Kerensky, Kornilov & beginning of october revolution (july-october 1917) Flashcards
What type of government did Kerensky want and why?
Liberal-socialist coalition so his ministry would appear united
Why would Kerensky’s ideas of government not be easy to achieve?
- The kadets wanted discipline in the army and more order in Russia (right wing) they disagreed with the soviets about whether Kerensky could take on the socialists
- The SR’s began to split, a new left faction appeared, sympathetic to Lenin’s ideas
How did the new government form? what was its makeup?
Kerensky threatened to quit
A government was formed of 4 SR’s 3 mensheviks, 2 trudoviks, 3 kadets and 4 others
What are some industrial failures under Kerensky’s government?
- Productivity fell
- Workers demanded an 8 hour working day & pay rise
- Unemployment rose as business men closed their businesses as they refused to give into workers demands in mind 1917
- Workers went on strike to force employers hands
- Inflation - prices soared as wages increased due to food shortages
- Employers were powerless to resist demands as there was no protection for them
- Problems with the railway system continued to the cities
What was the rate of inflation under Kerensky’s leadership from August to October 1917?
August – 10.5
October – 14.3
What were some industrial successes under Kerensky’s leadership?
- Workers wages doubled
What were some agricultural failures under Kerensky’s leadership?
- Grain hoarding by peasants continued - leading to a lack of food in cities
- Peasants illegally gathered landowners’ timber & grazed cattle on landowners’ estates without permission
- Landowners’ appealed for help from the PG but were disappointed as they failed to uphold the rights for middle/upper classes
- PG had no means of imposing order in the countryside
- PG failed to carry out land reforms
Who was appointed commander-in-chief on 18th July 1917?
General Kornilov
What did Kerensky agree to for Kornilov to become commander-in-chief?
- Desertion/acts of treason to be punishable by death
- No interference from civilian people
- Railway/defence workers to be under army control
- Strikes in all industries banned
What was Kerensky informed of on August 26th?
informed that Kornilov wanted to impose martial law in Petrograd and for all civilian and military authority to be placed in his hands
When did Kerensky dismiss Kornilov?
August 27th, Kerensky dismissed Kornilov as commander-in-chief of Russia’s armies
What did Kornilov do in response to being dismissed?
Responded by ordering a detachment of loyal troops to march Petrograd
What did Kerensky do in response to Kornilov ordering a detachment of troops?
He had to turn to the PS for help
The soviet mobilised its troops, soliders of the Petrograd garrison, Kronstadt sailors and red guards (Bolsheviks)
Kerensky supplied them with weapons
Why did Kornilov and his men never reach petrograd?
1) Railway men loyal to the soviet held up their train
2) Bolsheviks infiltrated Kornilov’s troops and turned the soldiers against their officers
Kornilov was arrested
How did the Kornilov affair damage Kerensky’s reputation?
- On the left, Kerensky was widely suspected of having been a willing participant in Kornilov’s counter-revolutionary schemes
- industrialists, the nobility, senior army officers and the propertied classes generally - accused Kerensky of political cowardice. The right-wing argument was that Kerensky, having done the right thing by appointing Kornilov commander-in-chief in the first place, should have stood by him and implemented his programme
How did the Kornilov affair benefit the Bolsheviks?
- Bolshevik sympathisers led the successful defence of Petrograd
- those who infiltrated Krymov’s army were Bolsheviks and the political orientation of the Red Guards and the Kronstadt sailors was Bolshevik
- therefore able to project themselves in their propaganda as saviours of the revolution
How did the Bolsheviks gain greater support in the city council elections which took place in August & September?
- After the Kornilov affair, there was a surge in support for the Bolsheviks
- Bolsheviks won 33% of the vote in Petrograd & 51% in Moscow
Who became chairman of the Petrograd soviet after returning from Moscow?
What else did the Bolsheviks control by this time?
In July, Trostsky who previously returned from exile in May became chairman of the PS
The Bolsheviks controlled the Moscow soviet
What did Lenin claim in the letter send to the Bolsheviks central committee?
‘History will not forgive us if we do not assume power now’
What was the central committee?
It was the Bolsheviks key decision making body, elected by representatives of the glassroots membership at irregularly held party congresses
If Lenin wanted an immediate insurrection, who would have to approve it?
The central committee would have to approve it
What did the central committee do to Lenin’s letters?
They mostly ignored them — they were discussed at a meeting in mid September but no action was taken
When did Lenin decide to travel to convince the central committee of his aims?
10th October
Why was the meeting between Lenin and the central committee intense?
Lenin’s plans were opposed by two of his most senior lieutenants, Kamenev and Zinoviev. They maintained that the success of an insurrection could not be guaranteed.
