Provisional Government and the Bolshevik Revolution Flashcards
Who were the Provisional Government
The Duma decided to set up a temporary government until elections could be held called the Provisional Government
It was led by Prince Lvov but Alexander Kerensky was a key player
Kerensky was popular with the Russian people
He also became a member of the Petrograd Soviet, becoming a link between the two organisations
What positives did the Provisional Government do?
They ended capital punishment They ended press censorship They released all political prisoners They disbanded the Okhrana However, the ending of censorship only allowed critics of the government to attack the government for the problems it was not solving
The weaknesses of the Provisional Government
Sharing power with Petrograd Soviet Continuing with the war Not solving the land issue Not solving lack of food The Provisional Government had no clear aims
What was wrong with sharing power with the Petrograd Soviet
It meant that even if the Provisional Government had power, they still had to work with the Petrograd Soviet in order to get things done
March-October 1917 was known as the period of Dual Power
The Petrograd Soviet: had great support amongst ordinary Russians and had influence over post and the railways and had lots of respect
The Petrograd Soviet issued ‘Army Order Number 1’ which said that soldiers and sailors must set up committees to take control of all weapons and equipment, to stop using titles and not to salute officers
What was the problem with continuing the War
Russia was still fighting and this was very unpopular
Soldiers continued to desert
Britain and France wanted Russia to keep fighting and the Provisional Government did not want to anger them as they wanted investment
The terms Germany would want to impose would be very harsh
What was the June Offensive
Kerensky believed a short offensive could rally the people and so, the June Offensive
It was a complete disaster and many soldiers left because of Bolshevik agitators
What was the problem with land issues
Peasants were seizing landowner estates and murdering resistors
The Provisional Government wanted to leave land issues to the elected government and were worried that further land reforms would lead more soldiers to desert
What was the problem of not solving food problems
Food rations were small and people in the cities were angry
The chaos of the countryside and the continuing war made this worse
What was the problem of the PG not having aims
It had no clear set of policies
It was badly divided and made up of several political parties. The Kadets wanted to restore law and order and set up parliamentary democracy. The socialists wanted to push the revolution further
These divisions led to many quarrels and a number of ministerial changes
What was Lenin’s April Theses
Bolsehviks were not in a strong position. Leading Bolsheviks thought Russia was far from revolution.
When Lenin arrived in Petrograd on the 3rd April 1917 he demanded the overthrow of the Provisional Government
Lenin’s plans were increasingly popular because they offered solutions to all of the problems
Lenin had two simple and effective slogans: ‘Peace, Bread and Land’ and ‘All power to the Soviets’
What was included in the April theses
He published his April Theses:
An immediate end to the war as it was a capitalist war
Nationalisation of industry
Land for peasants - nationalisation of land
All power in Russia must be given to the Soviets
End all cooperation with the Provisional Government and any party helping them
How did the Bolshevilks become more popular
In June 1917, Bolshevik representatives made up 13% compared to 66% of Mensheviks and SRs
Food and fuel shortages and inflation
The land problem
Delayed elections for a Constituent Assembly
Bolshevik propaganda and military strength
Foreign support
What were the July Days
The combination of the June Offensive and rising prices sparked an enormous demonstration in Petrograd which turned into anti-government demonstrations
To protest the war and the failed June Offensive
To protest about the continuing food shortages
They were encouraged by Bolshevik propaganda
Lenin fled to Finland and leading Bolsheviks, like Trotsky, were arrested
The Provisional Government survived and the war and shortages continued
What was the Kornilov Revolt
Kerensky appointed a new commander-in-chief, General Kornilov
He began to take troops from the front back to Petrograd to:
Destroy the Petrograd Soviet and arrest its members
Remove Kerensky and the Provisional government
Set up a military dictatorship with himself as leader
Kerensky was forced to give guns to the Petrograd Soviet for their help
Workers and soldiers organised themselves into an armed force called the Red Guard
The bolsheviks stopped Kornilov
What was the Impact of the Kornilov Revolt
Kerensky looked weak because he had to rely on the Bolsheviks
Army discipline collapsed
Bolsehviks represented themselves as the saviours of Petrograd
The 40,000 Red Guards held onto the weapons the government gave them
