1917 February Revolution

Workers at the large and politically active steel works go on strike.

Women join the men of the Putilov Works on the streets of Petrograd in protest over women's rights in Russia.

By this point Petrograd was paralysed with 250,000 people on the streets striking for different reasons.

At this point some of the soldiers refused to fire on the strikers and instead joined them, as they sympathised with the strikers over their hardships caused by the long war which they'd been fighting. By this point only a few thousand of the original 150,000 Petrograd garrison troops remained due to desertions. Desertions also caused problems with the battalion of troops sent under General Ivanov to support the Petrograd forces. It should be noted that by now the vast majority of the loyal nobility-sourced troops were dead due to the war and those that remained were mostly less loyal peasants.

Bread rationing is announced by the government due to the poor supply of food which is being hindered by the poor transport system in Russia.

Russian troops were ordered by General Khabalov to fire on the crowds.

The Duma is officially dissolved after Rodzianko, the President of the Duma, told the Tsar that only a major concession would satisfy the protesters and protect the monarchy. The Tsar however was not willing to compromise after his "mistake" in 1905 of creating the Duma in the first place.

Tsar Nicholas II decides to return to Petrograd, hoping his presence would calm down the protesters. However, his train was diverted to Pskov, 100 miles from Petrograd. Here his top generals from stavka and representatives of the old duma persuaded Nicholas II to abdicate to preserve the Romanov dynasty. This he did, but he also abdicated on behalf of his son and natural heir Alexei, on account of his haemophilia. This meant that the next in line was Nicholas' brother Grand Duke Michael. He refused the title, however, not wanting the problems that came with it. This meant there was no natural heir, and Russia had left the Romanov dynasty.

The first meeting of the Petrograd Soviet of Soldiers', Sailors' and Workers' Deputies in the Tauride Palace (the same building as the Provisional Committee). These two organisations became the de facto government of Russia with what Lenin came to call the "dual authority".

Despite the Duma having officially dissolved, some members stay to form the Provisional Committee, the first open and constitutional opposition to the Tsar, in Tauride Palace.