How the First World War dismantled the Russian monarchy in February 1917
In short: The sudden collapse of the Russian monarchy in February 1917 was not an isolated event. Professor Dominic Lieven argues that the pressures of the First World War undermined all support for the Tsar, creating a vacuum that allowed the Bolsheviks to seize power just eight months later.
The February Revolution was driven by the immense dilemmas of modern empire and monarchy. For Tsar Nicholas II, the challenges were both domestic and international, but his inability to address these pressures proved fatal. The First World War acted as a primary catalyst, eroding the foundations of the monarchy and leading to its sudden collapse in February 1917. The lecture explores these specific difficulties by examining the unique pressures facing the Tsarist regime. This analysis seeks to explain why the monarchy failed to navigate these complex circumstances.
A critical factor in this downfall was the shifting role of international intervention. In the 1905 revolution, the monarchy nearly collapsed, which likely would have triggered massive international intervention on the side of the counter-revolution. In a peacetime scenario, the European great powers would have moved to prevent Russia from seceding from the international system and defaulting on trillions of dollars of foreign debt. Such an intervention would have likely succeeded in the short to medium term. This highlights how much the geopolitical landscape influenced the survival of the existing order.
Germany, Russia's neighbor with Europe's most formidable army, would have been the spearhead of such an intervention in peacetime. However, the realities of war changed the calculus. To undermine the Russian state and end fighting on the eastern front, Germany supported the revolution. This strategic assistance even facilitated Lenin's return to Russia. Once the Bolsheviks seized control in November 1917, the regime experienced twelve months without foreign interference, as European Great Powers were locked in a total war against one another. This support was intended to weaken the Russian state and secure a victory on the eastern front. Consequently, the Bolsheviks gained a temporary reprieve from external hostility during the conflict.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The February Revolution in Russia - Professor Dominic Lieven
- Also: The February Revolution in Russia
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