1. AOS1: IDEAS, MOVEMENTS AND LEADERS
Between the revolutions.
February to October
The Provisional Government

2. The Provisional Government
Shared Dual Authority with the Petrograd Soviet.
Led by Prince Lvov – many members of old Duma formed part of the Government; wealthy landowners, nobles and freemasons
Not elected – Milyukov, a member said that the Revolution had ‘appointed them’!
As they weren’t elected by the people they lacked legitimate authority and failed to win the loyalty of the Russian people.
Kerensky was a member of both the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet.

4. The Dual Authority: Feb 1917 – October Was the Provisional Government fatally weakened from the outset?
Dual government had two phases: Feb – April: generally worked together and supported by main revolutionary parties.
2nd phase: Lenin’s return in April to Oct a rivalry campaign that separated the Soviet and the Bolsheviks from Petrograd Soviet
Came into being as a rebellious body
No constitutional claims nor loyalty of the people
Its authority was weakened by association and splitting of power with Petrograd Soviet
Kerensky

5. Early decisions and gains to secure the revolution
Amnesty for political prisoners
Recognition of trade unions
Eight hour day
Disbanding of Tsar’s police and new people’s militia formed
Civil and religious freedom
Commitment to Constituent Assembly (see Malone p.108 and add other policies of PG)

6. Petrograd Soviet
A soviet is a workers council – previous soviets had been set up during the 1905 Revolution.
The Soviet saw itself initially as a watchdog for the workers.
Soviets spread throughout Russia.
Enjoyed more credibility, popularity and power than the Provisional Government.
Was able to restrain the government – for example had ultimate control over the Armed forces with ‘Soviet Order Number 1’.

7. March 2 1917: Soviet Order No.1:
a decree to the PG that declared that any decision regarding military affairs must be approved by Soviet. Therefore PG did not have control of the army.
Read pg 109 and add what else was included in Soviet Order No. 1

8. Working together ? The Dual Authority
Initially the 2 bodies cooperated well and useful and effective changes were introduced including:
recognition of Trade Unions
8 hour day for industrial workers
full civil and religious freedoms
commitment to a constituent assembly

9. However…….
As the year progressed the increasingly contrasting political makeup of the 2 bodies began to lead to disagreements. The Provisional Government moved further to the right politically and the Soviet moved to the left. This made cooperation much more difficult and tension between the 2 increased. The main issues of disagreement were Russia’s involvement in the world war and the land question.

10. Why did the PG fail? Weak political and popular foundation
Not elected. Gained power due to triple abdication.
Privileged members of society from the fourth Duma.
Lacked mass support

11. Continued fighting the WW1
Dominant problem was the war.
PG had no choice but to fight on. Needed foreign capital and supplies just to survive
War had bankrupted Russia.
PG’s preoccupation to the war prevented it from dealing with social and economic problems thus destroying its own chance of survival.
The war continued to fare badly.

12. Continued fighting the WW1
Defeating the German’s was seen as vital in saving the revolution, yet Russia had gone beyond the point where it could wage a successful war.
Bolsheviks spread subversion and dissent amongst the troops.
Major June offensive in SW had failed
Mass desertions and mutinies
Call for army to be called back to crush subversives at home.
Kerensky appointed PM
Lenin’s plan was to end the war. Seen as a German spy. He and Bolsheviks heavily funded by Germans.

13. June Offensive
Kerensky planned June offensive to boost the morale of the soldiers.
Visited the front to urge soldiers to view the battle as a revolutionary crusade.
Petrograd Soviet supported it as a step to ‘stop the disintegration in our army’.
Maxim Gorky claimed ‘although I am a pacifist, I welcome the coming offensive in hope that it may at least bring some organisation to the country’.

14. A Failed Offensive Historian Lynch:
Attack on Austrian line-18th June.
Early success- captured prisoners in only two days.
Germans attacked back casualities on Russian side.
German planes flew low over the fleeing troops and bombed them with propaganda leaflets.
Read the paragraph on shift in public opinion about Kerensky (pg 112).
Historian Lynch:
‘It was a paradoxical situation: in order to survive the Provisional Government had to keep Russia in the war, but in doing so it destroyed its own chances of survival.’ (Lynch 2000)

15. Lack of Focus on economic problems
Land issues were not resolved and proved the undoing of the cooperation and led to the rise of Lenin and the Bolsheviks
Food and fuel shortages, inflation, peasant seizure of land.
Instability within the PG.
The Provisional Government alienated both upper and working class supporters.
Failed because it attempted to please all sections of society

16. Alienation of both upper-class and working class supporters
David Christian: PG failed because it attempted to please all sections of society.
Mixed policies aimed at both sections. Could not please any.
Kerensky: ‘he had attempted an impossible middle road’.
Work on Analysis Activity 2 ‘Grievances’

17. What worked in favour of the Bolsheviks?

18. Release of political prisoners
PG’s policy to release all political prisoners meant that leaders such as Stalin, who had been in Siberia, could return.
Revolutionaries in Europe returned with German assistance. Lenin, Trotsky, Zinoviev and other Bolshevik exiles in Switzerland
Germany’s hope was to return the revolutionaries to defeat PG, which in return would lead to withdrawal of Russian troops.

19. Lenin returns!!
Lenin’s return was aided by the Germans. He traveled across occupied Europe in a sealed train.
Lenin arrived in Russia and immediately condemned the February Revolution and spoke of his desire to overthrow the Provisional Government – calling it a ‘parliamentary-bourgeois republic’

21. The April Theses
On the 4th of April Lenin issued his ‘April Theses’. The ‘Theses’ set out Bolshevik policy and expressed Bolshevik support for the Soviets (he certainly recognised their importance as an established powerbase). Lenin stated that the February Revolution was only the first stage of the Revolution. He refused to compromise on his belief in the power of the worker.
Began to use slogans – ‘Peace, Bread and Land’ and ‘All power to the Soviets’.

22. April Theses
After reading the April These handout answer following questions:
Which points in the statement would have been most favoured by the Soviet? Industrial workers? Peasants?
Which was most damaging to the PG?
Describe the tone of Lenin’s words.
Short answer response: Using three or four points, explain how Lenin’s ‘April Theses’ contributed to the development of the October Revolution of Provide evidence to support your answer. (VCAA 2009 Examination)

23. Social discontents
May Day 1917

24. Street demonstration, Petrograd, 18 June 1917
Street demonstration, Petrograd, 18 June The banner in the foreground reads "Down With The 10 Capitalist Ministers/ All Power To The Soviets Of Workers', Soldiers', And Peasants' Deputies/ And To The Socialist Ministers/ [We Demand That Nicholas II Be Transfered To The Peter-Paul Fortress."

25. Kronstad Mutiny Kronstad Mutiny Naval base 15 miles from Petrograd
Sailors and workers defied central authority. Set up own separate governments
Revolutionaries in Petrograd were spurred by these events to attempt to bring down government.

26. The July Day – almost a disaster for the Bolsheviks!!
Events by summer of 1917: PG not in any way in control
Widespread soviet control of factories,
land seizure by peasants,
independent national minority governments - Ukraine
 Demonstrations in early July turned into a direct challenge to the government.
The rising was disorderly, confused and easily routed by troops loyal to the PG who had been withdrawn from the front.
supported by the Bolsheviks (?)
easily crushed by Government troops
Results of July Days
Opposition forces were disunited
Bolsheviks far from being dominant revolutionary party
PG still had means to quell armed revolt.
Kerensky became PM on strength of this

27. “Loyal” troops fired on the demonstrators

28. Results of July Days Blow to the Bolshevik reputation.
Became clear that the opposition forces were disunited.
Bolsheviks far from being dominant revolutionary party.
Kerensky became PM on strength of this.

29. July Days continued…..
Even though the Bolsheviks didn’t claim responsibility for the July Days fiasco, the Provisional Government saw it as a Bolshevik challenge to its authority and had many Bolsheviks arrested. Lenin fled Petrograd. The failure of the July Days severely hurt the reputation of the Bolshevik party as a serious revolutionary prospect. Read Pipes’ quote about Lenin on pg 116.
Lenin in disguise in Finland

30. The Kornilov Affair– a right-wing coup?
Kornilov was an army officer who hated Lenin and the Soviets and had not fully accepted the February Revolution.
Kornilov made the decision to move troops to Petrograd to protect it against advancing German soldiers and growing unrest in the city itself.

31. Continued….
Kerensky publicly condemned Kornilov’s action saying that he was bringing the troops to overthrow the government.
Kerensky asked the people of Petrograd to fight against Kornilov – he gave weapons to ‘loyal’ people and released many Bolsheviks from prison so they could fight.
No fighting occurred in the end because Kornilov’s train was stopped on its way to Petrograd and he was arrested.
Bolsheviks claimed that they had ‘saved’ the revolution and that the P G had been shown to be vulnerable.
The Bolsheviks were now in a powerful and popular position. The Provisional Government had been weakened and the time was ripe for a change!

32. Build up to Revolution
Lenin continued to call for the overthrow of the Provisional Government and said that the time was right for the Bolsheviks to launch a takeover attempt.
“History will not forgive us if we do not assume power” Lenin
By September 1917 the Bolsheviks had a majority in the Petrograd and Moscow Soviets (although they weren’t necessarily the most popular party). See the table on pg 118.
Less cooperation between the Soviet and the Provisional Government.

33. The Land Question
The Provisional Government and the Soviet did not have a solution to the land question – but Lenin spotted the political advantage in the situation and adopted a land policy (stolen from the SRs) promising ‘Land to the peasants’. This brought renewed support for the Bolsheviks.
Land shortages were a huge problem in 1917.
Peasants had believed that the February Revolution would bring them land – it hadn’t! Discontent grew and peasants began to seize land.

34. H.W. Tasks
Read Analysis Activity 3 Historian’s Perspective on pg 118 and answer the given questions.
Answer chapter review questions.

35. The October Revolution
Why were the Bolsheviks able to come to power? What happened during the Revolution? How did the Bolsheviks manage to gain power without a fight?

36. Kerensky and Lenin
Kerensky tried to strengthen the Provisional Government by re-shuffling the cabinet and proposing a “Pre-Parliament” be set up before the constituent assembly election.
Lenin wanted a revolution before the meeting of the All Russian Congress of Soviets (late October) and the November Constituent Assembly elections, because he felt these might limit the Bolsheviks power.

37. Bolshevik uncertainty?
As rumours of an impending Bolshevik revolution spread two Bolsheviks (Kamenev and Zinoviev) published an article warning against an immediate revolution.
However, in fact this warning led to the revolution beginning even more quickly, as Kerensky decided to launch a pre-emptive strike against the Bolsheviks by attempting to arrest some leading Bolsheviks and shutting down the Bolshevik newspaper.

38. Revolution begins!!!!
Trotsky ordered the Red Guards to seize key points in Petrograd.
Lenin reacted to Kerensky’s actions by ordering the uprising to begin.
Trotsky had organised the plans for the action as he was chairman of the Petrograd Soviet and part of the Military Revolution Committee (MRC).

39. 25 – 27 October
The Bolsheviks fought for control of Petrograd – although there was little actual fighting because the Provisional Government lacked military support.

40. The Winter Palace falls -Victory for the Bolsheviks.
The Red Guards took over the Winter Palace and Kerensky fled Petrograd.
27 October – Lenin announced that the Bolshevik led Petrograd Soviet had seized power in the name of all Soviets.

41. Lenin explained that the Bolsheviks would now lead the way in constructing a “socialist society”.