Topic 3: Provisional Government and the Bolshevik Revolution Flashcards
When was Kerensky made the Prime Minister of the Provisional Government?
July 1917
When did Lenin return to Russia from exile?
April 1917
What was the period of March - October 1917 called?
Period of Dual Power
When was the June Offensive?
1st - 4th June 1917
When were the July Days?
3rd - 17th July
Who led the Provisional Government?
Prince Lvov
Who was a key player in the Provisional Government?
Alexander Kerensky
Why was Kerensky a key player in the Provisional Governmet?
He was populat with the people
He met crowds to discuss their demands
He became a link between the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet
What positives did the Provisional Government do?
They ended capital punishment
They ended press censorship
They released all political prisoners
They disbanded the Okhrana
Why was ending press censorship ultimately a negative for the Provisional Government?
It allowed critics of the government to attack the government for problems it was not solving
What did Lenin coming back to Russia mean for the Bolsheviks?
The Bolsheviks had a clear leader
What were the five problems of the Provisional Government?
- Power sharing with the Petrograd Soviet
- Continuing the war
- Not solving the land issue
- Not solving the lack of food problem
- They had no clear aims
Who did the Petrograd Soviet represent?
Soldiers and workers
Why did the Provisional Government have to work with the Petrograd Soviet?
The Petrograd Soviet had control of the army and the workers would do what they said
Why did the Petrograd Soviet have more respect than the Provisional Government?
The Petrograd Soviet had actually been elected
What was Army Order Number 1
Siad that soldiers and sailors must set up committees to take control of weapons and equipment, stop using titles, and stop saluting officers
Why did the Petrograd Soviet not just take over the Provisional Government?
The Petrograd Soviet was run by Mensheviks and other Marxists.
They wanted revolution but believed there had to be a bourgeois phase in Russia before a socialist revolution.
The Provisional Government was bourgeois so they supported it
Why did the Petrograd Soviet keep out of the affairs of the Provisional Government?
Russia had a lot of problems that were not being dealt with.
The Petrograd Soviet did not want to be blamed for this
Lenin worked hard to get a majority in the Petrograd Soviet. When was this achieved?
September 1917
Why did the Provisional Government not remove Russia from the war right away?
They wanted investment from Britain and France so did not want to anger them
What was the June Offensive?
Ordered by Kerensky
Was intended to be short and to push the Germans back
It was a complete disaster.
What were peasants doing in the countryside?
Seizing landowner estates and murdering resistors
Why did the Provisional Government not solve the land issue?
They wanted to leave land issues to the elected government
Worried that further land reforms might cause more army desertions
Why was the lack of food problem made worse?
Chaos in the countryside led to less food being transported to towns and cities
How was the Provisional Government divided
It was badly divided and made up of several political parties.
The Kadets wanted to restore law and order and set up parliamentary democracy.
The socialists wanted to push the revolution further
Who helped Lenin get back to Russia?
The Germans
Why did the Germans help Lenin get back to Russia?
It was hoped he woud undermine the Russian war effort
When did Lenin arrive at Finland Station (in Petrograd)?
3rd April 1917
What is the name of Lenin’s demands?
April Theses
What were the April Theses?
An immediate end to the war as it was a capitalist war
Nationalisation of industry
Land for peasants - nationalisation of land
All power in Russia must be given to the Soviets
End all cooperation with the Provisional Government and any party helping them
What were Lenin’s two effective slogans?
‘Peace, Bread, and Land’
‘All power to the Soviets’
What was the purpose of the All-Russian Congress of Soviets in June 1917?
To bring representatives from the soviets across Russia together
What was the political make up of the All-Russian Congress of Soviets?
13% Bolsehvik
66% Menshevik and SRs
Why did support for Bolshevism grow?
Food and fuel shortages
The land problem
Delayed elections
Propaganda
Bolshevik military strength
Foreign support
What did the bread allowance go down to?
450g to 110g - barely enough to live on
What did the peasants demand of the Provisional Government?
That the government made their seizing of land legal
What did Kerensky do in response to peasants seizing land?
Sent out punishment brigades
Why was it such a problem that elections for the Constituent Assembly were delayed?
People felt cheated
Decisions were left waiting for this new government that was seemingly never coming
What appeared in June 1917 in most cities?
Bolshevik newspapers
What did Bolshevik newspapers do?
Criticised the government
Emphasised Lenin’s April Theses
How mant Red Guards (Bolshevik militia) were there by July 1917?
10,000 in Petrograd
Who secretly sent the Bolsheviks money?
Germany
Why did the Germans secretly send the Bolsheviks money?
For their activities to undermine the war effort
What was the July Days?
Anti-government demonstrations
What were protesters protesting during the July Days?
To protest the war and the failed June Offensive
To protest about the continuing food shortages
Who was the protests of July Days started by?
Anarchist revolutionaries
What did protesting at the July Days turn into?
Riots
What dispersed the crowds of rioters during the July Days?
A thunderstorm on the 4th July
What did Kerensky argue about Lenin during the July Days?
That he was a danger to Russia and was in the pay of the Germans
Where did Lenin flee to after the July Days?
Finland
Who was arrested after the July Days?
Trotsky
Who did Kerensky appoint as commander-in-chief of the army?
General Kornilov
Why was General Kornilov angry at the Provisional Government?
There was a lack of discipline in the army
What did Kornilov want to introduce to break the power of the Soviets?
Martial Law
Why did Kornilov take troops from the front line back to Petrograd?
Destroy the Petrograd Soviet and arrest its members
Remove Kerensky and the Provisional government
Set up a military dictatorship with himself as leader
Who was Kerensky forced to work with during Kornilov’s revolt?
The Petrograd Soviet
Within days, how many men had the Bolsheviks enlisted to help defend Petrograd?
25,000 men
What did Trotsky send to Kornilov’s troops?
Agitators to convince them to desert
What stopped Kornilov’s supplies from reaching Petrograd?
The Railway union
What was waiting for Kornilov when he reached Petrograd
Nothing. He had no troops.
Who got the credit for stopping Kornilov?
The Bolsheviks
Why did Kerensky look weak during the Kornilov Revolt?
He had to rely on the Bolsehviks
What happened to the army after the Kornilov revolt?
Discipline collapsed.
Hundreds of officers were murdered.
Tens of thousands of soldiers deserted and returned to villages
What was the increase in Bolsheviks within the Soviets?
At the start of 1917, they had 24,000 members
By October 1917, they had 340,000 members
What did the 40,000 Red Guards do with the weapons Kerensky gave them to stop Kornilov?
They kept them
What did Lenin do in mid-October 1917?
Returned to Russia in disguise
Whose organisation was vital to Bolshevik sucess?
Trotsky
Where was the Bolshevik headquarters in October 1917?
The Smolny Institute
What did Kerensky try to do in response to the growth in support for the Bolsheviks?
Send all Bolshevik influenced army units out of Petrograd
What did the Bolsehviks do in response to Kerensky trying to remove Bolshevik influenced army units?
Set up the Military Revolutionary Committee
By the 21st October, who had promised loyalty to the MRC?
Most of Petrograd regiment
What did Kerensky try to do to stop the Bolsehviks?
Shut down their newspapers
Closing river crossings between the city centre and working class districts
How did Trotsky use the MRC in response to Kerensky closing river crossings?
He used the MRC to take control of roads, canals, bridges, army HQ, and the post office
What did Kerensky do to try and get support against the Bolsheviks?
Drove around Russia in his car looking for soldiers to defend the Provisional Government
What did the Red Guard take control of on the 25th-26th October?
Bridges, telegraph office, railway stations, and power stations
Was the October Revolution a bloody revolution?
No, most soldiers standing guard over important buildings just handed them over.
Most people did not even realise a revolution was happening
What did the Bolshevik Party take over on the 26th October?
The state bank
Did Kerensky return from trying to find soldiers to defend Petrograd?
No. He left the city and did not return.
Who was in charge of defending the Winter Palace?
The Women’s Death Battalion
Did the Women’s Death Battalion fight the Bolsehvik’s over the Winter Palace?
No - they were not keen on fighting the Bolsheviks
Did Provisional Government ministers resist the takeover?
No
How did Bolsehvik propaganda present the seizure of the Winter Palace?
As a dramatic battle won by the heroic determination of the Red Guard
In reality, what was the seizure of the Winter Palace like?
Easy. Only 5 Red Guards were hurt
What did delegates do at the All-Russian Congress of Soviets in October?
Left in protest as the Bolsheviks were still a small party and should not have taken over.
What did Trotsky say of the delegates that left the All-Russian Congress of Soviets?
They belonged ‘to the dustbin of history’
What were Lenin’s strengths during the October Revolution?
Clear thinking
April Theses was simple and effective
What were Trotsky’s strengths during the October Revolution?
He planned the details of the seizure of power
He organised the Red Army
He coordinated military operations through the MRC
He motivated Bolshevik supporters through speeches
Who did Trotsky persuade to support the uprising and provide weapons?
The Petrograd Garrison
The Kronstadt Naval Base
What were the weaknesses of the Provisional Government that led to the October Revolution?
Continuing the war - the army could not be relied upon to maintain law and order
Not giving the peasants land - this increased desertions from the army and lost landowner support
Kornilov Revolt - weakened Kerensky and the Provisional Government
Delayed elections made people lose faith in the Provisional Government - they didn’t want to return to a system like they had under the Tsar.
