Welcome to Russian History Retold, Episode 231, 1917, Part 4.

Last time we discussed Vladimir Lenin's arrival at the Finland station in Petrograd, along

with his publication of the April thesis.

Today we continue our journey through 1917, beginning on May 1st, and we are now officially

switching calendars to the Gregorian from the Julian.

Before we head to Petrograd, let's see what's going on in the rest of the world.

The 1917 French Army mutinies begin with over 30,000 soldiers refusing to go to the trenches

at Missy Obla.

Many girls claim to have seen an apparition of the Virgin Mary and Fatima Portugal.

In the United States, the Selective Service Act is passed, allowing the president to raise

a national army through a draft, and Philippe Petan takes over his commander-in-chief of the

French Army from Robert Nivelle.

The Petrograd Soviet decided that it would celebrate the European May Day according to the

Western calendar.

All over Petrograd, workers were taking the day off to join in the festivities.

Restaurants, shops, trams, taxis, offices, and other businesses were all shut down.

Around 5 a.m., people began to gather in the middle of the city.

Red was the color of the day, as banners and flags of red were being waived and carried

through the streets.

Morgan Philip's Price, a British MP visiting Russia, had this to say about the goings-on.

Quote, it was not merely a labor demonstration, although every socialist party in Workman's

Union in Russia was represented there, from the anarchists, syndicalists, to the most

...