February Revolution in Petrograd

Conditions in Petrograd in February 1917 were grim, with food shortages, exceptional frost, and heavy snow. The workers' quarters and factories were located on the right bank, while the fashionable areas and official buildings were on the left bank. These divisions among the people and the government's actions, such as suspending the Duma, contributed to the February Revolution.

The government's suspension of the Duma on 25 February led to politicians speaking out against the measure. Demonstrators returned in force to the streets on the 26th, and on the 27th, the Police Headquarters were ransacked as the streets thronged with people raising slogans about bread, wages, better hours, and democracy.

The government called out the cavalry to control the situation, but the cavalry refused to fire on the demonstrators. An officer was shot at the barracks of a regiment, and three other regiments mutinied, voting to join the striking workers.

Workers in fifty factories called a strike in sympathy after a lockout at a factory on the right bank on 22 February. By the evening, soldiers and several regiments mutinied, voting to join the striking workers, which escalated the February Revolution.

The layout of Petrograd, with the workers' quarters and factories on the right bank and the fashionable areas and official buildings on the left bank, emphasised the divisions among its people. These divisions, along with the government's actions and the worsening conditions, contributed to the February Revolution.