The Russian Revolution topples the Romanovs and brings the Bolsheviks to power
Two revolutions in one year end three centuries of tsarist rule
Quick facts
- February Revolution
- Forces Nicholas II's abdication
- October Revolution
- Bolsheviks under Lenin seize power
- Russia exits WWI
- Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, March 1918
What happened
The February Revolution of 1917 forced Tsar Nicholas II to abdicate amid strikes and mutinies driven by wartime food shortages and military collapse, ending over three centuries of Romanov rule. A Provisional Government tried to continue the war effort but could not satisfy demands for peace, land, and bread, and in October 1917 the Bolsheviks under Vladimir Lenin seized power in a second revolution, dissolving the Eastern Front and pulling Russia out of the First World War.
Why it matters
1917 created the world's first Communist state and set up the Russian Civil War that followed. This spine treats 1917 as a doorway; the full sequence of events, personalities, and political factions belongs to the dedicated Russian Revolution timeline.
How we know
The abdication of Nicholas II and the Bolshevik seizure of the Winter Palace in October 1917 are documented in extensive contemporary Russian and foreign press accounts, government records, and participant memoirs.
Sources
- Lumen Learning / SUNY (World History). Rising Discontent in Russia · General sourcecourses.lumenlearning.com · Cited as a "reference" source (no stronger domain match). · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
- Alexandre Sumpf, 1914-1918-Online: International Encyclopedia of the First World War. War Losses (Russian Empire) · General sourceencyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net · Cited as a "reference" source (no stronger domain match). · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
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Related timelines
- The Russian Revolution → · See the dedicated Russian Revolution timeline for the full year of 1917 and its build-up, including every major figure and turning point.