Those who happened to be present that fateful day (March 2, 1917) in the carriage of the tsar’s train hardly guessed that the date of Nicholas 2’s abdication not only ended the period of the next reign, but also opened the gates to a new world, terrible and merciless. In his bloody whirlpool, which destroyed the dynasty that ruled for three centuries, it was destined to perish all the life principles that have developed over the thousand-year history of Russia.
Immediate Solutions
The reasons for the abdication of Nicholas 2 from the throne lie in the deepest political and economic crisis that erupted in Russia by the beginning of 1917. The sovereign, who was in Mogilev in those days, received the first information about the impending disaster, on February 27. A telegram from Petrograd reported mass riots in the city.
It spoke of the atrocities carried out by crowds of soldiers of the reserve battalion, together with civilians robbing shops and smashing police stations. The situation was aggravated by the fact that all attempts to pacify street crowds led only to spontaneous bloodshed.
This situation required the adoption of urgent and decisive measures, but none of those present at that time in the Headquarters took the liberty to take any initiative, and thus all responsibility lay with the sovereign. In the debate that erupted between them, the majority tended to think about the need for concessions to the State Duma and the transfer of authority to it to create a government. Among the top command staff that had gathered at Headquarters in those days, no one had yet considered the abdication of Nicholas 2 from the throne as one of the solutions to the problem.
Date, photo and timeline of the events of those days
On February 28, the most optimistic generals still saw hope in forming an cabinet of leading public figures. These people did not realize that they were witnessing the beginning of that very senseless and merciless Russian revolt, which cannot be stopped by any administrative measures.
The date of the abdication of Nicholas 2 from the throne was inexorably approaching, but in these last days of his reign, the sovereign was still trying to take measures to take control of the situation. The photo placed in the article shows the Emperor in those days full of drama. By his order, the well-known combat general N.I. Ivanov, who was undergoing treatment in the Crimea, arrived at Headquarters. He was entrusted with a responsible mission: at the head of the battalion of St. George cavaliers to go to restore order first in Tsarskoye Selo and then in Petrograd.
A failed attempt to break into Petrograd
In addition, the sovereign sent a telegram to the Chairman of the State Duma M.V. Rodzianko on the same day, in which he agreed to create a ministry formed from the deputies they had planned. In the early morning of the next day, the imperial train departed from the platform and took the direction to Petrograd, but it was not destined to arrive there at the appointed time.
When they arrived at the Malaya Vishera station in the early morning hours of March 1 and there were no more than two hundred miles left to the rebellious capital, it became known that further advancement was impossible, since the stations on the route were occupied by revolutionary-minded soldiers. This clearly demonstrated the scope that anti-government protests took, and with frightening clarity revealed the entire depth of the tragedy, the culmination of which was the abdication of Nicholas 2 from the throne.
Return to Pskov
It was dangerous to stay in Malaya Vishera, and the entourage convinced the king to follow in Pskov. There, at the headquarters of the Northern Front, they could rely on the defense of the military units remained loyal to the oath under the command of General N.V. Rozovsky. Having gone there and stopped along the route at the station in Staraya Russa, Nikolai last witnessed how the crowds of people gathered on the platform, taking off their caps, and many, kneeling, greeted their sovereign.
Revolutionary Petrograd
Such an expression of loyal feelings, which had a centuries-old tradition, may have been observed only in the provinces. Petersburg was boiling in the cauldron of revolution. Here, tsarist power was no longer recognized by anyone. The streets were full of joyful excitement. Scarlet banners of flags and hastily painted banners calling for the overthrow of the autocracy flashed everywhere. Everything foreshadowed the imminent and imminent abdication of Nicholas 2 from the throne.
Briefly listing the most characteristic events of those days, eyewitnesses noted that the enthusiasm of the crowd at times assumed the character of hysteria. It seemed to many that everything gloomy in their lives was already behind us, and joyful and bright days were coming ahead. At an extraordinary meeting of the State Duma, an Interim Government was urgently formed , which included many enemies of Nicholas II, and among them - an ardent opponent of monarchism, member of the Socialist Revolutionary Party A.F. Kerensky.
At the main entrance to the Tauride Palace, where the State Duma was sitting, there was an endless rally at which speakers, giving way to an uninterrupted succession, further fueled the enthusiasm of the crowd. The Minister of Justice of the newly formed government, the aforementioned A.F. Kerensky, was particularly successful here. His speeches invariably met with universal glee. He became a universal idol.
Transition of military units to the side of the rebels
Violating the oath taken earlier, military units in St. Petersburg began to swear allegiance to the Provisional Government, which largely made the abdication of Nicholas 2 inevitable, since the sovereign lost the support of his main stronghold - the armed forces. Even the cousin of the tsar, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, together with the Guards crew entrusted to him, sided with the rebels.
In this heated and chaotic atmosphere, the new authorities naturally were interested in the question of where the king was at the moment, and what actions should be taken with regard to him. It was clear to everyone that the days of his reign were numbered, and if the date of the abdication of Nicholas 2 from the throne had not yet been set, then it was only a matter of time.
Now the familiar "emperor" was replaced by the derogatory epithet "despot" and "tyrant." Especially merciless was the rhetoric of those days to the empress - a German by birth. In the lips of those who shone with well-intentionedness yesterday, she suddenly became a “traitor” and a “secret agent of Russia's enemies.”
The role of M.V. Rodzianko in the events taking place
A complete surprise for the members of the Duma was the parallel authority that arose near them - the Council of Workers 'and Peasants' Deputies, which shocked everyone with the extreme leftism of their slogans. At one of his meetings, Rodzianko tried to make a pathos and pompous speech, calling for rallying and continuing the war to a victorious end, but was booed and hastened to retire.
In order to restore order in the country, the chairman of the Duma developed a plan, the main point of which was the abdication of Nicholas 2 from the throne. Briefly, he came down to the fact that the unpopular monarch among the people should transfer power to his son. The sight of the young and not yet having time to compromise himself heir, in his opinion, could calm the hearts of the rebels and lead everyone to mutual agreement. Until his adulthood, the regent was appointed the brother of the tsar - Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, with whom Rodzianko hoped to find a common language.
After discussing this project with the most respected thinkers, it was decided to immediately go to Headquarters, where, as they knew, the emperor was located, and not to go back without receiving his consent. In order to avoid unforeseen complications, they decided to act secretly, without making their intentions public. Such an important mission was entrusted to two reliable deputies - V.V. Shulgin and A.I. Guchkov.
At the Headquarters of the Army of the Northern Front
On the same evening, March 1, 1917, the tsarist train approached the platform of the Pskov station. The members of the retinue were unpleasantly struck by the almost complete absence of those who met. Only the figures of the governor, several representatives of the local administration, as well as a dozen officers were visible in the royal carriage. The final disheartening of all was led by the commander of the garrison, General N.V. Ruzsky. In response to a request for assistance to the emperor, he, with a wave of his hand, replied that the only thing that could be counted on now was the mercy of the winner.
In his carriage the sovereign received the general, and their conversation continued until late at night. At that time, the manifesto of Nicholas 2 on abdication was already prepared, but the final decision was not made. From the memoirs of Ruzsky himself, it is known that Nikolai reacted extremely negatively to the prospect of transferring power to the members of the new government - people, in his opinion, superficial and incapable of taking responsibility for the future of Russia.
That very night, General N.V. Ruzsky contacted N.V. Rodzianko by telephone and discussed what was happening with him in a lengthy conversation. The Duma chairman bluntly declared that the general mood was inclined to the necessity of renunciation, and there simply was no other way out. Urgent telegrams were sent from the Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief to commanders of all fronts, in which they were informed that, due to emergency circumstances, the abdication of Nicholas 2 from the throne, the date of which will be scheduled for the next day, is the only possible measure to establish order in the country. The responses received from them expressed full support for the decision.
Meeting with the Duma envoys
The last hours of the reign of the seventeenth sovereign from the House of Romanov expired. With all inevitability, an event was approaching Russia, which became a turning point in the course of its history - the abdication of Nicholas 2 from the throne. The year 1917 was the last of the twenty-two years of his reign. Still secretly hoping for some unknown but favorable outcome, everyone was waiting for the arrival of the Duma deputies sent from St. Petersburg, as if their arrival could affect the course of history.
Shulgin and Guchkov arrived by the end of the day. From the recollections of the participants in the events of that evening, it is known that the appearance of the messengers of the rebellious capital fully betrayed the oppression caused by the mission entrusted to them: shaking hands, confusion in eyes and heavy intermittent breathing. They did not know that today the resolved issue was the unthinkable abdication of Nicholas 2 from the throne yesterday. The date, manifesto and other issues surrounding this act have already been thought out, prepared and resolved.
A. I. Guchkov spoke in tense silence. In a quiet, somewhat choked voice, he began to talk about what was generally known before him. Having outlined the hopelessness of the situation in St. Petersburg and reporting on the creation of the Provisional Committee of the State Duma, he turned to the main question, for which he arrived at Stavka on this cold March day - the need to abdicate the sovereign in favor of his son.
The signature that turned the tide of history
Nikolai listened to him silently, without interrupting. When Guchkov was silent, the emperor evenly and, as it seemed to everyone, in a calm voice answered that, having considered all possible options for action, he also came to the conclusion that it was necessary to leave the throne. He is ready to renounce him, but his successor will not name his son suffering from an incurable blood disease, but his own brother - Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich.
This was a complete surprise not only for the Duma envoys, but also for all those present. After a short bewilderment caused by such an unexpected turn of events, they began an exchange of views, after which Guchkov announced that, due to the lack of choice, they were ready to accept this option as well. The sovereign retired to his office and a minute later appeared with a draft manifesto in his hands. After some amendments were made to it, the emperor put his signature on it. History has preserved for us the chronology of this moment: Nicholas 2 signed the abdication at 23 hours and 40 minutes on March 2, 1917.
Colonel Romanov
Everything that happened deeply shocked the debunked monarch. Those who had a chance to communicate with him in the early days of March said that he was in a daze, but, thanks to his army dressing and education, he kept himself impeccably. Only as the date of the abdication of Nicholas 2 from the throne was a thing of the past, life returned to him.
Even in the first, most difficult days for him, he considered it his duty to go to Mogilev to say goodbye to the faithful troops remaining to him. Here he heard the news of his brother's refusal to become his successor on the Russian throne. In Mogilev, there was also the last meeting of Nikolai with his mother - the Dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna, who came specially to see her son. Having said goodbye to her, the former sovereign, and now just Colonel Romanov, left for Tsarskoye Selo, where his wife and children remained all this time.
In those days, hardly anyone could fully realize what a tragedy was for Russia the abdication of Nicholas 2 from the throne. The date, briefly mentioned today in all history textbooks, became the brink of two eras, the Rubicon, having crossed that country with a thousand-year history fell into the hands of those demons that F.M.Dostoevsky had warned about in his genius novel.