pg

who were the provisional government? -

• Liberal politicians from the Duma after Nicholas II abdicated

• Intended to rule temporarily until elections for a Constituent Assembly

who made up the p.g -

• Mainly Liberals

• Members of the 1912 Duma

• Included Freemasons (politically active group)

• One SR (Socialist Revolutionary)

• Mostly upper class, no proletariat

who were the petrograd soviet -

• Council of workers’ and soldiers’ deputies

• Formed 1905 during the February Revolution

• Major political force

• Could claim to be more representative than the PG

why did the Petrograd soviet not take over the gov? -

• Believed Russia wasn’t ready for socialist revolution

• Problems were too large and complex

what were the first actions of the pg?

• Amnesty for political prisoners

• Freedom of speech and assembly

• Abolition of religious, national, and social privileges

• Plans for Constituent Assembly elections

• Abolished police → replaced with local militias

• Military units kept weapons but discipline maintained

what was soviet order no1 and when was it published -

March 1, 1917-

• Soldiers to elect committees

• Representatives sent to Petrograd Soviet

• said that the soviet orders were to take precedent over orders of PG

• created a system of dual power

why was the return of political exiles (lenin) on April 3rd problematic? -

-given big receptions back in the cities

-Vladimir Lenin returned to Russia from exile after the February Revolution, facilitated by a "sealed train" arranged by the German government- believing he would stir up trouble and weaken Russia..

- return was a pivotal moment as he immediately issued his "April Theses," which advocated for the Bolsheviks to seize power and end Russia's involvement in World War

who was the leader of the Pg -

-First Prime Minister (March 1917- July 1917) Prince Lvov,

-Then July onwards Kerensky

Initial issues faced by the PG: World War One -

• The Provisional Government claimed it would follow “revolutionary defensism” (only defend Russia, not aim for victory in WWI).

• But in reality, Miliukov said Russia would keep fighting for victory → this contradicted that policy.

👉 This made people angry because:

• Workers and soldiers were already exhausted by the war

• They felt the government had betrayed the revolution

• LED TO APRIL CRISIS

What land problem did the Provisional Government inherit in 1917? -

Peasants wanted land redistribution, believing it rightfully belonged to them, especially after disappointment with the Emancipation of 1861.

What actions did peasants take in the summer regarding land? -

-peasants began seizing land, claiming it had always belonged to them due to weak government authority.

-273 recorded cases of land seizures- shows significant unrest.

- Land hunger increased, leading to theft of crops, livestock, and more widespread land seizures.

Why didn't the Provisional Government just give land to the peasants? -

-Wanted legal reform via constituent assembly

-Many supporters of pg were landowners; didn’t want to anger them.

-didnt have the money to compensate the land owners for the land they would lose

Why was land seizure a problem for Russia's war effort in 1917? -

Most soldiers were peasants, so many deserted the army to return home and claim land.

How did Lenin and the Bolsheviks use the land issue politically? -

• Criticised PG delays

• Promised immediate redistribution

• Lenin said of the pg “wait for elections… wait”

Initial issues faced by the PG: National minority demands -

• Finland & Poland wanted independence

• Ukraine wanted autonomy

• The PG wanted to retain all regions under authority to keep Russia powerful

what happened to minority demands?

• Equal rights were declared with all the minorities "The abolition of restrictions on religion and nationality"- Russification was ended-  Jews: Persecution was no longer supported by the state, May Laws of 1882 were rescinded. Full freedom and civil rights

what did the PG not grant in terms of minority demands?

-resisted independence movements and nationalist demands for autonomy (e.g., in Ukraine and Finland), insisting that decisions on autonomy be left to a future Constituent Assembly, which they failed to convene quickly, causing significant discontent. 

what was the economic situation when the pg came to power`/

• Food shortages, inflation, unemployment

• 568 factories closed, 100,000 jobs lost

• Grain prices doubled

• Poor harvest → peasants wouldn’t sell

• Strikes increased

• Workers took over factories

• PG refused price controls → lost support

why was lack of authority a problem for the pg?

1. Only 'provisional' not meant to make big decisions

2. Failure to hold general election

3. Power sharing and coalition government (petrograd soviet and order no.1)

4. Lack of diversity in PG (PRINCE Lvov)

what was the Bolshevik situation upon lenin’s return in early 1917?

- only had 10,000 members, looked least likely to seize power.

- However, the support base was in the capital Petrograd which differed from other socialist parties

Lenin's April thesis 1917 -

• April Thesis: Urged party to reject co-operation with the PG

• wanted 'all power to the soviets', an immediate end to the war

• Lenin's famous slogan 'Peace, Bread, Land'- Pravda newspaper

• No one believed Lenin's thesis, even his wife thought that he had gone mad.

what happened in the April Crisis 1917 -

• The Petrograd Soviet and the PG agreed that there should be a policy of 'revolutionary defencism' which meant that they would continue the war with purely defensive aims. --The war minister Miliukov agreed that the government would honour its promises and continue war for a 'decisive victory'. --There was a storm of protest in Petrograd of armed soldiers and workers.

• Miliukov and guchkov were forced to resign.

what happened as a result of the April crisis?

• Prince Lvov set up a new government, recognising the importance of the petrograd soviet, forming the COALITION

what di the formation of the coalition symbolise?

• The PG couldn’t govern alone anymore

• It needed support from the Soviet to survive

• Made decision-making harder

  • Liberals and socialists disagreed (especially over war + land)

  • This led to delays and inconsistent policies

  • Helped the Bolsheviks

    • Made the government look weak and divided—only party to not join coalition

Kerensky (June) Offensive 1917 -

-Kerensky wanted to boost military morale, as they were facing defeats in WWI, which had occurred in the last few months

• army faced defeat

• deaths numbered at 400,000 and many armies mutinied.

• This put Kerensky in a VERY weak position

First All Russian Congress of Soviets (June-July) -

SRs: 285 Mensheviks: 248 Bolsheviks: 104, least popular lenin declared that the bolsheviks were ready to take over the government

what happened at the July days-direct result of Kerensky offensive?

-demonstrations in petrograd against the pg, supported by kronstadt soldiers to aid economic situation.

-Bolsheviks stood out, chanting 'bread, peace,land' and all power to soviets

-gov were saved by loyal troops who arrived and cleared streets on 5th july

consequences of july days -

Bolsheviks were severely weakened;

Lenin escaped to Finland

800 leading Bolsheviks were imprisoned,

Pravda was banned,

seized bolshevik HQs, showed that they were receiving money from Germany- 8th July Kerensky became PM

what was The Kornilov Affair August 1917 -

an attempted military coup d'état by the commander-in-chief of the Russian Army, General Lavr Kornilov, 28-31 August, against the Provisional Government.

How the Kornilov Affair Discredited the Provisional Government

1. Kerensky looked incompetent as he initially supported Kornilov, then suddenly claimed he was trying to overthrow the government.- made Kerensky look indecisive and unsure of what was actually happening.

2. The PG lost the trust of the army- Kornilov was the Commander-in-Chief

3. The PG armed the Bolsheviks (fatal mistake)- To stop Kornilov's troops advancing on Petrograd, Kerensky armed the Red Guard and released Bolshevik leaders from prison

4. .This: strengthened the Bolsheviks enormously gave them weapons gave them credibility as "defenders of the revolution" This was a disaster: the PG strengthened the very group that would overthrow it.

what had happened in the September after the kornilov affair? -

Bolsheviks gained a majority in the Petrograd and Moscow Soviets Trotsky became chairman Their reputation skyrocketed because they were seen to have protected the city

how did the people react to the kornilov affair? -

• Soldiers, workers, sailors and bolsheviks descended on the city and stopped Kornilov- This represented the PGs total loss of power and support, giving Bolsheviks a resurgence in authority and power.

what was happening at the front after kornilov

-germans had captured Riga and wet Estonian archelpeolgans.

oct: petrorad soviet established the MRC in support of soviet authority against pg- bolsheviks gained huge authority on this commitee.

what were the strengths of Lenin and bolsheviks? -

1. Lenin's April Thesis laid out his contempt with the war from the start

2. Lenin's radical decision to come back from Finland  5. His book 'Imperialism' which was a blueprint for his later life.

3. Trotsky's actions

4. Only party to take initiative- didn’t join coalition

how did the bolsheviks lead up to the October revolution of 1917? -

October - Lenin returned to Petrograd from Switzerland, the Bolsheviks were gaining more support 19%-33% of the population

-gained support with 'land to the peasants' slogan

. - Workers also turned to the Bolsheviks as they weren't part of the PG

events of October 'revolution' -

They started to take the main part of the city: bridges, winter palace- The PG surrendered but Kerensky fails to escape. they stormed the winter palace.

- First day of Second all russian congress of soldiers/workers: Lenin proposes all-Bolshevik party.- All the other political parties are outraged and storm out (mensheviks ans SRs)- This declared Bolshevik rule