Provisional Government Flashcards
Formation of the Petrograd Soviet
•Formed alongside the Provisional Duma Comittee
-foundation of governance through dual authority
-clear indication that Tsar was unfit to rule by a majority of senior politicians
•Had total control over armed forces
Why did the Provisional Government fail to impose it’s authority?
•Majority of party members wanted a short term government based on general agreement
-main aim of creating a constituent assembly
•The leading Bolsheviks rejected this idea
•Inherited all the problems Russia was already facing
Dealing with war
•War has popular support; demands for withdrawal and peace were made on the basis that this would be honourable and unconditional
•War was costly (land, labour and capital)
-felt committed to continuing the war given that a lot had been invested into trying to win it
•PG had limited support from its allies who wanted Russia to stay in the war
•Challenges we’re ignored and continuing with the war became a priority
Problems with the Provisional Government
•People viewed it as a variation of the tsarist regime
•Workers has already organised and campaigned for socio-economic change before the war
-by 1917 the Soviets were in such a strong position that there had to be dual authority
•Kerensky was not a strong leader
-not trusted by workers and peasants even though he had a socialist background
Challenge from the Petrograd Soviet
•Created a dual authority with the PG
•Opposed a lot of the PG’s proposals
•PG had to join with them to gain support of the workers, peasants, soldiers and sailors
•Both groups disagreed over Russia’s involvement in the war
-PG wanted a decisive victory
-PS wanted peace without annexations or indemnities
Issue of the eight principles
•These principles were classically liberal and allowed full freedom of speech
-allowed growth of protest groups such as the Bolsheviks
•Freedom to form labour unions and strike
•de-Russification
•Preparation for calling of the constituent assembly
-elected by universal and secret vote
•Allowed Lenin’s return
Lack of reforms
- Major issues of workers were ignored
- Continuation of war meant food shortages, inflation and demonstrations by workers, soldiers and sailors
- Didn’t make any reforms
Opposition from the Bolsheviks
•Leaders moves back due to the eight principles
•Lenin published his April Theses after his return
-promised peace, bread and land
-seizure of power
Continuation of peasant land problems
•PG argued only those elected could deal with the issues
-no immediate action
•Still unequal distribution of good quality land
-peasants started seizing land from landlords
-disturbances in countryside were a daily thing
•Majority of PG members were land owners
Failure of coalition government
•National elections were postponed •Land issue ignored •Workers’ committees suppressed •Involvement in early continued •
July Days
- Social unrest and general disorder
* Showed the lack of support
The Kornilov Affair
•Kerensky believed that Kornilov was doing to impose a military style dictatorship
-so he allowed the militia of the Bolsheviks (Red Guard) to be given weapons to defend Petrograd
•Workers refused to cooperate with Kornilov
•Bolsheviks viewed as heroes for organising the protection of Petrograd
•PG was susceptible to being challenged by the military and by those who wanted to seize power
•Kerensky shown as a weak leader compared to Lenin
•Bolsheviks gained more support because they were seen as heroes
Role of national minorities
•Minorities became frustrated that their wants and needs weren’t being addressed
-PG blamed for being too slow to create an assembly
•Spurred on by the successes of workers, soldiers and sailors in establishing committees to demand more rights
•Took advantage of the principes to abolish police units and provincial governors
•Organised their own forms of provincial government
-possibility of empire disintegration
•Press for autonomy
