The Bolshevik Seizure of Power, 1917 Flashcards
Dual power
The new government the Duma set up was a coalition government between the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet.
The PG consisted of leading liberals and Kadets.
The PS consisted of workers, socialists and Mensheviks.
Structure of the Dual power
The provisional government was widely accepted (yet unelected) government however the real power lay with the Petrograd Soviet.
The PS controlled soldiers, railways, factories, telegraphs and power supplies.
The PG tolerated this but it wasn’t ideal.
Why did the Dual power parties tolerate each other at the beginning?
They knew they had to cooperate at such a precarious time.
They feared re emergence of violence and disorder.
Why was the Petrograd Soviet happy to let the Provisional Government govern?
They did not want to provide an excuse for counter-revolution.
The socialist leaders of the Soviet had little idea of how to runs government.
They didnt think that the workers were ready for a revolution (Marxist theory). They believed they wer going through the bourgeois-democratic phase.
First measures of the Dual power
- Imprisonment of tsarist ministers and officials.
- Secret police disbanded
- Death penalty abolished
- Freedom of press, speech, religious freedom
- Universal suffrage
Alexander Kerensky
He acted as the middle man between the two parties in the dual power. He made sure each party knew what the other was doing.
He was the most influential member of the Dual power.
Main issues the Dual power faced
- Whether they should continue the war
- How to distribute the left over land from ex nobles to peasants.
- Whether to grant nation freedoms to the different countries of Russia. (Ukraine etc)
- Implementing social reform for workers
- The deteriorating economic situation due to food shortages, unemployment and inflation
How successful were the Dual power in dealing with problems?
They tried their best but did not meet the expectations of the workers, peasants and soldiers.
The April Thesis
When Lenin returned to Russia, he addressed people waiting for him at the station.
He called for: worldwide socialist revolution, immediate end to the war, end to cooperation with the PG, Soviets to take power, land to be given to the peasants.
This gained the Bolshevik party major popularity with the peasants.
The July days 1917
The first direct challenge to the provisional government.
Mounting frustration of workers and soldiers from the uneccessary and excessive deaths in WWI erupted in several days of rioting and disorder.
However there was a lack of leadership and clear purpose so it quickly lost momentum.
Lenin was forced into hiding as he was accused of leading the July days.
Problems the PG faced in Aug 1917
- Army was disintegrating
- Economic situation was getting worse
- Disorder in the countryside - control was breaking down
- Increasing lawlessness in cities.
Kerensky becomes prime minister
May- July 1917
The Kornilov Affair
Kerensky turned to new Supreme commander, Kornilov to restore law and order by use of the army.
Kornilov used the opportunity to crush the radical socialists and moved on the capital to establish military control.
The Bolsheviks came to the cities aid - defending the city.
Kornilov and troops were arrested.
Consequences of the Kornilov Affair
Kerensky ruined his reputation and was no longer trusted.
The Bolsheviks gained a wave of popular support as saviours of the city.
October Revolution
Lenin urged his party to seize power.
They seized key points in the city - bridges, telephones, railways and power stations.
They then advanced on the winter palace to take out the provisional government. On the 25 Oct the remaining members of the government were arrested and the Bolsheviks were in power.
In other cities such as Moscow, there was fighting until a truce was agreed.
