at the door, and was sent away. Half an hour later, another policeman arrived, and Purishkevich invited him into the palace. Purishkevich told him that he had shot Rasputin and asked him to keep it quiet for

4218-513: The British policy towards Russia. In 1918, he formed a new political party, the People's State Party, and called for an "open fight against Jewry"; the party collapsed after his death. Vladimir Purishkevich died from typhus that raged Novorossiysk in 1920, just before the final evacuation of Denikin 's Army. Purishkevich was described by contemporary Russian politician Vladimir Kokovtsov as

4332-592: The Castle served as a residence connected with this together with his other ones including Gatchina Priory Palace . (See Russian tradition of the Knights Hospitaller ). His arbitrary domestic and international politics caused dissatisfaction among some of his courtiers who plotted against him, and he was assassinated in his Castle bedroom despite all his precautions: the Castle was surrounded by water on all four sides, drawbridges raised every night, yet

4446-536: The Castle was symbolic both of the Emperor's romantic chivalrous inclinations and his fear for his life. Interested in the high spirit of European knights, he gave shelter in Russia to the Order of Malta when its members lost their island to the troops of Napoleon . Paul's decision was unusual, given known rivalry between their Roman Catholic and his Russian Orthodox Church. He temporarily served as their Grand Master, and

4560-443: The Duma until April, leaving it with no legal authority to act. On the next day (27 February O.S, 12 March N.S), 25,000 soldiers occupied the Duma (according to Zinaida Hippius ) which remained obedient, and "did not attempt to hold an official sitting". Then some delegates decided to form a Provisional Committee of the State Duma , led by Rodzianko and backed by major Moscow manufacturers and St. Petersburg bankers. Vasily Maklakov

4674-481: The Emperor dismissed his Prime Minister , Alexander Trepov . On 11 January 1917 [ O.S. 29 December 1916] a hesitant Nikolai Golitsyn became the successor of Trepov. Golitsyn begged the Emperor to cancel his appointment, citing his lack of preparation for the role of Prime Minister. On 16 January  [ O.S. 3 January]  1917 Mikhail Belyaev succeeded Dmitry Shuvayev (who did not speak any foreign language) as Minister of War , likely at

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4788-497: The Empress "exerts an adverse influence on all appointments, including even those in the army." On 11 January O.S. (24 January N.S.) the Duma opening was postponed to the 25th (7 February N.S.). On 14 January O.S. (27 January N.S.) Georgy Lvov proposed to Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich that he (the Grand Duke) should take control of the country. At the end of January/beginning of February major negotiations took place between

4902-523: The February Revolution was a "Bourgeois revolution" about bringing capitalist development to Russia instead of socialism. The center-left was well represented, and the government was initially chaired by a liberal aristocrat, Prince Georgy Yevgenyevich Lvov , a man with no connections to any official party. The Provisional government included 9 Duma deputies and 6 from the Kadet party in ministerial positional, representing professional and business interests,

5016-470: The Fontanka River four years later, the river became so much cleaner that its name was changed from Muya to "Moyka", the latter from the Russian verb "to wash". With the spread of cars and services for them in post-Soviet Russia, the Russian word Мойка has become a common sight unconnected to the river as it very often means (car)wash, which may confuse foreign tourists. In 1736, the first Moyka quay

5130-603: The Grand Duke's decision on 3 March O.S (16 March N.S). On 8 March O.S (22 March N.S) the former Tsar, addressed with contempt by the sentries as "Nicholas Romanov", was reunited with his family at the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo . He and his family and loyal retainers were placed under protective custody by the Provisional Government in the palace. The February Revolution immediately caused widespread excitement in Petrograd. On 3 March O.S (16 March N.S),

5244-592: The Hotel Russia at Moika 60. He had a false passport under the surname "Yevreinov". On 18 November 1917, Purishkevich was arrested by the Red Guards for his participation in a counterrevolutionary conspiracy after the discovery of a letter sent by him to General Aleksei Maksimovich Kaledin in which he urged the Cossack leader to come and restore order in Petrograd . He became the first person to be tried in

5358-475: The Imperial Family. On 28 February Nikolay Maklakov was arrested having tried to prevent a revolution together with Alexander Protopopov (on 8 February). The Army Chief Nikolai Ruzsky , and the Duma deputies Vasily Shulgin and Alexander Guchkov who had come to advise the Tsar, suggested that he abdicate the throne. He did so on behalf of himself and his son, Tsarevich Alexei . At 3 o'clock in

5472-531: The Kerensky government, who had previously agreed with his views on how to restore order to Russia, Kornilov pushed on towards Petrograd. With few troops to spare on the front, Kerensky turned to the Petrograd Soviet for help. Bolsheviks , Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries confronted the army and convinced them to stand down. Right-wingers felt betrayed, and the left-wingers were resurgent. On 1 September O.S. (14 September N.S.) Kerensky formally abolished

5586-410: The Russian people. The inevitable result was revolution. When Rasputin was assassinated on 30 December 1916, and the assassins went unchallenged, this was interpreted as an indication of the truth of the accusation Nicholas' wife relied on Rasputin (a Siberian starets .) The authority of the tsar, who now stood as a moral weakling, sank further. On 9 January 1917 [ O.S. 27 December 1916]

5700-403: The Russian throne and alien to the country and its people. He concluded that "While Rasputin is alive, we cannot win". Prince Felix Yusupov was impressed by Purishkevich's speech criticizing Rasputin. He visited Purishkevich, who quickly agreed to participate in the killing of Rasputin. Also, Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich joined the conspiracy. Purishkevich talked to Samuel Hoare , the head of

5814-472: The Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. Order No. 1 ensured that the Dual Authority developed on the Soviet's conditions. The Provisional Government was not a publicly elected body (having been self-proclaimed by committee members of the old Duma) and it lacked the political legitimacy to question this arrangement and instead arranged for elections to be held later. The Provisional Government had

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5928-561: The Soviet represented the proletariat, the provisional government represented the bourgeoisie. The Soviet had stronger practical power because it controlled the workers and the soldiers, but it did not want to become involved in administration and bureaucracy; the Provisional Government lacked support from the population. Since the Provisional Government did not have the support of the majority and, in an effort to keep their claim to democratic mandate, they welcomed socialist parties to join in order to gain more support and Dvoyevlastiye (dual power)

6042-478: The advice. Historian Edward Acton argues that "by stubbornly refusing to reach any modus vivendi with the Progressive Bloc of the Duma... Nicholas undermined the loyalty of even those closest to the throne [and] opened an unbridgeable breach between himself and the public opinion." In short, the Tsar no longer had the support of the military, the nobility or the Duma (collectively the élites ), or

6156-472: The afternoon of Thursday, 2 March O.S (15 March N.S), Nicholas nominated his brother, the Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich , to succeed him. The next day the Grand Duke realised that he would have little support as ruler, so he declined the crown, stating that he would take it only if that was the consensus of democratic action by the Russian Constituent Assembly , which shall define the form of government for Russia. The 300-year-old Romanov dynasty ended with

6270-456: The bourgeoisie. As the left moved further left in Russia over the course of 1917, the Kadets became the main conservative party. Despite this, the provisional government strove to implement further left-leaning policies with the repeal of the death penalty, amnesty for political prisoners, and freedom of the press.    Dual Power was not prevalent outside of the capital and political systems varied from province to province. One example of

6384-403: The building under Paul's third son, Alexander's successor Emperor Nicholas I of Russia , and the edifice became also known as Engineers' Castle. Occupied then by various Soviet institutions like the Central Naval Library, now the Castle is part of Russian Museum , has been repaired and holds national exhibitions of art connected with history of Russia. Next to the Castle, on the Fontanka over

6498-403: The collapse of a Tsarist government in February. Out of these three approaches, all of them have received modern criticism. The February Revolution is seen by many present-day scholars as an event which gets "mythologized". Moika The Moyka ( Russian : Мойка , also latinised as Moika ) is a short river in Saint Petersburg which splits from the Neva River . Along with the Neva,

6612-403: The communist Bolsheviks later that year. The February Revolution had weakened the country; the October Revolution broke it, resulting in the Russian Civil War and the eventual formation of the Soviet Union . The revolution appeared to have broken out without any real leadership or formal planning. Russia had been suffering from a number of economic and social problems, which compounded after

6726-430: The continent's markets by the war. Though industry did not collapse, it was considerably strained and when inflation soared, wages could not keep up. The Duma, which was composed of liberal deputies, warned Tsar Nicholas II of the impending danger and counselled him to form a new constitutional government, like the one he had dissolved after some short-term attempts in the aftermath of the 1905 Revolution . The Tsar ignored

6840-451: The control of Jews. During the Russian Revolution of 1905 , Purishkevich helped organise the Black Hundreds , a reactionary, monarchist and ultra-nationalist militia that carried out a number of raids (with unofficial government approval) against revolutionary groups as well as pogroms against Jews. After the October Manifesto created the State Duma , he was elected as a deputy for the Bessarabian and Kursk province. He became one of

6954-424: The crowd. The demonstrators, lacking leadership, disbanded and the government survived. Leaders of the Soviet placed the blame of the July Days on the Bolsheviks, as did the Provisional Government who issued arrest warrants for prominent Bolsheviks. Historians debated from early on whether this was a planned Bolshevik attempt to seize power or a strategy to plan a future coup. Lenin fled to Finland and other members of

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7068-445: The culmination of over a century of civil and military unrest between the common people and the Tsar and aristocratic landowners. The causes can be summarized as the ongoing cruel treatment of peasants by the bourgeoisie, poor working conditions of industrial workers, and the spreading of western democratic ideas by political activists, leading to a growing political and social awareness in the lower classes. Dissatisfaction of proletarians

7182-401: The evening the text "Grand Manifesto" was signed by the Grand Dukes Paul Alexandrovich, Kirill Vladimirovich and Dmitry Konstantinovich . But the Empress refused to sign the draft. "I'm not a ruler – said the Empress – and have no rights to take the initiative in the absence of the Emperor. Moreover, this paper may not be only illegal, but useless." On 28 February O.S (13 March N.S), at five in

7296-411: The event. Despite occurring in March of the Gregorian calendar , the event is most commonly known as the "February Revolution" because at the time Russia still used the Julian calendar . The event is sometimes known as the "March Revolution", after the Soviet Union modernized its calendar . A number of factors contributed to the February Revolution, both short and long-term. Historians disagree on

7410-414: The field was used to bury the casualties of the revolutionary events, and in the Soviet times this part was made into the Monument to the Fighters of the Revolution , a memorial of granite slabs inscribed with dedications to the heroes by the Bolshevik Government Secretary for Education Anatoly Lunacharskiy , and a gas burner eternal flame was placed in the middle. Many cultivars of lilac were planted in

7524-441: The formal authority in Russia but the Soviet Executive Committee and the soviets had the support of the majority of the population. The Soviet held the real power to effect change. The Provisional Government represented an alliance between liberals and socialists who wanted political reform. The initial soviet executive chairmen were Menshevik Nikolay Chkheidze , Matvey Skobelev and Alexander Kerensky . The chairmen believed that

7638-451: The foundation and planning of the new Russian capital in the lands of Saint Petersburg, the victorious Peter I of Russia made this land plot into a gridlined garden where he placed for the first time in Russian history multiple imported statues of Greek and Roman mythology characters and had his Summer Palace built here following Dutch examples he had seen and liked on his grand tour of Europe . The Summer Garden and Palace, as well as

7752-410: The founders of the Union of the Russian People and served as its deputy chairman until 1907, when he split to form the Union of the Archangel Michael. In the Duma, he gained fame and infamy for his flamboyant speeches and scandalous behaviour, such as speaking on International Workers' Day with a red carnation in his fly . When the first Russian women's congress convened in 1908, Purishkevich sent

7866-446: The front; dissatisfied soldiers deserted in larger numbers than before; other political groups did their utmost to undermine him; there was a strong movement in favor of withdrawing Russia from the war, which was seen to be draining the country, and many who had initially supported it now wanted out; and there was a great shortage of food and supplies, which was very difficult to remedy in wartime conditions. All of these were highlighted by

7980-464: The garrison mutinied, starting with the Volinsky Regiment . Soldiers of this regiment brought the Semyonovsky , Preobrazhensky , and Moskovsky Regiments out on the street to join the rebellion, resulting in the hunting down of police and the gathering of 40,000 rifles (at the Peter and Paul Fortress ) which were dispersed among the workers. Even the Cossack units that the government had come to use for crowd control showed signs that they supported

8094-411: The government's food rationing. As the Russian government began rationing flour and bread, rumors of food shortages circulated and bread riots erupted across the city of Petrograd. Women, in particular, were passionate in showing their dissatisfaction with the rationing system, and the female workers marched to nearby factories to recruit over 50,000 workers for the strikes. Both men and women flooded

8208-480: The guard let conspirators pass as the latter included senior supervising officers. After him the Castle was virtually neglected by the royal family of his eldest son and heir Alexander I of Russia and was used as a shared living space by some of the Imperial household until it was converted into a Military Engineering School whose cadets included the future writer Fyodor Dostoevsky . The cadets studied and lived in

8322-482: The last loyal forces of the Russian monarchy. On 27 February O.S. (12 March N.S.), the forces of the capital's garrison sided with the revolutionaries. Three days later, Nicholas II abdicated , ending Romanov dynastic rule. The Russian Provisional Government under Georgy Lvov replaced the Council of Ministers of Russia . The Provisional Government proved deeply unpopular and was forced to share dual power with

8436-417: The late 18th and in 19th centuries it was used for Emperors' military parades of the regiments quartered in the city as the capital of the country. Before that, the once marshy ground had been drained with canals and turned into a public meadow with amusements. When turned to military use, the ground was decorated with two monuments to victorious Russian Field Marshals of the second half of 18th century. One of

8550-409: The main factors that contributed to this. Liberal historians emphasise the turmoil created by the war, whereas Marxists emphasise the inevitability of change. Alexander Rabinowitch summarises the main long-term and short-term causes: Despite its occurrence at the height of World War I, the roots of the February Revolution dated further back. Chief among these was Imperial Russia's failure, throughout

8664-655: The memorials - an obelisk to Count Pyotr Rumyantsev - was later moved to a dedicated smaller Rumyantsev Garden in Vassiliyevskiy Island , while the other, the Suvorov Monument depicting Count Alexander Suvorov as Mars , now on Suvorov Square at the other end of the field, facing Trinity Bridge . After the February 1917 democratic revolution that destroyed the Russian autocracy , part of

8778-526: The monarchy and proclaimed the creation of the Russian Republic . On October 24, Kerensky accused the Bolsheviks of treason. After the Bolshevik walkout, some of the remaining delegates continued to stress that ending the war as soon as possible was beneficial to the nation. Pressure from the Allies to continue the war against Germany put the government under increasing strain. The conflict between

8892-675: The morning, the Tsar left Mogilev , (and also directed Nikolai Ivanov to go to Tsarskoye Selo) but was unable to reach Petrograd as revolutionaries controlled railway stations around the capital. Around midnight the train was stopped at Malaya Vishera , turned, and in the evening of 1 March O.S (14 March N.S) Nicholas arrived in Pskov . In the meantime, the units guarding the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoe Selo either "declared their neutrality" or left for Petrograd and thus abandoned

9006-506: The nearby Saint Michael's Castle and Garden, in post-Soviet Russia became branches of the national treasury of domestic art the Russian Museum and can be visited. The Summer Garden was mentioned by Alexander Pushkin both as his frequent place for pleasant walks, and as destination for childhood walks with a French governor of his classical for Russian literature novel in verse protagonist Eugene Onegin . The garden's Moyka fence

9120-638: The next day. On 28 February, Rodzianko invited the Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich and Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich to put their signatures to the drafting of the Manifesto, in which Emperor Nicholas II was recommended to introduce the constitutional system in Russia. Rodzianko said that the Emperor will be asked to sign this Manifesto on 1 March at the Tsarskoye Selo railway station immediately after his return. Late in

9234-592: The palace with the larger items. Yusupov and Dmitri were placed under house arrest in the Sergei Palace . The tsarina had refused to meet them but said that they could explain to her what had happened in a letter. Purishkevich assisted them and left the city to the Romanian front at ten in the evening. Because of his popularity, Purishkevich was neither punished nor exiled. During the February Revolution in 1917, many right-wingers were arrested but Purishkevich

9348-455: The people. Although few actively joined the rioting, many officers were either shot or went into hiding; the ability of the garrison to hold back the protests was all but nullified. Symbols of the Tsarist regime were rapidly torn down around the city and governmental authority in the capital collapsed – not helped by the fact that Nicholas had earlier that day suspended a session in the Duma that

9462-506: The playwright Alexander Griboyedov. Next to the garden there stands a brightly coloured tall church of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood . This place of worship and now a museum was built in a traditional Russian style to mark the canalside spot on which Emperor Alexander II who had in 1861 abolished serfdom was on 1 March 1881, assassinated by terrorists from the Narodnaya Volya movement. The Mikhailovsky Garden's western side

9576-492: The protests of February 1917. The historiographical reasons for the revolution have varied. Russian historians writing during the time of the Soviet Union cited the anger of the proletariat against the bourgeois boiling over as the cause. Russian liberals cited World War I. Revisionists tracked it back to land disputes after the serf era . Modern historians cite a combination of these factors and criticize mythologization of

9690-438: The real enemy is those who send the proletariat into war, as opposed to the " imperialist war" (whose "link to Capital " must be demonstrated to the masses) and the " social-chauvinists " (such as Georgi Plekhanov , the grandfather of Russian socialism), who supported the war. The theses were read by Lenin to a meeting of only Bolsheviks and again to a meeting of Bolsheviks and Mensheviks , both being extreme leftist parties, and

9804-477: The request of the Empress. "In the seventeen months of the 'Tsarina's rule', from September 1915 to February 1917, Russia had four Prime Ministers , five Ministers of the Interior , three Foreign Ministers , three War Ministers , three Ministers of Transport and four Ministers of Agriculture. This "ministerial leapfrog", as it came to be known, not only removed competent men from power, but also disorganized

9918-513: The revolution such as participation in World War I and land. At the same time, the Petrograd Soviet (or workers' council) began organizing and was officially formed on 27 February. The Petrograd Soviet and the Provisional Government shared dual power over Russia. The term dual power came about as the driving forces in the fall of the monarchy, opposition to the human and widespread political movement, became politically institutionalized. While

10032-457: The riots on 25 February O.S (10 March N.S) by wiring garrison commander General Khabalov , an inexperienced and extremely indecisive commander of the Petrograd military district , to disperse the crowds with rifle fire and to suppress the "impermissible" rioting by force. On 26 February O.S (11 March N.S) the centre of the city was cordoned off on decree by Khabalov; schools and parks closed. Nikolai Pokrovsky reported about his negotiations with

10146-460: The sake of the tsar. They had planned to burn Rasputin's possessions. Sukhotin put on Rasputin's fur coat, rubber boots, and gloves. He left with Dmitri and Dr. Lazovert in Purishkevich's car, which suggests that Rasputin had left the palace alive. Because Purishkevich's wife refused to burn the fur coat and the boots in her small fireplace in the ambulance train, the conspirators went back to

10260-482: The soldiers of the Fourth Company were disarmed by the Preobrazhensky Regiment . This marked the first instance of open mutiny in the Petrograd garrison. On 26 February O.S (11 March N.S) Mikhail Rodzianko , Chairman of the Duma , had sent the Tsar a report of the chaos in a telegram (exact wordings and translations differ, but each retains a similar sense ): The situation is serious. The capital

10374-453: The soldiers, urban workers, and peasants who claimed that little had been gained by the February Revolution. Kerensky was expected to deliver on his promises of jobs, land, and food, and failed to do so. In August 1917 Russian socialists assembled for a conference on defense, which resulted in a split between the Bolsheviks, who rejected the continuation of the war, and moderate socialists. The Kornilov Affair arose when Commander-in-Chief of

10488-560: The square while the neoclassical stable also runs along the Moyka. The 18th-century estate of Count Razumovsky with its palace and outbuildings was converted towards the end of the century into a royal charity - an orphanage that for the first time in national history gave shelter to children born out of wedlock, whose mothers could anonymously leave them in a basket supervised by the gatekeeper. They were nurtured and given general and vocational training and, if born to serfs, were set free from submission to landlords of their parents. Its mascot

10602-514: The square. In post-Soviet Russia the rest of the field has seen a number of public political rallies . Mikhailovsky Garden is across the Moyka from the Field of Mars and across Sadovaya ("Garden") Street. It is a 19th-century landscape garden , whose southern part meets the garden façade of Mikhailovsky Palace facing Arts Square not far from the city's main street Nevsky Prospect . The Palace, built for Paul I's fourth son Grand Duke Mikhail ,

10716-513: The start of World War I in 1914. Disaffected soldiers from the city's garrison joined bread rioters , primarily women in bread lines, and industrial strikers on the streets. As more and more troops of the undisciplined garrison of the capital deserted, and with loyal troops away at the Eastern Front , the city fell into chaos, leading to the Tsar's decision to abdicate under his generals' advice. In all, over 1,300 people were killed during

10830-481: The streets of Petrograd, demanding an end to Russian food shortages, the end of World War I, and the end of autocracy . By the following day 24 February O.S. (9 March N.S), nearly 200,000 protesters filled the streets, demanding the replacement of the Tsar with a more progressive political leader. They called for the war to end and for the Russian monarchy to be overthrown. By 25 February O.S (10 March N.S), nearly all industrial enterprises in Petrograd were shut down by

10944-527: The thumb of her confidant – Grigori Rasputin , himself so unpopular that he was assassinated by members of the nobility in December 1916. The Tsarina proved an ineffective ruler in a time of war, announcing a rapid succession of different Prime Ministers and angering the Duma. The lack of strong leadership is illustrated by a telegram from Octobrist politician Mikhail Rodzianko to the Tsar on 26 February O.S. (11 March N.S) 1917, in which Rodzianko begged for

11058-570: The uprising. Although all gatherings on the streets were absolutely forbidden some 250,000 people were on strike. The president of the Imperial Duma Rodzianko asked the chairman of the Council of Ministers Golitsyn to resign; the minister of Foreign Affairs Nikolai Pokrovsky proposed the resignation of the whole government. There were disturbances on the Nevsky Prospect during the day. The Tsar took action to address

11172-524: The water near the source of Moyka, stands a miniature statue Chizhik-Pyzhik of a little bird siskin across the river from the 19th-century Emperor's Law School, whose students' uniforms' colour matched the bird's colouration. On the right bank of Moyka across the Swan Canal from the Summer Garden lies a large open square named the Field of Mars after the Roman mythology god of war because in

11286-414: The work of government since no one remained long enough in office to master their responsibilities." The Duma President Mikhail Rodzianko , Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna and British ambassador Buchanan joined calls for Alexandra to be removed from influence, but Nicholas still refused to take their advice. Many people came to the conclusion that the problem was not Rasputin . According to Rodzianko

11400-555: Was also published. He believed that the most effective way to overthrow the government was to be a minority party and to give no support to the Provisional Government. Lenin also tried to take control of the Bolshevik movement and attempted to win proletariat support by the use of slogans such as "Peace, bread and land", "End the war without annexations or indemnities", "All power to the Soviet" and "All land to those who work it". Initially, Lenin and his ideas did not have widespread support, even among Bolsheviks . In what became known as

11514-524: Was appointed as one of the 24 commissars of the Provisional Committee of the State Duma. Its first meeting was on the same evening and ordered the arrest of all the ex-ministers and senior officials. The Duma refused to head the revolutionary movement. At the same time, socialists also formed the Petrograd Soviet . In the Mariinsky Palace the Council of Ministers of Russia , assisted by Mikhail Rodzianko , held its last meeting. Protopopov

11628-522: Was arrested over the Kornilov Affair but was released. Following the failure of the putsch, he collaborated with Fyodor Viktorovich Vinberg in forming an underground monarchist organisation. During the October Revolution , he organized the "Committee for the Motherland's Salvation". He was joined by a number of officers, military cadets, and others. At the time, Purishkevich was living in

11742-532: Was compounded by food shortages and military failures. In 1905, Russia experienced humiliating losses in its war with Japan , then during Bloody Sunday and the Revolution of 1905 , Tsarist troops fired upon a peaceful, unarmed crowd. These events further divided Nicholas II from his people. Widespread strikes, riots, and the famous mutiny on the Battleship Potemkin ensued. The revolution

11856-708: Was constructed in wood. Four bridges originally spanned the river: the Blue, the Green, the Yellow, and the Red. The 99-metre (325 ft)-wide Blue Bridge, now hardly visible underneath Saint Isaac's Square , remains the widest bridge in the whole city. Magnificent 18th-century edifices lining the Moyka quay include the Stroganov Palace , Razumovsky Palace, Yusupov Palace , New Holland Arch , Saint Michael's Castle , and

11970-453: Was designed by Ludwig Charlemagne . Behind the fence there is a pond on which swans are released in warm season. Across the Moyka from the Summer Garden stands Saint Michael's Castle commissioned in late 18th century for himself by Emperor Paul I of Russia who had been born on this site when it was occupied by another Summer Palace - of his officially childless unmarried aunt Elisabeth I of Russia . Inspired by Western Europe models,

12084-495: Was disastrous on three grounds. Firstly, it associated the monarchy with the unpopular war; secondly, Nicholas proved to be a poor leader of men on the front, often irritating his own commanders with his interference; and thirdly, being at the front made him unavailable to govern. This left the reins of power to his wife, the German Tsarina Alexandra, who was unpopular and accused of being a German spy, and under

12198-623: Was established. However, the Soviet asserted de facto supremacy as early as 1 March O.S (14 March N.S) (before the creation of the Provisional Government), by issuing Order No. 1 : The orders of the Military Commission of the State Duma [part of the organisation which became the Provisional Government] shall be executed only in such cases as do not conflict with the orders and resolution of

12312-422: Was intended to discuss the issue further, leaving it with no legal authority to act. Attempts were made by high-ranking military leaders to persuade the Tsar to resign power to the Duma. The response of the Duma, urged on by the Progressive Bloc , was to establish a Provisional Committee to restore law and order; the Provisional Committee declared itself the governing body of the Russian Empire. Chief among them

12426-510: Was later in the 19th century converted to the royal museum of the nation's art named after Alexander III with the nationwide ethnographic department. These serve to this day as the Russian Museum and the Russian Ethnographic Museum . The garden's western side with a decorative fence faces another waterway, a canal originally named after Catherine II who commissioned it, but after the 1917 revolution renamed in honour of

12540-732: Was provoked by Russian military failures during the First World War . In August 1914, all classes supported and virtually all political deputies voted in favour of the war. The declaration of war was followed by a revival of nationalism across Russian society, which temporarily reduced internal strife. The army achieved some early victories (such as in Galicia in 1915 and with the Brusilov Offensive in 1916) but also suffered major defeats, notably Tannenberg in August 1914,

12654-445: Was the desire to bring the war to a successful conclusion in conjunction with the Allies, and the very cause of their opposition was the ever-deepening conviction that this was unattainable under the present government and under the present regime. Meanwhile, the socialist parties re-established the Petrograd Soviet , first created during the 1905 revolution, to represent workers and soldiers. The remaining loyal units switched allegiance

12768-408: Was the pelican, once believed to sacrifice itself nursing its young. The bird is now on the crest of the city's large teacher-training university located in the former estate. Giving multilevel higher education at its colleges (faculties and institutes) grouped by school subjects and administrative spheres, in the 1990s it was recognised as having national importance. Named in the Soviet times after

12882-514: Was told to resign and offered to commit suicide. By nightfall, General Khabalov and his forces faced a capital controlled by revolutionaries. The protesters of Petrograd burned and sacked the premises of the district court, the headquarters of the secret police, and many police stations. They also occupied the Ministry of Transport, seized the arsenal, and released prisoners into the city. Army officers retreated into hiding and many took refuge in

12996-476: Was tolerated by the government and so was "virtually the only former national Black Hundred leader to maintain an active political life in Russia after the tsar's downfall". However, the revolution meant that Purishkevich initially had to moderate his politics. He called for the abolition of the Soviets , who were, in turn, calling for the abolition of the Duma. In August 1917, he wanted a military dictatorship; he

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