After the February Revolution, the Russian Provisional Government (Временное правительство) was established in Petrograd following the fall of the Russian Empire and the abdication of the Tsar. The two rival institutions, the Duma and the Petrograd Soviet, competed for power. Tsar Nicholas II had abdicated on March 15, 1917, and his brother, Grand Duke Michael II, renounced his claim to the throne the following day. The Grand Duke justified his refusal by wanting to hand over power to the Provisional Government until the Russian Constituent Assembly could be formed, which would determine the new form of government for the Russian people. However, the Provisional Government continued the war initiated by the Tsar, suffering further defeats, underestimating the people’s will to end the war, and postponing agrarian reforms.
