PG depth study

What are the key debates for the PG depth study?

1. To what extent was the Provisional Government doomed to fail from the start

2. Why is the Provisional government often viewed as one that was reluctant to carry out reforms?

3. How far was the First World War responsible for the downfall of the Provisional Government?

4. To what extent did opposition from national minorities lead to the fall of the Provisional Government

When was the PG in power?

March-October 1917

What impact did WWI have on the economy?

• production slumped

• fuel shortages

• inflation caused cost of living increase 300%

What impact did WWI have on living conditions?

• rationing

• cities lacked access to food because it was diverted to the army

• bread rations fell by 25% in the first 3 months of 1916 in Petrograd

• poor diet, accommodation led to death

What impact did WWI have on working conditions?

• women and children took on some of men's work

• increased strike action e.g. Jan 1917 = 30,000 workers went on strike in Moscow and 145,000 in Petrograd

When did Nicholas II abdicate?

2nd March 1917

What was the composition of the PG?

Came from a 2/3 majority of the Duma which collaborated to form the Progressive Bloc

mainly liberals and elites

Name 4 key principles both the PG and PS agreed on

• freedom of speech and the right to strike

• preparations for a Constituent Assembly where everyone could vote

• abolition of all police units

• religious freedom

Who accepted the PG as legitimate?

• Old tsarist civil services

• army officers

• police

What was the composition of the PS?

• Workers

• soldiers

• peasants

What was Order No.1?

Said soldiers and workers should obey the PG but only when the PS agreed with the decisions

Give an example of a PG and PS disagreement

• PG = restore order in towns and countryside

• PS = encouraged peasants and workers to assert their 'rights'

What did Milyukov's announcement about continuing the war produce?

Major anti-war demonstrations against the government in April 1917

How did the PG deal with the issue of war?

• failed the 1917 summer offensive - Russia forced to retreat and suffered heavy losses

• tried to get people on side with propaganda

How successful was the PG's response to the issue of war?

• made the government look weak

• people were more critical towards the PG

• armed uprisings

How did the PG deal with the issue of land?

• didn't want to give land over to the peasants

• wanted the Constituent Assembly to set law down

• land seizures increased and local SR activists encountered resistance only if they tried to restrain the peasants

How successful was the PG's response to the issue of land?

• SR leaders failed to understand that the peasant demand for fundamental land reform could not be put off until the Constituent Assembly met

• peasants were going to take the land with or without permission

How did the PG deal with the issue of national minority demands?

• many countries wanted self-governance e.g. Ukraine

• some socialists allowed the Ukraine to have some things

How successful was the PG's response to the issue of national minority demands?

liberals were angry that moderates were giving some things to Ukraine - reduces co-operation between socialists and PG

How did the PG deal with the issue of the deteriorating economic situation?

• increased price by 100%

• requisitioned grain

• didn't help workers

How successful was the PG's response to the issue of the deteriorating economic situation?

• alienated peasants

• continued strike action

• clashes between workers and employers

What did Lenin's April Thesis include?

• Russia withdraw form WWI

• land redistribution immediately

• PG to end

When did strikes in Petrograd against the government start?

End of April

When were the July Days protests?

3rd to the 18th July

What happened in the July Days: protests?

Demonstrations from soldiers, workers and sailors from Kronstadt naval base outside Petrograd marched to the Tauride Palace and demanded that the PS takes over

What happened in the July Days: leaders?

Government arrested the leaders of the Bolsheviks including Trotsky, Lenin fled to Finland

What was the result of the July Days for the government?

• Kornilov appointed the Commander of the army by Kerensky

• Prince Lvov resigned due to the violence of the July days

• Kerensky becomes PM

When was the Kornilov Affair?

August 1917

What happened during the Kornilov affair?

• marched to Petrograd with 6 regiments of troops and Kerensky was scared they were going to launch a coup

• Kerensky arms the Bolsheviks and releases Bolshevik prisoners

• help from PS and workers = supply lines for Kornilov get cut off and the coup got stopped

What are the results of the Kornilov affair?

• Bolsheviks use this as a major propaganda point to label themselves as the saviours of Petrograd -> popularity is boosted

• Kerensky gets named the reason for the failure of the PG because he gives enemies freedom, weapons and propaganda victory

What did Lenin try to persuade the central committee of the party to do in September?

• to seize power

• demand vetoed as Kamenev and Zinoviev wanted to wait until after the Constituent Assembly elections

• Bolsheviks won a majority in the PS elections

What was the MRC and when set up?

• Military Revolutionary Committee October 1917

• set up by Trotsky

• controlled 20,000 red guards

When was the actual Bolshevik takeover?

24th and 25th October

What happened during the Bolshevik takeover?

• Trotsky with 5,000 sailors and soldiers from Kronstadt moved into Petrograd and the Bolshevik Red Guard seized key positions around the capital

• 3,000 extra troops arrived

• Kerensky fled to find loyal troops

• Red Guards and soldiers surrounded the Winter Palace and shots were fired

Why were the Bolsheviks able to take power: political position?

Weakness of PG:

• composition was liberals and elites -> out of touch from workers and peasants

• Dual Power with PS

Strength of B:

• minority group in spring

• Kornilov coup increased their membership

Why were the Bolsheviks able to take power: policies?

Weakness of PG:

• wanted to continue war which was unpopular

• wait until after Constituent Assembly to redistribute land

Strength of B:

• ‘peace, land, bread'

• end WWI

• immediate redistribution of land

Why were the Bolsheviks able to take power: leadership?

Weakness of PG:

• Kerensky seen as indecisive over war, land, etc

Strength of B:

• Lenin = persuasive, April Thesis popular

• Trotsky = key in setting up the MRC

Why might have the PG have encouraged opposition of NMs?

• Bcs main aim was to set up for a elections for a constituent assembly, should have focused on keeping cohesion in the empire + assert their authority

• BUT PG mainly focussed on issues in just Russia, esp Petrograd/Moscow

• May have been a mistake bcs overlooked NMs

How may have neglecting the political institutional demands of NMs cause opposition that could have led to the fall of the PG?

• NMs became frustrated that their wants/needs weren’t being addressed

  • Delay in creating an assembly for NMs to express their views → resentment + calls for autonomy

• Also spurred on by successes of workers/soldiers/sailors in establishing soviets to demand more rights from employers + the gov

How may the 8 principles have caused opposition from NMs?

NMs took advantage of them (esp abolition of police units + provincial governors) → PG lost real control + refused to allow the empire to disband w/o any plans on how to control opposition this would cause

How may certain NMs organising forms of provincial Govs cause opposition + downfall of PG?

• This created the possibility of the disintegration of the empire

  • eg: Ukraine a central Rada (council) → aim to gain more autonomy

  • eg: Finland politicians campaigned for the establishment of their own (parliament) free from the influence of central Russian government → Finland is where Lenin fled to + avoided arrest after the July days

Where did the moderate socialists give concessions to?

Why may it be seen as leading to the fall of the PG?

Where?

• Ukraine

Why may it have led to fall?

• It outraged the liberals in the PG bcs thought that it was the first step in breaking up Russian empire (which they wanted to remain in tact) → disagreement → ununited + weak → undermined power

• Also contained valuable farmland → important to econ → seen as silly?

How may the PG have underestimated the strength of opposition from NMs at a regional level?

• Majority of Georgia, Estonia, + Ukraine’s pop = peasants → silly for PG not to prioritise land issue (Bolsheviks = saying they would → ‘peace, bread, land’

• Bcs didn’t control the rise of nationalism in NMs → allowed left-wing parties at local level to gain support

How did the PG NOT ignore the NM’s?

What is the counter point?

• Demands for self-rule in the Transcaucasus = met with formation of a Special Transcaucasian Committee

• Immediately abolished religious, national, + social privileges

COUNTER POINT:

• BUT were undermined w/ formation of local soviets (eg: in Estonia + Latvia)

  • Suggests more general issues w/ regional autonomy + more specific concerns of workers/peasants = linked

Why may NMs NOT have been the cause of the PG’s fall?

• PG’s fall = local to Petrograd → Bolsheviks able to do it bcs they had popular support in Petrograd SO could storm the Winter Palace + take over

• Failed to deal w/ WWI

• Failed to deal w/ land issues

• Delaying elections