Provisional Government Depth Study Flashcards
What were the main problems facing Russia before the February 1917 revolution?
- The impact of WW1, as WW1 caused economic problems and exacerbated discontent.
- Economic problems
- Discontent among peasants and workers
Did the Provisional government evolve from collective leadership to dual authority?
Yes
What made up the initial programme of the provisional government?
- Immediate amnesty for all political prisoners, including terrorists.
- Immediate freedom of speech and assembly.
- The right to strike.
- Immediate preparations for a Constituent assembly, where everyone could vote.
- Abolition of the secret police.
- Elections for all local councils and Zemstva, where everyone could vote.
Initially, what was the Provisional Government’s biggest threat?
The Petrograd Soviet
Who was the initial chairman of the Petrograd Soviet?
Menshevik Chkheide
Who was the initial Vice Chairman of the Petrograd Soviet?
The SR, Alexander Kerensky
When was Soviet Order Number 1 passed?
On the 1st of March
What were the terms of Soviet Order Number 1?
- All military units were to elect committees from their members.
- All military units were to elect representatives to the Petrograd Soviet.
- The orders of the Petrograd Soviet should take priority over the orders of the Provisional government.
- All weapons were to be controlled by the military committees and were not to be given to officers.
What were the key problems facing the Provisional government?
- The Provisional government lacked authority.
- The land question.
- Urban discontent.
- The War
How did the Provisional Government lack power?
- It had not been elected and just assumed power.
- The Duma members had been elected in 1912 under a very unrepresentative electoral system, and so it was difficult to say that the Provisional government represented the nation.
- Soviet order number 1 undermined the provisional government’s authority, as it said of how the orders of the Petrograd Soviet should take priority over the orders of the Provisional government.
- The government promised elections, but continuously delayed them.
- Petrograd Soviet was more representative of the Russian people.
IS it true that the peasants saw the February revolution as their chance to get land redistributed without compensation?
Yes
Who did the Provisional government want to resolve the land question?
The Constituent Assembly
Why did the Provisonal Government want to leave the land question for the Constituent assembly to resolve?
- They thought the land issue was a huge issue for a temporary government to resolve.
- Many of the people in the Provisional government came from the landed and propertied classes, and they did not wish to see their property simply handed over to the peasants- they also wanted the landoweners, often their supporters, to be compensated.
- They worried that redistributing the land to peasants would lead to the disintegration of the army because peasant soldiers would rush back to claim their share.
Why did the peasants want more land?
Because they felt as if they had been betrayed by the 1861 Emancipation Edict.
What did peasants do due to the Provisional government not solving the land issue?
They began taking the land without government permission
WHat did Chernov propose in relation to the land question?
Chernov proposed a scheme where peasants would be given the right to use land from private estates, however the provisonal government blocked this.
How many land seizures were reported in July?
237
Why did peasants begin refusing to send their grain to the towns and cities?
- Because the government tried to make the peasants agree to fix grain prices.
- However, with inflation rampant, peasants considered the prices too low, and refused to send their grain to the towns and cities.
Why was there urban discontent amongst workers?
- Because the workers had expected social reform after February, with higher wages, better working conditions, shorter hours, and more influence in the workplace.
- However, most of these demands were not met.
Even though wages increased, what was the problem?
Prices were foing up much faster