Provisional Government (Feb-Oct) Last Flashcards
(46 cards)
1
Q
Why had the Feb Revolution prevented stable Government?
A
- Due to the concept of dual power where both the Petrograd Soviet and the Provisional Government shared power.
2
Q
What was the role of the Provisional Government and Petrograd Soviet?
A
- Provisional Government claimed to be the sole legal Government of Russia, serving as a temporary Government, until a new constitution was democratically elected by the Constituent Assembly.
- The Petrograd Soviet was a democratically elected Soviet representing the working people and the soldiers of Petrograd, it was supported by Order Number One and the workers and could contrrol factories, railways and garrisons.
3
Q
Who were the main members of the Provisional Government
A
- Members of the Progressive Bloc, including Prince Lvov, Milyukov, Kerensky,.
4
Q
How did the PG gain early support ?
A
- They allowed the freedom of expression and assembly as well as conscience, universal suffrage and equal rights for minorities.
5
Q
Why did radical parties sympathise with the Government to begin with?
A
- Most socialists agreed that a period of parliamentary democracy was needed before a truly socialist revolution.
6
Q
What were the aims of the Soviet?
A
- To represent the rights of workers and be under a Government who respected the rights of the working class.
7
Q
How did the idea of Soviet Government change between Feb and Oct?
A
- Lenin argued that Soviets and the working class should take over the Government of Russia, replacing the undemocratic bourgeoise Government.
8
Q
What reforms reflected a radical transformation of Russian Government?
A
- Universal suffrage for all adults, including women
- The end to religious and ethnic persecution
- Okhrana abolished
- Death penalty abolished
- Amnesty for political prisoners.
9
Q
What limitations did the PG have in regard to reforms?
A
- The PG often didn’t go through with reforms such as the maximum 8-hour day for working people because they believed that the Consitutent Assembly would deal with those issues.
10
Q
Why did widespread reform from the PG lead to destabilsing of the Government?
A
- Key revolutionaries such as Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin were able to return to Petrograd, with Lenin beginning an attack against the Government’s continuation of the war as well as promoting a second revolution so freely.
11
Q
What was the liberal perspective on the war?
A
- Liberals wanted to continue the war to ensure Russian victory
12
Q
What was the Bolshevik perspective on the war?
A
- To end the war, with Lenin seeing the war as imperialist, aiming to exploit working people to gain more land for landowners and capitalists to have even more power.
13
Q
What was the Menshevik view?
A
- ‘Revolutionary defencism’ where Russia would fight to protect its revolution rather than victory
14
Q
What was the Milyukov Crisis?
A
- Whilst the ‘Declaration of War Aims’ which would be sent to the allies confirmed commitment to Revolutionary Defencism, Milyukov added a separate telegram that confirmed Russian commitment to fighting for an all out victory.
- The telegram was leaked causing protest.
15
Q
Why has Milyukov’s telegram undermined faith in the Government?
A
- They were accused of dishonesty and weren’t taken seriously.
16
Q
How did Prince Lvov aim to stabilise the Government after the Milyukov Crisis?
A
- He invited 6 socialists to help run the Government.
17
Q
How did the Mensheviks and SRs lose support after the Milyukov Crisis?
A
- Workers saw Mensheviks and SRs as joining alliances with the bourgeoise Government which undermined their socialist nature, becoming equally untrustworthy.
18
Q
Why was the continuing of war fuelling the Bolshevik support?
A
- As war raged on, more workers and peasants suffered, leading to more appeal to the Bolshevik cause which suggest peace more than any other party.
19
Q
What was the April Theses?
A
- Lenin’s appeal for Bread, Peace and Land
- Bread - Promised an end to the harship of war.
- Peace - Promised to end the war with Germany
- Land - Promised land reform for the peasantry as the PG were unable to stabilise peasant demand.
20
Q
Why was Lenin’s intial support limited?
A
- Tsereteli believed Lenin was out of touch with Russian politics
- Mensheviks claimed Lenin had gone mad
- However, Trotsky, who originially didn’t support the Bolsheviks, supported Lenin’s Theses
21
Q
How did Kerensky change Russian war ambitions?
A
- As newly appointed Minister of War, he wanted to promote an Allied Victory so launched the June Offensive
22
Q
Why was the June Offensive a failure?
A
- War-weariness led to 48 Russian battalions refusing to fight
- 150,000 Russian soldiers died
- More desertion happened
23
Q
Why was the June Offensive critisised?
A
- PG looked weak and ineffective
- PG had exploited workers and peasants to their deaths
- Mensheviks and SRs who had planned the Offensive were seen as hypocrites
24
Q
Summarise the events of the July Days?
A
- After Kadets resigned from the PG, 70,000 soldiers and armed worked surrounded the Tauride Palace.
- Protestors, supported by the Bolsheviks, demanded that the Petrograd Soviet seize power
- Lenin backed down and this led to the Government regaining control.
25
What impact did the failure to seize power in July have on the Bolsheviks?
- They failed to seize the opportunity.
- Lenin fled to Finland
- Trotsky was arrested
- 500 Bolsheviks arrested at the Kshesinskaia Mansion (Bolsheviks HQ)
26
What were issues in agriculture?
- Inflation was growing in 1917 and Russian paper lost half its value in the second half of 1917, leading to a significant fall in the amount of bread available in the cities.
- The Government was able to purhcase only 56% of the grain it had purchased a year earlier.
- Peasants were also seizing land from landlords
27
What were issues in industry?
- The production of fuel fell by more than a third
- Factory production fell by 36%
28
How many workers were on strike from Feb to October 1917?
- 2.5 million workers
29
Why did Kerensky appoint Kornilov?
- Kornilov had no sympathy for revolutionaries and was keepn to assert Governmental authority over the peasants.
30
What were the demands Kornilov wanted as commander-in-chief?
- No strikes during times of war
- Death penalty for desertion
- Military control
31
Why did Kornilov get dismissed by Kerensky?
- Kornilov had demanded Petrograd under military control.
32
How did Kornilov react to his dismissal?
- He detached troops to march on Petrogra
33
How did Kerensky defend Petrograd from Kornilov?
- He needed the support of the Petrograd Soviet and the Red Guard, strengthening the Bolshevik Party
- Kerensky agreed to release prisoners that were Bolshevik to help defend the city.
34
How did the Bolsheviks defend the city?
- Trotsky ordered railway unions to prevent the train carrying Kornilov's troops from entering the city
- Bolsheviiks infiltrated Kornilov's troops and persuaded many to abandon the attack.
35
What news triggered Lenin to return from Finland?
- The Constituent Assembly was being elected in November, with Lenin knowing the SRs would win, therefore needing to stage a revolution of power before then.
36
Why didnt the Bolshevik Central Committee fully agree on revolution?
- Some wanted to wait for the Congress of Soviets meeting which would agree with the Bolsheviks more after the July Days and the Russian situation
- However, Lenin believed that the Bolsheviks needed to suprise the PG by attack under no influence from other socialist parties.
37
Which leaders disagreed with Lenin's revolutionary appeal?
- Kamenev and Zioviev argued for coalition with the radical Mensheviks and the SRs.
38
Why was Trotsky vital in promoting revolutionary movement?
- He was the chairman of the Petrograd Soviet which gave him power to control an uprising through the Soviets to defleect Bolshevik attempts to seize power.
39
What was the MRC?
- Military Revolutionary Committee which aimed to prevent any leader similar to Kornilov from seizing power in Petrograd
- MRC was under Bolshevik control by October.
40
What was the pretext for action October 1917?
- Kerensky moved Soviet troops out of Petrograd which was seen as destabilising Soviet power in an attempt to establish a PG army.
- Trostky used this to ready the MRC for 'defensive action'
41
What was the first phase of the Bolshevik revolution?
- Soldiers loyal to the MRC occupying the post and telegrah offices, as well as railways stations
- In this way, the Bolsheviks extended their control over the city's infrastructure, which prevented the Provisional Government from summoning help.
42
How did the PG storm the Winter Palace?
- PG opened fire on the Winter Palace and Trotsky and the Red Guards successfully arrested the majoirty of the Provisional Government.
43
How many delegates supported the Bolsheviks to begin with at the Second Congress of Soviets?
- Only 300 out of 670 delegates
44
How did the Mensheviks and SRs respond to Bolshevik Revolution?
- Stormed out of the Second Congress of Soviets in protest, leaving the Bolsheviks with more support at the congress.
45
How did the Constituent Assembly elections affect the Bolsheviks?
- The outcome saw the Bolsheviks win less than a quarter of the support of Russia, demonstrating that the SRs were clearly Russia's most popular party.
46
Why were the Bolsheviks still able to control dominance after the Constituent Assembly elections?
- SRs were split between left and right, left supporting the Bolshevik Sovnarkom and rights not, allowing Lenin to claim SR coalition.
- Assembly was not due to meet until January 1918 allowing Lenin to postpone conflict between Sovnarkom and the Assembly.
