Russia 5 Flashcards
who was the only socialist in the provisional govt?
Alexander Kerensky
what ideology was predominant in the provisional govt?
liberalism
why did socialists tend to stay out of the provisional govt?
believed it was a bourgeois organisation
who was one of the most influential liberals in the provisional govt and leader of the kadets?
milyukov
why did the provisional govt find it hard to become legitimised?
it was unelected
what other organisation alongside the provisional govt was formed after the Tsar’s abdication?
the Petrograd soviet
what were the aims of the Petrograd soviet?
aimed to represent the wishes of workers and soldiers
what was order number one?
instructed soldiers to obey the orders of the provisional govt but only if they agreed with the soviet, elect representatives to the soviet and guaranteed soldiers’ civil liberties
when was order number one?
1 march, 1917
what was the arrangement of the Petrograd soviet and provisional govt called?
dual power
what were public committees?
in towns and cities, people elected committees to rule locally. made up of socialists and liberals
what were the Red Guards?
some workers made the decision to seize weapons and form militias to defend workers rights. quickly became some of the most radical organisations
what did the revolution mean for communal peasants?
greatly strengthened communes as they see it as an opportunity to reinvigorate the commune. organised seizing land and property of local landowners. land is shared out often fairly equally.
what did the revolution mean for the unemployed?
not easy to organise but by end of 1917, ‘Soviet of he unemployed’ established by Jewish anarchist. unemployed demanded money to support themselves and their families
what did revolution mean for peasant separators?
some forced back into communes others moved back voluntarily
what did the revolution mean for skilled workers?
first to form new trade unions and factory committees calling for an 8 hour day and better working conditions
what did the revolution mean for rank-and-file soldiers?
millions of soldiers raised havoc at the front as they had been fighting in a brutal war for 4 years for reasons they didn’t understand. wanted revenge on officers and others just wanted to go home
what were the Kadets?
main Liberal party by 1917 + key members of provisional govt. accepted need for social reforms better working conditions and more rights for soldiers
who were the Mensheviks?
more moderate than the Bolsheviks and accepted need. for provisional govt.
who were the Bolsheviks?
radical left-wing groups. Led by Lenin who believed that the govt should be controlled by soviets (‘April theses’)
who were the SRs?
deeply divided, its leaders often farm more moderate then rank-and-file members.
what were demonstrations of Kerensky’s public popularity?
he bowed and blew kisses to the audience and sometimes brought himself to weep in front of them. soldiers threw flowers, bowed to him, prayed before him, kissed him, his uniform, his car and the ground that he walked on
what were some of Kerensky’s nicknames?
‘the knight of the revolution’, ‘the lion heart’, ‘the first love of the revolution’ etc
when was Kerensky’s cult of personality at its height?
May 1917
how did Kerensky’s cult come about?
partly due to luck of being at the right place at the right time, engaging with all sides of the revolution. partly his own hard work as was a prominent lawyer before 1917 who was active in helping re-establish SR groups in Petrograd during the war. huge following amongst socialists in capital city. cultured and well-educated man (theatrics and dramatic entrances)
how did Kerensky’s reputation fall during 1917?
“Kerensky offensive”, appointed PM after a break out of rioting but he has already lost the backing of the most radical left socialists, almost brought another military dictator to power (“Kornilov putsch”)
what is the “Kerensky offensive”?
bold and disastrous move by Kerensky, ordering massive military offensive on Eastern front which collapsed completely and caused angry protests in the capital
what was the impact of war and revolution on Jews?
Jews along with many other non-Russian ethnoic groups fled Eastwards across the Russian empire. ordinary Russians viewed them with suspicions and they were violently deported from the front lines