Theme 1 - Provisional Government and Bolshevik revolution of 1918

Question 1

When does Nicholas personally take control of the war

Answer 1

• May 1915
• Leaving GERMAN empress in charge under the influence of Rasputin

Question 2

When is the start of WW1

Answer 2

• Early August 1914

Question 3

Whats the inital public opinion of the war

Answer 3

• Intially high spirits

Question 4

Describe the first major defeat in WW1

Answer 4

• Tannenburg
• 29 August 1914
• 70k dead

Question 5

What is the mood in Petrograd in late 1916

Answer 5

• “The industrial proletariat of the capital are in dispair”
• Dec 1916

Question 7

State of the war effort by 1916

Answer 7

• One rifle between 3

Question 8

What is the political mood in early 1917

Answer 8

• High discontent
• Eastern front near collapse
• Worst winter in memory at -30
• Alexandra refused to listen to the Duma - the Duma thought they could do a better job

Question 9

When was Rasputin Assasinated

Answer 9

• December 1916

Question 10

When does the president of the Duma declare no confidence in Nicholas

Answer 10

• 14 Feb 1917

Question 11

When does disquiet begin in Petrograd

Answer 11

• 18 Feb 1917
• Strike at Putilov engineering works
• By 25 there were 300k demonstrators in the street

Question 12

What was the impact of international womens day

Answer 12

• 23 Feb 1917
• 100k women in the streets

Question 13

When does Nicholas try to reimpose order & what happens

Answer 13

• 26 Feb: Nicholas instructs garrison to restore order
• 27 Feb: Most of the garrison mutiny

Question 14

When does Nicholas order the Duma to dissolve

Answer 14

• 27 Feb 1917
• 12 delagates refuse and set up the “Provisional Committee”
• Kerenesy demands Nicholas’ abdication

Question 15

When is the first meeting of the Petrograd Soviet?

Answer 15

• 27 Feb 1917

Question 16

What is “Soviet Order No. 1” and when is it issued

Answer 16

• 1 March 1917
• Removes officers powers and transfers them to elected representatives of the soldiers

Question 17

When does Nicholas II abdicate

Answer 17

• 2nd March 1917
• At the behest of Generals
• Proposes his brother - Grand duke Michael but he refuses to take crown

Question 18

When does the Provisional Committee rename itself the Provisional government?

Answer 18

• 3 March

Question 19

When is the Petrograd soviet set up and what do they do initally

Answer 19

• 12 March 1917
• Take control of the food supply

Question 20

What are the major problems for the Provisional Government

Answer 20

• Further defeats in WW1
• Food Shortages
• Existance of Soviet

Question 21

When does Trotsky become Chair of Petrograd soviet

Answer 21

• September 1917

Question 22

When does Lenin arrive in Petrograd

Answer 22

• April 1917
• With assistance from the Germans

Question 23

What was the outcome of the Provisional Governments June offensive

Answer 23

• June 1917
• Supported by Soviet
• Was a failure and undermine the Provisional Government
• Returning soldiers took part in Land Seizures

Question 23

Describe the level of Newspaper support of Lenin

Answer 23

• June 1917
• Over 40 newspapers in circulation in support of Lenin

Question 24

Describe the explostion in Bolshevik party membership in 1917

Answer 24

• 24k in Feb 1917
• 740k in Oct 17

Question 25

Describe Lenin’s April Thesis

Answer 25

1: End to War
2: Redistrobution - middle to working class
3: Land to Peasants
4: Police, Army & Buerocracy to end
5: Overthrow of Capitalist system - banks, factories and transport nationalised
6: Bolsheviks should take control of the soviet to achieve this

Question 26

When was the first attempt of the Bolsheviks to overthrow the government? Describe it

Answer 26

• July 1917
• 3 Days of Rioting
• Kerensky brought in loyal troops to quell the disorder
• Lenin went abroad and others went into hiding

Question 27

When and what was the Kornilov affair

Answer 27

• August 1917
• Gen. Kornilov attempts to establish a military dictatorship
• Kerensky forced to release bolsheviks to save petrograd
• Rail workers prevented Kornilov from reaching petrograd
• Kerinsky weakened as forced to release red guard

Question 28

When does Lenin convince the central committee to act? Was it unanimous?

Answer 28

• 10 October 1917
• Zinoviev and Kaminev dissenting

Question 29

What do the Bolsheviks do in prepartation for october

Answer 29

• Reduce size of street demonstations

Question 30

When was the october revolution? What Happened?

Answer 30

• 24 October 1917
• Bolsheviks sieze key government buildings

Question 31

What happens in the aftermath

Answer 31

• 25th to 27th October
• Remaining members of PG arrested
• Second congress of Soviets - adopts Lenin’s decree on peace and land
• Approves council of people’s commisars with Lenin as chair

Question 32

Why do Mensheviks and SR’s oppose Lenin’s seizure of power

Answer 32

• They view it as a Bolshevik not Soviet seizure

Question 33

Why was Lenin successfull in October 1917

Answer 33

• Used simple slogans focusing on Key issues
• Increased party membership
• Created red guards
• Superb orator
• Convinced the garrison to support them
• ## Provisional government support lacking: peasants wanted Land reform

Question 34

Factors to suggest October revolution was sudden

Answer 34

• Wasn’t planned in the long term
• No mood for revolution until Lenin returned October 7th
• 7 –> 10 Oct - no unanimous vote for revolution
• Zinoviev and Kaminev wrote a letter saying why it was too soon for revolution
• Trotsky urged caution

Question 35

Factors to suggest it was planned

Answer 35

• Existence of a “military revolutionary committee”
• In October the bolsheviks scaled down demonstrations
• Sailors from Krondstat sailed into Petrograd to signal start of the revolution
• Key buildings taken simultainiously

Question 36

When did Lenin return to petrograd from his second exile?

Answer 36

• October 7th 1917