Russia: PG, bolsheviks, civil war, NEP Flashcards
How did the PG come to power after the tsar’s abdication?
- Duma decided to form temporary government (PG)
- Would run the country until elections could be held to decide Russia’s future
For how long did the PG exist?
From March - October 1917
What was the Petrograd Soviet and what was its first order?
- Workers and soldiers sent representatives to form a soviet to look after their their interests
- Petrograd Soviet was the the most important of the soviets that were forming around Russia
- They firstly issued order No 1 which gave it control of armed forces in Petrograd
Who was Alexander Kerensky?
- Minister of justice of the PG
- Respected member of Petrograd Soviet and was a ‘bridge’ between them
- At end of July 1917 he became prime minister
There are 6…
Name the major political parties in 1917.
- Kadets
- Progressive party
- Octobrists
- Socialist Revolutionary party
- Mensheviks
- Bolsheviks
What was dual power?
- Where there were 2 possible bodies who could claim to run the government
- PG was accepted as government, but could only carry out descisions if the soviet agreed
6 things…
Give the actions the PG took.
- Continued the war
- Granted freedom of religion
- Abolished secret police
- Garunteed free speech
- Introduced 8 hour day
- Recognised trade unions
What did the PG urge the peasants not to do?
- To wait for elections before taking any land
- The plan was for free elections to take place to elect new Constituent Assembly that would carry out major change
Who was the PG mostly made up of?
Middle class liberals
Who was the PS mostly made up of?
Key workers like railway men and soldiers
What percentage of the population was peasants?
80
Give 2 strengths of the PG.
- Gave people freedom
- Allowed workers rights
Give two weakness of the PG.
- Did not have support of most of population (made up mostly of middle class)
- Continued the war which many soldiers and peasants would have not been happy with as the war killed many russian lower class soldiers
Give two strengths of the Bolsheviks.
- Had the support of the lower classes (made up most of population) and soldiers
- Had majorities in Petrograd soviet, Moscow soviet, and all-Russia congress of soviets (a kind of soviet parliament)
What did the April theses outline?
- Condemned Russia’s involvement in war
- Urged people to support Bolsheviks in a second revolution
- Condemned PG
- Called for land to be given to peasants and banks to go into state control
In April 1917 Lenin returned to Petrograd, Into what were his speeches collated?
The April Theses.
Give two key Bolshevik slogans from 1917.
Peace, Bread and Land; All Power to the Soviets.
What is a soviet?
A workers’ co-operative - basically a trade union.
June 1917: first elections to the Congress of Soviets. How do the Bolsheviks do?
105 seats; half that of the Mensheviks and Social Revolutionaries.
What occurred on July 16-17 1917?
The July Days. Afterwards, Lenin fled and Kerensky took over the Provisional Government.