Russian Revolutionaries in the Port of Vancouver, 1917

Abstract

On March 15, 1917 Nicholas II , Tsar of Russia, abdicated. At first the news stunned the world, but the euphoria of that dramatic moment soon passed as the realization of its significance for Russia and her wartime allies began to impinge upon men and women everywhere. None were more profoundly affected by the Tsar's action than Russian radicals scattered around the world. For them the end of the Romanov autocracy revived flagging hopes, conjured up visions of a new Russia emerging from the shackles of the past, and precipitated hurried attempts to return to their homeland. Unlike their west European counterparts, Russian socialists had never come to terms with the war. For them the conflict, which they regarded as conclusive proof of capitalism's iniquities, endangered the revolutionary movement in Russia, and further delayed the spread of socialism throughout Europe. Consequently, although the Tsar's abdication caught Russian socialists by surprise, it signified the first successful step towards revolution, as well as a clear signal to return from exile. Leon Trotsky, who reached the United States in January 1917, and who, at the time of the abdication, was living in the Bronx in New York city, recalls his actions after hearing the news from Russia.