February 1917: The Revolution Erupts

Russia – Revolution and Civil War, 1917-22

In this course, Dr Mark Levene (University of Southampton) explores the Russian Revolution from the outbreak of the Revolution in February 1917 to the conclusion of the Russian Civil War in October 1922. In the first module, we think about the beginnings of the Revolution in February 1917, as well as the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II. After that, we look back at the history of the Russian Empire and the problems it had faced since the early modern period. In the third module, we turn to more recent events—the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-5 and the outbreak of the First World War in 1914—before exploring in the modules five and six how it was that Lenin and the Bolsheviks came to power by the beginning of 1918. In the seventh module, we spend some time thinking about what the Bolsheviks believed in and what kind of society they were trying to create, before thinking in the eighth module about the rise of the White Army and the opposition to the Bolshevik revolution. In the ninth module, we think about the international response to the Bolshevik revolution – especially that of Germany and Britain – before turning in the tenth module to explore the catastrophic impact of the revolution on the many millions of Russians who found themselves caught in the middle of the revolution. In the eleventh module, we think about how the Bolsheviks were able to complete the revolution by the early 1920s, before moving on in the twelfth and final module to explore the consequences and legacies of the Revolution, including the rise of fascism, Stalin, and the Cold War.

February 1917: The Revolution Erupts

In this module, we trace events from the mass demonstrations of 23 February to the formation of the First Soviet (27 February) and the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II three days later on 2 March.