How did it happen?
Nicholas in March 1917 after his
abdication
In January 1917 the Tsar received 3 warnings
about the negative atmosphere in Petrograd:
1.
2.
3.
Okhrana state the people hate the war,
shortages, and are highly critical of the govt. In
comparison to 1917, ‘1905 was but a toy’
Mikhail Rodzianko, chairman of the Duma
warns that forced to choose between the Tsar
and Russia, the people will choose Russia
British Ambassador George Buchanan actually
warns that a revolution is near, and will
incorporate the people and the army
 Tsar at Mogilev
 Food and fuel shortages
 Factories shut down
 Poor transport-supplies
can’t get through
 Germans aid Lenin in
order to get Russia to
pull out of war (Pipes,
p.115)
Julian
Gregoria
Calenda n
r
Calendar
Key Crisis or event in Petrograd
18 Feb
3 March
20,000 workers strike at Putilov steel works
23 Feb
8 March
90,000 protestors at International Women’s day march
24 Feb
9 Mar
200,000 workers on strike. Soldiers patrol city
25 Feb
10 Mar
Strikes closes entire city
26 Feb
11 Mar
Soldiers join protesters, firing on police. Tsar does not
believe Rodzianko’s warnings of revolution,
27 Feb
12 Mar
The entire army revolts and the Duma forms the
Provisional Committee
28 Feb
13 Mar
Fighting between soldiers and loyal police. Prov
Committee declare themselves the Prov Government.
Petrograd Soviet formed by workers & soldiers
1 March
14 Mar
Petrograd Soviet assert control; Tsar allows Prov Govt
and starts return journey to Petrograd
2 March
15 Mar
Tsar abdicates; Prov Govt takes control of Russia
3 March
16 Mar
Fighting ends. Grand Duke Mikhail abdicates ending 300
Provisional Government vs. Petrograd Soviet
 Formed on the same day, the Provisional
Government were the official authority with formal
power, and the Petrograd Soviet who had the
genuine power in the eyes of the people
 Between the revolutions the Dual governments
worked together and were supported by the main
revolutionary parties until Lenin arrived on April 3rd.
Lenin launched a campaign to drive a wedge
between the Soviet and Prov. Govt.
 Created by 12 men from the conservative 4th Duma.
Not voted in
 Prince Lvov, a nobleman appointed PM
 Policies included many new civil liberties
 Organised to be replaced by an elected Constituent
Assembly that represented all classes and all of
Russia
 Read document p.43 of booklet
 Made of up over 3000 workers, soldiers and
revolutionary party deputies.
 The soviet therefore influenced control of the army,
railways, communications, employers and
employees.
 Soviet Order 1 declared the defence force was
answerable to the Soviet only
 Read document p.42 of booklet
 Lenin arrived back in Russia
 Germans helped him get back – it helped their war effort
 April Theses – renounce war, move to next stage of
revolution, deny support to Prov. Govt. ‘all power to the
Soviets’, dissolve army to create people’s militia,
confiscate landlord’s property and nationalise land, single
National bank to be created under Soviet supervision,
Soviet control of production and distribution.’
 Did mention patience twice – ‘it is not our immediate task
to introduce socialism’ – Read p. 152
April 3 –Finland Station in Petrograd
“ I cannot forget that speech, like a
flash of lightning, which shook and
astonished not only me, a heretic
accidentally thrown into delirium, but
also the true believers. I aver that on
one had expected anything like it. It
seemed as if all the elemental forces
had risen from their lairs and the spirit
of universal destruction, which knew
no obstacles, no doubts, neither
human difficulties nor human
calculations, circled in Kshesinskaia’s
hall above the heads of the enchanted
disciples.’
Sukhanov ( a Menshevik) quoted in
Pipes p. 117
Read document p.44 of booklet
• Almost lead Russia into
democracy
• Before the June offensive was
seen as the leader of the revolution
to unify Russia
• Was leader of the Socialist
Revolutionaries
• Belonged to the Provisional
Government becoming PM in July
• Also was Vice Chairman of the
Petrograd Soviet
• Nearly crushed Bolsheviks,
Trotsky and Lenin from all
existence
BUT…
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Only gained power thanks to triple abdication
so had no popular mandate to rule Russia
Continued the war everyone hated and were
losing money from because of loans Russia
owed to Allies
Massive military defeat in June Offensive
Focus on war meant economic problems
continued
Kerensky tried to please all sections of
Russian society, which only managed to
alienate them
Factor 1:
Lenin’s return via a train paid for by Germany and his
April 3rd speech at Finland Station promising
‘Peace, Land, Bread!’ and ‘All power to the Soviets’
On the 4th April he put forward a blueprint for a
Bolshevik revolution from the Provisional
Government’s upper class democracy to a
revolutionary dictatorship of workers and peasants
Factor 2:
July Days: On the verge of social and economic
collapse, unemployed workers went to the streets in
protest.
It was put down by Kerensky’s troops after 3 days.
The Bolsheviks were blamed and Lenin fled to Finland.
Trotsky stayed to face the music and was arrested with
many other Bolsheviks. They learned valuable lessons
in how to take power.
Factor 3:
Kornilov Revolt: In August General
Kornilov was appointed
Commander in Chief of the
Russian Army.
His method to restore order was to
march the army to Petrograd and
replace the Prov. Govt. with a
military dictatorship
Kerensky had to free the Bolshevik
prisoners to create an army to
protect Petrograd
Armed with weapons the Bolsheviks
were now seen as the defenders
of the revolution
General Kornilov
Factor 4:
Growth in political support:
 Bolshevik support grew in Russian soviets due to
growing demoralisation of the army
 From defending the revolution from the Kornilov
revolt
 They were not tainted by association from the
ineffectual Prov. Govt.
 Controlled the most powerful of Soviets in
Petrograd and Moscow by September
 People trusted Trotsky and he became Chairman
of the Petrograd Soviet
 The situation now seemed primed for a Bolshevik
seizure of power
 Read document p.46 in booklet