The October Revolution (4) Flashcards
When did Lenin return to Petrograd?
April 3rd
When did Lenin issue his April Theses?
4th April
When were the Bolshevik red guards formed?
20th April 1917
Who led the PG during the dual authority spell?
Prince Lvov?
Who was Prince Lvov?
A large landowner and progressive reformer, who headed the PG from March to July in 1917
What were the two crippling weaknesses of the PG?
- It was not an elected body so lacked legitimate authority and had no claim regarding the loyalty of the Russian people. It would be judged entirely upon how it dealt with the nation’s problems.
- It’s authority was limited by its unofficial partnership with the Petrograd Soviet
Who was a member of both the PG and PS? How?
Alexander Kerensky
He was to be Prime Minister of the PG and chairman of the PS
What was “Soviet Order Number 1”?
The PS restricted the PG’s authority and the state’s military were to only obey orders so to not contradict the orders and decrees of the Soviet
What was the importance of the Order?
Military affairs of the PG could only happen with permission from the PS
Without an army, a government does not hold true power
Between February and April 1917, how did the two bodies in dual authority get along?
There was no serious disputes
How did the people of Petrograd feel following the February revolution?
People were enthusiastic as a new era had dawned, encouraging a genuine feeling that Russia has entered a period of genuine freedom.
What were the early achievements of the PG?
- An amnesty for political prisoners
- Trade unions legally recognised 3. An 8 hour day for industrial workers
- The Tsarist secret police was replaced with a “people’s milita”
- Granting of full civil rights and religious freedoms
- Preparations made for the election of a constituent assembly
What did the PG achievements not benefit?
The critical issues of war and land
Who began the destructive process between the PS and the PG?
Lenin
What did Lenin say regarding the war in his letter while in exile?
He urged turning the war into an international class conflict
What did Lenin say about the PG while in exile?
People were to reject the Provisional Government
What did Lenin say about other parties in his letter while in exile?
There was to be no cooperation with them
Who was Lev Kamenev?
A leading voice in the Bolsheviks who returned with Stalin, and originally took an anti-Lenin line
What was a class war as described by Lenin?
The Bolsheviks should infiltrate the armies of the warring nations and encourage soldiers to turn their weapons against their officers as the first step at overthrowing their governments
Who did Lenin have conflicting policies with when the Bolsheviks returned?
Lev Kamenev and Stalin
What did Kamenev and Stalin believe should happen?
- Acceptance of the situation in Petrograd
- Co-operation with the PG
- Alliance with the other parties
What did Lenin deliver upon his return?
The April Theses
What was the April Theses?
Short simple slogans to attract people to the party
What did Lenin say in the April Theses?
“Peace, bread, land”
What did “Peace, bread, land” mean?
Ending the war with Germany
Solving the chronic food shortage
Solve the crisis with the peasants in the countryside
What did Lenin abandon on his return in April?
Cooperation with other parties
What were the two slogans used on Lenin’s arrival in April?
“Peace, bread, land”
“All power to the Soviets”
What was the PG’s issue with the war?
They had no choice but to fight it
Why did the PG have to continue the war?
It was for financial purposes
Without the war, it would no longer receive the supplies and war credits from the allies that it relied upon
Why did the Provisional Government not stand a chance at solving Russia’s issues?
In order to survive, it had to remain in the war, but in doing so, ruined its own chance of survival
What caused the first issue between the PG and PS?
The war
The PS wanted peace in the war and the PG wanted to continue
Who was Kerensky?
War Minister
What was Kerensky’s view on war?
He was a major influence, campaigning for Russia to embrace the conflict as a struggle to save the revolution