Sanford- I'm going for the middle, always best to hit 'em right between the eyes, much more dramatic that way

The Russian Revolution, like many historical topics, cannot be traced back to just one cause, or in this case area of causes. The overthrow of the Romanov dynasty was a combination or a collapse from within, and an overthrow from without. Our previous unit showed that there is always a culmination of small events and building problems that end up leading to a large event that everyone focuses on. For example, World War I did not just begin like the snap of a finger; it took several things on top of each other to bring about the scale of the war, in the revolution, there were a multitude of problems needed to make the conditions right for an overthrow of an established government.

Leadership from the Tsar does hold a lot of blame in the revolution. Poor leadership led to the only European power to ever lose to an Asian empire in the Russo-Japanese war. This loss began to undermine the Romanov credibility to its people, as they began to question the power of their nation under the Tsar. The military’s morale also must have been devastated not only by the loss, but also by the reaction of the people when they learned of the defeat. The Tsar lost even more of his people’s respect during Bloody Sunday, when he had his military gun down a crowd of people at the palace who were protesting his rule, and saying they had no food. The Tsar’s rash decision showed his people that he did not care for their needs or views, and when a country sees this, it is hard for a leader to maintain their obedience, because no one wants to follow a man who has no care for whether they live or die. Tsar Nicholas’s arguably biggest mistake was deciding to take control of the war effort during World War I, and removing all of his military leaders. If he had been able to win this war, his credibility would have been restored, so as an act of desperation, this was a gutsy and arguably good decision, because with the enemy fighting a two front war, the victory should have been swift and absolute. The only thing the Tsar overlooked was his own lack of war leadership, and with the vastness of the Russian military, it would take a genius strategist for things to run smoothly. The loss of the war was the last straw for the Tsar, who ended up with no choice but to abdicate the thrown.

In terms of the Romanov dynasty being overthrown, there were many instances of outside causes manifesting themselves in the end result of a new government. Workers and peasants began to grow angry over a lack of food, and of rights. When the majority population of a country isn’t happy with the government, there comes a point when the government cannot keep control. This unrest gave rise to the Soviets, who wanted more rights for workers, and a more equal treatment of the lower classes. These soviets would play a large part in how the government was shaped during the revolutions. The soldiers began to go against orders, and actually joined the protesters in some cases (source 2), which shows a lack of structure in the lower branches of government. Also in source two, it talks about how western ideals of democracy were being spread through literature. These new ideals in the youth of the country would lead to a want for a better system than a monarchal rule. These factors began to change the view towards the Tsar, and show how an overthrow was a realistic view as to how the Romanov Dynasty ended.

Both a collapse from within, and an overthrow from without contributed to the Russian Revolution and set up the foundings of the USSR.