The February Revolution and the System of Dual Power

The February Revolution of 1917 erupted spontaneously in Petrograd out of protests over bread shortages. The demonstrations of February 23, 1917 (Julian calendar), coinciding with International Women's Day, began a wave of protests that spread rapidly, drawing in workers from numerous factories over the following days. The decisive element was the refusal of the Petrograd garrison troops to fire on demonstrators, as they progressively joined the revolutionary movement from February 27 onward, eliminating the regime's principal instrument of repression and precipitating its collapse within a matter of days.