provisional government Flashcards
1
Q
what happened on 14th February 1917
A
- around 100,000 workers from 58 different factories went on strike in petrograd
- due to news that bread would be rationed from 1st march
2
Q
what happened on the 22nd of february
A
- 20,000 workers get locked out of the Putilov iron works by the management after pay talks collapse, workers in other factories join the strike in support
3
Q
what happened on the 23rd of February
A
- as it was international women’s day there was a march
- 90,000 workers also went on strike and 50 factories closed
- about 240,000 on the streets
4
Q
what happened on the 24th of February
A
- 200,000 workers went on strike and crowds overturn tsarist statues
- calling for an end to tsardom
5
Q
what happened on the 25th of February
A
- police chief Shalfeev is dragged from his horse beaten and shot
- newspaper and public transport closed
6
Q
how did the Tsar begin to lose control of the armed forces
A
- Cossack troops refused to fire on strikers
- Pavlovsky Lifeguards refused to obey orders
- the Volinsky Regiment mutinied and even joined the rebels
7
Q
what happened with the state duma on the 26th February
A
- told to disband by the Tsar
- instead created a 12 man committee to take over running the country
8
Q
what happens on the 28th February
A
- the Tsar has lost control over the workers, armed forces and the Duma
- offers a power share with the Duma but lead Rodzianko refused as it was too late
9
Q
what was order number 1
A
- in march 1st workers soviets joined to make the Petrograd Soviet
- they announced order number 1 which gave the petrograd soviet control over the armed forces
10
Q
how did the Tsar ultimately abdicate
A
- on 28th February Nicholas tired to return to Petrograd but his train was stoppedby anti-government protesters
- the state duma convinced him to abdicate
- nicholas nominated his brother Grand Duke Michail to take the throne however he refused
- Russia then ceased to have a monarchy
11
Q
who was announced the prime minister of the provisional government
A
- Prince Lvov
12
Q
what reforms did the prov gov make to show they were more democratic
A
- freedom of the press, religion, speech, no censorship
- abolition of the Okhrana and right to trial by jury
- release of political prisoners
- prepare for a constituent assembly with the goal to be free elections to create a democratic government
13
Q
why did the provisional government have a problem with legitimacy
A
- had connections with the old order as they were the members of the state duma and had not been elected
14
Q
why was the fact that the provisional government was dominated by Octobrists and Kadets a problem
A
- these were minority groups and therefore not reflective of the growing popularity of more radical and left wing parties such as the Bolsheviks
15
Q
what was the petrograd soviet and what was it’s role
A
- by June 1917 it had developed into the All Russian Soviet and had the right to declare laws as well as the prov gov e.g. order number 1
16
Q
what was dual authority and how did it come about
A
- in march-october 1917 the petrograd soviet and prov gov shared political power
- on may 6th members of the soviet joined the prov gov
- kerensky who was chairman of the petrograd soviet became leader of prov gov in july
17
Q
what were the differences in ideals between the prov gov and petrograd soviet
A
- the prov gov was mainly liberal but the petrograd soviet became increasingly left wing
- e.g. by october the leading social democrat group in the soviet was the Bolsheviks
18
Q
what problems did the war cause by march 1917
A
- loss of territory in Poland and Western Russia, millions of soldiers dead and mutiny in soldiers or sailors was common
19
Q
why did the prov gov stay in the war
A
- felt compelled as they were allies to France and Britain and owed them money from loans
20
Q
what did the petrograd soviet and prov gov disagree over in terms of war
A
- the petrograd soviet only wanted to stay in the war to stop germany from gaining more land but not to gain more land
- prov gov aimed to take more land from the Ottoman empire and pledged to continue fighting on the same terms as before
21
Q
what happened in april 1917
A
- were demonstrations of people being against the continuation of the war
- e.g. foreign minister milyukov resigned as well as the war minister Ghukov in may
22
Q
what was the June offensive
A
- intended to be a large push against the Austro-Hungarian army to gain land for Russia
- after a few days it was clear that the Russian army was losing
- may desertions
23
Q
what did peasants begin to do after the Tsarist autocracy fell
A
- seize land from land owners often by violence
- many soldiers deserted to take land
24
Q
what were Lenin’s ideas when he returned to Russia
A
- marxism
- Russia was behind the west as it was still a largely agricultural society
- helped Russia progress quickly through the stages of marxism by making a small ‘vanguard’ party to lead the workers through the stages
25
where was lenin before march 1917
- exiled to Zurich
26
how did lenin return to Russia
- was allowed to by Germany to return to petrograd in a sealed train
27
what was the April Thesis on april 3rd
- Lenin's ideas surrounding the provisional government
- arguing the februrary revolution could be followed by a socialist revolution
- war should end immediately
- power should be with the workers in the form of a soviet government
- confiscate land from land owners
28
how did Lenin try and gain support
- held many speeches and publications
- promoted the importance of the soviets (were popular with the workers)
- all power to the soviets slogan
- peace, land and bread slogan
29
what were 2 early attempts of Lenin to try and gain power
- 21st of april, lenin arranged for factory workers to go onto the streeets but not many did and police dispersed them
- 9th of june, lenin failed to get support from the petrograd soviet to demonstrate them over the failure of the june offensive
30
what was the july days
- on july 2nd 20,000 armed sailrs joined workers and soldiers on the streets
- grain prices had doubled
- shortages of fuel and raw materials led to 586 factories closing down and the loss of 100,000 jobs
- chanted bolshevik slogans
- some invaded the tauride palace
- attacked property and looted shops
31
how effective was the july days
- because the demonstrators had no leadership they failed to make a large impact
- demonstrations united the pg and soviet petrograd
- troops arrested 500 bolsheviks and lenin fleed for finland
32
what was the kornilov affair
- Kerensky was worried that general kornilov was attempting a military take over
- kerensky armed many bolsheviks in order to defest kornilov and his troops
33
how had bolshevik support increased
- 23,000 members in february and 200,000 in october
- made prov gov look weak
- created an elite force of 10,000 red guards
34
why did Lenin want to act quickly
- lenin realised the SRs would win the election for a constituent assembly in november
- by end of september the bolsheviks had majority seats in the petrograd soviet
35
what was the MRC (miliatry revolutionary committee)
- established by Trotsky due to a to fear of German attack on the city
- majority of it's members were bolsheviks
- used the MRC to organise the take over that Lenin convinced the bolshevik party that it was necessary on the 10th october
36
what happened on the 24th - 25th of October
- the prov gov started to close down bolshevik newspapers in petrograd
- lenin realised they must act immediately
- 5000 members of the MRC took over key buildings and stormed the winter palace and arrested prov gov members (kerensky had already fled)
37
what happened in the 26th-27th of october
- at the meeting of the All russian congress of soviets lenin declared the prov gov had been overthrown
- mensheviks and SRs walked out of the congress leaving the bolsheviks in full control
38
what was the new government made by the bolsheviks called
- sovnarkom
39
what arguments are there that the prov gov was doomed from the start
- viewed as illegitimate
- shared power with the petrograd soviet
- reforms they bought in allowed more opposition
- unable to solve the land issue as they were not an elected government
- continuing in the war
40
what arguments are there that the prov gov was not doomed from the start
- succeeded in it's aim for preparing for elections for a constituent assembly which did occur in november however lenin lost and overturned the result
- generally popular at the start, its reforms and milyukov was well known and popular
