Fact Test 4: The Bolshevik Seizure of Power Flashcards
Who led the Provisional Government?
Prince Lvov
Who was the most important politician in the PG?
Alexander Kerensky
What positive things did the PG do?
Ended capital punishment.
Ended press censorship.
Released all political prisoners.
Disbanded the Okhrana.
Where did the PG and Petrograd Soviet meet?
Tauride Palace
What did the PS have control over?
The railways and postal service
Who pressured the PG to continue fighting in WW1?
Britain and France
What did the Cadets in the PG want?
To restore law and order and set up a parliamentary democracy.
What did the Socialists in the PG want?
To push the revolution further and give more land to the peasants
What was the July Offensive?
A massive attack on Austro-German forces in July 1917
Why did the July offensive fail?
Bolshevik agitators encouraged soldiers to return home
By Petrograd in July 1917 what had the bread ration fallen from and to?
450 grams to 110 grams
What were July Days?
16th – 18th July 1917 – anti-government demonstrations in Petrograd by soldiers, sailors and workers.
How did Kerensky put down July Days?
Sent in troops, Lenin fled to Finland, leading Bolsheviks arrested
How did the PG attempt to stop Kornilov’s revolt?
Gave weapons to the Petrograd Soviet
Who ran the PS while Lenin was in exile in Finland?
Trotsky
Who was the biggest party in the 1917 All-Russian Congress of Soviets?
Socialist Revolutionaries with 285 representatives.
How many representatives did the Bolsheviks have?
105
What was Lenin’s April Theses?
Peace, Bread, Land and All power to the Soviets
Why did the Bolsheviks not join the PG?
Lenin’s orders. They could not be blamed for their mistakes
Who did Trotsky persuade to help the Bolsheviks in the Oct revolution?
Soldiers at the Petrograd Garrison and the sailors at the Kronstadt Naval Base
Who organised the Oct revolution?
Trotsky
Who persuaded the Bolsheviks to seize power?
Lenin – after he had returned from Finland
Where was Bolshevik HQ during the revolution?
Smolny Institute
How did the Bolsheviks seize power?
They took control of bridges, the main telegraph office, the railways stations, the power stations and important buildings
Who was defending the Winter Palace?
Women’s Death Battalion and some military cadets
What signalled the beginning of the takeover of the Winter Palace?
The battleship Aurora sailed up the River Neva from Kronstadt naval base and fired a blank shell to start the attack.
