1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,000 Speaker 1: Hey everyone. Technically you're getting two days in history today 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:05,800 Speaker 1: because we're running two episodes from the History Vault. I 3 00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:11,040 Speaker 1: hope you enjoy. Hey, I'm Eves, and welcome to this 4 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:14,920 Speaker 1: Day in History Class, a show that uncovers history one 5 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:26,200 Speaker 1: day at a time. The day was March eighth, nineteen seventeen. 6 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:31,120 Speaker 1: It was International Women's Day, a socialist observance that was 7 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:36,080 Speaker 1: recognized in Russia. Russia was embroiled in World War One 8 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:40,720 Speaker 1: and its armies were losing a lot of campaigns and people. 9 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:44,960 Speaker 1: The economy was also suffering because of the war effort. 10 00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:50,040 Speaker 1: Workers wages were low, working in living conditions were subpar, 11 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 1: peasants were often treated poorly, and food was low. So 12 00:00:56,040 --> 00:00:58,840 Speaker 1: on this day in Petrograd, the Russian city now known 13 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 1: as St. Petersburg, women joined striking factory workers to protest 14 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:07,640 Speaker 1: against food shortages and high bred prices. The war and 15 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:12,320 Speaker 1: Tsar Nicholas the Second. This was the conflict that led 16 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:15,840 Speaker 1: thousands of peasants, workers and soldiers to strike in the 17 00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:20,400 Speaker 1: city streets, demanding an end to the war and the autocracy. 18 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:27,120 Speaker 1: But unrest had already been simmering. Previous protests that workers 19 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:30,160 Speaker 1: led had been met with violence. About the Tsar's troops. 20 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 1: Government corruption was widespread. Nicholas frequently dissolved the Duma, the 21 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:40,759 Speaker 1: legislative body that the Czar promise would be a representative assembly. 22 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:45,560 Speaker 1: In nineteen fifteen, Nicholas took command of the army himself, 23 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 1: leaving his wife Alexandra in charge. Nicholas was an ineffective 24 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 1: commander of the Russian Army front and Czarina Alexandra was 25 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:59,200 Speaker 1: an unpopular leader and earned the distrust of many. And 26 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:02,400 Speaker 1: on top of all of this, industry was faltering and 27 00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:08,040 Speaker 1: commodities were scarce. So people had steadily been growing distrustful 28 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 1: and tired of the regime, and by March nineteen seventeen, 29 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:16,639 Speaker 1: all that turmoil had come to a head. Workers from 30 00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:20,280 Speaker 1: the potz Law factory began striking in early March, demanding 31 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:24,160 Speaker 1: higher pay to compensate for higher prices for food and goods. 32 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:28,960 Speaker 1: During the strikes, the Tzar left Petrograd to visit troops 33 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:33,519 Speaker 1: on the front line on March seven, but back in Petrograd, 34 00:02:33,560 --> 00:02:38,880 Speaker 1: the strikes were escalating. On March eight, women who were 35 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:44,079 Speaker 1: protesting food rationing joined the demonstrations in droves. Feed the 36 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:47,320 Speaker 1: children of the defenders of the Motherland. One banner red, 37 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:51,840 Speaker 1: and by midday tens of thousands of people had joined 38 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:55,400 Speaker 1: the crowd on Nevsky Prospect, the main street in Petrograd, 39 00:02:56,639 --> 00:03:00,200 Speaker 1: and by the afternoon around a hundred thousand workers were 40 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:04,280 Speaker 1: out on strike. Protests that seemed at first to mainly 41 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:09,600 Speaker 1: concern economic issues like food shortages, turned to political demands 42 00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 1: like calls for the end of the war and the 43 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:16,000 Speaker 1: fall of Czar Nicholas the Second. By the next day, 44 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:19,880 Speaker 1: people were looting stores and turning over trams and carriages, 45 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 1: but Cossacks or military warriors that were supposed to disperse 46 00:03:24,919 --> 00:03:29,440 Speaker 1: the growing crowds refused to do so, making revolutionary speeches 47 00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:33,440 Speaker 1: from an equestrian statue of Alexander the Third calling for 48 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 1: the overthrow of the Russian monarchy. Zarina Alexandra wrote the 49 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:42,200 Speaker 1: following to Nicholas. The strikers and rioters in the city 50 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:45,960 Speaker 1: are now in a more defiant mood than ever. The 51 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:50,200 Speaker 1: disturbances are created by hoodlums. Youngsters and girls are running 52 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:53,560 Speaker 1: around shouting. They have no bread. They do this just 53 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:56,880 Speaker 1: to create some excitement. If the weather were cold, they 54 00:03:56,920 --> 00:04:00,400 Speaker 1: would all probably be staying at home. But thing will 55 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:05,680 Speaker 1: pass and quiet down Nicholas tried to quell the demonstrations 56 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:09,800 Speaker 1: by sending in troops, but the protests showed no signs 57 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:15,880 Speaker 1: of slowing down. In fact, the protests became bloody, with demonstrators, 58 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:21,880 Speaker 1: police and troops all clashing with one another. Regiments even 59 00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:27,400 Speaker 1: began shooting and killing protesters as Nomanskaya Square on March eleven. 60 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:32,120 Speaker 1: Dozens of people were killed and wounded. But even after 61 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:37,960 Speaker 1: the losses, demonstrations continued. Soldiers began rebelling, joining the masses 62 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:42,360 Speaker 1: who were protesting. Prisoners were set free, police stations were 63 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:46,800 Speaker 1: looted and circuit court buildings were burned. As much of 64 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 1: the armies sided with the revolution and attempts to suppress 65 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:55,919 Speaker 1: the demonstrations failed, the city descended into chaos. General Kabalov 66 00:04:56,040 --> 00:05:00,480 Speaker 1: and his troops surrendered on March twelve. Leaders from the 67 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 1: Dumas socialist factions, as well as representatives of workers and soldiers, 68 00:05:05,839 --> 00:05:10,960 Speaker 1: formed the Petrograd Soviet of Workers and Soldiers Deputies. On 69 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:15,679 Speaker 1: March fifteen, Nicholas abdicated the throne, and when his brother, 70 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:20,480 Speaker 1: Grand Duke Michael refused the throne, more than three centuries 71 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:26,000 Speaker 1: of Russian Romanov rule came to an end. Now that 72 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:29,479 Speaker 1: the monarchy was out of power, the Duma formed a 73 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:32,920 Speaker 1: provisional government to restore law in order, with the goal 74 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:36,960 Speaker 1: of seeing the war to its end. The Petrograd Soviet 75 00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:41,160 Speaker 1: and Provisional government agreed to rule Russia together, but the 76 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:46,080 Speaker 1: Provisional government support of the war proved troublesome. People began 77 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:49,760 Speaker 1: to favor the idea of a Soviet government ruled by soldiers, 78 00:05:49,839 --> 00:05:53,960 Speaker 1: workers and peasants, as opposed to the provisional government, which 79 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:56,960 Speaker 1: was led by the bourgeoisie and represented the interests of 80 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:02,279 Speaker 1: the wealthy Russian Revolutionary leader and theorist Vladimir Lenin and 81 00:06:02,279 --> 00:06:06,600 Speaker 1: the Bolshevik Party soon gained power, and in November the 82 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:09,680 Speaker 1: Provisional Government was overthrown and the second of the two 83 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:14,200 Speaker 1: Russian revolutions of nineteen seventeen. Over the next five years, 84 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:19,800 Speaker 1: a terribly brutal and bloody civil war wouldn't sue. I'm 85 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:22,600 Speaker 1: eves Jeff Coote, and hopefully you know a little more 86 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:27,600 Speaker 1: about history today than you did yesterday. Here's a note 87 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:30,880 Speaker 1: about the dates of the revolution. So in nineteen seventeen, 88 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:35,440 Speaker 1: Russia used the Julian calendar, whose dates were thirteen days 89 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:38,560 Speaker 1: behind the Gregorian calendars, which a lot of other places 90 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:42,960 Speaker 1: around the world used, and on the Julian calendar, or 91 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:47,000 Speaker 1: what they called Old style dates, the February Revolution began 92 00:06:47,040 --> 00:06:52,120 Speaker 1: on February, but in New style dates it began on 93 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:55,720 Speaker 1: March eight. That's why this is called the February Revolution, 94 00:06:56,200 --> 00:06:59,120 Speaker 1: not the March one. And the same goes for the 95 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:03,320 Speaker 1: October Revolution, which actually took place in November according to 96 00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:07,080 Speaker 1: the Gregorian calendar. Another thing I'd like to add is 97 00:07:07,080 --> 00:07:11,560 Speaker 1: that historians have long debated whether the February Revolution was 98 00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:16,280 Speaker 1: spontaneous and leaderless or organized. So if you have any 99 00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:18,880 Speaker 1: insight on that matter, feel free to let us know 100 00:07:19,040 --> 00:07:23,320 Speaker 1: on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. At t D I h 101 00:07:23,480 --> 00:07:27,360 Speaker 1: C podcast and if you'd like to learn more about 102 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:30,480 Speaker 1: the Romanovs, you can listen to the episode of Stuff 103 00:07:30,480 --> 00:07:34,320 Speaker 1: You Miss in History Class called What Happened to the Romanovs. 104 00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:38,480 Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us today and I'll see you again tomorrow. 105 00:07:46,640 --> 00:07:49,760 Speaker 1: Welcome back. I'm your host, Eves, and you're tuned into 106 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:52,760 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class, a show that takes history 107 00:07:52,840 --> 00:08:03,400 Speaker 1: and squeezes it into bite size stories. The day was 108 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:08,280 Speaker 1: March eighth, nineteen fifty seven. The Suez Canal was reopened 109 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:11,840 Speaker 1: after being closed for several months due to Britain, France, 110 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:16,680 Speaker 1: and Israel occupying Egypt during the Siez Crisis. The Suez 111 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:19,920 Speaker 1: Canal is an artificial waterway that runs north to south 112 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:25,040 Speaker 1: and Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Construction began 113 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:28,040 Speaker 1: on the canal in eighteen fifty nine. The project was 114 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:32,040 Speaker 1: completed by French engineers in eighteen sixty nine. It provided 115 00:08:32,080 --> 00:08:34,880 Speaker 1: Britain with a shorter sea route to its empire and 116 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:38,040 Speaker 1: a shipping route for oil from the Middle East to Europe. 117 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:42,080 Speaker 1: The canal was owned and operated by the Suez Canal Company, 118 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:47,200 Speaker 1: a joint British and French enterprise. After World War One began, 119 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:51,760 Speaker 1: Britain declared Egypt Protectorate in British and Indian forces were 120 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:56,320 Speaker 1: sent to protect the strategically important Sious Canal. The United 121 00:08:56,400 --> 00:08:59,720 Speaker 1: Kingdom and Egypt signed the Anglo Egyptian Treaty of nineteen 122 00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:03,480 Speaker 1: thirty six in London. The treaty required Britain to withdraw 123 00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:07,120 Speaker 1: its troops from Egypt, except for those protecting Britain's interest 124 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:10,720 Speaker 1: in the canal. Those troops could remain in the area 125 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:13,480 Speaker 1: for twenty years, at which point the need for the 126 00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:17,080 Speaker 1: presence of British troops would be reassessed. But in the 127 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:21,800 Speaker 1: early nineteen fifties, political tensions between Egypt, Britain and France 128 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:26,040 Speaker 1: were escalating. Anti British sentiment was growing in Egypt, but 129 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:29,360 Speaker 1: in nineteen fifty four Britain and Egypt reached an agreement 130 00:09:29,400 --> 00:09:32,400 Speaker 1: that British troops would be withdrawn from Egypt by June 131 00:09:32,400 --> 00:09:36,160 Speaker 1: of nineteen fifty six. Egypt would honor freedom of navigation 132 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:39,160 Speaker 1: through the Suez Canal and British troops would be allowed 133 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:41,760 Speaker 1: to return if the canal was threatened by an outside 134 00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:46,760 Speaker 1: of power. In nineteen fifty four, Gamal Updale Nasser became 135 00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:50,440 Speaker 1: the second president of Egypt. He aimed to improve Egypt's 136 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:53,280 Speaker 1: economy by constructing a high damn at as Swan to 137 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:57,120 Speaker 1: irrigate the Nile Valley. Because other goals included ending British 138 00:09:57,160 --> 00:10:00,360 Speaker 1: occupation in Egypt and building up Egyptian f this for 139 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:04,480 Speaker 1: an attack on Israel. Britain and the US had agreed 140 00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:07,719 Speaker 1: to finance the construction of the swan Hi dam, but 141 00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:11,120 Speaker 1: the two countries withdrew their offer due to Egypt's ties 142 00:10:11,160 --> 00:10:16,240 Speaker 1: with communist Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union. The US also 143 00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:20,000 Speaker 1: wanted to reduce spending on foreign aid, so in nineteen 144 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:23,480 Speaker 1: fifty six, President Nasa declared martial law in the canal 145 00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:28,000 Speaker 1: zone and nationalized the Suez Canal Company. He said that 146 00:10:28,080 --> 00:10:31,720 Speaker 1: tolls collected from ships passing through the canal would financed 147 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:35,280 Speaker 1: the construction of the dam. Even though NASA agreed to 148 00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:40,720 Speaker 1: compensate the shareholders, the nationalization violated terms of the nineteen agreement, 149 00:10:41,160 --> 00:10:45,360 Speaker 1: and France, Israel, and Britain opposed it. The three countries 150 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:50,000 Speaker 1: formed a joint plan to invade Egypt and overthrown Nassa It. 151 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:53,840 Speaker 1: Israeli troops invaded Egypt in late October, and days later 152 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:57,320 Speaker 1: British and French troops began occupying the canal and other 153 00:10:57,360 --> 00:11:01,680 Speaker 1: SUS territory, but the US pressured France and Britain to 154 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:05,640 Speaker 1: accept a United Nations ceasefire. The US also voted for 155 00:11:05,679 --> 00:11:09,840 Speaker 1: you and resolutions denouncing the invasion and approved the creation 156 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:13,319 Speaker 1: of a U n peacekeeping force. By the end of 157 00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:18,000 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty six, Britain and France withdrew it's rarely forces 158 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:21,880 Speaker 1: withdrew in March of nineteen fifty seven. Egypt then took 159 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:24,840 Speaker 1: control of the canal and reopened it to commercial shipping 160 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:29,640 Speaker 1: on March eighth, ninety seven. Britain's influence in the Middle 161 00:11:29,679 --> 00:11:32,400 Speaker 1: East and its relations with the US were strained as 162 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:36,320 Speaker 1: a result of the CS crisis. The Egyptian government continues 163 00:11:36,360 --> 00:11:38,520 Speaker 1: to have complete control over the canal through the c 164 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:42,560 Speaker 1: S Canal Authority. I'm Eve Chef Coote and hopefully you 165 00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:46,040 Speaker 1: know a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 166 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:49,360 Speaker 1: You can find us on social media at t d 167 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:54,440 Speaker 1: i h C podcast on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. And 168 00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:56,840 Speaker 1: if you would like to write me a letter, you 169 00:11:56,880 --> 00:11:59,840 Speaker 1: can scan it, turn it into a PDF and send 170 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:04,800 Speaker 1: it us via email at this day at iHeartMedia dot com. 171 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:07,560 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening and I hope you'll be back tomorrow. 172 00:12:15,120 --> 00:12:17,400 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the iHeart 173 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:19,920 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 174 00:12:19,960 --> 00:12:20,600 Speaker 1: favorite shows.