The February Revolution: Petrograd 1917

Historical Materialism #149

by Tsuyoshi Hasegawa

Japanese

Genres: History, Russia, Russian History, Nonfiction

732 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1980

About the author

Tsuyoshi Hasegawa is a Japanese-American historian specializing in modern Russian and Soviet history and the relations between Russia, Japan, and the United States. He taught at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he was director of the Cold War Studies program until his retirement in 2016.

Reviews

[Ryan Strimple · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review reflects the reprint with the updated manuscript post Soviet Union with new information added by the author.

The February Revolution leaves an incredible amount of events and detail to unpack. Hasegawa accomplishes this in an extremely thorough, delicate way. It feels as if no stone was left unturned. I can tell that this research was the epicenter of his academic life at the time.

The motive of every significant person, committee, and sub population is dissected and analyzed. We learn about the immense political struggles between each of these groups. We learn about actions taken and not taken that would have immense ramifications for Russia’s future.

Nicholas II might’ve summed it up best. “Treachery, cowardice, and deception all around.” The Tsar was simply placed on a path to destruction of his country and eventually his family. He felt he was “born for unhappiness.” A man clearly plagued by not only the stress of an emperor, but of a father and husband.

The only parts I vehemently disagree with Hasegawa on are his interpretations of the Tsar’s character. It is clear that Nicholas (along with the entire military command at stavka) was grossly misinformed of what was unfolding in Petersburg. They were also lied to about the true “control” the Duma committee actually had. This would directly lead to the abdication. If the military had known the truth, they likely would’ve been much more supportive of counterrevolutionary actions.

On top of the deception was the Duma Committee’s actions to actively delay his travel from Mogilev back to Tsarkoe Selo. His decision to return was two fold 1) he had learned via Alix that an uprising was taking place and 2) his children had the measles. Hasegawa places all blame on this sideshow on Nicholas himself. A measure of his political imbecility.” It is evident Nicholas was returning to Petersburg to be closer to the uprising. He even stood down the counterrevolutionary troops until his arrival at Tsarkoe Selo.

This delay, intentionally caused by the Duma Committee, prevented any attempt by Nicholas to stifle the revolution. This would ultimately lead to his abdication and his decision to abdicate for his son, Alexei.

Hasegawa calls this decision “flippant” and “his final parting shot, equivalent to spitting on the history of the empire, the nation at war, his ancestors and relatives. And he did it without any pang of conscious.” This, in my opinion, is another gross mischaracterization. Hasegawa explains that Nicholas consulted a physician at stavka on the Tsarevich’s hemophilia. The prognosis was that he would likely not live a full life. Due to this, Nicholas made the decision, as any father would, to remain with his son and ensure his protection.

In all, Russia was doomed. It was placed on a tumultuous crash course with fate. The revolution was so incredibly fragile. Had there been better (and truthful) communication with stavka, had the soldiers not revolted, had the Neva not been frozen allowing workers to cross districts, Russia could be vastly different today. It truly was the errant spark that ignited the haystack. In any other permutation, the Romanov’s likely would’ve lived.

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am amazed that I actually read great deal of this book, not because it is a difficult book to read - it isn't - it is a reflection of how my tastes and interests have changed over the years (it is now 2023). At one time I read everything I could about the Russian Revolution and was particularly fascinated by the February Revolution, the subject of this book. Although originally written published in the 1980s before Perostryka and the fall of the Soviet Union (although it was revised in 2017 for the revolutions centenary, I read the earlier edition) it is still, probably, the best English language book on the demise of Tsarism and the rise of the dual power system of the Provisional government and Petrograd Soviet that was to define how power was exercised until the October revolution (and maybe in a different form for a little while after).

That the book has no synopsis or reviews on Goodreads is immensely disappointing but not surprising. In brief Hasegawa examines day by day how power drifted away from the Tsar' and his government, how the Duma failed to grasp it until the rise of the Soviet forced the Dumas more determined members to take action. It really is an excellent and important book. It is proper history but readable though not necessarily for the Nicki and Alix history crowd.