Russia Topic 3 Flashcards
1
Q
What was the Petrograd Soviet in charge of
A
The army, this was due to Order number 1
2
Q
What weaknesses did the Provisional Government have which damaged its authority
A
- ‘Order number 1’ , making the Petrograd Soviet in control of the army and military matters
- Had no control over key areas of government such as railway system, due to ‘Dual control’
- The Petrograd soviet had been elected but the Provisional government had not been elected by the people it was governing
3
Q
What mistakes did the Provisional government make
A
- They continued the war, which was very unpopular, they did it as they relied on allied countries to invest into Russia’s recovery
- They delayed reforms as they only thought of themselves as temporary and wanted to wait for the constituent assembly elections to carry out things such as land reforms
- The only decision they made introduced freedom of speech, this made it so people could open criticise the government
- The Delayed elections, looked as though they were trying to stay in power without being elected
4
Q
Why did the Petrograd soviet not challenge the Provisional Government
A
- They believed it was too early to do so
- Russia had many problems and they did not want to be blamed
- They were worried about Tsarist forces trying to take back control of Russia
- They instead used there power to influence the government policies in favour of the people
5
Q
What was the April Thesis
A
- Written by Lenin
- It proposed to end cooperation with Provisional Government, end the war, nationalise the land, give all power to the soviets, abolish the police, army and bureaucracy, and take control of industry and the banks
-“Peace, bread, land”
-“All power to the soviets”
6
Q
Why did not all Bolsheviks agree with Lenin that the time was right in taking power in June 1917
A
- Many Bolsheviks feared the return of the Tsar if done too soon
- The Bolshevik party was small and the SRs had much more support
- The Mensheviks were more popular amongst the workers than the Bolsheviks
- In the congress of soviets, they were the smallest percentage
7
Q
What was the July days
A
- An unplanned uprising against the Provisional Government which happened in July 1917
8
Q
Causes of the July Days
A
- The war was going very badly with many soldiers flooding back to Russia, the war was draining all food and fuel supplies and tying up transport
- The June offensive was a disaster, resulting in 2 million deserting the army
- Lenin made inspiring speeches with his slogans, gaining the Bolsheviks support
- Trotsky set up the ‘red guard’
9
Q
Events of the July days
A
- Chaos in Petrograd
- Bolsheviks chanted ‘peace, bread, land’ ‘all power to the soviets’
- riots only ended as provisional government troops crushed the rebels
- 400 died
- Trotsky and others were arrested
- Lenin escaped to Finland and went into hiding
10
Q
Consequences of the July days
A
- A new provisional government was set up under Kerensky, he set up some reforms to try and please everyone but they were still more attracted to the Bolsheviks
- Kerensky condemned the Bolsheviks as traitors and shut down their newspaper, Pravda
- Kerensky chose General Kornilov to command the army (he was strongly against Bolsheviks)
11
Q
When was the Kornilov Revolt
A
August 1917
12
Q
What was the Kornilov revolt
A
- General Kornilov wanted to shut down the Petrograd Soviet and sent troops in to do this
- Kerensky had no choice to let the Bolsheviks out of jail and arm them to defend the city
13
Q
Effects of the Kornilov revolut
A
- It boosted the Bolsheviks support
- It weakened the Provisional Government
14
Q
How did the Kornilov revolt boost the Bolsheviks support
A
- They were seen as heros for saving Petrograd
- Many Bolsheviks were elected to the Soviets
- Bolsheviks gained control of the Petrograd soviet, Trotsky was elected as President
- 40,000 Bolshevik supports got to keep their weapons
15
Q
How did the Kornilov revolt weaken the Provisional government
A
- Kerensky looked weak as he needed the Bolsheviks help to defend Petrograd
- Peasants seized land across the countryside
- Many soldiers deserted and returned to their villages, many even murdered their officers
- The duma disapproved of asking the Bolsheviks for help
