1. The PG's power and support Flashcards
Reasons why PG and PS had uneasy relationship
- Differences in political outlook
- Uneven distribution of power between them
Power of PG in March 1917
- PG in authority - but toothless - no means of compelling people to obey its orders
- PG - no authority over Petrograd garrison - controlled firmly by PS due to Order Number 1
- PG - no disciplined police force - Tsarist policemen made themselves scarce after Feb - place taken by local militias
Apparatus of Tsarist govt disintegrated in local authorities - post of provincial governor abolished
Zemstva - impact on dual power
- Not elected on a democratic basis - dominated by upper class - lost credibility
- PG reliant on power and influence of PS
The PS’s Order Number 1
1st March
- Petrograd garrison aligned itself with Petrograd Soviet before PG fully set up
Stated that - the garrison was subordinate to the Soviet - flared that the orders of the Provisional Committee (forerunner to PG) were only to be obeyed if they didn’t conflict w/ the Soviet’s
PG - had to have approval of the Petrograd Soviet before giving any orders to the garrison
Why did the Petrograd garrison align itself w/ the PS?
Feb 28 - Provisional Committee of the Duma - feared that Petrograd could fall victim to mov rule - ordered troops on the city’s streets to return to their barracks
Soldiers - distrustful of middle-class Duma politicians - feared they would be disciplined for turning against officers during Feb. Rev. - refused to accept legitimacy of the order - turned to PS
Why was the Petrograd Soviet in full control of the capital?
- Was supported by key workers and city’s army garrison
- Loyalty of railway and postal workers - ensured it controlled links w/ outside world
- Backing of army garrison - gave PS capacity to suppress opposition inside capital + protection from intervention outside it
What was the priority of many garrison members?
Not to be sent from safety of Petrograd to the battlefront - duty to remain in capital to defend revolution against enemies
How did Soviets spread during 1917?
- Soviet’s reach extends into provincial Russia - Soviets sprang up all over country in 1917
- By Oct - 1,500 soviets
Variety of forms - workers, soldiers, peasants, sailors
What was formed in June 1917?
All-Russian Congress of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies formed
- Local soviets from different parts of Russia represented
Why is the term ‘dual power’ a misleading description?
- Implies that power was shared, or equally divided - emphatically not the case