Corbett- Collapse leading to Overthrow

The February Revolution was not solely a collapse from within or overthrow from without but came about from the failings of Czar Nicholas and then a push from outside forces for him to abdicate.Some examples of the Czar's shortcomings are The Russo-Japanese War(2), the involvement in WWI(2), and his blatant ignoring of the people's needs(1). All of these built up tensions in Russia between the Czar and the people and ultimately led to the collapse from within.
The Russo-Japanese war was an embarrassing loss for Russia and the people were disappointed in the government for involving them in the war only to lose it and this was the beginning of the people losing faith in their Czar(2). When WWI came around the Czar saw an opportunity to redeem himself as well as show that Russia was still a force to be reckoned with(3). Entering WWI was not ideal. There were already problems in Russia at the time, this could be seen through the dissolution of the Duma(3). The Duma was created so that the Czar could know what it was the people wanted and needed but at the beginning of WWI the Duma dissolved "to symbolize the country's support of the government."(3) It seems to show more so the endless power of the government and its ability to stamp out any who may protest what the government was doing. This was simply at the beginning, towards 1915, Russia is suffering from severe food shortages and the government is beginning to collapse(3). The Czar moved to the war front which was unwise, because the Russian people did not trust the Czarina,who was left incharge, because she was German. This provided more problems because women did not have any authority and people were becoming very angry with the government.The food shortages and raises in prices of goods were leading the people to strike and revolt. "'These mothers, exhausted from standing endlessly in lines and having suffered so much watching their half-starving and sick children, are perhaps much closer to a revolution than Messrs, Miliukov, Rodichev, and Co., and of course much more dangerous.'"(3) This shows how the Czar was not considering his peoples needs and was focused on mending his reputation, this is also show where the government is collapsing. They are not even able to feed their citizens, let alone keep them from rioting, but it's the lack of the Czar's willingness to support the people. "It is impossible to rule the country without paying attention to the voice of the people, without meeting their needs, without a willingness to admit that the people themselves understand their own needs."(1) All of the evidence above shows how the government collapsed and was unable to maintain control; outside forces saw this and began to push the Czar out of his position. "To prevent a catastrophe the Czar himself must be removed, by force if there is no other way."(1) This shows the opinion that the Czar is incapable of leading and that there are other people who feel that they would make more adequate leaders. This is the beginning of the rise of Soviet power "this evening that the moderate group in the Soviet is gaining the upper hand, and the prospects are brighter than ever", the Russian people trust the Soviets because they are representatives of the workers, the majority, and have more credibility(1). The people are supporting the groups that would like to overthrow the Czar and further support the statement that the February Revolution was a collapse and then an overthrow due to the government's inability to change.