When Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate in March 1917, it marked not only the end of the Romanov dynasty but the close of centuries of autocratic rule in Russia. The Romanovs had ruled since 1613, maintaining control over a vast and diverse empire through an often harsh and centralised authority. Yet by the dawn of the 20th century, the contradictions at the heart of their rule were becoming unsustainable. Industrialisation had brought a new working class, while peasants