Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:23,265 --> 00:00:24,806
present
2
00:00:44,090 --> 00:00:49,847
On February 23, 1917 first mass actions
3
00:00:50,097 --> 00:00:54,661
that preceded the future revolution took place in Petrograd.
4
00:00:55,411 --> 00:00:57,856
Those news took their time to reach Italy
5
00:00:58,112 --> 00:01:02,044
where the Russian philosopher and revolutionary Boris Yakovenko lived.
6
00:01:02,677 --> 00:01:06,456
However, in seven years in his book “History of the Great Russian Revolution”
7
00:01:06,671 --> 00:01:10,269
he wrote: “The revolution started with an insignificant pretext
8
00:01:10,423 --> 00:01:14,707
and then accelerated with incredible force and speed,
9
00:01:14,890 --> 00:01:17,091
and in this respect, it was unexpected.
10
00:01:17,355 --> 00:01:19,748
Everybody felt the incredible political and social tension
11
00:01:19,941 --> 00:01:22,441
but nobody thought that the explosion would be so abrupt
12
00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:25,186
and that the events would develop lightning-fast”.
13
00:01:49,168 --> 00:01:56,003
The History of the Russian Revolution. February. Episode Three
14
00:02:01,525 --> 00:02:05,176
The very first demonstration in Petrograd led to a bloodbath.
15
00:02:05,688 --> 00:02:08,810
Only by February 23 calm returned to the city streets
16
00:02:09,034 --> 00:02:12,782
and the top officials of the capital heaved a sigh of relief.
17
00:02:13,098 --> 00:02:16,514
It seemed to them that the unrest had stopped by itself.
18
00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:23,552
However, the long winter night passed and a new day came – Friday, February 24.
19
00:02:28,276 --> 00:02:29,645
The morning started as always –
20
00:02:29,971 --> 00:02:33,658
the workers came to the gates of their plants and factories.
21
00:02:34,003 --> 00:02:35,795
However, nobody entered the workshops.
22
00:02:35,996 --> 00:02:38,593
They organized a meeting right by the gates of the plant.
23
00:02:39,054 --> 00:02:44,533
On February 23, 120,000 people went out into the streets,
24
00:02:44,795 --> 00:02:49,604
and on February 24 that number grew to 210,000 people.
25
00:02:50,093 --> 00:02:52,545
The agitators urged the population to go out into the streets.
26
00:02:52,745 --> 00:02:55,133
Among there were representatives of different parties,
27
00:02:55,334 --> 00:03:00,937
first of all, the socialists: Mensheviks, socialist revolutionaries, and Bolsheviks.
28
00:03:01,206 --> 00:03:04,852
The majority of the protesters, though, didn’t belong to any party;
29
00:03:05,109 --> 00:03:09,942
the events of the revolutionary days pushed those people to the centerstage.
30
00:03:10,485 --> 00:03:12,316
Their shouts were turning the crowds on
31
00:03:12,564 --> 00:03:14,923
and leading them deeper into the streets of Petrograd.
32
00:03:15,606 --> 00:03:18,204
The law-enforcement officials didn’t resist the agitators,
33
00:03:18,437 --> 00:03:21,115
and the columns moved towards the center of the city.
34
00:03:21,563 --> 00:03:25,883
Posters of General Khabalov were glued all over the city:
35
00:03:26,147 --> 00:03:31,401
“There is enough bread in Petrograd”.
36
00:03:31,830 --> 00:03:35,717
The demonstrators went on tearing the posters off on their way.
37
00:03:36,021 --> 00:03:39,706
“To the Neva Avenue! To the Neva Avenue!” they shouted.
38
00:03:39,879 --> 00:03:42,532
The crowd sang revolutionary songs and shouted slogans
39
00:03:42,786 --> 00:03:45,100
like “Get Rid of the Tsar!”, “Get Rid of the Government!”
40
00:03:45,251 --> 00:03:47,111
and “Enough of the War!”;
41
00:03:47,300 --> 00:03:49,582
the protesters stopped trams and coaches
42
00:03:49,741 --> 00:03:51,901
and knocked out glass in the shop windows.
43
00:03:52,157 --> 00:03:57,468
By the bridges, thin chains of police officers tried to block their way.
44
00:04:03,762 --> 00:04:07,862
The fight started. The protesters hurled stones and pieces of ice at the officers.
45
00:04:08,514 --> 00:04:13,614
Soon, shots were heard too. The Kazaks didn’t help the police.
46
00:04:14,502 --> 00:04:19,155
The crowds started to scale the bridges or simply cross the Neva by the ice.
47
00:04:19,552 --> 00:04:21,355
The police cavalry opened fire
48
00:04:21,576 --> 00:04:24,918
but failed to contain the advance of the enraged crowd.
49
00:04:25,173 --> 00:04:26,636
The police ran away,
50
00:04:26,812 --> 00:04:30,079
and the demonstrators poured into the central streets of the capital.
51
00:04:34,341 --> 00:04:38,228
At noon of February 24, the city mayor Alexander Balk
52
00:04:38,423 --> 00:04:41,973
reported to the head of the Petrograd garrison General Khabalov
53
00:04:42,184 --> 00:04:45,318
that the police were unable to stop the crowd.
54
00:04:45,829 --> 00:04:48,701
Khabalov ordered to summon the reinforcements from the Kazaks
55
00:04:48,903 --> 00:04:51,498
and move the guard regiments into the center of the city,
56
00:04:51,790 --> 00:04:56,206
namely Grenadiers, Keksholm, Moscow and Finland.
57
00:04:56,672 --> 00:04:59,258
The soldiers were to block the main roads
58
00:04:59,461 --> 00:05:01,976
and reinforce the security of the governmental buildings
59
00:05:02,173 --> 00:05:05,649
as well as bridges, post and telegraph departments.
60
00:05:06,214 --> 00:05:07,962
The General issued an order:
61
00:05:08,148 --> 00:05:10,312
“The troops may use their weapons
62
00:05:10,499 --> 00:05:14,204
not stopping at anything for the sake of restoring order”.
63
00:05:14,810 --> 00:05:19,245
By February 1917, 380 military units and army establishments
64
00:05:19,505 --> 00:05:23,148
were stationed in Petrograd and its suburbs.
65
00:05:23,776 --> 00:05:28,331
The garrison included over 460,000 people; in the city itself,
66
00:05:28,579 --> 00:05:33,120
there were about 200,000 of soldiers and officers.
67
00:05:34,009 --> 00:05:36,949
The Imperial Life Guards were considered to be the main support
68
00:05:37,230 --> 00:05:40,350
of the Petrograd garrison. The oldest regiments of the Life Guards
69
00:05:40,550 --> 00:05:44,487
were the Preobrazhenskiy, Semenovskiy and Izmailovskiy Regiments.
70
00:05:44,776 --> 00:05:49,062
However, the guard units together with their officers were at the front.
71
00:05:49,348 --> 00:05:52,651
Only their reserve battalions stayed in Petrograd.
72
00:05:52,937 --> 00:05:56,475
The majority of the soldiers were novices and had neither battle experience
73
00:05:56,641 --> 00:06:00,692
nor were educated in the military traditions of their regiments.
74
00:06:01,028 --> 00:06:05,675
Former workers and peasants, they lacked experience of fighting.
75
00:06:05,961 --> 00:06:08,519
Many of them hadn’t even sworn an oath,
76
00:06:08,675 --> 00:06:12,247
and discipline among them was on the very low level.
77
00:06:12,461 --> 00:06:13,656
It’s a paradox
78
00:06:13,862 --> 00:06:19,975
but those formally guard units proved to be the least fit for restoring order.
79
00:06:23,285 --> 00:06:27,974
The military were now fully responsible for the situation in Petrograd.
80
00:06:28,257 --> 00:06:31,812
Army interfered in the events. At the first glance,
81
00:06:31,990 --> 00:06:34,659
the position of the demonstrators was hopeless.
82
00:06:34,932 --> 00:06:38,625
The revolution seemed to be destined for a failure.
83
00:06:39,689 --> 00:06:42,434
The demonstrations continued throughout Friday.
84
00:06:42,701 --> 00:06:47,435
The Kazaks who were to dispel the crowds behaved indecisively.
85
00:06:47,684 --> 00:06:52,000
Often the Kazaks passed the meetings by,
86
00:06:52,175 --> 00:06:55,923
smiling to the revolutionary slogans and bowing to the protesters.
87
00:06:56,103 --> 00:06:58,903
It boosted the mood of the revolutionary masses immensely.
88
00:06:59,105 --> 00:07:03,217
They were often saying: “The Kazaks are for us! The Kazaks are for the people!”
89
00:07:03,980 --> 00:07:06,836
For a few centuries the Kazaks had been the loyal supporters
90
00:07:07,023 --> 00:07:10,342
of the Imperial throne. But in February of 1917,
91
00:07:10,567 --> 00:07:13,290
the Kazaks who happened to be in the capital were reluctant
92
00:07:13,500 --> 00:07:18,131
to participate in the suppression of demonstrations and restoring order.
93
00:07:20,754 --> 00:07:22,502
Italy, 1917
94
00:07:22,764 --> 00:07:26,834
From the book of Boris Yakovenko “The History of the Great Russian Revolution”:
95
00:07:27,117 --> 00:07:30,251
“The first fight with the police took place at the Neva Avenue;
96
00:07:30,458 --> 00:07:34,795
in a result of it, a few dozens of people were wounded with cold weapons.
97
00:07:35,348 --> 00:07:37,502
The Kazaks and the troops demonstrated open unwillingness
98
00:07:37,709 --> 00:07:40,800
to succumb to decisive measures against the crowd”.
99
00:07:42,257 --> 00:07:45,456
In Mogilev, at the Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief,
100
00:07:45,668 --> 00:07:49,233
Emperor Nicolay II was doing routine tasks.
101
00:07:49,887 --> 00:07:53,750
His main concern was the preparation of the advance of the Russian army.
102
00:07:53,992 --> 00:07:56,401
He was only getting the Empress’s letters from the capital
103
00:07:56,608 --> 00:07:59,027
about the diseases of the children.
104
00:07:59,276 --> 00:08:03,762
That day, on February 24 the Emperor wrote in his diary:
105
00:08:04,139 --> 00:08:07,865
“At 10:30 I listened to a report that finished by the noon.
106
00:08:08,096 --> 00:08:10,154
The weather was unpleasant – a blizzard.
107
00:08:10,309 --> 00:08:14,270
I walked in the garden for a bit. Read and wrote.
108
00:08:14,620 --> 00:08:16,901
Yesterday Olga and Alexei fell sick with measles
109
00:08:17,122 --> 00:08:20,002
and today Tatyana followed suit”.
110
00:08:22,197 --> 00:08:24,449
Nobody reported to the Emperor about the unrest.
111
00:08:24,718 --> 00:08:27,839
The Empress and the children were at the Tsarskoye Selo
112
00:08:28,047 --> 00:08:31,246
and knew nothing about the events in the capital.
113
00:08:32,610 --> 00:08:36,134
It was calm in the usually noisy State Duma.
114
00:08:36,422 --> 00:08:41,451
The capital was brewing but the Duma went on discussing the food supply issues.
115
00:08:41,943 --> 00:08:46,269
The meeting slacked. Only a group of soldiers that arrived
116
00:08:46,469 --> 00:08:49,946
to guard the Duma reminded the deputies about what was going on
117
00:08:50,205 --> 00:08:52,134
behind the walls of the parliament.
118
00:08:52,517 --> 00:08:54,862
At the end of the meeting the deputies approved a request
119
00:08:55,072 --> 00:08:58,256
to the Council of Ministers regarding the food issue and went home.
120
00:08:58,542 --> 00:09:00,658
Let’s continue.
121
00:09:07,504 --> 00:09:10,589
No anxiety was felt in the governmental offices too.
122
00:09:10,813 --> 00:09:13,740
The General-Major of the Gendarmes Separate Corps
123
00:09:13,895 --> 00:09:18,026
Alexander Spiridovitch who was also a city mayor of Yalta recalled
124
00:09:18,243 --> 00:09:20,734
that he had been in the capital that day
125
00:09:20,937 --> 00:09:24,510
and discussed with the Deputy Minister of the Internal Affairs
126
00:09:24,715 --> 00:09:27,917
not the revolution but the routine problems of the Crimea,
127
00:09:28,124 --> 00:09:31,928
namely the repairs of the famous Yalta embankment.
128
00:09:32,347 --> 00:09:35,200
General Spiridovitch used to head the Tsar’s security service
129
00:09:35,390 --> 00:09:38,259
and was an experienced fighter with the revolutionaries
130
00:09:38,488 --> 00:09:41,140
but even he wasn’t alarmed.
131
00:09:41,445 --> 00:09:43,511
The Council of Ministers didn’t show any signs of anxiety too.
132
00:09:49,692 --> 00:09:53,561
The Minister of the Internal Affairs Protopopov was absent at the meeting.
133
00:09:53,777 --> 00:09:57,494
The Prime-Minister Prince Golitsin found out about the unrest
134
00:09:57,674 --> 00:10:01,125
when strangers stopped him while he was crossing the Neva Avenue.
135
00:10:01,523 --> 00:10:06,271
By the evening of February 24, the meetings and demonstrations subsided.
136
00:10:06,485 --> 00:10:11,466
Their participants went home to gather again the following morning.
137
00:10:14,488 --> 00:10:19,789
February 25, 1917 (according to the old style). Saturday.
138
00:10:20,448 --> 00:10:24,155
The number of the protestors grew to 300,000 people.
139
00:10:24,527 --> 00:10:27,562
The announcements of General Khabalov were everywhere.
140
00:10:27,821 --> 00:10:30,332
The commander of the military district gave the workers three days
141
00:10:30,645 --> 00:10:34,897
to stop the strikes and return to their workshops.
142
00:10:35,241 --> 00:10:38,243
Military and police officers patrolled the bridges
143
00:10:38,482 --> 00:10:40,024
waiting for the marchers.
144
00:10:40,402 --> 00:10:44,027
Again, the police officers and soldiers failed to contain the crowd.
145
00:10:44,283 --> 00:10:47,009
The demonstrators crossed the Neva by bridges and ice.
146
00:10:47,220 --> 00:10:49,447
The main streets of the capital became the place
147
00:10:49,681 --> 00:10:52,399
of a many-thousand strong manifestation once again.
148
00:10:52,580 --> 00:10:55,735
However, the marchers were much more aggressive now.
149
00:10:55,989 --> 00:10:58,578
They beat up the police officers and took away their weapons.
150
00:10:58,804 --> 00:11:01,381
When the police officers attempted to dispel the crowd,
151
00:11:01,609 --> 00:11:05,003
people started throwing stones and bottles in them.
152
00:11:05,166 --> 00:11:07,314
Sometimes, they also shot at the police officers.
153
00:11:07,711 --> 00:11:10,941
The law-enforcement officials tried to act in a more decisive way.
154
00:11:11,135 --> 00:11:13,458
A fight with the workers took place at the Pipe Plant,
155
00:11:13,633 --> 00:11:17,173
and an officer shot one of the workers.
156
00:11:17,535 --> 00:11:20,762
At the Znamenskaya Square by the Nicolayevskiy railway station
157
00:11:20,980 --> 00:11:26,027
the police officer tried to take a red flag from a marcher.
158
00:11:26,216 --> 00:11:28,499
The Kazaks were there with the officers.
159
00:11:28,714 --> 00:11:31,730
Unexpectedly one of the Kazaks took a sabre out of his sheath
160
00:11:31,874 --> 00:11:37,290
and hit the officer. The crowd finished the poor man off with spades.
161
00:11:37,505 --> 00:11:41,427
Before that moment, the Kazaks and the police were acting together.
162
00:11:41,696 --> 00:11:44,132
But when a Kazak attacked a police officer,
163
00:11:44,331 --> 00:11:49,698
the crowd went beside itself with delight and carried the Kazak in their arms.
164
00:11:49,975 --> 00:11:53,490
In other places, nothing like that was happening.
165
00:11:53,714 --> 00:11:56,951
Executing their orders, the soldiers were standing face-to-face
166
00:11:57,152 --> 00:11:59,454
with the demonstrators, patrolling the streets
167
00:11:59,643 --> 00:12:04,256
and guarding the state establishments. However, the soldiers were passive.
168
00:12:04,453 --> 00:12:07,269
The employees of the Security Department were reporting:
169
00:12:08,611 --> 00:12:10,752
“The troops summoned to assist the police
170
00:12:10,937 --> 00:12:13,508
don’t express sympathy to the protestors
171
00:12:13,681 --> 00:12:19,426
but also don’t instill fear into those instigating the unrest”.
172
00:12:22,607 --> 00:12:25,305
On one of the streets adjacent to the Neva Avenue
173
00:12:25,506 --> 00:12:28,445
a line of soldiers blocked the way of the protestors.
174
00:12:30,442 --> 00:12:33,905
The rifles were directed at the crowd, the bayonets at the ready.
175
00:12:34,135 --> 00:12:35,786
The workers retreated in fear.
176
00:12:36,429 --> 00:12:39,471
An officer with a naked sword ran up to one of the workers
177
00:12:39,629 --> 00:12:42,100
and shouted that they should leave.
178
00:12:43,466 --> 00:12:46,413
The worker tore a shirt on his chest and started shouting:
179
00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:49,133
“Give us freedom! Or kill me!”
180
00:12:51,488 --> 00:12:59,848
Come on! Kill me! Kill me, bastard!
181
00:13:00,948 --> 00:13:03,213
The officer returned the sword to the sheath
182
00:13:03,504 --> 00:13:04,889
and ordered his soldiers to retreat.
183
00:13:09,869 --> 00:13:11,724
At the shoulder!
184
00:13:11,980 --> 00:13:16,354
The streets were in turmoil, but the Duma went on with its session.
185
00:13:16,624 --> 00:13:18,427
However, that day the deputies worked just a little –
186
00:13:18,735 --> 00:13:25,076
the session only lasted 49 minutes. A new one was scheduled for Tuesday.
187
00:13:25,942 --> 00:13:28,283
But it was destined to never take place.
188
00:13:28,504 --> 00:13:33,606
The Saturday session of the State Duma turned out to be the last in its history.
189
00:13:35,528 --> 00:13:38,103
By the evening, nobody was trying to dispel the crowd.
190
00:13:38,359 --> 00:13:40,309
The police started shooting at the protestors.
191
00:13:40,831 --> 00:13:43,173
The State Duma had finished its session,
192
00:13:43,405 --> 00:13:46,576
but Petrograd’s City Council went on working.
193
00:13:47,222 --> 00:13:51,190
The demonstrators brought the bodies of their killed comrades to its walls.
194
00:13:51,480 --> 00:13:56,064
A routine session immediately turned into a loud revolutionary meeting.
195
00:13:56,317 --> 00:13:58,396
Having satisfied their wish to shout,
196
00:13:58,605 --> 00:14:01,225
the deputies of the City Council went home.
197
00:14:01,408 --> 00:14:03,211
The demonstrators went home too.
198
00:14:03,496 --> 00:14:06,064
Only then, during the third day of the manifestations,
199
00:14:06,249 --> 00:14:09,240
General Khabalov and the Minister of Internal Affairs Protopopov
200
00:14:09,427 --> 00:14:12,201
reported to the Emperor about the state of events.
201
00:14:12,907 --> 00:14:15,023
The Tsar’s reaction was easily predictable:
202
00:14:15,245 --> 00:14:18,485
“I order to stop the unrest in the capital tomorrow
203
00:14:18,663 --> 00:14:23,634
as it is intolerable during the difficult time of war with Germany and Austria”.
204
00:14:23,841 --> 00:14:26,481
The Tsar made a note in the diary:
205
00:14:26,703 --> 00:14:30,306
“A few days ago, rebellions started in Petrograd;
206
00:14:30,585 --> 00:14:34,687
unfortunately, the troops are taking part in them.
207
00:14:34,914 --> 00:14:39,942
It’s terrible to be so far away and receive such bad news”!”
208
00:14:48,432 --> 00:14:50,528
The Emperor’s order was received.
209
00:14:58,285 --> 00:15:01,622
General Khabalov convened a meeting with the commanders of the military units.
210
00:15:02,058 --> 00:15:04,246
They decided to act according to the circumstances –
211
00:15:04,654 --> 00:15:08,009
dispel the non-aggressive crowds with the help of the cavalry
212
00:15:08,268 --> 00:15:11,734
and shoot at the aggressive and armed people.
213
00:15:14,323 --> 00:15:16,531
The Council of Ministers convened for the meeting too.
214
00:15:16,788 --> 00:15:19,153
For the first time since the beginning of the unrest
215
00:15:19,347 --> 00:15:21,535
the government was discussing what was going on in the streets.
216
00:15:21,743 --> 00:15:23,867
The Ministers had been arguing until 4 a.m.
217
00:15:24,071 --> 00:15:26,542
At the end, they agreed to the plan of General Khabalov
218
00:15:26,754 --> 00:15:29,278
to scare the demonstrators by disseminating announcements around the city
219
00:15:29,403 --> 00:15:33,389
with a threat to dispel the crowds with the weapons.
220
00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:36,908
Sunday, February 26 arrived.
221
00:15:37,423 --> 00:15:40,889
In the morning, a telegram was sent to the Emperor’s Headquarters.
222
00:15:41,166 --> 00:15:42,935
General Khabalov was reporting:
223
00:15:43,129 --> 00:15:47,248
“Today, on February 26 the morning is calm in the city”.
224
00:15:48,798 --> 00:15:52,182
The Minister of the Internal Affairs was even more optimistic.
225
00:15:52,379 --> 00:15:55,620
He reported that the strike of the workers had stopped,
226
00:15:55,812 --> 00:16:00,061
and the order had been restored. The reality was completely opposite.
227
00:16:01,302 --> 00:16:04,908
The military were patrolling Petrograd; the soldiers were guarding the bridges.
228
00:16:05,116 --> 00:16:08,384
However, closer to noon the crowds of demonstrators
229
00:16:08,575 --> 00:16:11,074
moved towards the center of the capital.
230
00:16:11,379 --> 00:16:14,383
The bridges across the Neva were raised but it didn’t stop the crowds –
231
00:16:14,543 --> 00:16:17,255
they simply crossed the river by the ice.
232
00:16:17,476 --> 00:16:20,507
The center of Petrograd was once again filled with the protestors.
233
00:16:20,724 --> 00:16:25,623
The appeals “Enough of the War” and “Get Rid of the Monarchy!” were heard again.
234
00:16:25,798 --> 00:16:27,996
People were simply tearing off Khabalov’s announcements.
235
00:16:28,206 --> 00:16:30,754
In a few places, when the demonstrators attempted to break
236
00:16:30,940 --> 00:16:34,911
through the military lines, the officers fired at them.
237
00:16:35,068 --> 00:16:39,429
Some people lost it and ran away.
238
00:16:39,659 --> 00:16:43,823
At that moment, the demonstrators opened fire at the soldiers.
239
00:16:44,049 --> 00:16:47,515
It’s still unknown who started to shoot but the shots were fired everywhere –
240
00:16:47,716 --> 00:16:51,139
from the roofs, out of the gateways, from the crowd.
241
00:16:51,481 --> 00:16:55,125
On the Znamenskaya Square by the Nicolayevskiy railway station
242
00:16:55,309 --> 00:16:59,300
the soldiers of the Life Guards of the Volyn Regiment opened fire at the crowd.
243
00:16:59,432 --> 00:17:01,471
Shots were heard in other streets too.
244
00:17:01,639 --> 00:17:04,208
The number of dead and wounded grew by dozens.
245
00:17:04,476 --> 00:17:06,999
The situation was becoming more and more alarming.
246
00:17:07,189 --> 00:17:10,933
Barricades started to appear in Petrograd’s suburbs.
247
00:17:11,140 --> 00:17:14,567
The workers were ransacking the police departments…
248
00:17:17,345 --> 00:17:19,723
An agent of the Security Department reported:
249
00:17:20,029 --> 00:17:23,843
“The Neva Avenue is cleared of the crowds along all its length.
250
00:17:24,084 --> 00:17:27,173
On the Znamenskaya Square, the police found about 40 dead
251
00:17:27,364 --> 00:17:30,793
and about the same number of the wounded. At the same time,
252
00:17:31,076 --> 00:17:33,775
on the corner of Italyanskaya and Sadovaya streets
253
00:17:33,939 --> 00:17:36,726
a body of a murdered warrant officer with a sabre in his hands
254
00:17:36,891 --> 00:17:39,960
from the Life Guards of the Pavlov Regiment was found.
255
00:17:40,146 --> 00:17:45,329
On 5 p.m. on the corner of the 1st Rozhdestvenskaya Street and Suvorov Avenue
256
00:17:45,506 --> 00:17:52,986
the troops opened fire at the crowd. Ten people were killed and a few wounded”.
257
00:17:58,611 --> 00:18:00,970
Italy, 1917
258
00:18:02,355 --> 00:18:05,472
“That day was marked by an entire row of bloody fights
259
00:18:05,670 --> 00:18:11,946
and cost the protestors about 150 dead and over 400 wounded.
260
00:18:12,623 --> 00:18:17,343
About 4 p.m. the soldiers of the Pavlov Regiment started a munity…”
261
00:18:21,565 --> 00:18:24,547
Soldiers from the reserve battalions of the Pavlov Regiment
262
00:18:24,712 --> 00:18:29,076
stood guard outside during the day and were greatly shaken by the events.
263
00:18:29,347 --> 00:18:31,813
In the evening, agitators came to the caserns
264
00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:35,495
and started to talk the guards out of shooting at the people.
265
00:18:35,901 --> 00:18:40,664
In a result, a couple of soldiers seized their rifles and ran outside.
266
00:18:41,314 --> 00:18:44,640
The police blocked their way. A shooting started.
267
00:18:46,163 --> 00:18:48,671
The reinforcement consisting of the Life Guards
268
00:18:48,863 --> 00:18:50,766
of the Preobrazhenskiy Regiment arrived at the officers’ rescue.
269
00:18:51,023 --> 00:18:54,674
The mutinied soldiers were driven back into the caserns and disarmed.
270
00:18:55,227 --> 00:18:57,913
Still, a part of them managed to escape with their rifles.
271
00:18:58,209 --> 00:19:00,805
The mutiny was suppressed but the rumours about the incredible event
272
00:19:00,999 --> 00:19:03,396
soon flew all around the Petrograd garrison.
273
00:19:03,864 --> 00:19:05,879
The force-majeure at the Pavlov Regiment
274
00:19:06,153 --> 00:19:09,575
seriously influenced the soldiers’ mood.
275
00:19:12,066 --> 00:19:14,807
They were becoming more and more hesitant.
276
00:19:18,161 --> 00:19:20,320
The police and the Preobrazhenskiy Regiment
277
00:19:20,499 --> 00:19:22,761
had already been engaged in a shooting with the Pavlov Regiment
278
00:19:22,913 --> 00:19:26,270
when Nicolay II received a telegram from the chairman of the State Duma.
279
00:19:31,732 --> 00:19:35,404
Rodzyanko, who was silent a few days ago, was now raising the alarm:
280
00:19:41,813 --> 00:19:44,410
“The situation is serious. Anarchy rules in the capital.
281
00:19:44,694 --> 00:19:50,498
The government is paralyzed. Transport, food and fuel supplies are all disrupted.
282
00:19:50,789 --> 00:19:55,259
The general dissatisfaction is growing. Endless shooting is heard in the streets.
283
00:19:55,575 --> 00:19:58,144
Units of different troops are firing at each other.
284
00:19:58,615 --> 00:20:00,507
A reliable person shall be immediately entrusted
285
00:20:00,811 --> 00:20:05,123
with a task of forming a new government. We can’t wait.
286
00:20:05,405 --> 00:20:08,471
Any delay may mean death”.
287
00:20:10,964 --> 00:20:14,890
When Nicolay II left the capital, it was in a relative order.
288
00:20:15,214 --> 00:20:18,285
He didn’t get any reports on the course of events.
289
00:20:18,561 --> 00:20:21,375
It was impossible to believe that in the course of just three days
290
00:20:21,625 --> 00:20:23,641
the situation slipped out of control
291
00:20:23,904 --> 00:20:26,261
of the government, Duma, police and the military.
292
00:20:26,506 --> 00:20:28,930
That’s why the Emperor dismissed that telegram
293
00:20:29,144 --> 00:20:31,634
as some nonsense. 294 00:20:32,013 --> 00:20: to 36,270 He didn’t pay attention it and commented as follows:
294
00:20:36,842 --> 00:20:40,733
“That fatty Rodzyanko wrote some nonsense to me again;
295
00:20:40,980 --> 00:20:43,654
I won’t even honour him with a reply”.
296
00:20:44,286 --> 00:20:48,566
In his diary, he wrote: “I played domino in the evening”.
297
00:20:48,821 --> 00:20:51,628
However, the fire directed at the demonstrators
298
00:20:51,842 --> 00:20:54,520
failed to have the desired effect.
299
00:20:54,694 --> 00:20:57,194
The protestors grew more and more confident in their forces.
300
00:20:57,395 --> 00:21:00,036
An agent of the Security Department reported:
301
00:21:00,366 --> 00:21:02,645
“The people are certain that the revolution has begun,
302
00:21:02,924 --> 00:21:06,837
that the masses will succeed and that the authorities
303
00:21:07,025 --> 00:21:09,608
are unable to suppress the movement
304
00:21:09,811 --> 00:21:13,465
because the military units will soon join the revolutionary forces,
305
00:21:13,693 --> 00:21:16,875
that the movement that has started won’t die out
306
00:21:17,057 --> 00:21:23,021
but will grow in intensity until the final victory and the coup”.
307
00:21:27,652 --> 00:21:29,181
Despite such reports,
308
00:21:29,424 --> 00:21:32,451
the Minister of the Internal Affairs Protopopov remained calm.
309
00:21:32,790 --> 00:21:36,288
He was sure that General Khabalov would suppress the revolution.
310
00:21:36,561 --> 00:21:39,543
However, not everybody shared Protopopov’s calm.
311
00:21:39,876 --> 00:21:43,076
The Ministers who gathered on Sunday evening
312
00:21:43,287 --> 00:21:46,413
at the Prime-Minister Golitsin’s house finally decided
313
00:21:46,609 --> 00:21:49,301
to disband the State Duma. Almost everybody realized
314
00:21:49,655 --> 00:21:52,855
that the Duma’s parties were disrupting the order in the capital
315
00:21:53,171 --> 00:21:56,972
encouraging the munity. Golitsin got the Tsar’s order on dispelling the Duma
316
00:21:57,162 --> 00:22:01,261
a few days ago; all he needed to do was to put a date.
317
00:22:12,906 --> 00:22:15,662
The Ministers informed the Duma’s chairman Rodzyanko
318
00:22:16,749 --> 00:22:20,653
about the disbanding of the Duma. He immediately sent another telegram
319
00:22:20,913 --> 00:22:23,548
to the Emperor in which he confronted the Emperor with a choice:
320
00:22:23,742 --> 00:22:25,730
he should either recall his order
321
00:22:25,931 --> 00:22:28,530
and concede to the Duma or face the downfall of the dynasty.
322
00:22:36,103 --> 00:22:40,389
It looked like an ultimatum. Nicolay didn’t reply to that telegram.
323
00:22:43,040 --> 00:22:47,089
Night engulfed Petrograd. The streets of the capital were empty.
324
00:22:47,336 --> 00:22:49,737
There were almost no patrols of the military and police officers.
325
00:22:50,069 --> 00:22:52,311
Everybody was waiting for the next day.
326
00:22:52,791 --> 00:22:55,106
The events didn’t keep them waiting for long.
327
00:22:55,641 --> 00:22:56,960
Italy, 1917
328
00:22:58,625 --> 00:23:00,578
At night from Sunday to Monday,
329
00:23:00,817 --> 00:23:03,747
the soldiers of the Volyn Regiment lived through a deep psychological trauma
330
00:23:04,028 --> 00:23:08,317
in their casern, which in the morning of February 27
331
00:23:08,527 --> 00:23:12,073
predisposed the course of further events…
332
00:23:21,484 --> 00:23:23,232
Th soldiers spent the entire previous day
333
00:23:23,463 --> 00:23:26,268
face-to-face with the enraged revolutionary crowd.
334
00:23:26,548 --> 00:23:28,598
The protesters were appealing to the officers
335
00:23:28,817 --> 00:23:30,714
trying to convince them not to shot at the people
336
00:23:30,922 --> 00:23:35,072
and not to dispel the demonstrations. The soldiers were listening to the appeals,
337
00:23:35,257 --> 00:23:38,929
and their mood was changing. They returned to their casern deep in thoughts
338
00:23:39,147 --> 00:23:42,009
and discussed what had been happening all night,
339
00:23:42,190 --> 00:23:44,397
from February 26 to February 27.
340
00:23:46,280 --> 00:23:51,143
Non-commissioned officer Timofey Kirpichnikov,
341
00:23:51,413 --> 00:23:54,780
a peasant from the Penza province gave the most passionate speech.
342
00:24:00,913 --> 00:24:04,884
Timofey Kirpichnikov came from a family of the Old Believers.
343
00:24:05,169 --> 00:24:07,393
He was considered to be the first soldier
344
00:24:07,714 --> 00:24:09,368
who came out against the Tsar’s regime.
345
00:24:09,593 --> 00:24:12,104
For that, the Temporary Government later awarded him
346
00:24:12,307 --> 00:24:14,646
with a rank of a warrant officer.
347
00:24:14,922 --> 00:24:16,605
According to his contemporaries’ recollections,
348
00:24:16,790 --> 00:24:20,760
he boasted his awards and was unduly rude even with the commanders.
349
00:24:21,578 --> 00:24:26,451
In October of 1917, he tried to instigate a mutiny among the soldiers again,
350
00:24:26,661 --> 00:24:30,795
that time against the new government, though unsuccessfully.
351
00:24:35,018 --> 00:24:38,817
The soldiers decided not to fire at the protestors again.
352
00:24:39,769 --> 00:24:42,257
Kirpichnikov raised his people before dawn;
353
00:24:42,487 --> 00:24:45,563
the soldiers took their arms and assumed formation.
354
00:24:45,845 --> 00:24:49,016
When their commander Staff Captain Lashkevitch came
355
00:24:49,250 --> 00:24:52,071
the soldiers refused to greet him according to the Rules
356
00:24:52,317 --> 00:24:57,067
and shouted “Hurray” instead of the usual “Good afternoon, Your Honora”.
357
00:24:57,280 --> 00:24:59,903
Hurray!
358
00:25:00,208 --> 00:25:01,805
One of the soldiers told Lashkevitch
359
00:25:02,060 --> 00:25:04,370
that the members of the Volyn regiment wouldn’t fire
360
00:25:04,646 --> 00:25:07,427
at the demonstrators anymore. Then the officer took out the Tsar’s telegram
361
00:25:07,652 --> 00:25:10,719
with an order to stop the unrest and read it.
362
00:25:11,250 --> 00:25:14,593
The soldiers answered with a disapproving rumble; somebody started to shout:
363
00:25:14,748 --> 00:25:18,617
“Go away from us”! Staff Captain went out of the casern
364
00:25:18,807 --> 00:25:21,648
to call the headquarters and report on the mutiny.
365
00:25:21,944 --> 00:25:27,141
When Lashkevitch was crossing the grounds, somebody fired from the casern.
366
00:25:42,338 --> 00:25:44,701
It was still possible to stop the mutiny.
367
00:25:44,951 --> 00:25:47,675
However, the other officers collected the regiments’ money
368
00:25:47,923 --> 00:25:50,654
and the banner of the regiment and rushed out of the gates.
369
00:25:50,971 --> 00:25:53,921
The rebellious soldiers poured into the streets.
370
00:26:07,073 --> 00:26:09,852
After the murder of the commander Kirpichnikov and his comrades
371
00:26:10,076 --> 00:26:13,461
didn’t have any other choice. They would be executed for sure.
372
00:26:13,654 --> 00:26:17,386
The Volyn Regiment started to involve other regiments into the revolt.
373
00:26:17,615 --> 00:26:19,844
The first to join them were the soldiers
374
00:26:20,022 --> 00:26:22,602
of the Life Guard Preobrazhenskiy Regiment.
375
00:26:25,484 --> 00:26:29,125
They took rifles and bullets and a couple of machine guns.
376
00:26:29,914 --> 00:26:33,416
They killed an officer who tried to stop them with bayonets.
377
00:26:36,259 --> 00:26:41,382
Soldiers of the Lithuanian Regiment joined them, followed by the other units.
378
00:26:41,657 --> 00:26:46,437
The military force that was loyal to the authorities was melting away.
379
00:26:46,692 --> 00:26:49,925
Almost the entire garrison of the capital revolted.
380
00:26:50,137 --> 00:26:52,486
The demonstrators gathered in Petrograd’s streets again,
381
00:26:52,701 --> 00:26:55,400
but that time the soldiers were on their side.
382
00:26:55,971 --> 00:26:58,115
They burnt the building of the District Count,
383
00:26:58,365 --> 00:27:04,201
the Gendarmery Department, and the Secret Service.
384
00:27:04,454 --> 00:27:08,313
The crowd seized the Main Artillery Department and the Arsenal.
385
00:27:08,528 --> 00:27:13,646
The protestors killed General Matusov, the head of the Arsenal’s stores.
386
00:27:14,009 --> 00:27:18,716
The Ministry of the Internal Affairs and the house of the city mayor were ransacked.
387
00:27:19,088 --> 00:27:22,253
Sometimes the crowd didn’t realize what it was doing.
388
00:27:22,656 --> 00:27:26,982
It included the supporters of the Duma, liberals, social democrats and Bolsheviks.
389
00:27:27,173 --> 00:27:31,375
However, the majority was the common workers, soldiers, students,
390
00:27:31,587 --> 00:27:36,510
clerks, shop salesmen, female students, house maids, drunks and hooligans.
391
00:27:36,882 --> 00:27:40,250
They didn’t belong to parties, had no political programs
392
00:27:40,454 --> 00:27:44,298
and didn’t know well what they were fighting for.
393
00:27:45,752 --> 00:27:49,050
They were worried about the introduction of ration cards for bread,
394
00:27:49,316 --> 00:27:53,023
the war everybody was tired of; they wished to immediately solve
395
00:27:53,214 --> 00:27:56,064
all the problems and felt romantic certainty
396
00:27:56,249 --> 00:27:58,653
that they could improve the situation right there and then –
397
00:27:58,855 --> 00:28:04,405
regardless of the means. The intoxication of the crowd that realized its strength
398
00:28:04,586 --> 00:28:08,273
and impunity was forcing people who were peaceful just yesterday
399
00:28:08,471 --> 00:28:12,921
to hurl stones at the police and demand the change of power.
400
00:28:13,816 --> 00:28:18,780
Nobody of those people could explain what power they wanted to have.
401
00:28:19,810 --> 00:28:22,333
The crowd lived according to the rules of the crowd.
402
00:28:22,577 --> 00:28:25,456
Hearing the shouts “hit” and “burn”, it was attacking the city police
403
00:28:25,698 --> 00:28:32,071
and ransacking police departments. The people believed that their actions
404
00:28:32,278 --> 00:28:41,082
would lead Russia to some other, unknown freedom, justice, order and well-being.
405
00:28:41,807 --> 00:28:46,372
They didn’t realize that they were ruining their country, their own future
406
00:28:46,598 --> 00:28:51,514
and the future of their children with their own hands.
407
00:28:52,066 --> 00:28:56,458
Not the politicians and revolutionaries but the crowd led the country
408
00:28:56,671 --> 00:29:01,641
to the wars, violence and chaos unknown in history before.
409
00:29:04,010 --> 00:29:06,080
The rebels started to storm the prisons.
410
00:29:06,345 --> 00:29:10,059
They seized the infamous “Kresty”, the “Lithuanian Palace” prison
411
00:29:10,227 --> 00:29:13,417
and the detention cells in the Shpalernaya Street.
412
00:29:13,664 --> 00:29:16,460
The political prisoners who were released appealed to the crowds
413
00:29:16,670 --> 00:29:22,185
to save the State Duma. Among them were the members
414
00:29:22,422 --> 00:29:27,283
of the so-called Working Group of the Central Military and Industrial Committee
415
00:29:27,464 --> 00:29:32,968
Gvozdev and Bogdanov who had been arrested for organization of mass strikes.
416
00:29:33,250 --> 00:29:36,079
They called upon defending the oppositional Duma
417
00:29:36,260 --> 00:29:39,599
from the Tsar’s government that many considered to be the congregation
418
00:29:39,788 --> 00:29:42,907
of the dark forces that had captured Russia.
419
00:29:43,194 --> 00:29:45,648
The crowd rushed to the Tavria Palace.
420
00:29:47,951 --> 00:29:51,699
The deputies of the Duma already knew about the revolt of the Petrograd garrison.
421
00:29:52,077 --> 00:29:54,118
One of the Duma leaders Pavel Milyukov
422
00:29:54,355 --> 00:29:57,038
lived right opposite to the caserns of the Volyn Regiment.
423
00:29:57,281 --> 00:30:00,243
However, when the soldiers rebelled the deputy was sound asleep.
424
00:30:00,479 --> 00:30:04,151
A yard cleaner woke him up to pass the important news.
425
00:30:05,692 --> 00:30:07,736
Deputy Kerenskiy was sleeping as well.
426
00:30:11,563 --> 00:30:14,507
He got the news about the rebellion of the Volyn Regiment by the phone.
427
00:30:17,605 --> 00:30:19,758
Still groggy from his sleep, Alexander Fedorovitch couldn’t understand
428
00:30:19,977 --> 00:30:23,454
what the soldiers’ support meant for the revolution.
429
00:30:23,692 --> 00:30:26,453
However, as soon as he realized what was going on,
430
00:30:26,623 --> 00:30:28,449
he rushed to the Tavria Palace.
431
00:30:37,890 --> 00:30:39,975
No session of the Duma was scheduled for that day,
432
00:30:40,191 --> 00:30:42,308
but the deputies gathered for a meeting anyway.
433
00:30:42,556 --> 00:30:44,523
They were in a difficult situation.
434
00:30:44,789 --> 00:30:49,718
On one hand, the Duma was officially dismissed and its activities were illegal.
435
00:30:49,980 --> 00:30:53,887
On the other hand, it couldn’t withdraw from the events.
436
00:30:55,657 --> 00:30:56,721
As opposed to Kerenskiy,
437
00:30:56,945 --> 00:31:00,368
other deputies didn’t realize the significance of what was going on.
438
00:31:00,567 --> 00:31:02,937
The most passionate deputies offered to announce Duma
439
00:31:03,127 --> 00:31:05,223
transformed into the Constituent Assembly,
440
00:31:05,424 --> 00:31:08,050
which meant undertaking the full authority.
441
00:31:09,473 --> 00:31:11,922
The Constituent Assembly, the highest state body
442
00:31:12,112 --> 00:31:17,138
consisting of the deputies elected by the people through the general vote.
443
00:31:17,396 --> 00:31:22,183
The Constituent Assembly had an exclusive right to define
444
00:31:22,367 --> 00:31:25,951
the form of government and develop the Constitution of the state,
445
00:31:26,164 --> 00:31:30,115
while the State Duma consisted of the representatives of political parties,
446
00:31:30,296 --> 00:31:34,250
a part of whom was appealing to overthrow monarchy in Russia.
447
00:31:34,654 --> 00:31:37,185
However, the State Duma couldn’t undertake the functions
448
00:31:37,371 --> 00:31:39,526
of the Constituent Assembly.
449
00:31:40,258 --> 00:31:43,376
In a result of the discussions a less radical decision was taken.
450
00:31:43,605 --> 00:31:47,208
A temporary committee was founded in the Duma for restoring the order.
451
00:31:48,074 --> 00:31:49,903
The deputies decided to insure themselves.
452
00:31:50,171 --> 00:31:54,020
The Duma was officially disbanded and any of its actions would be illegal,
453
00:31:54,230 --> 00:31:58,115
especially an attempt to take control over the country.
454
00:31:58,619 --> 00:32:01,675
Should the government win, all the participants of those actions
455
00:32:01,877 --> 00:32:06,145
would be justly arrested for cooperation in a coup d’état.
456
00:32:06,877 --> 00:32:10,260
However, the new committee founded by the deputies could be presented
457
00:32:10,517 --> 00:32:14,717
as an ally of the authorities in case of the revolution’s failure.
458
00:32:16,115 --> 00:32:17,837
In the course of the meeting, an officer ran into the hall
459
00:32:18,094 --> 00:32:21,054
and begged the deputies to protect him.
460
00:32:21,335 --> 00:32:23,605
He headed the guards who were defending the Duma,
461
00:32:23,826 --> 00:32:27,387
and the rebels had almost killed him. The deputies were overwhelmed.
462
00:32:28,241 --> 00:32:30,158
Kerenskiy was the first to come to his senses.
463
00:32:30,397 --> 00:32:34,144
He ran out into the streets, pulled at the sleeve of the first soldier he saw
464
00:32:34,432 --> 00:32:38,896
and said: “Comrades soldiers! You’ve been honoured
465
00:32:39,238 --> 00:32:45,530
with defending the Duma. I announce you to be the first revolutionary guards…”
466
00:32:45,820 --> 00:32:50,374
It was Kerenskiy’s minute of fame. The crowd poured into the Tavria Palace,
467
00:32:50,580 --> 00:32:54,413
and the former lawyer delivered a passionate speech.
468
00:32:55,286 --> 00:32:58,506
He talked about the revolution, demanded not to spill blood
469
00:32:58,748 --> 00:33:01,902
and promised to arrest one of the top-ranking Tsar’s officials –
470
00:33:02,076 --> 00:33:06,707
Ivan Scheglovatiy, the chairman of the State Council,
471
00:33:06,998 --> 00:33:09,764
the upper chamber of the parliament. Soon Scheglovatiy,
472
00:33:10,037 --> 00:33:13,204
whom the liberal opposition indeed loathed for long,
473
00:33:13,476 --> 00:33:17,659
was marched to the Tavria Palace under guard.
474
00:33:19,546 --> 00:33:22,908
Kerenskiy’s authority increased in a matter of hours.
475
00:33:23,175 --> 00:33:25,551
He was the one to sign the papers, he was consulted,
476
00:33:25,773 --> 00:33:30,676
he was expected to give instructions. One of the journalists asked Kerenskiy:
477
00:33:30,909 --> 00:33:35,333
“Do you know that you’re the all-mighty in Russia now?”
478
00:33:35,563 --> 00:33:38,542
“It was pleasant to hear”, he replied.
479
00:33:40,310 --> 00:33:42,351
The street rebellion was illegal.
480
00:33:42,665 --> 00:33:44,980
However, when the Duma openly joined the rebels,
481
00:33:45,214 --> 00:33:48,868
the actions of the crowd were perceived differently.
482
00:33:50,374 --> 00:33:52,572
Pavel Milyukov wrote in the emigration:
483
00:33:53,576 --> 00:33:57,769
“The interference of the State Duma gave the street and military movement
484
00:33:58,017 --> 00:34:02,163
a centre, a banner and a slogan and turned the rebellion into a revolution
485
00:34:02,445 --> 00:34:07,644
that finished with the overthrowing of the old regime and the dynasty”.
486
00:34:09,793 --> 00:34:12,550
The position of the Duma changed overnight.
487
00:34:13,123 --> 00:34:17,653
A few hours ago, it was an illegal gathering that had violated the Tsar’s order.
488
00:34:17,981 --> 00:34:20,742
But now it led the coup d’?tat and became the first representative
489
00:34:21,016 --> 00:34:24,143
of the new authorities in the eyes of many.
490
00:34:25,429 --> 00:34:28,115
A former head of the Emperor’s security General Spiridovitch
491
00:34:28,356 --> 00:34:32,122
recalled that change: “Anybody who deemed himself
492
00:34:32,409 --> 00:34:36,461
to be the supporter of the revolution could come to the Duma.
493
00:34:36,679 --> 00:34:39,976
A soldier who killed his commander, a party worker who had been arrested,
494
00:34:40,259 --> 00:34:43,159
a representative of the intelligentsia who dreamt about the revolution
495
00:34:43,385 --> 00:34:46,342
while drinking vodka, excited young girls,
496
00:34:46,559 --> 00:34:51,079
young men of different views and ages,
497
00:34:51,309 --> 00:34:54,773
adventurers of all types and criminals released from prisons –
498
00:34:54,960 --> 00:34:58,591
they all gathered in the Duma.
499
00:34:59,268 --> 00:35:01,429
The Duma became the headquarters of the revolution”.
500
00:35:05,280 --> 00:35:09,469
The revolution got its first headquarters and armed forces.
501
00:35:09,820 --> 00:35:13,636
However, it still hadn’t won. The old regime was still in power in Petrograd,
502
00:35:13,878 --> 00:35:19,657
the Tsar was at the Headquarters and had regular troops at his disposal.
503
00:35:20,228 --> 00:35:24,421
The revolution could still be stopped. In the afternoon of February 27,
504
00:35:24,637 --> 00:35:28,251
Military Minister General Belyayev sent a telegram to the Emperor
505
00:35:28,465 --> 00:35:31,697
at the Headquarters: “The unrest that started in the morning in some military units
506
00:35:31,907 --> 00:35:37,123
is being actively and quickly suppressed by the companies and battalions
507
00:35:37,309 --> 00:35:41,952
that remained loyal. We haven’t succeeded in suppressing the revolt
508
00:35:42,208 --> 00:35:45,638
but I’m certain that soon the order will be restored
509
00:35:45,916 --> 00:35:49,097
as drastic measures are taken to that end.
510
00:35:49,297 --> 00:35:52,334
The authorities remain completely calm”.
511
00:35:53,224 --> 00:35:56,811
In reality, the situation was very different.
512
00:35:57,036 --> 00:36:00,018
There were less and less of companies and battalions that remained loyal.
513
00:36:00,231 --> 00:36:03,196
Besides, they were stationed in different parts of the city,
514
00:36:03,402 --> 00:36:06,252
and it was difficult to gather them together.
515
00:36:06,438 --> 00:36:12,633
The main thing was that all those units lacked an energetic and brave commander.
516
00:36:14,148 --> 00:36:17,007
The authorities were looking for such a person and soon found him –
517
00:36:17,228 --> 00:36:19,578
it was Colonel Kutepov.
518
00:36:21,903 --> 00:36:26,043
Alexander Pavlovitch Kutepov, Infantry General.
519
00:36:26,405 --> 00:36:29,229
During the Russian-Japanese War served as a scout
520
00:36:29,447 --> 00:36:32,450
and executed complicated tasks undercover.
521
00:36:32,842 --> 00:36:36,350
Received the St. Vladimir medal from the Emperor’s hands.
522
00:36:36,619 --> 00:36:40,134
He started the First World War as Staff Officer of the Life Guards
523
00:36:40,322 --> 00:36:43,478
of the Preobrazhenskiy Regiment and was fighting at the front.
524
00:36:43,730 --> 00:36:46,248
He was incredibly brave, and for his bravery was awarded
525
00:36:46,494 --> 00:36:54,065
with the St. George medal of the 4th class and the George’s arms. A Colonel.
526
00:36:59,686 --> 00:37:03,019
When Kutepov came to Petrograd for a short vacation,
527
00:37:03,297 --> 00:37:07,349
he was unexpectedly summoned to headquarters of the Petrograd garrison.
528
00:37:12,884 --> 00:37:15,376
Comrade General? Colonel Kutepov.
529
00:37:16,538 --> 00:37:18,019
You may come in.
530
00:37:18,318 --> 00:37:20,800
There, General Khabalov informed Kutepov personally
531
00:37:20,985 --> 00:37:23,389
that he was appointed the head of the punitive detachment
532
00:37:23,617 --> 00:37:26,056
that was to restore order in the city.
533
00:37:29,068 --> 00:37:33,290
Well? Good luck, Alexander Pavlovitch.
534
00:37:34,226 --> 00:37:40,001
Kutepov became the commander; however, different obstacles blocked his way.
535
00:37:42,713 --> 00:37:45,926
It turned out that the soldiers hadn’t eaten since the previous day.
536
00:37:46,356 --> 00:37:48,326
The commandment led them out into the streets,
537
00:37:48,523 --> 00:37:50,587
but nobody thought of organizing their nourishment.
538
00:37:50,786 --> 00:37:54,018
Kutepov ordered the officers to buy the food for their soldiers.
539
00:37:57,193 --> 00:37:59,237
After that, he met the machine gunners.
540
00:37:59,452 --> 00:38:02,553
He asked whether they could open fire at order.
541
00:38:02,840 --> 00:38:06,268
They answered that the machine guns weren’t ready for the fights –
542
00:38:06,509 --> 00:38:10,182
the oil and water without which the machine gun couldn’t function froze.
543
00:38:11,172 --> 00:38:13,385
He had to send a couple of people to the caserns
544
00:38:13,597 --> 00:38:15,827
to put the machine guns in order.
545
00:38:16,487 --> 00:38:18,367
Despite all those difficulties,
546
00:38:18,606 --> 00:38:22,807
Colonel with his soldiers moved towards the Neva Avenue.
547
00:38:23,112 --> 00:38:26,133
On their way, an envoy caught up with them and passed a new order:
548
00:38:26,380 --> 00:38:28,407
to move towards the Winter Palace.
549
00:38:28,644 --> 00:38:31,637
It was impossible to get to the Palace through the Neva Avenue.
550
00:38:31,818 --> 00:38:34,483
The detachment moved along the Liteyniy Avenue.
551
00:38:34,755 --> 00:38:38,074
On their way, they met groups of confused soldiers from different regiments.
552
00:38:38,338 --> 00:38:41,574
They went out into the city following their rebellious comrades
553
00:38:41,737 --> 00:38:43,887
but didn’t know what to do.
554
00:38:44,072 --> 00:38:46,483
Many of them were simply afraid of the punishment.
555
00:38:46,688 --> 00:38:49,644
Kutepov promised that they wouldn’t be sent to court martial
556
00:38:49,873 --> 00:38:52,764
if they returned to their caserns immediately.
557
00:38:53,005 --> 00:38:57,051
The soldiers started to disperse, and Kutepov’s detachment moved on.
558
00:38:57,804 --> 00:38:59,385
The shooting was heard everywhere,
559
00:38:59,612 --> 00:39:02,739
the cars with red banners were driving around.
560
00:39:03,054 --> 00:39:05,532
Some rebels preffered to escape.
561
00:39:05,771 --> 00:39:09,587
However, the detachment had to fight a couple of times.
562
00:39:09,806 --> 00:39:13,829
Some of its people were killed or wounded. The forces were clearly uneven.
563
00:39:14,081 --> 00:39:18,056
There were too many soldiers who chose to support the revolution.
564
00:39:18,693 --> 00:39:23,840
To defeat them, Colonel’s will alone Wasn’t enough.
565
00:39:24,349 --> 00:39:28,003
Soon Kutepov’s small detachment ceased to exist.
566
00:39:28,382 --> 00:39:31,789
His soldiers and officers dispersed about Petrograd’s streets.
567
00:39:33,599 --> 00:39:37,430
The situation in other units that remained loyal wasn’t much better.
568
00:39:37,929 --> 00:39:40,503
On a square in front of the Winter Palace a group of soldiers
569
00:39:40,759 --> 00:39:45,445
from the guard regiments and guard seamen gathered.
570
00:39:46,159 --> 00:39:49,661
The officers were waiting for an order. However, no order came.
571
00:39:49,996 --> 00:39:53,240
The cold was strong. So, after waiting for a few hours,
572
00:39:53,447 --> 00:39:55,659
soldiers and seamen simply went home.
573
00:39:57,706 --> 00:40:00,864
That very same day another pillar of the power went down –
574
00:40:01,099 --> 00:40:02,635
the Security Department.
575
00:40:03,172 --> 00:40:04,631
The Security Department.
576
00:40:04,824 --> 00:40:09,152
Full name – the Department for Securing of Public Safety and Order.
577
00:40:09,414 --> 00:40:11,867
The local department of the Police Department
578
00:40:12,054 --> 00:40:14,254
of the Ministry of the Internal Affairs that was entrusted
579
00:40:14,454 --> 00:40:18,394
with political investigations and investigation of crimes against the state.
580
00:40:18,719 --> 00:40:25,934
It was founded in 1866 after another attempt at the life of Emperor Alexander II.
581
00:40:27,755 --> 00:40:29,637
In the morning of February 27,
582
00:40:29,846 --> 00:40:31,875
a platoon of soldiers arrived at the building
583
00:40:32,070 --> 00:40:34,125
where the Security Department was situated.
584
00:40:34,340 --> 00:40:36,496
They were to guard its officers and clerks.
585
00:40:36,735 --> 00:40:40,201
The head of the department General Globachyov asked the commander
586
00:40:40,416 --> 00:40:43,566
whether his soldiers would fire at the revolutionary crowd.
587
00:40:44,034 --> 00:40:47,110
The confused officer confessed that he wasn’t sure about that.
588
00:40:47,670 --> 00:40:50,112
Then Globachyov dismissed the soldiers.
589
00:40:50,514 --> 00:40:53,561
They didn’t get any instructions from the Minister of Internal Affairs.
590
00:40:53,840 --> 00:40:57,557
When General Globachyov heard that the enraged crowd
591
00:40:57,704 --> 00:41:01,697
was nearing the Security Department, he dismissed all the personnel
592
00:41:01,887 --> 00:41:06,202
and then left himself. Soon the crowd broke into the empty building
593
00:41:06,418 --> 00:41:11,688
and completely ransacked it. All the archives and case files were burnt.
594
00:41:11,914 --> 00:41:15,130
The Security Department ceased to exist.
595
00:41:25,130 --> 00:41:27,119
In the streets, the revolution was in full swing
596
00:41:27,317 --> 00:41:30,240
when the ministers convened at the Prime-Minister Golitsin’s house.
597
00:41:35,648 --> 00:41:38,074
General Khabalov came to the meeting too.
598
00:41:38,983 --> 00:41:43,185
He was scared; the hands of the commander of the military district were shaking,
599
00:41:43,378 --> 00:41:47,530
his voice was trembling. The ministers had to interrupt the meeting
600
00:41:47,713 --> 00:41:50,920
when they heard that the crowd was close to the building.
601
00:41:52,509 --> 00:41:55,757
In a few hours, the government gathered together again,
602
00:41:56,030 --> 00:41:58,111
that time at the Mariinskiy Palace.
603
00:41:58,490 --> 00:42:01,769
They talked the Minister of the Internal Affairs into resigning.
604
00:42:02,023 --> 00:42:06,035
Protopopov, whom the liberal opposition loathed, agreed.
605
00:42:06,514 --> 00:42:08,561
However, it was too late to change anything.
606
00:42:08,791 --> 00:42:13,221
Besides, a key ministry was left without any head at all.
607
00:42:13,797 --> 00:42:16,921
That evening, Prince Golitsin sent a telegram to the Tsar
608
00:42:17,121 --> 00:42:20,210
stating that the Council of Ministers announced Petrograd
609
00:42:20,405 --> 00:42:22,596
to be in a state of a defence emergency.
610
00:42:22,793 --> 00:42:25,610
The head of the government asked to send a popular general to the city
611
00:42:25,815 --> 00:42:29,770
and to relieve all the ministers of their positions.
612
00:42:32,105 --> 00:42:34,976
In that telegram, Golitsin confessed that the government
613
00:42:35,190 --> 00:42:38,385
was unable to restore order. After sending the telegram,
614
00:42:38,661 --> 00:42:41,785
the ministers went on with their discussions.
615
00:42:42,096 --> 00:42:45,315
At that moment, a revolutionary crowd burst into the Mariinskiy Palace.
616
00:42:45,820 --> 00:42:49,905
A pogrom started. That was how the last meeting of the Council of Ministers
617
00:42:50,106 --> 00:42:52,445
of the Russian Empire ended.
618
00:42:53,284 --> 00:42:55,898
Italy, 1917
619
00:42:56,608 --> 00:43:01,668
“By the night the capital was decisively and irrevocable
620
00:43:01,869 --> 00:43:06,033
in the revolutionaries’ hands; even the troops that didn’t join the rebels
621
00:43:06,277 --> 00:43:11,111
were avoiding any fights and kept armed neutrality…”
622
00:43:14,271 --> 00:43:18,052
By the evening of February 27, over 60,000 soldiers
623
00:43:18,351 --> 00:43:21,445
were already on the side of the revolution;
624
00:43:21,679 --> 00:43:23,467
the other troops of the Petrograd garrison
625
00:43:23,659 --> 00:43:26,497
were still executing the orders of their commanders.
626
00:43:26,791 --> 00:43:29,780
The commandment of the military district headed by general Khabalov
627
00:43:29,971 --> 00:43:34,739
gathered in the Admiralty building. The generals were consulting each other,
628
00:43:34,878 --> 00:43:37,420
putting forward and discussing different plans;
629
00:43:37,601 --> 00:43:40,858
they laid more and more hopes for the help from the front.
630
00:43:41,126 --> 00:43:46,007
Nobody believed that they could extinguish the revolutionary fire by themselves.
631
00:43:47,039 --> 00:43:49,966
At night, two telegrams were sent to the Emperor at the Headquarters.
632
00:43:50,143 --> 00:43:54,247
One was sent by the commander of the Petrograd garrison General Khabalov:
633
00:43:54,452 --> 00:43:57,389
“Please report to His Imperial Highness that I couldn’t execute his order
634
00:43:57,568 --> 00:44:02,778
and restore the order in the capital. The majority of the units, one by one,
635
00:44:02,956 --> 00:44:08,020
are breaking their oaths and refusing to fight against the rebels”.
636
00:44:10,143 --> 00:44:16,329
Military Minister Belyayev wrote: “The situation in Petrograd is serious.
637
00:44:16,528 --> 00:44:22,318
We are still unable to stop the revolt with few military units that remained loyal.
638
00:44:22,563 --> 00:44:28,294
On the contrary, many units have already joined the rebels. The fires started.
639
00:44:28,630 --> 00:44:31,259
We don’t have the means to extinguish them.
640
00:44:31,456 --> 00:44:37,150
An arrival of reliable troops is needed, besides, they shall be numerous enough
641
00:44:37,400 --> 00:44:40,586
for simultaneous actions in different parts of the city”.
642
00:44:46,293 --> 00:44:48,626
After Kutepov’s detachment dispersed,
643
00:44:48,885 --> 00:44:52,473
Colonel had to hide in the first best house.
644
00:44:53,016 --> 00:44:56,392
In the streets, the enraged crowd was looking for officers.
645
00:44:56,619 --> 00:44:59,989
In the same house, there were nurses of the Red Cross
646
00:45:00,175 --> 00:45:03,017
who offered the Colonel to disguise as a make nurse to escape
647
00:45:03,228 --> 00:45:06,349
but Kutepov refused.
648
00:45:39,532 --> 00:45:42,054
Are there officers here?
649
00:45:47,202 --> 00:45:48,555
What do you have there.
650
00:45:49,684 --> 00:45:50,688
Look for them well?
651
00:45:55,097 --> 00:45:56,402
They won’t hide from us.
652
00:45:57,739 --> 00:45:59,476
Have your checked these rooms?
653
00:46:02,699 --> 00:46:03,817
And upstairs?
654
00:46:04,320 --> 00:46:06,292
Where is this bastard?
655
00:46:09,574 --> 00:46:11,733
He shall be somewhere in the house.
656
00:46:24,132 --> 00:46:25,663
Move up.
657
00:46:26,168 --> 00:46:27,884
One floor up.
658
00:46:48,063 --> 00:46:49,468
Put him by the wall.
659
00:46:50,726 --> 00:46:53,434
Here. Shoot!
660
00:47:15,856 --> 00:47:20,170
Less than in one year he would participate in organization of the Volunteer Army
661
00:47:20,387 --> 00:47:23,155
at the Don for a fight against the Bolsheviks.
662
00:47:24,157 --> 00:47:26,844
At that time, an officer was brought to his headquarters
663
00:47:27,146 --> 00:47:32,153
who informed Kutepov rudely that he wanted to fight the Bolsheviks.
664
00:47:32,474 --> 00:47:34,735
When asked about who he was the officer said
665
00:47:34,947 --> 00:47:37,646
that he had been one of the first soldiers
666
00:47:37,813 --> 00:47:39,811
who came out against the Tsar’s regime.
667
00:47:40,186 --> 00:47:44,551
It was Timofey Kirpichnikov who raised the mutiny at the Volyn Regiment.
668
00:47:45,025 --> 00:47:48,376
At Kutepov’s order, the so-called “first soldier of the revolution”
669
00:47:48,594 --> 00:47:53,906
was executed on the spot. His body was thrown into a nearby ditch.
670
00:47:54,329 --> 00:47:55,997
Italy, 1917
671
00:47:56,257 --> 00:47:59,418
In the evening of February 27, almost all the forces
672
00:47:59,635 --> 00:48:05,038
that remained loyal to the Tsar’s government stopped the resistance.
673
00:48:11,489 --> 00:48:16,379
“All the non-revolutionary oases were encircled by the revolutionary masses,
674
00:48:17,048 --> 00:48:21,246
and their downfall was a question of just a couple of hours”.
64215
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.