Russian Women's Demonstrations Spark Fall of Tsars

In March of 1917, February according to the Julian calendar used by the tsars, Russia experienced a massive revolution that would topple the Romanov dynasty, which had ruled Russia since 1613.

Spurred by the disastrous conditions in Russia, angered over the course of the war, the lack of food, and the collapse of the economy, women took to the streets of St. Petersburg in the tens of thousands, sparking a mass general strike that eventually forced the tsar to resign and paved the way for the Bolshevik seizure of power in October.

Cowed by the crowds of angry women, on March 19 the new government guaranteed Russian women the right to vote - before women in the United States, Britain, France or Germany would have the ability.

Read more on the Association for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies website »

— Sponsored by the Chancellor's Commission on Women