User blog:Azecreth/Azecreth's idea blog

I'll post ideas on my blog, so people can comment.

Russian Revolution 1916
Now, the essence if this idea is that the Army approaches Mikhail Rodzyanko in the latter half of 1916. They want the Duma to stage a coup of the Tsar, in order to preserve Russia. In OTL, Rodzyanko refuses, because he belieed that the Monarchy could be saved, or it was tht he didn't want to be the first to act.

What if he had agreed to the army proposal? He obviously had their support, and the Duma was in the process of becoming a hotbed of subverise and Anti-Tsarist propoganda. They could have staged a sucessful coup in 1916, assuming they could stop the Cossacks, and the Royal guards. But for times sake, lets assume it suceeds. This would have effectively stole any thunder Lenin may have had, although it was little anyway, since he was relaxing in Switzerland for the OTL Russian Revolution.

The key difference here is that there is an effective guiding body for the Revolution in the TL, instead of a Provisional Council undergoing numerous revisions. with the presence of the Duma, who would have gained prestige for leading the Revolution itself instead of just being swept along in events. With that, they could secure the establishment of a full Constitutional Monarchy under Tsar Nicholas II, or a representative democracy. This is perfectly plausible, as the people repsected the Tsar, and thought he was being manipulated and controlled by his advisors and people close to him, like Rasputin and the Czarina. Whether Nicholas would have agreed is another story, but we move on.

Despite what you may think, the Russians would probably have continued the war. In OTL, many Russians were still in favor of continuing the war after the February Revolution. they thought it was necessary to keep fighting, in order to safeguard the Revolution from the Germans. It was Lenin who wanted peace at all costs, and he was held in disregard when he returned, so much that people thought he was a lost Messiah, who had gone crazy in exile. Of course, for them to do this, extreme measures must be taken. Industry must be nationalized, or at least put on a war footing. Even in 1916, the Russian industry was still working on an 8-hour workday, something intolerable if the Russians are to win the war. It will take sacrifices, but the Russians are used to that

The Germans will still lose of course, but the actions taken by the Duma will prevent the rise of Bolshevism in Russia, and preserve democracy in some form for a post-war world.

Any thoughts?