On February 17, 1917, the Tsar Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, was forced to sign his abdication and the end of the Russian Imperial Government and of the Romanov dynasty. The new government decided to continue the war, which meant more military spending. To increase budget revenues, a state monopoly was introduced on the sales of sugar, tea, matches, tobacco, and other consumer products. Still, the printing press remained the main source of revenues. This was a period of hyperinflation.