Question 4

Why Nicholas II decided to abdicate in March 1917?

Points to include:

• In a sense, Nicholas had already abdicated by 26 February.
• Even as Petrograd was in chaos, Nicholas carried on with the peaceful routines of his life at Stavka.
• His first reaction had been to order General Alexeyev to restore order in the capital, but this option was abandoned as news came that the general was satisfied that the Duma, rather than the Soviet, was likely to dominate the Provisional Government in Petrograd.
• In the end, he found it easier to abdicate than to turn himself into a constitutional king and this he did with some relief on 2 March, 1917.
• The Tsar ordered the army to put down the revolt by force. When they refused, the Tsar was pretty much powerless.
• Right to the end he kept up his stiff Edwardian manners and impeccable sense of decorum. Having made the crucial decision to abdicate, he went for his afternoon walk. The Tsar issued a statement saying he was abdicating.
• He couldn’t hold on to power any more. It was all over for him.