How Effective was the Provisional Government in 1917? (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE History)

What was the Provisional Government? - Timeline & Summary

Issues with Dual Power

• In March 1917, the Provisional Government had to enter into Dual Power with the Petrograd Soviet

• The Petrograd Soviet caused issues with the Provisional Government because:

  • They released Soviet Order No.1

    • This directed the Russian Army to obey the Petrograd Soviet rather than the Provisional Government

  • Extremist parties increased their representation in the Petrograd Soviet

    • The Bolsheviks in particular continued to undermine the Provisional Government

  • The Petrograd Soviet influenced the workers

    • They continued to encourage the workers to strike

• The power and resistance of the Petrograd Soviet was damaging

  • The Provisional Government could not govern successfully without their support

Elections and Land

• The Provisional Government quickly passed reforms:

• The Provisional Government avoided tackling larger issues. The Provisional Government:

  • Knew that the people had not elected them

  • Wanted elections to give them a mandate but never confirmed a date for these

• Land was a significant issue in Russia

  • Peasants wanted landowners to give up their rights to the land

  • The Provisional Government promised land redistribution

  • Peasants made up a large proportion of Russia's society

• The Provisional Government delayed making a decision about land

  • They wanted to wait for the results of the election

• The peasants refused to wait

  • By mid-1917, the peasants began illegally seizing land

The July Days

Were the July Days a Missed Opportunity for Lenin?

• Many historians criticise Lenin's decision not to support the July Days because:

  • There was popular support for the Bolsheviks

    • Lenin could have used this support to create a 'revolution from below'

  • Members of the Bolshevik Party believed that Lenin had missed his opportunity to govern Russia

    • The Provisional Government arrested key Bolsheviks like Trotsky

    • Lenin had to flee Russia for Finland, leaving the party leaderless

Kornilov Affair

• By September, the Provisional Government was failing

  • Prince Lvov resigned and Kerensky replaced him as Prime Minister

    • Kerensky was the only member of the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet

  • Russia was performing poorly in the First World War

  • Strikes and food shortages were widespread

• To help maintain control, Kerensky appointed General Kornilov as commander of the Russian Army

• Historians have different interpretations of what happened in September 1917:

• Kerensky panicked

  • He freed many key Bolsheviks

  • He armed the Red Guard so they could defend Petrograd from Kornilov

• The Bolsheviks:

  • Infiltrated Kornilov's troops and encouraged them to desert

  • Disrupted Kornilov's supplies by getting railway workers to strike

• By the end of September:

  • The Provisional Government had arrested Kornilov

  • Kerensky's power over Russia had weakened

  • The Red Guard were armed and did not return their weapons

Continuation of the First World War

• The First World War was very unpopular in Russia

  • The conflict caused millions of casualties and desertions

  • The war effort impacted food and fuel supplies in Russia

• The Provisional Government continued Russia's involvement

  • The Provisional Government needed British and French investment

• The issue caused a divide in Dual Power

  • In March, the Petrograd Soviet declared that it could not support the war

• The June Offensive increased hatred of the war

  • Kerensky had failed to push back Austrian troops

  • Desertions increased

  • Soldiers listened more to Bolshevik propaganda

    • This made them more loyal to the Petrograd Soviet than the Provisional Government