terrible and merciless. In its bloody whirlpool, which destroyed the dynasty that had ruled for three centuries, all the foundations of life that had developed over the thousand-year history of Russia were destined to perish.
Immediate Issues
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 catastrophe on February 27. The telegram, which arrived from Petrograd, reported on the riots taking place in the city.
It talked about the atrocities committed by crowds of soldiers of the reserve battalion, along with civilians, robbedshops and smashing police stations. The situation was aggravated by the fact that all attempts to pacify the street crowds led only to spontaneous bloodshed.
The situation that had arisen required the adoption of urgent and decisive measures, however, none of those present at the Headquarters at that time took the liberty of taking any initiative, and, thus, all responsibility fell on the sovereign. In the debate that flared up between them, the majority tended to think about the need for concessions to the State Duma and the transfer of powers to create a government to it. Among the top command staff who gathered in those days at Headquarters, no one has yet considered the abdication of Nicholas 2 from the throne as one of the options for solving the problem.
Date, photo and chronology of events of those days
On February 28, the most optimistic generals still saw hope in the formation of a cabinet of leading public figures. These people did not realize that they were witnessing the beginning of that very senseless and merciless Russian rebellion, 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 in order to take the situation under control. The photo in the article shows the sovereign-emperor in those days full of drama. On his orders, the well-known military general N. I. Ivanov, who was undergoing treatment in the Crimea, arrived at the Headquarters. It was entrusted to himresponsible mission: at the head of the battalion of the Cavaliers of St. George, go to restore order, first to Tsarskoye Selo, and then to Petrograd.
Failed attempt to break into Petrograd
In addition, the sovereign on the same day sent a telegram to the Chairman of the State Duma, M. V. 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 we arrived at the Malaya Vishera station in the early morning 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 along the way were occupied by revolutionary-minded soldiers. This clearly demonstrated the scope that the anti-government protests took on, and with frightening clarity revealed the full depth of the tragedy, the culminating moment of which was the abdication of Nicholas 2 from the throne.
Return to Pskov
It was dangerous to linger in Malaya Vishera, and the environment convinced the tsar to follow to Pskov. There, at the headquarters of the Northern Front, they could rely on the protection of the military units that remained loyal to the oath under the command of General N. V. Rozovsky. Heading there and stopping along the way at the station in Staraya Russa, Nikolai witnessed for the last time how crowds of people gathered on the platform, taking off their hats, 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 seething in the cauldron of the revolution. Here, the royal power was no longer recognized by anyone. The streets were full of joyful excitement. Scarlet flags and hastily painted banners were blazing everywhere, calling for the overthrow of the autocracy. Everything foreshadowed the imminent and inevitable abdication of Nicholas 2 from the throne.
Briefly listing the most characteristic events of those days, eyewitnesses noted that the enthusiasm of the crowd sometimes took on the character of hysteria. It seemed to many that everything gloomy in their life was already behind them, and joyful and bright days were coming. At an extraordinary meeting of the State Duma, the Provisional Government was urgently formed, which included many enemies of Nicholas II, and among them - an ardent opponent of monarchism, a member of the Socialist-Revolutionary Party A. F. Kerensky.
At the main entrance to the Tauride Palace, where the State Duma met, there was an endless rally, at which speakers, changing in a continuous succession, further fueled the enthusiasm of the crowd. The Minister of Justice of the newly formed government, the aforementioned A. F. Kerensky, enjoyed particular success here. His speeches were invariably met with universal jubilation. He became a universal idol.
Transition of military units to the side of the rebels
Breaking their earlier oath, the military units located in St. Petersburg began to swear allegiance to the Provisional Government, which largelydegree made inevitable the abdication of Nicholas 2 from the throne, since the sovereign was deprived of the support of his main stronghold - the armed forces. Even the tsar's cousin, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, together with the Guards crew entrusted to him, sided with the rebels.
In this tense and chaotic situation, the new authorities were naturally interested in the question of where the king was at the moment, and what actions should be taken against 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 usual "sovereign-emperor" has been replaced by derogatory epithets "despot" and "tyrant". Especially merciless was the rhetoric of those days to the Empress, who was German by birth. In the mouths of those who only yesterday shone with benevolence, she suddenly became a "traitor" and "a secret agent of Russia's enemies."
The role of M. V. Rodzianko in the events that took place
A complete surprise for the members of the Duma was the parallel body of power that arose at their side - the Council of Workers' and Peasants' Deputies, which shocked everyone with the extreme leftism of its slogans. At one of his meetings, Rodzianko tried to make a pathetic and pompous speech calling for unity and the continuation of the war to a victorious end, but was booed and hurried to retreat.
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 hecame down to the fact that the monarch, unpopular among the people, should transfer power to his son. The sight of a young heir who had not yet had time to compromise himself in any way, in his opinion, could calm the hearts of the rebels and lead everyone to mutual agreement. Until he came of age, the tsar's brother, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, was appointed regent, with whom Rodzianko hoped to find a common language.
After discussing this project with the most authoritative Duma members, it was decided to immediately go to Headquarters, where, as they knew, the sovereign was, and not to return back without obtaining his consent. In order to avoid unforeseen complications, they decided to act covertly, not making their intentions public. Such an important mission was entrusted to two reliable deputies - V. V. Shulgin and A. I. Guchkov.
At Headquarters of the Army of the Northern Front
On the same evening, March 1, 1917, the royal train approached the platform of the Pskov railway station. The members of the retinue were unpleasantly struck by the almost complete absence of those who greeted them. At the royal carriage, only the figures of the governor, several representatives of the local administration, as well as a dozen officers were visible. The commander of the garrison, General N. V. Ruzsky, led everyone to the final despondency. In response to a request for assistance to the sovereign, he waved his hand and replied that the only thing you can count on now is the mercy of the winner.
In his car, the sovereign received the general, and their conversation continued until late at night. At that time, the manifesto of Nicholas 2 on the abdication of the throne was already prepared, butno final decision has been made. From the memoirs of Ruzsky himself, it is known that Nikolai reacted extremely negatively to the prospect of transferring power into the hands of members of the new government - people, in his opinion, superficial and incapable of taking responsibility for the future of Russia.
The same night, General N. V. Ruzsky contacted N. V. Rodzianko by phone and discussed what was happening with him in a long conversation. The Chairman of the Duma stated bluntly that the general mood was leaning toward the need for renunciation, and there was simply no other way out. Urgent telegrams were sent from the Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief to the commanders of all fronts, in which they were informed that, in view of the prevailing emergency circumstances, the abdication of Nicholas 2 from the throne, the date of which will be set for the next day, is the only possible measure to establish order in the country. Their responses expressed their full support for the decision.
Meeting with Duma envoys
The last hours of the reign of the seventeenth sovereign from the House of Romanov were running out. With all inevitability, an event was approaching Russia that 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 of the case, everyone was waiting for the arrival of the Duma deputies sent from St. Petersburg, as if their arrival could influence the course of history.
Shulgin and Guchkov arrived by the end of the day. From the memoirs of the participants in the events of that evening, it is known that the appearance of the envoys of the rebellious capital in fullto the least betrayed the depression caused by the mission entrusted to them: shaking hands, confusion in the eyes and heavy shortness of breath. They were not aware that today the unthinkable yesterday's abdication of Nicholas 2 from the throne became a resolved issue. The date, manifesto and other issues related to this act were already thought out, prepared and resolved.
AI Guchkov spoke in tense silence. In a quiet, somewhat choked voice, he began to talk about what was generally known before him. Having outlined all the hopelessness of the situation in St. Petersburg and announcing the creation of the Provisional Committee of the State Duma, he moved on to the main issue for which he arrived on this cold March day at Headquarters - the need for the abdication of the sovereign from the throne in favor of his son.
The signature that turned the course of history
Nikolai listened to him silently, without interrupting. When Guchkov fell silent, the sovereign answered in an even and, as it seemed to everyone, calm voice 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 he will name his successor not his son, suffering from an incurable blood disease, but his own brother, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich.
It was a complete surprise not only for the Duma envoys, but also for all those present. After a moment of bewilderment caused by such an unexpected turn of events, an exchange of opinions began, after which Guchkov announced that, in view of the absence of a choice, theywilling to accept this option. The emperor retired to his office and a minute later appeared with a draft manifesto in his hands. After some amendments were made to it, the sovereign put his signature on it. History has preserved for us the chronology of this moment: Nicholas 2 signed the abdication at 23:40 on March 2, 1917.
Colonel Romanov
Everything that happened deeply shocked the dethroned monarch. Those who had a chance to communicate with him in the first days of March said that he was in a fog, but, thanks to his military bearing and upbringing, he behaved impeccably. Only as the date of the abdication of Nicholas 2 from the throne went into the past, life returned to him.
Even in the first, most difficult days for him, he considered it his duty to head to Mogilev to say goodbye to the remaining loyal troops. Here the news of his brother's refusal to become his successor on the Russian throne reached him. In Mogilev, Nicholas's last meeting with his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, who came specially to see her son, took place. After saying goodbye to her, the former sovereign, and now just Colonel Romanov, departed for Tsarskoye Selo, where his wife and children had been staying all this time.
In those days, hardly anyone could fully realize what a tragedy the abdication of Nicholas 2 from the throne was for Russia. The date, briefly mentioned today in all history books, has become the line between two eras, that Rubicon, having crossed which, a country with a thousand-year history was in the hands of thosedemons, about which F. M. Dostoevsky warned her about in his brilliant novel.
