The rise, fall, rise of the Bolsheviks in 1917

Question 1

brief background of Kerensky

Answer 1

• lawyer from a comfortable background
• member of the socialist revolutionaries
• became minister of war in May
• Kerensky became the head of the PG in July 1917

Question 2

when did the PG organise a new offensive against Germany

Answer 2

at the beginning of Summer 1917

Question 3

how did the failure of the June offensive benefit the Bolsheviks

Answer 3

• anger at the failure of the offensive contributed to the outbreak of riots and armed uprising in Petrograd July 1917
• the support from the Mensheviks and SRs for the offensive weakened the credibility of and support of thees parties in the eyes of the masses

Question 4

how did the July Days begin

Answer 4

• 3-4th July 1917
• anger of the garrison soldiers and workers boiled over, resulting in uncontrolled rioting breaking out on the streets of Petrograd

Question 5

what was the anger of the garrison soldiers and workers a result of

Answer 5

• continued economic hardships
• failure of the June offensive
• fear of soldiers that they would be sent to the front

Question 6

who marched through Petrograd and what did they demand

Answer 6

• 20,000 sailors from the Kronstadt naval base marched through the city
• demanded that the Petrograd soviet seize power
• soviet, dominated by Mensheviks and SRs, refused to do so

Question 7

why did the July Days present a golden opportunity for the Bolsheviks

Answer 7

• workers, sailors and soldiers had shown themselves to want far more radical change than what the main socialist groups were offering
• Bolsheviks were the only party that consistently called for Russia to be pulled out of the war and for the masses to seize power
• the popularity of the Bolsheviks increased

Question 8

how did the July Days become a disaster for the Bolsheviks

Answer 8

• when it seemed that the Bolshevik’s moment had come, Lenin hesitated
• Bolsheviks failed to seize the moment by offering leadership to the protestors
• government took advantage of this hesitation by moving troops into the city, crushing protests and arresting many Bolsheviks

Question 9

who was General Kornilov

Answer 9

• Kerensky appointed Kornilov as the head of the armed forces after the July Days
• Kornilov was popular amongst the middle and upper classes who saw him as a guard against violent revolution

Question 10

why did Kerensky enter an agreement with Kornilov and what was it about

Answer 10

• entered an agreement with Kornilov for him to bring loyal troops into Petrograd
• this is because Kerensky decided that he needed to take action to keep order in the cities, particularly Petrograd

Question 11

brief summary of the Kornilov affair

Answer 11

• as Kornilov started moving troops into Petrograd, Kerensky realised that Kornilov intended to seize power for himself
• masses in Petrograd reacted with fear to his advanced
• workers feared Kornilov would try to restore the old order while soldiers feared he would introduce strict military discipline and send them to the front
• Kerensky called upon the soviet to defend the city and release Bolsheviks from prison and supplied them with arms
• at the forefront, organising the defences, were the Bolsheviks

Question 12

what was the outcome of the Kornilov affair

Answer 12

• his troops never arrived
• as Railway workers halted the trains taking the troops to Petrograd
• Bolshevik agents convinced many of the troops to desert their officers

Question 13

why was the Kornilov affair a vital turning point for the Bolsheviks?

Answer 13

• in the eyes of the workers, Kerensky was discredited by the affair as were other socialist parties
• Bolsheviks visible presence at the forefront of the defences increased their popularity
• bolsheviks were elected in great numbers onto soviets and in September, bolsheviks gained control of the Petrograd soviet and Moscow Soviet
• Trotsky became chairman of the Petrograd Soviet

Question 14

what were the mistakes made by Kerensky

Answer 14

• he decided to launch a new offensive against Germany in June
• Kornilov affair left him discredited as officers wouldn’t fight for him or the PG as they felt Kerensky betrayed Kornilov
• underestimated the strength of the Bolsheviks and by moving against them in October, he gave them an excuse for seizing power which led to their popularity increasing