Bolshevik Rise of Power

Question 1

what were the July days

Answer 1

uncontrolled rioting in the streets

sparked by the failure of the summer offensive in Germany

Question 2

who did the bolsheviks attract support from

Answer 2

anyone who disliked the PG

this included peasants who wanted land and those who did not like the war

Question 3

what was the kornilov affair

Answer 3

august 1917
disastrous for the right wing and Kerensky
gave the bolsheviks weapons in an attempt to prevent kornilov from taking control

Question 4

what were the 4 main weaknesses of the PG

Answer 4

nature of the PG
mistakes by kerensky
policies
failed to call a constituent assembly early enough

Question 5

why was the nature of the PG a weakness

Answer 5

real power was held by the soviet
temporary body
divisions between the socialists and liberals - lack of clear policies and the two groups blocked each other

Question 6

what mistakes were made by Kerensky

Answer 6

decided to launch a June offensive
kornilov affair left him discredited
underestimated the bolsheviks

Question 7

what did the kornilov affair mean for Kerensky

Answer 7

officers would not fight for him fearing he would betray them as he had betrayed kornilov

Question 8

how did Kerensky benefit the bolsheviks

Answer 8

gave them an excuse to seize power
increased their popularity
allowed them to claim they were seizing power in the name of the soviet

Question 9

what were the unpopular PG policies

Answer 9

continued the war
didn’t legitimise the peasant take over of land- they were unwilling to send food to cities
lost the support of national minorities as they refused to give them a degree of autonomy