The first day of the Russian Revolution – 8 March (23 February in the old Russian calendar) – was International Women’s Day, an important day in the socialist calendar. The revolution was begun by women, not male workers. By mid-afternoon the crowds on the Nevsky had been swollen by students, shopkeepers, office workers and spectators. Orlando Figes is the author of A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution. A new edition marking the centenary of the revolution is available now

Source: The Guardian March 08, 2017 07:00 UTC