What kind of revolution was the February Revolution?

Russia – The Revolution and the Events of 1917

In this course, Prof. Michael Hughes (Lancaster University) discusses the events of 1917 in Russia, from autocratic rule to socialist revolution. In the first lecture we explore what kind of revolution the 1917 Russian Revolution was, thinking about who motivated it and how it came about. In the second lecture, we examine the role of Tsar Nicholas II, and question to what extent he was responsible for the downfall of the Imperial rule of the Russian Empire. In the third lecture we inquire about who ruled Russia in the aftermath of the February Revolution, looking at the power balance between the Provisional Government, the Petrograd Soviet, and the revolutionaries. Fourth, we identify Lenin as a key figure of 1917 and question straightforward narratives of his role in the Revolution. In the fifth lecture, we discuss how the Bolsheviks were able to take power in October 1917, over the Provisional Government, the Constituent Assembly, and the alternative socialist factions like the Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries. Finally, in the sixth lecture, we understand how the Bolsheviks held onto power after October 1917, exploring the role of WWI, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, and events including the assassination attempt on Lenin in 1918.

What kind of revolution was the February Revolution?

In this lecture we think about what kind of revolution the February Revolution in early 1917 war, focussing on: (i) the February Revolution as a spontaneous uprising fuelled by long-standing social tensions and worsened conditions during World War I, leading to widespread protests and military mutinies; (ii) key revolutionary figures like Lenin and Trotsky were in exile, thus their influence is best understood through a long term lens, with the momentum in the moment instead sparked by protestors who quoted the revolutionaries on their protest signs; (iii) ultimately, the revolution was both a grassroots phenomenon and a culmination of years of agitation.