HISTORY: The Fall of the Provisional Government

What happened to the political spectrum after the Tsar was removed?

It shifted to the left: Octoberists and Kadets were furthers right group now, mensheviks and Sr’s were centre and Bolsheviks still far left

What did all the parties agree on?

• They would prepare for a Constituent Assembly

• Elections would be fully democratic, universal Sufferage, all votes equal

• Democratically elected constituent assembly would devise new constitution

• Provisional Govt. would continue until Constituent Assembly was ready to govern

What deal did the provisional committee and Petrograd Soviet make?

• Duma will run the city and organise elections

• Soviet will simply monitor

Why didn’t the Petrograd Soviet want to take control?

Didn’t have governing experience and may have caused a civil war

How many soldiers made up the Petrograd Soviet?

2/3 of the 3000 members were soldiers

Why did membership in the soviet fluctuate?

Representatives didn’t serve fixed terms but could be recalled/replaced any time

Who decided the policies for the Petrograd Soviet?

Policies decided by Executive Committee - made up of political activists and revolutionaries

Who dominated the executive committee?

Mensheviks as they were supported by workers through Trade Unionists

Who was the interior minister of the Provisional Government?

Prince Lvov

Who was foreign minister of the prov. govt.?

Milyukov

What social status were most of the provisional government members? Who stood out?

Middle-class liberals - except Kerensky who was a socialist

Who was war minister?

Guchvok

Who was stronger? The prov. govt or the petrograd soviet?

Petrograd Soviet

What faults did the Provisional Government have to make it weak?

• Had no means of enforcing respect

• Had no authority over Petrograd garrison

• Had no police force

• Zemstva lost credibility as it wasn’t democratically elected

• THEY WERE RELIANT ON POWER OF PETROGRAD SOVIET

What was Order Number 1?

A rule that the Petrograd Soviet had to give permission before the provisional government could give orders to the garrison

How were the Petrograd Soviet so much stronger than the prov govt?

1. Had full control of Petrograd as they were supported by garrison and key workers

2. Had loyalty of railway = links to outside world

3. Army could suppress opposition

4. 1917 soviets from all over came to look to Pet Sov for leadership

How many troops did the Petrograd Soviet have in and around the country?

180,000 in the city and 150,000 in outlying districts

What was formed in June 1917 to rep all the soviets?

All-Russian Congress of Workers and Soldier’s deputies

What political reforms did Duma politicians and pet soviet agree on in 1917?

• Amnesty for all political prisoners

• Capital punishment abolished

• Free speech/assembly

• Equal rights for all citizens

• Okhrana dissolved

• Election of Zemstva members

What were the conflicting attitudes towards war?

The liberals wanted to fight till victory was won however leaders of the Petrograd Soviet wanted to end the war quickly

Who introduced Revolutionary Defencism?

Irakli Tsereteli, had a leading position in Petrograd Soviet

What were the 3 pledges of Revolutionary Defencism?

Published in “An Appeal to All Peoples of the World”

1. They would rather a peace government with the whole World than with just Germany

2. No invading other countries

3. Would not surrender, Russia would defend itself

What did the Provisional Government issue as a compromise with the Petrograd Soviet in response to Rev. Def?

• Declaration of War Aims

• This was sent to Russia’s allies, outlining that war would continue

• Milyukov did not approve

What did Milyukov attach to the Declaration of War Aims?

• A private telegraph saying he did not approve of the of Revolutionary Defencism

• Was leaked to press

• Showed Prince Lvov that feud had to stop

• Milyukov + Guchkov resigned

Who became War Minister after Milyukov’s resignation?

Kerensky

Where was Lenin in exile and when did he return?

• In Switzerland, had to go through Germany to get back

• Returned April 1917

What did Lenin publish his ideas for a Bolshevik takeover in and how was it received?

• “Letter from Afar” in March 1917

• Argued Feb rev should be followed by a 2nd revolution where workers + peasants seize power

• Bolsheviks surprised and disagree - doesn’t cohere with Marxist theory but Lenin can bend rules

How is Lenin able to convince the people of his ideas?

His force of personality and support from new members of Bolshevik party - they cared less about the intricacies of Marxist theory

By how much did Bolshevik support increase Feb 1917 - April?

Feb = 25,000 members

April = 75,000 members

What was the purpose of the April Theses?

To gain more support from the left-wingers in Petrograd to strengthen his party so they could challenge the existent power.

What was Lenin’s campaign for peace and how was it effective?

• Many in Petrograd were anti-war

• “Appeal to All Peoples” from Pet Sov wasn’t working but people desired peace

• He dismissed Rev Def and said that under Bolsheviks there’d be immediate peace

What was the status of land reform before Lenin intervened?

• Prov Gov knew land reform needed

• Worried about peasants seizing nobility land

• Didn’t sanction land seizures:

  • Said these reforms were for elected parl not this provisional one

  • Would lead to unfair land distribution

  • Land seizures encouraged desertion from army

What was Lenin’s alterier approach to land reform?

• Encouraged it

• Slogan was “All land to the peasantry”

• Contradicted socialist values - peasants would make landowners estates their private property

• Another example of Lenin bending rules

• Wanted to appeal to workers + peasants

What was “All Power to the Soviets”

• Lenin wanted a new government elected by the workers and peasants whereas Prov Gov wanted it democratically elected

• This was because he knew Bolsheviks wouldn’t win in nationwide elections

How successful were the April Theses?

• Not successful instantly

• However began indication of moving towards Bloshevik rule

When was the June offensive?

June 18th 1917

Why was the decision to launch an offensive so strange then?

• Army was weak and morale low

• 100,000 soldiers had deserted from Feb till then

Why did the offensive take place?

• Britain, France and Russia agreed in Nov 1916 to launch attack on central powers - prov gov reluctant to break this agreement

• Prov gov thought this was a way of getting peace negotiations back

• Kerensky wanted them to be victorious so wanted the Army enthusiastic

• Discipline in army had fallen - a successful offensive would fix thid

What was the outcome of the June Offensive?

• Complete failure

• Germany got 150 miles deep into Russia in a week

What were the consequences of the failed offensive in June?

• Hopes of Rev def ruined

• Undermined credibility of Prov Gov

• Increased attraction to Bolshevik alternative

How many men and machine guns were in the machine gun regiment?

10,000 men

1000 machine guns

Why did 500 operators refuse to go to support the June Offensive?

Claimed the right to stay in the capital and defend the revolution

How did some of the Bolsheviks react to the army mutiny?

• Wanted to exploit this to help overthrow prov gov by force

• This was w out Lenin’s approval

• Had the help of 20,000 sailors from the Kronstadt

How was the Bolshevik takeover stopped?

• Lenin stopped them

• Didnt urge them on, said if they took over they wouldn’t hold power for long

• Led to prov gov hitting back at Bolsheviks

What were the consequences of Lenin halting the takeover?

• Warrants sent out for Lenin’s arrest

• He fled to Finland under disguise

• 800 bolsheviks arrested

• BIG FAILURE FOR BOLSHEVIKS

Who replaced Lvov as Prime Minister and when?

Kerensky in July 1917

What governmental issues did Kerensky face?

• Wanted liberal-socialist coalition to seem like there was national unity - this was a failure as parties were falling apart

• Kadets moving further right, wanted order restored which socialists couldn’t do

• Split in the SR’s and Mensheviks

• Government wasn’t secure, parties couldn’t agree so Kerensky resigned

• A government formed which was a coalition but was fragile

What was the split in the SR’s?

• Split between “revolutionary defencists” and “Leninists” who wanted peace immediately

• 40% were Left wing (Lenin’s side) by July 1917

What was the split in the Mensheviks?

• “Menshevik internationalists” opposed Tsereteli

• They were anti-war

• Leader of this was Martov who condemned Rev Def and wanted peace only with Germany

Why was this coalition so fragile?

Had narrow base of support

What were the industrial issues Kerensky faced?

• Trade union membership up = factory committee’s emerged

• Workers used this to rid disliked managers

• Demanded big pay rise + 8 hr days which employers couldn’t resist

• Wages tripled in 1917

• Prices rose and businesses shut down due to bankruptcy

• Led to social polarisation

What exactly was social polarisation?

Relations between factory owners and workers deteriorated of which Kerensky does nothing about

What were the agricultural issues Kerensky faced?

• Peasants believed if they worked land, they owned it

• They wanted land taken from church to villages

• Waited for prov gov to make land reform then took land by force

• Prov Gov couldn’t enforce order - led to mid/upper class tension

Why did Kerensky appoint Kornilov as Army commander-in-chief July 1917?

• Had a reputation of toughness

• hoped he would restore order

• popular with mid/up class

What were the terms to Kornilov accepting his role?

1. Treason from soldiers punishable by death

2. He wouldn’t be accountable for actions by anyone

3. Civilians not to interfere in military affairs

4. Workers in defence-related jobs under army control

5. Strikes banned for duration of war - punishable by death!

   • Showed he wanted right-wing rule

What did Kornilov want in August 1917?

• Demanded civil and military authority to be in his hands - wanted to be military dictator

• Kerensky dismissed him the next day

What was Kornilov’s response to being dismissed (Kornilov revolt) ?

• Ordered troops under General Krymov’s command to march on Petrograd

• Forced Kerensky to turn to pet sov for help

• Petrograd garrison, Red guards and Kronstadt supplied with weapons

• Kornilov’s troops defeated

What were the consequences of the Kornilov revolt?

• Kornilov arrested then killed during early civil war

• Krymov killed himself

What were the impacts of the Kornilov affair on Government?

• Kerensky suspected of supporting Kornilov so looked like an enemy of the working class - shown in Chernov (SR leader) resigning

• Those who wanted order accused him of cowardice and that he should have stuck by Kornilov

What were the impacts of the Kornilov affair on the Bolsheviks?

• Those who infiltrated Krymov’s army were Bolsheviks - they won massively here

• They were seen as saviours of the revolution

• Support + membership increased massively

• Won control of Soviets in major cities

• Trotsky = chairman

• Get 33% of vote in Petrograd and 51% in Moscow

What was the Bolshevik status by October 1917?

• Had control of soviets + gained popularity after the affair

• Gains in elections esp in Pet and Moscow

• Lenin wants to overthrow the Prov Gov but has to persuade party first

What was Lenin’s argument at the Central Committee meetings in October?

• Claimed they must seize power now

• Needed committee approval first

• Most ignored his letters

What were the arguments against Lenin?

• Kamenev and Zinoviev opposed his ideas

• Said success of uprising not guaranteed

• Said should try maxing Bolshevik votes in next elections and form a coalition with Left SR’s and Menshevik internationalists

What was the result of the debate?

Lenin won vote 10 - 2

What did Kamenev do?

• Published article in a non-bolshevik paper condemning Lenin’s rashness

• Lenin was angry due to the disloyalty and leak of info to public

• Didn’t make difference - public were’t rushing to defend Kerensky

What role did Trotsky play in the revolution?

Was the tactician who organised it all

What was Trotsky’s tactic?

• Wanted the takeover to look like the Bolsheviks were acting in the name of the people not own interests

• Did this by using the Military Revolutionary Committee (MRC)

Why is the MRC significant to the takeover?

• Was formed by Pet Sov after Kornilov affair

• Purpose was to defend Russia against Germany/ other forces

• Was good as it looked like an instrument of the Pet sov not the Bolsheviks (even though it was)

• MRC gave access to weapons and intelligence

• Anyone who objected - blame on pet sov

What was Kerensky lied to about?

• Advisors told him garrison wholly loyal to him but this was untrue

• Most was either pro - bolshevik or uncommitted

• Trotsky had far larger force than Kerensky - Red Guards, Kronstadt etc

What happened on 24th Oct beginning the takeover?

• Took control of railway and telegraph offices/bridges

• This cut communication

• Although guards watched those places, they left without a fight

What happened on the 25th Oct?

• Kerensky left Pet to look for army support

• HQ of prov gov surrounded by troops with ministers inside

• Trotsky announced the overthrow of prov gov

• Congress of soviets meet - shows unity

• Makes clear that Pet sov is taking over

What happened on the 26th Oct?

• Mensheviks + SRs argued against Bolshevik takeover

• It happened without a fight

• Bolsheviks announce soviet gov

• Lenin declares Decree on Peace - demanded halt in war and peace w countries

• Demands confiscation of land from Church given to those who need it