The February Revolution of 1917 began with mass protests and strikes in the capital city of Petrograd (formerly St. Petersburg).

The protests were initially sparked by food shortages and bread rationing.

The demonstrators, mostly working-class women, were soon joined by other workers and students.

A crucial turning point occurred when soldiers in the Petrograd garrison, ordered to fire on the protesters, refused and joined the revolution instead.

With the capital in the hands of the revolutionaries and having lost the support of the military, Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate the throne.

The abdication of the Tsar brought an end to over 300 years of Romanov dynastic rule in Russia.

A new Provisional Government was formed by members of the Duma, primarily composed of moderate liberals.

Simultaneously, a rival power center emerged: the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies.

This situation created a period of 'dual power,' with the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet competing for control.

The February Revolution was a largely spontaneous uprising that overthrew the monarchy, but it did not resolve Russia's underlying problems.