Who Was Responsible for the Abdication of Tsar Nicholas Ii
- Submitted by: awnaice
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- Category: History: Russian
- Date Submitted: 06/03/2011 04:38 AM
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Many different people and groups have been held responsible for the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, all of which played a significant role. In my opinion it was the working class of Russia at the time that were the cause of Nicholas’ abdication, but they were not guilty as such, as to call them guilty would imply they had done wrong, though the abdication of the Tsar did come about as a result of the actions of the workers. The catalyst of these actions came from the oppressive and ineffective monarchy of Nicholas II. But we also must take into account other factors influencing the actions and uprising of the proletariat, like the political and economical climate of the time.
The industrialisation of Russia led to many peasants leaving the countryside for the cities of Russia in the hope of a better life. Instead they were faced with poor working conditions, unhygienic and overcrowded factory dormitories, poorly built housing, long shifts and poor pay. Trade unions had been banned in Russia, preventing any improved working conditions. These conditions led to workers increasingly going on strike in protest.
After a series of strikes in the factories of Russian cities, a mass march to the Winter Palace of Tsar Nicholas II was organised. This was one of the main events that directly involved the workers that led to the changing image and eventually the abdication of the Tsar. It was hoped that a petition for better working and living conditions could be presented to Nicholas. Unknown to the people, Nicholas was not residing in the city at the time and therefore could not receive the petition. Acting on their own and totally misunderstanding the peaceful intentions of the crowd, the military fired shots into the crowd, killing many people. As the people of Russia believed that it was Nicholas that gave the order to open fire on the workers, his image went from a father figure to Nicholas ‘the Bloody’ and people began to question and turn against him.
A main reason...
The industrialisation of Russia led to many peasants leaving the countryside for the cities of Russia in the hope of a better life. Instead they were faced with poor working conditions, unhygienic and overcrowded factory dormitories, poorly built housing, long shifts and poor pay. Trade unions had been banned in Russia, preventing any improved working conditions. These conditions led to workers increasingly going on strike in protest.
After a series of strikes in the factories of Russian cities, a mass march to the Winter Palace of Tsar Nicholas II was organised. This was one of the main events that directly involved the workers that led to the changing image and eventually the abdication of the Tsar. It was hoped that a petition for better working and living conditions could be presented to Nicholas. Unknown to the people, Nicholas was not residing in the city at the time and therefore could not receive the petition. Acting on their own and totally misunderstanding the peaceful intentions of the crowd, the military fired shots into the crowd, killing many people. As the people of Russia believed that it was Nicholas that gave the order to open fire on the workers, his image went from a father figure to Nicholas ‘the Bloody’ and people began to question and turn against him.
A main reason...