On this day in 1917, the Russian Revolution began. The sudden and unexpected revolution ended the Romanov dynasty. The revolution was unusual in that it was not planned, nor was it directed by any organized political group.

So What Happened...? Today in 1917 (or March 7, by the new calendar) a large metalworking plant closed its doors over wage disputes, forcing many people out of work. The next day riots broke out. The people were unhappy for a number of reasons.

Reasons the Russian Citizens Were Unhappy.

• There were food shortages.
  
• Russia was an autocracy; the Czar had total power.
  
• Russia's parliament ~ the Duma ~ had little influence.
  
• Czar Nicholas II was a weak and incompetent ruler.
  
• Terrorist groups who used violence.
  
• Poverty. About four-fifths of the population were peasants who could not read or write. In the cities, workers were crammed together under terrible conditions.
  

On That Fateful Day... a number of out-of-work citizens were already on the streets. So were throngs women, who were out in celebration of Women's Day. The group grew larger and larger, due to the volume of unhappy citizens.

Crowd Control Gone Bad. Over the following days, more people joined the rioters. The government ordered the military to break up the disturbances. Some of the soldiers joined the rioters. The rest hid. The revolution had begun.

The Romanov Dynasty. Nicholas II would prove to be the last of the Russian Czars. He abdicated about a week later, turning the throne over to his brother, Grand Duke Michael. Grand Duke Michael promptly abdicated as well. The Romanov dynasty, in power for over 300 years, had ended. A Provisional Government was established in its place, paving the way for the Bolsheviks. Eight months later, the Bolsheviks pushed their way into power in yet another revolution.

A Few Words About Nicholas II. Russia was in bad shape after World War I, and many of the reasons went back to Nicholas II.

His wife ~ Alexandra Feodorovna ~ was unpopular because she was German, and because she was under the influence of Gregory Rasputin.

World War I. During the war, the Russian armies were badly defeated by the Germans; millions of Russian soldiers were captured or killed. Russian industry could not produce enough war materials, so Russian soldiers were sent into battle without weapons. To make matters worse, the Russian railway network was poor and could not get food to the cities. Prices rose and people were starving.

And What Did Nicholas II Do? Dismissed the commander-in-chief of the army in 1915 and took command himself, making him the target of blame for everything that went wrong. When Nicholas left Petrograd for the front, he relied on his wife for information about the situation in the capital. She pretended everything was fine when, in fact, by late 1916 the situation was desperate.