Opposition groups to ❌'s reign included:
- The Kadets (❌ Democrats) were a middle-class liberal party that wanted ❌ political change with the elected Duma gaining real power. However, their support was mostly ❌ to more wealthy and more ❌ people living in towns and cities.
- The Social Revolutionaries (SRs) wanted to seize power by ❌. They had some support from the ❌, as the plan was to take land from the ❌ and give it to them. However, it was difficult to ❌ the peasants, scattered as they were across large areas of land.
- The ❌ Democrats had support mostly from ❌ in the factories. They believe in the communist teachings of Karl Marx. However, in ❌ the party split into two groups - The Mensheviks and the Bolsheviks. The ❌ were the ❌ group who believed that revolution was possible, even if they did not have mass support, if it was plotted in ❌ and carried out ruthlessly. The leader of the Bolsheviks was ❌.

By 1916, the Romanov family was very ❌. Part of this was due to the defeats an hardships, leading to the ❌ of patriotism. But it was also due to the consequences of the Tsar going to the front. He left ❌ in charge, with the ❌ to advise her. Alexandra was already unpopular due to her ❌ background, but she was also very much under the influence of ❌, a peasant from Siberia who claimed to be a holy man. In fact, he was a womaniser and was wrongly believed to be having an affair with Alexandra. His huge influence came from his power over Alexis' haemophillia - ❌ Alexis suffered internal bleeding,, Rasputin appeared to be able to stop it. Rasputin had almost hypnotic powers over Alexandra, who was naturally desperate to keep him at court and refused to listen to any criticism of him. Meanwhile, Rasputin influenced the government by 'recommending' changes in ❌ and getting his friends appointed to ❌ positions.
Leading ❌ (related to the royal family) detested Rasputin. In December ❌, a group of them, led by Prince ❌, killed him. It was, however, too late to save the monarchy.

In Petrograd, many people were starving to death. ❌ broke out and factory workers met in huge crowds in the streets. On 8 March, ❌ people were on strike in Petrograd, and there were demonstrations against the shortage of ❌ and fuel. Strikes spread, including the ❌ armaments works which employed ❌ people.
On succeeding days, large numbers of people were in the streets with slogans such as 'Down with the ❌ woman!' and 'Down with the ❌'. Nicholas II ordered the army ❌ in Petrograd to crush the marchers and rioters. Increasingly, regiments ❌ to obey orders, and many of the officers ❌. Petrograd was in the hands of a rioting mob.