The Kornilov Affair Flashcards
When did Russia launch the Kerensky Offensive on Austria and Germany?
18 June
What evidence shows that Russia was successful on the first day of the Kerensky Offensive?
What evidence shows that that success was limited?
Russia took 10,000 Austrian and German prisoners on Day 1
But Russia had 12,500 casualties in return
What was Kerensky’s reaction to the first day of the Kerensky Offensive?
It was a “great triumph of the Revolution” and the regiments that took part should be renamed the “June 18 Regiments”
Although the Austrians reversed the initial gains of the Russian army during the Kerensky Offensive, which Russian division made a net gain overall - and who commanded them?
The 8th Army, led by Kornilov
Who did Kerensky appoint as Commander-in-Chief on 18 July?
Kornilov
What were Kornilov’s initial demands when he became Commander-in-Chief on 18 July?
Total independence from Kerensky and capital punishment introduced across Russia
Where did the State Conference take place between 12 and 14 August 1917, and what was Kerensky’s aim in convening it?
Moscow
Aimed to create unity and support for the new Kerensky regime
What was the main thrust of Kornilov’s speech at the Moscow State Conference? Did it go down well?
Called for the death penalty to be extended to the whole country
Yes, it was met with ‘applause bordering on adulation’
What influence did the Bolsheviks have on the first day of the Moscow State Conference?
In Moscow, coffeehouses and restaurants were closed, cab drivers were absent, and the employees of the Bolshoi Theatre (where the conference met) were on strike, so delegates had to serve their own refreshments!
Which “impassable fortress” did Russia lose control of in early September 1917?
Riga
How did the Russian Orthodox Church support Kornilov?
Distributed 500,000 copies of appeals to the military, threatening vengeance from God for deserters!
What did the Octobrist V.N. Lvov tell Kerensky on 22 August?
What did he then tell Kornilov on 24 August?
22 August: Lvov told Kerensky that Russia’s survival was dependent on a ‘national cabinet’ to preserve law and order
24 August: Lvov told Kornilov that Kerensky was happy for them to form a new government
What did Kornilov tell General Krymov on 24 August?
He should push his detached army towards Petrograd to quell a reported “Bolshevik uprising”
What happened to the Petrograd Garrison on 25 August?
It was placed under martial law
What did Kornilov order Kerensky to do on 27 August?
What did Kornilov tell Savinkov (Deputy Minister of War) to do by 29 August?
Kerensky should travel to his military headquarters
Savinkov should place the whole of Petrograd under martial law
Why was Kerensky seriously worried about Kornilov’s plans and actions?
Kerensky thought that Kornilov would remove him from power - he had been double-crossed
What was Kerensky’s reply to Kornilov’s demand for him to travel to the military headquarters?
Kerensky refused - he asked Kornilov to resign and come to Petrograd
What four things did Kornilov say in his appeal to the Russian people, published after he had been told to resign?
He:
- accused the Provisional Government of working with Germany
- called himself the “son of a Cossack peasant” to try to win over ordinary Russians
- declared that all he wanted was “the preservation of a Great Russia”
- claimed that the Russian people should decide their future through elections to a Constituent Assembly
What role did the Petrograd Soviet play during the Kornilov Affair?
Worked with rail worker unions to stop the progress of Krymov’s army
What two things did the Petrograd Soviet demand from the Provisional Government in return for their support in putting down the Kornilov Affair?
Demanded the release of prisoners from the July Days (including Trotsky)
Demanded weapons to put down the coup (many of these ended up in the hands of the Bolshevik militia)
Did Kerensky need to arm the Soviet? Why/why not?
No - Kornilov’s troops never made it to Petrograd
Why did soldiers desert Kornilov and Krymov during the Kornilov affair?
Kornilov had nothing to offer them - they had been influenced by working-class agitators from the Soviet
The soldiers were also worried that they might lose the power they gained from Order No. 1
What did soldiers do in the aftermath of the Kornilov affair and why?
Arrested and lynched their own officers - accused them of supporting Kornilov
What happened to support for the following parties after the Kornilov Affair:
- Kadets
- Mensheviks
- Bolsheviks
Kadets: lost lots of support, including from the Mensheviks who accused them of working with Kornilov and therefore refused to enter a coalition with them
Mensheviks: lost their majorities in the Petrograd and Moscow Soviets
Bolsheviks: support grew rapidly, now seen as the saviours of Petrograd. Won a majority in the Petrograd Soviet as soon as 31 August
