The October Revolution: facts that are not written in history books. Interesting facts.116 facts about famous people

Today, November 7 (October 25, old style), the Great October Socialist Revolution took place. The Bolshevik coup took place in Russian Empire in 1917, becoming one of the most grandiose events of the 20th century.

Despite the fact that there is a lot of historical evidence about the October Revolution, this stage Russian history still not fully understood, and there are many mysteries and misconceptions regarding this event. It's no secret that history as a science is constantly under pressure from the current political forces, and therefore does not always objectively reflect the facts that took place in reality. After the former Soviet idols and leaders left the political arena, information began to surface that caused bewilderment and protest among some, while others made them laugh. We will talk about the most interesting details and the myths of the October Revolution, which were hushed up for a long time.

With the collapse of the USSR, a version of the course of the revolution took root in the minds of the majority, which is just as not quite reliable, just as the facts offered by Soviet propaganda. In particular, now it is said that Germany threw the Bolsheviks into Russia in a sealed wagon. In fact, Lenin and other revolutionaries arrived in the Russian Empire in 1917 from neutral Switzerland. In itself, a sealed wagon is not something mysterious - even now in rail transportation this is a common occurrence.

The proposal to travel through German territory in exchange for the return of interned German soldiers was put forward at a meeting on March 19, 1917, not by Lenin, but by the leader of the Mensheviks, Julius Martov. Lenin, however, until the last moment did not know exactly about the decision of the German authorities regarding the planned transfer. The head of the Bolsheviks was ready to sneak into the country illegally, under the guise of a deaf-mute Swede. Contacts with subjects German Empire were excluded, therefore the car was sealed. The only obligation of the emigrants towards the German authorities was to agitate in Russia for the exchange and send the interned Germans to Germany. In addition to the Bolsheviks, there were also Socialist-Revolutionaries and representatives of the Jewish Social Democratic Party Bund in the carriage. Thus, everything that happened was not a special operation to send a sabotage group of oppositionists into the Russian Empire. Of course, the German side made a certain bet on the destabilization of the state of affairs in Russia by left-wing radicals, but Lenin was not notified about this. Among other things, the Russian state itself at that moment resembled a vivid illustration of the “falling - push” rule.

About the current state Russian economy it is necessary to tell in more detail, since this aspect has also become the subject of various discussions among historians. At the moment, there is a version that the Russian Empire on the eve of the revolution was the most industrialized country in the world. Despite certain arguments that speak of the truth of such a statement, there are good reasons to doubt the undeniable well-being of the Russian state. Thus, the rates of economic growth in the first decade of the 20th century could not be called impressive; in wartime (1914-1918), they became completely modest. Supporters of the Soviet regime insist that two decades after the October coup, the Soviet Union has become the second largest industrial power in the world. Opponents parry this statement, saying that such a result was achieved through, among other things, terror and inhumane actions against the people of the Soviet state.

The same supporters of the anti-Soviet position claim that the Bolsheviks, after coming to power, literally destroyed big country, many territories were lost. However, there are also specific facts that impartially indicate that the Russian Empire may be to blame for the loss of such a large amount of land. Suffice it to mention that in 1915 Poland was lost during the German and Austro-Hungarian offensive, in February 1917 Russia lost control over Lithuania and Latvia.

Rooted in the minds of the masses and the point of view that Vladimir Lenin directly ordered the execution of Tsar Nicholas II and members of his family. Nevertheless, there is evidence that the destruction of the most august persons was the initiative of the Ural Council, which at that time included, in addition to the Bolsheviks, also the Socialist-Revolutionaries. It was these political forces that could have wanted the murder of the daughters of the Russian Tsar - this measure was a provocation in order to prevent the conclusion of peace with the Germans. Lenin, on the other hand, was allegedly going to hand over the German princesses to the German side, this was part of the agreements.

As for the Soviet myths spread among the population at the initiative of the ruling circles in order to maintain the faith of the working people in their bright future? First of all, it becomes unclear why in the Civil War of 1917-1923 the "proletarian" government won, because in the territory modern Russia and some CIS countries, there were more intelligentsia and nobles than proletarians. This was well expressed by the character of the novel by A.N. Ostrovsky “How the Steel Was Tempered” Pavka Korchagin: “we were red, and someone else sympathized with us. And there were whites and those who sympathized with them. And then 80% of the population, which has always been with the winners ... "

Soviet historians did not mention the offensive of Denikin's troops on Moscow and its successful completion for the Whites, they were silent about the help of the Muslims, which they provided in the defeat of Denikin's army. The anarchist army of Father Makhno also took part in that battle. By order of the “tops”, Eisenstein’s talented film “October” appeared, shots from which many still consider to be a reflection of real events. In fact, about two thousand Red Guards and Baltic sailors took part in the "large-scale" storming of the Winter Palace. During the assault, both sides suffered a total loss of seven people.

Another scene from the film, when Lenin, standing on an armored car, delivers a speech, which later became the “April Theses”, to soldiers and workers, is real. However, the point of view is erroneous, according to which the "Leninist armored car" was allegedly located near the Marble Palace in Leningrad. The October Revolution itself this moment It is considered more of an indicative act, since after the bourgeois-democratic revolution that took place in February, the “bloody tsarist regime” was overthrown. However, controversy on this issue has not subsided so far.

There were many historical myths about the February Revolution. As a rule, they were composed by those politicians whom revolutionary wave temporarily thrown to the pinnacle of power, but who could not stay on it. The composition of the Provisional Government changed four times (some uncertainty was already felt in the name itself), until the Bolsheviks came to power. And they lingered on the crest of the wave seriously and for a long time.

The first myth of the Februaryists, which became popular again in the 1990s, was to contrast the supposedly “popular” February Revolution with the “anti-democratic” October Revolution. Like, everything would be fine if not for the Bolsheviks, who dispersed the Constituent Assembly and turned the country towards a totalitarian one-party system...

However, the official Soviet historiography was, oddly enough, much closer to the truth in interpreting the nature of the February Revolution. This revolution had a strong anti-war and socialist charge from the very beginning. The movement that arose in the February days took place under the slogans of "peace, bread, land." It was obvious that the matter would not be limited to one political upheaval, that after the fall of the throne, a social revolution would unfold. Only good-hearted liberals could believe that the Russian people were preoccupied mainly with questions of the political system.

On the other hand, the February Revolution, to a much greater extent than the October Revolution, had the character of a military coup. Apart from the propagandized Petrograd garrison, no military units took part anywhere else in the events of February. The country was simply faced with the fact of a change of power. Another thing is that this change was received very sympathetically almost throughout Russia.

The sovereign was isolated from sources of objective information by his generals, first of all by the chief of staff M.V. Alekseev, who played (together with the commander of the Northern Front N.V. Ruzsky) leading role in the emperor's decision to abdicate. As it is now becoming known, plans for the implementation palace coup, where Alekseev was supposed to become the key coordinator, included the physical elimination of Nicholas II in case of his refusal to resign. The conspirators considered the movement inspired in Petrograd to be an opportune moment for a change of power.

Most of the army commanders and corps commanders expressed their readiness to come out with their troops to suppress the uprising in Petrograd. But this information was not brought to the king.

The same propagandized St. Petersburg garrison became the main striking force in the October Revolution. In both cases, the legitimate cover for the change of power was a qualified elected body - first the State Duma, then - the Congress of Soviets. But the latter was still a more democratic institution than the Duma. Therefore, comparing the nature of both coups, it is necessary to note their significant identity, despite the fact that the movement that accompanied the overthrow of the Provisional Government was more massive.

Another myth concerns the alleged inability of the tsarist regime to effectively manage the country and ensure victory in the war. Here we are confronted with a phenomenon familiar to us from recent history- skillful manipulation of public consciousness. The information capabilities of the opponents of the monarchy far exceeded those of the government itself. Meanwhile, history gradually opened its eyes to the background of the then-spread political legends. A thorough study of the events preceding February showed that Rasputin's undivided influence on the royal couple, the emperor's lack of will, and the queen's preparation for a separate peace with Germany had nothing to do with reality. These were deliberate stuffing of lies and slander in order to discredit the authorities.

It is characteristic that the historian of very left views, who in 1917 was a member of the Labor People's Socialist Party, Sergei Melgunov, was the first to expose these informational myths. In a number of works published by him in exile in the 1920s and 1950s - On the Way to a Palace Revolution (republished in Moscow in 2002), The Legend of a Separate Peace, etc. - he, with facts in hand, proved the complete failure of Rasputin's myth, accusations of preparing a separate conspiracy with Germany by the royal couple and the moral and political decay of the ruling elite.

That is, all those legends that liberal politicians continued to justify their actions in those fateful days for Russia even in exile. Then other historians - Russian and foreign - confirmed the validity of Melgunov's conclusions.

It is a fact that parallel circuits of alternative power were created during the war years. Its structures were organizations of the liberal public - the Union of Zemstvos and Cities, the Military Industrial Committees, and the think tank, as shown by studies of Soviet historians of the 60-80s - N.N. Yakovlev and V.I. Startseva - was the Masonic lodge "Great East of the Peoples of Russia", which in 1912 set as its task the elimination of the monarchy and the creation of a federal Russian republic. This lodge included many prominent Russian politicians who belonged to a wide party spectrum - from the Octobrists to the Mensheviks. It was, in fact, the coordinating headquarters for the preparation of the coup.

As a result, the alternative power turned out to be stronger than the official one. Here we also see an analogy with the subsequent events of October, as a result of which another alternative structure - the Soviet one - overthrew the apparatus of power built by the Provisional Government. But the fact that tsarist power collapsed as a result of confrontation with new structures does not at all mean that it did not cope well with the national tasks of the current moment. The provisional government was completely unable to somehow organize the life of the country and defense.

The scale of Russia's military defeats in 1915 was no greater than the defeats of France in 1914 or the defeats of Austria-Hungary by Russian troops throughout the war. The "shell famine" that led to the "great retreat" in the summer of 1915 had long since passed. The needs of the Russian army for weapons, equipment and food were satisfied no worse than in the armies of other large warring states, and clearly better than in Germany, where from the end of 1915 the economic blockade began to be acutely felt. In the spring of 1917, a general offensive was planned on all fronts.

If not in 1917, then in 1918, Russia, together with its allies, would inevitably have come to victory, if not for the Februaryists, who did not want the glory of this victory to go to the monarchical regime. Therefore, they were in a hurry to arrange a coup. W. Churchill wrote about this period: “Of all countries, fate treated Russia most cruelly - her ship sank when the safe harbor was already visible.”

On Churchill's part, these were, of course, crocodile tears. He, who during the First World War was the First Lord of the Admiralty (Minister of the Navy), and then the Minister of War Supplies, should have been well aware of the efforts that Great Britain was undertaking to change power in Russia and support the anti-monarchist conspirators. The British ambassador in Petrograd, Lord Buchanan, regularly advised the leaders of the "Great Orient of the Peoples of Russia", was aware of their plans, and helped with financing. In fact, the post-February government of Russia received recognition as the first power of the then world even before its official creation. The British leadership abandoned its ally - the Russian monarchy - and staked on the revolution.

What did they hope for in London? Did they really believe that Russian liberals would be able to manage a huge country more effectively than the tsarist regime? This is most likely not the issue. In Britain, they considered that they would be able to win without Russia final victory over Germany. Especially when the issue of US entry into the war had already been actually resolved. A year earlier, a year later - what's the difference. The main thing is to exclude Russia from the list of winners in advance, otherwise the question of territorial acquisitions would arise, in the first place, the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits. By promoting the revolution in Russia, the British leadership was getting rid of a competitor.

But, obviously, those historians who argue that the monarchical system has exhausted the resource of its own modernization are also right. If we try to imagine under what conditions the monarchy could have survived in Russia in the 20th century, then an analogy with the system that was established in the country after the revolutionary storms suggests itself.

As experience has shown, Russia of the 20th century did not need a parliament, did not need a multi-party system. But Russia was in dire need of social equality, the abolition of class and national restrictions, the influx of fresh popular forces in the apparatus of power, in the modernization of the economy.

It is quite possible to imagine such a system in which the tsar would be at the same time the leader of a single, but mass political party(say, the Union of the Russian People; by the way, Nicholas II was offered to officially head this party). This party would be the main source of personnel for public service, the mechanism of rotation of the ruling elite. There should not have been any class preferences when joining the party and making a party career. It was also necessary to carry out the nationalization of the most important branches of industry and to abolish large-scale landlordism, which seemed to the majority of the Russian people - the peasantry - an extreme form of social injustice. This could be the only evolutionary way of modernization political system Russia in the 20th century is an original path, not according to Western patterns.

In this case, that historical alternative could come true, about which Konstantin Leontiev wrote in 1890: "The Russian tsar ... will become the head of the socialist movement." An attempt to implement a socialist project in Russia was inevitable. The Russian monarchy late XIX century unequivocally linked itself with the capitalist project alien to Russian civilization and, by its inability to abandon it, doomed itself to a historical defeat. This was the pattern of the February Revolution. But February proved to be only a brief interlude on the way to October.

Famous personalities differ from us not only in their achievements in a particular area of ​​life. Facts from the life of famous people confirm their oddities. Famous people have such an entertaining biography that you want to study it in full. Interesting facts from the life of famous people will appeal to both children and adults.

1. captured Italy at the age of 26.

2. Time magazine named Hitler's Man of the Year.

3. Cleopatra was married to her brother.

4. Facts from the life of famous people of America confirm that Andrew Jackson, the President of the United States, considered the Earth to be flat.

5. At the wedding, Queen Victoria was presented with a piece of cheese, the diameter of which was 3 meters, and the weight was 500 kilograms.

6. Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' toilet. When there was a ball, his mother felt unwell and soon gave birth to him there.

7. Beethoven always brewed coffee from 64 beans.

8. Beria had syphilis.

9. Celine Dion and Madonna are the cousins ​​of the wife of Prince Charles.

10. almost always fell asleep in front of the fireplace. As a result, he experienced sleep deprivation.

11. Socks were considered the most stupid thing.

12. The most loving man is the king of the island of Tonga, which is located in the Pacific Ocean. His name was Fatafehi ​​Paulah.

13. I have never had children, and intimate relationships too.

14. Facts from the life of famous people of Russia say that Alexander Suvorov did not lose a single battle.

15. always worked on the field on a par with other men. And this happened despite the fact that he was a count.

16. Nikola Tesla had panic fear towards microbes.

17. Andriana Lima, who is considered famous brazilian model, remained faithful until marriage. And exactly 9 months after the wedding, her daughter was born.

18. Paul McCartney, due to his own workload, did not have time to purchase wedding ring own chosen one.

19. Cristiano Ronaldo is the most expensive player in the history of football.

20. Jackie Chan's mother carried him for 12 months and this famous man was born with a weight of more than 5 kilograms.

21. Interesting facts about famous people provide information that Marilyn Monroe before she became famous model, worked at an aviation factory.

22. Brad Pitt's first job was to perform on the streets in "chicken" clothes.

24. Marilyn Monroe's bra sold at auction for $14,000.

25. Hiding hair loss, Julius Caesar put a wreath of laurel on his head.

26. Elizabeth the First taxed men who had beards.

27. More than 500 million dollars for charity gave away John Rockefeller for his own life.

28. Winston Churchill smoked at least 15 cigars a day.

29. King Solomon had about 700 wives and 100 mistresses.

30. Moart has never been to school.

31. Sigmund Freud had a panic rhinestone before the number 62.

32. Louis Pasteur was the sponsor of the beer factory.

33. Alexander the Great knew about 30,000 of his own soldiers by sight.

34. Approximately 3,000 outfits were from Queen Elizabeth.

35. Voltaire's body was stolen from the grave.

36. The Dutch artist Van Gogh had bouts of insanity. In one of them he cut off his ear.

37. Yuri Gagarin wrote a farewell letter to his wife before the flight into space, because he did not know how the expedition would end.

38. Luciano Pavarotti was fond of football.

39. Genghis Khan had a panic fear of death. And this is despite his cruelty towards enemies.

40. When Alla Pugacheva was born, cancer was found on her throat. It was removed immediately.

41. Sylvester Stallone was often beaten in school years.

42. participated in duels more than 90 times.

43. Saddam Hussein wrote the Koran with his own blood.

44. Charlie Chaplin's body was stolen 3 months later by porters who demanded a ransom.

45. When Vladimir Putin worked for the KGB, his code name was "mol".

46. ​​The largest fee in the amount of $ 20 million was first received by Julia Roberts.

47. All shoes for Paris Hillton were made to order, because she has big size feet and it is difficult to find the right shoes.

48. Whoopi Goldberg, who is considered an actress, has no eyebrows.

49. Rihanna didn't even finish school.

50. Beethoven doused himself with ice water in order to raise his mental tone.

51. In his childhood, Charles Darwin's father considered his son mediocrity.

52. Demosthenes had a speech impediment in childhood.

53. Genghis Khan died in the process of making love.

54. Arthur Conan Doyle, who wrote Sherlock Holmes, was an ophthalmologist by profession.

55. Walt Disney was afraid of mice throughout his life.

56. Mozart began composing music at the age of 3. At the age of 35, he already had over 600 works.

57. At the age of 3, Albert Einstein did not say a word.

58. Timberlake is very afraid of spiders.

59. The Italian national flag was created by Napoleon Bonaparte.

60. Queen Anne was the mother of 17 children.

61. The autograph of the Roman emperor Julius Caesar was estimated at $ 2 million.

62. Charles Dickens preferred to sleep only facing north.

63. George Washington's birthday was the only birthday that was a public holiday in the US.

64. Uma Thurman's father was a monk and professor of Eastern religion.

65. Taylor Swift played the guitar for the first time at the age of 10.

66. Ashton Kutcher trained as a biochemist.

67. Riana was a cadet in the Barbadian army.

68. Angelina Jolie in her childhood wore braces and glasses, for which she was teased by the guys.

69. Until the age of 16, Jennifer Garner did not wear thongs and did not use cosmetics, because she was forbidden to do so.

70. Tom Cruise had a dream - to become a priest.

71. Demi Moore had an attempt to commit suicide during her school years.

72. Queen Victoria spent 40 years in mourning after the death of her husband. She did not take off her black dresses at that time.

73. Mussolini was scared to death of cats.

74. Alfred Hitchcock was afraid of eggs in any form.

75. Julio Iglesias played in the Real Madrid football team in his youth.

76. The highest paid actor is Charlie Chaplin.

77. Marilyn Monroe grew up in an orphanage.

78. Tchaikovsky had a law degree.

79. Two children Ricky Martin gave birth to a surrogate mother, and all his life he hid his own orientation.

80. Hitler was a vegetarian.

81. Two of his six spouses were executed by the English King Henry VIII.

82. Paul McCartney's mother was a midwife and helped the kids to be born.

83. Kipling could not write his works in ink due to the fact that they were black.

84. Benjamin Franklin wanted to make the turkey the national bird of the United States of America.

85. Bill Clinton has only sent 2 emails in all his years in office.

86. George Washington did not shake hands when meeting, but only bowed.

87. before you start writing activity, was a doctor.

88. Cleopatra preferred to test poisons on her slaves.

89. Winston Churchill had Indian ancestors on his mother's side.

90. Queen Victoria spoke English language with a German accent.

91. Henry Ford, who is considered a successful businessman, had only a secondary education.

92. Sarah Jessica Parker is tied to a black little dress, so she even got married in a black dress.

93. At one of his concerts, Ozzy Osbourne bit off the head of a bat.

94. Elizabeth Taylor had a double row of eyelashes.

95. In my school years I was a loser in physics.

96. The Chupa Chups logo was designed by Salvador Dali.

97. Kate Middleton's wedding dress the morning after the celebration could be purchased for $300.

98. Elvis Presley worked for a trucking company when he was young.

99. Napoleon's penis was purchased for $40,000 by an American urologist.

The beginning of the twentieth century is of particular importance for the history of Russia. This time was full of various events: the First World War, the February and October revolutions, the Civil War and the establishment Soviet power. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the famous revolution that took place in October 1917 and made a very significant contribution to the life of the country.

The reasons for the October Revolution were banal - financial crisis, the decline of the economy, inflation, distrust of the interim government. The end of August 1917 was marked by the transfer of leadership of the Soviets into the hands of the Bolsheviks. The party not only became more solid, but also expanded in terms of the number of participants. The Red Guard was formed, which became the power supply political struggle. The Bolsheviks demanded the removal of the provisional government, and demanded that power be given to representatives of the proletariat and peasantry. Historians are sure that the revolution could have started earlier, but the leader of the party, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, was hiding in Finland at that time, from where he sent his directives and instructions to Petrograd, in which he strongly recommended preparing an uprising to seize power. He was sure that the people in Moscow and Petrograd should be raised up unexpectedly, then the existing power would not be able to withstand resistance. On October 7 Lenin returned to Russia and the Revolution became inevitable.

It is worth noting the excellent preparation of the revolution. On October 12, 1917, the head of the Petrograd Soviet, Lev Trotsky, established the Military Revolutionary Committee, after 10 days in all military units Agitators from the Bolsheviks began to work actively in Petrograd, and on October 25 that same Revolution began. During fierce fighting on the streets of Moscow and Petrograd, the Red Guards managed to capture the Winter Palace.

Experts note several interesting facts about the October Revolution of 1917:

• From March to October 1917, the membership of the Bolshevik Party grew 15 times. At the beginning of the revolution, the party consisted of at least 350,000 people, 60% of whom were advanced workers;
• Even women could vote in the elections to the Constituent Assembly of 1917; this was a novelty not only in Russia, but also in most countries;
• On the part of Russia, the revolution was financed not only by membership dues and donations. A significant contribution was made by the textile magnate Savva Morozov. He invested money through his mistress, actress Maria Fedorovna Andreeva. In addition, funds were obtained through bandit raids on banks and money convoys;
• External sources of funding came from countries that wanted to weaken Russia and supported the revolutionaries as a subversive "fifth column": the American Zionists, Japan and Germany;
• After the power was seized, the Bolsheviks began to rob palaces, banks, cash desks, and jewelry stores. Then F. E. Dzerzhinsky received an order that it was necessary to take into account everyone who might have some kind of jewelry and finances. All savings were expropriated and used for the needs of the revolution;
• The provisional government tried to arrest V. I. Lenin as a German spy;
• After the October Revolution in Russia in 1917-1922, a series of nationwide and peasant uprisings took place simultaneously against the red and white authorities. In 1920 there were several uprisings in the Slutsk district. 4,000 rebels fought for freedom for a month. The slogan of the rebels was: "No Polish pans, no Moscow communists." In some Belarusian counties, the partisan anti-Soviet movement did not stop until 1926 and later;
• Demographic historians have found that at the beginning of 1918 there were 148 million people in Russia, and by 1923 137.4 million people lived in Russia. Taking into account those born after 1917, it turns out that 29.5 million people disappeared as a result of the outbreak of the civil war of 1918-1922. There were 7 million children who lost both parents;
• The well-known Petrograd Bolsheviks M. S. Uritsky and M. M. Volodarsky were killed for embezzling valuables stolen by the revolution and transferred to foreign banks. Their comrades-in-arms dealt with them, but the people were told that these figures had fallen at the hands of the enemies of the revolution. At the same time, more than a hundred people were arrested and shot for "murder";
• After the end of the October Revolution a large number of streets in Russian cities received revolutionary names. Squares, parks, settlements and entire cities were also reimagined. Monuments to Lenin were erected everywhere;
• In the year of the 50th anniversary of October, the Order of the October Revolution was established. On February 22, 1968, the famous cruiser Aurora was awarded this award for outstanding services in overthrowing the objectionable government.

In May 1922, V. I. Lenin fell seriously ill, but on October 2 he was able to return to work. Perhaps the deterioration in the health of the main Bolshevik of the country occurred against the backdrop of the consequences of the assassination attempt on him in 1918. Since then, his life has turned into constant maintenance of health, he has become less likely to appear in the Kremlin and in public speeches.

On January 21, 1924, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin died. Even during Lenin's illness, the Soviet leadership, represented by I.V. Stalin, took care of the condition of his body, and a decision was made to embalm him. By the day of the funeral of the revolutionary, a wooden Mausoleum was erected, which was later transformed into a modern one. That V.I. Lenin must be buried, discussions have been going on for a long time. Today many politicians demand the reburial of the leader, but the current president, Vladimir Putin, said that he was waiting for the moment when it would become necessary for the people themselves.

The spring of 1917 was to be decisive in the victory of the Russian Empire over Germany and Austria-Hungary in the First World War. But history decreed otherwise. The February Revolution of 1917 not only put an end to all military plans, but also destroyed the Russian autocracy.

1. Bread is to blame

The revolution began with a grain crisis. At the end of February 1917, due to snow drifts, the schedule was disrupted. freight traffic bread, and there was a rumor about the imminent transition to cards for bread. Refugees arrived in the capital, and part of the bakers were drafted into the army. Queues formed at the bakeries, and then riots began. Already on February 21, a crowd with the slogan "Bread, bread" began to smash bakery shops.

2. Putilov workers

On February 18, the workers of the gunnery stamping workshop of the Putilov Plant went on strike, and workers from other workshops joined them. Four days later, the plant administration announced the closure of the enterprise and the dismissal of 36,000 workers. Proletarians from other plants and factories spontaneously began to join the Putilovites.

3. Protopopov's inaction

Appointed in September 1916 as Minister of the Interior, Alexander Protopopov was confident that he had the whole situation under control. Trusting the convictions of his minister about security in Petrograd, Nicholas II leaves the capital on February 22 to headquarter in Mogilev. The only measure taken by the minister during the days of the revolution was the arrest of a number of leaders of the Bolshevik faction. The poet Alexander Blok was sure that Protopopov's inaction was the main reason for the victory of the February Revolution in Petrograd. "Why is the main platform of power - the Ministry of the Interior - given to the psychopathic talker, liar, hysteric and coward Protopopov, who is distraught from this power?" - asked Alexander Blok in his "Reflections on the February Revolution".

4 Housewife Revolt

Officially, the revolution began with unrest among Petrograd housewives, forced to stand long hours in long lines for bread. Many of them became workers in weaving factories during the war years. By February 23, about 100,000 workers from fifty enterprises were already on strike in the capital. The demonstrators demanded not only bread and an end to the war, but also the overthrow of the autocracy.

5. All power is in the hands of a random person

Resolute measures were needed to suppress the revolution. On February 24, all power in the capital was transferred to the commander of the troops of the Petrograd Military District, Lieutenant General Khabalov. He was appointed to this post in the summer of 1916, not having the skills and abilities necessary for this. He receives a telegram from the emperor: “I order tomorrow to stop the unrest in the capital, which is unacceptable in the difficult time of the war with Germany and Austria. NICHOLAS". Khabalov's military dictatorship was to be established in the capital. But most of the troops refused to obey him. This was logical, since Khabalov, who had previously been close to Rasputin, served his entire career at headquarters and in military schools, without having the authority among the soldiers necessary at the most critical moment.

6. When did the tsar find out about the beginning of the revolution?

According to historians, Nicholas II learned about the beginning of the revolution only on February 25 at about 18:00 from two sources: from General Khabalov and from Minister Protopopov. In his own diary, Nikolai first wrote about the revolutionary events only on February 27 (on the fourth day): “Unrest began in Petrograd a few days ago; unfortunately, the troops began to take part in them. It's a disgusting feeling to be so far away and receive fragmentary bad news!

7. Peasant, not soldier rebellion

On February 27, a mass transition of soldiers to the side of the people began: in the morning, 10,000 soldiers rebelled. By the evening of the next day, there were already 127,000 rebel soldiers. And by March 1, almost the entire Petrograd garrison had gone over to the side of the striking workers. Government troops melted every minute. And this is not surprising, because the soldiers were yesterday's peasant recruits, not ready to raise bayonets against their brothers. Therefore, it is more fair to consider this rebellion not of soldiers, but of peasants. On February 28, the rebels arrested Khabalov and imprisoned him in the Peter and Paul Fortress.

8. The first soldier of the revolution

On the morning of February 27, 1917, senior sergeant major Timofey Kirpichnikov raised and armed his subordinate soldiers. Staff Captain Lashkevich was supposed to come to them in order to send, in accordance with the order of Khabalov, this unit to suppress the riots. But Kirpichnikov persuaded the "platoon", and the soldiers decided not to shoot at the demonstrators and killed Lashkevich. Kirpichnikov, as the first soldier who raised his weapon against the "royal system", was awarded the St. George Cross. But the punishment found its hero, on the orders of the monarchist Colonel Kutepov, he was shot in the ranks of the Volunteer Army.

9. Set fire to the Police Department

The police department was the stronghold of the struggle of the tsarist regime against the revolutionary movement. Capture it law enforcement agency became one of the first targets of the revolutionaries. Director of the Police Department Vasiliev, foreseeing the danger of the events that had begun, ordered in advance that all documents with the addresses of police officers and secret agents be burned. The revolutionary leaders sought to be the first to get into the building of the Department, not only in order to take possession of all the data on the criminals in the empire and solemnly burn them, but also in order to destroy in advance all the dirt on them that was in the hands of the former government. So, most of sources on the history of the revolutionary movement and the tsarist police was destroyed in the days of the February Revolution.

10. "Hunting season" for the police

During the days of the revolution, the rebels showed particular cruelty to police officers. Trying to escape, the former servants of Themis changed clothes, hid in attics and basements. But they were still found and put to death on the spot, sometimes with monstrous cruelty. The head of the Petrograd security department, General Globachev, recalled: “The rebels scoured the whole city, looking for police officers and policemen, expressed stormy delight, having found a new victim to quench their thirst for innocent blood, and there was no bullying, mockery, insults and torture that animals had not tried on their victims."

11. Uprising in Moscow

Following Petrograd, Moscow also went on strike. On February 27, it was declared under a state of siege, and all rallies were prohibited. But the unrest could not be prevented. By March 2, the railway stations, arsenals and the Kremlin were already captured. Power in their hands was taken by representatives of the Committee created during the revolution public organizations Moscow and the Moscow Soviet of Workers' Deputies.

12. "Triple power" in Kyiv

The news of the change of power reached Kyiv by March 3. But unlike Petrograd and other cities of the Russian Empire, not a dual power, but a tripartite power was established in Kyiv. In addition to the provincial and district commissars appointed by the Provisional Government and the emerging local councils workers' and soldiers' deputies entered the political arena a third force - the Central Rada, initiated by representatives of all the parties participating in the revolution to coordinate the national movement. And immediately inside the Rada a struggle began between supporters of national independence and adherents of an autonomous republic in a federation with Russia. Nevertheless, on March 9, the Ukrainian Central Rada declared its support for the Provisional Government headed by Prince Lvov.

13. Liberal Conspiracy

As early as December 1916, the idea of ​​a palace coup had matured among the liberals. The leader of the Octobrist party Guchkov, together with the cadet Nekrasov, were able to attract the future Minister of Foreign Affairs and Finance of the Provisional Government Tereshchenko, Chairman of the State Duma Rodzianko, General Alekseev and Colonel Krymov. They planned not later than April 1917 to intercept the emperor on his way from the capital to headquarters in Mogilev and force him to abdicate in favor of the legitimate heir. But the plan was implemented earlier, already on March 1, 1917.

14. Five centers of "revolutionary ferment"

The authorities were aware of not one, but several centers of the future revolution at once. The palace commandant, General Voeikov, at the end of 1916, named five centers of opposition to autocratic power, in his words, centers of "revolutionary ferment": 1) the State Duma, headed by M.V. Rodzianko; 2) Zemsky Union, headed by Prince G.E. Lvov; 3) City union headed by M.V. Chelnokov; 4) Central military-industrial committee headed by A.I. Guchkov; 5) Headquarters headed by M.V. Alekseev. As shown further developments, all of them took a direct part in the coup d'état.

15. Nikolai's Last Chance

Did Nicholas have a chance to retain power? Perhaps if he had listened to "fat Rodzianko." On the afternoon of February 26, Nicholas II receives a telegram from State Duma Chairman Rodzianko, who reports anarchy in the capital: the government is paralyzed, transport of food and fuel is in complete disarray, there is indiscriminate shooting in the street. “It is necessary to immediately instruct a person who enjoys confidence to form a new government. You can't delay. Any delay is like death. I pray to God that this hour of responsibility does not fall on the Crown-bearer.” But Nikolai does not react, complaining only to the Minister of the Imperial Court, Frederiks: “Again, this fat Rodzianko wrote me various nonsense, to which I will not even answer him.”

16. Future Emperor Nicholas III

As early as the end of 1916, during the negotiations of the conspirators, the main contender for the throne as a result of a palace coup was considered Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Army at the beginning of the First World War. In the last pre-revolutionary months, he was in the capacity of governor in the Caucasus. The proposal to take the throne came to Nikolai Nikolayevich on January 1, 1917, but two days later the Grand Duke refused. During the February Revolution, he was in the south, where he received news of his appointment again as Supreme Commander-in-Chief, but upon arrival on March 11 at Headquarters in Mogilev, he was forced to resign and resign.

17. Fatalism of the king

Nicholas II knew about the conspiracies being prepared against him. In the autumn of 1916, he was informed about this by the palace commandant Voeikov, in December - by the Black Hundred Tikhanovich-Savitsky, and in January 1917 - by the chairman of the Council of Ministers, Prince Golitsyn and the adjutant wing Mordvinov. During the war, Nicholas II was afraid to act openly against the liberal opposition and completely entrusted his life and the life of the Empress to the "will of God."

18. Nicholas II and Julius Caesar

According to the personal diary of Emperor Nicholas II, throughout all the days of the revolutionary events he continued to read a French book about the conquest of Gaul by Julius Caesar. Did Nicholas think that he would soon suffer the fate of Caesar - a palace coup?

19. Rodzianko tried to save the royal family

In the February days, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, along with her children, was in Tsarskoye Selo. After the departure of Nicholas II on February 22 to Headquarters in Mogilev, one after another, all the royal children fell ill with measles. The source of the infection, apparently, was the young cadets - Tsarevich Alexei's playmates. On February 27, she writes to her husband about the revolution in the capital. Rodzianko, through the empress's valet, urged her and her children to immediately leave the palace: “Leave anywhere, and as soon as possible. The danger is very great. When the house is on fire, and sick children are carried out. The empress replied: “We will not go anywhere. Let them do what they want, but I won’t leave and I won’t ruin my children.” Due to the serious condition of the children (the temperature of Olga, Tatiana and Alexei reached 40 degrees) royal family could not leave her palace, so all the guards battalions loyal to the autocracy were gathered there. Only on March 9, "colonel" Nikolai Romanov arrived in Tsarskoye Selo.

20. Treason of allies

Thanks to intelligence and the ambassador in Petrograd, Lord Buchanan, the British government had full information about the impending conspiracy in the capital of his main ally in the war with Germany. On the issue of power in the Russian Empire, the British crown decided to rely on the liberal opposition and even financed them through its ambassador. By facilitating the revolution in Russia, the British leadership got rid of a competitor in the post-war issue of the territorial acquisitions of the victorious countries.

When on February 27 the deputies of the 4th State Duma formed the Provisional Committee headed by Rodzianko, who for a short time assumed full power in the country, it was the allied France and Great Britain who were the first to recognize the de facto new government - on March 1, the day before the abdication still a legitimate king.

21. Unexpected renunciation

Contrary to popular belief, it was Nicholas, and not the Duma opposition, who initiated the abdication for Tsarevich Alexei. By decision of the Provisional Committee of the State Duma, Guchkov and Shulgin went to Pskov with the aim of abdicating Nicholas II. The meeting took place in the carriage of the royal train, where Guchkov suggested that the emperor abdicate in favor of little Alexei, with the appointment of Grand Duke Mikhail as regent. But Nicholas II said that he was not ready to part with his son, so he decided to abdicate in favor of his brother. Taken by surprise by such a statement of the king, the Duma envoys even asked Nikolai for a quarter of an hour to confer and still accept the abdication. On the same day, Nicholas II wrote in his diary: “At one in the morning I left Pskov with a heavy feeling of what I had experienced. Around treason and cowardice and deceit!

22. Isolation of the Emperor

The key role in the emperor's decision to abdicate was played by the chief of staff, General Alekseev, and the commander of the Northern Front, General Ruzsky. The sovereign was isolated from sources of objective information by his generals, who were participants in a conspiracy to stage a palace coup. Most of the army commanders and corps commanders expressed their readiness to come out with their troops to suppress the uprising in Petrograd. But this information was not brought to the king. It is now known that in the event of the emperor's refusal to resign, the generals even considered the physical removal of Nicholas II.

23. Loyal Commanders

Only two military commanders remained loyal to Nicholas II - General Fyodor Keller, who commanded the 3rd Cavalry Corps, and the commander of the Guards Cavalry Corps, General Huseyn Khan Nakhichevansky. General Keller turned to his officers: “I received a dispatch about the abdication of the Sovereign and about some kind of Provisional Government. I, your old commander, who shared with you hardships, sorrows, and joys, do not believe that the Sovereign Emperor at such a moment could voluntarily abandon the army and Russia. He, together with General Khan Nakhchivansky, offered the king to provide himself and his units to suppress the uprising. But it was already too late.

24. Lviv appointed by decree of the abdicated emperor

The Provisional Government was formed on March 2 after an agreement between the Provisional Committee of the State Duma and the Petrograd Soviet. But the new government, even after the abdication, required the consent of the emperor to the appointment of Prince Lvov as head of the government. Nicholas II signed a decree to the Governing Senate on the appointment of Lvov as chairman of the Council of Ministers, dated 2 pm on March 2, for the legitimacy of the document an hour ahead of the time set in the abdication.

25. Self-withdrawal of Mikhail on the initiative of Kerensky

On the morning of March 3, members of the newly formed Provisional Government came to Mikhail Romanov to resolve the issue of accepting the throne. But there was no unity among the deputation: Milyukov and Guchkov insisted on accepting the throne, while Kerensky called for a refusal. Kerensky was one of the most ardent opponents of the continuation of the autocracy. After a personal conversation with Rodzianko and Lvov, the Grand Duke decided to renounce the throne. A day later, Mikhail issued a manifesto, urging everyone to submit to the authority of the Provisional Government until the convocation of Constituent Assembly. Ex-emperor Nikolai Romanov reacted to this news with the following entry in his diary: “God knows who advised him to sign such a vile thing!”. This ended the February Revolution.

26. The Church supported the Provisional Government

Dissatisfaction with the policies of the Romanovs smoldered in Orthodox Church since Peter's reforms. After the first Russian revolution, discontent only intensified, since now the Duma could pass laws relating to church matters, including its budget. The Church sought to restore the sovereign's rights lost two centuries ago and transfer them to the newly installed patriarch. During the days of the revolution, the Holy Synod did not take any active part in the struggle on either side. But the king's abdication was approved by the clergy. On March 4, the chief procurator of the Synod of Lvov proclaimed the "freedom of the Church", and on March 6, it was decided to serve a prayer service not for the reigning house, but for the new government.

27. Two hymns of the new state

Immediately after the start of the February Revolution, the question of a new Russian anthem arose. The poet Bryusov proposed to arrange all-Russian competition to choose new music and anthem words. But all the proposed options were rejected by the Provisional Government, which approved the "Workers' Marseillaise" as the national anthem with the words of the populist theorist Pyotr Lavrov. But the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies proclaimed the anthem "The Internationale". Thus, the dual power was preserved not only in the government, but also in the issue of the national anthem. The final decision on the national anthem, like on many other issues, was to be taken by the Constituent Assembly.

28. Symbolism of the new power

Change state form management is always accompanied by a revision of the whole state symbols. Following the anthem, which appeared spontaneously, the new government was to decide the fate of the two-headed imperial eagle. To solve the problem, a group of specialists in the field of heraldry was assembled, who decided to postpone this issue until the Constituent Assembly. It was temporarily decided to leave the double-headed eagle, but without any attributes of royal power and without George the Victorious on his chest.

29. Not only Lenin “slept through” the revolution

AT Soviet time they necessarily emphasized that only on March 2, 1917, did Lenin learn that the revolution had won in Russia, and instead of the tsarist ministers, 12 members of the State Duma were in power. “Sleep disappeared from Ilyich from the moment when news of the revolution came,” Krupskaya recalled, “and the most incredible plans were made at night.” But apart from Lenin February Revolution"overslept" and all the other socialist leaders: Martov, Plekhanov, Trotsky, Chernov and others who were abroad. Only the Menshevik Chkheidze, because of his duties as head of the corresponding faction in the State Duma, found himself at a critical moment in the capital and headed the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies.

30. Defunct February Revolution

Since 2015, in accordance with the new concept of learning national history and historical and cultural standard, establishing uniform requirements for school history textbooks, our children will no longer study the events of February-March 1917 as the February Revolution. According to new concept, now there is no division into February and October revolution, but there is the Great Russian Revolution, which lasted from February to November 1917. The events of February-March are now officially referred to as the "February coup", and the October events - "the seizure of power by the Bolsheviks."