Feb - October, 1917

• Feb, 1917: Prince Lvov is appointmented as Prime Minister. He was very progressive and a moderate socialist, but was still a member of the royal family. (PG mistake).
• Feb 1917: The PG put forward "eight principles". This includes the release of all political prisoners, the right to strike and universal suffrage. PG strength.
• Feb 1917: The eight principles COULD be a PG weakness. They released political prisoners and allowed political opposition - including the Bolsheviks.
• March, 1917: Declaration of Aims. 


  The Petrograd Soviet demanded that war should only be conducted in a defensive manner, with no further costly offensives. The PG agreed in public, but in private they assured Britain and France (Russia's allies, who were giving them money) that they would find a way around this. The soviet wielded immense power, so they agreed, but were worried about losing loans from their Western allies. PG MISTAKE.
• March, 1917, after the Declaration: Lenin decided to take the German offer, made in March, and began travelling in 1917 on his way back to Russia. He travelled in a sealed train funded by the Germans. Lenin eventually arrived in Russia on the third of April. This is a strength because Lenin was now in the country and able to communicate orders to the rest of Bolsheviks. 
• However, March 1917: Lenin had accepted an offer from Germany (the enemy in the war), meaning that he could be accused of being a traitor or a German spy. Germany wanted Lenin to weaken the provisional government. They also knew that Lenin wanted to end the war. 
• April, 1917: Lenin announced his ideas in the April Theses. Called for an end to cooperation with the Prov Gov (he called “a stinking corpse”). STRENGTH: any mistake made by the Prov Gov would no longer taint any choices L made. L wanted a revolution soon as possible, this was only possible if they were separate from the Prov Gov. Good idea, clever leadership. Lenin also announced clever propaganda speeches which summed up what the people wanted to hear. Were easy to understand - “Peace, Bread and Land” - when many Russians were illiterate. Another propaganda “All Power to the Soviets”.  

   
• April 1917, April Thesis: However, Lenin’s ideas caused a split within the Bolsheviks. Leading Bolsheviks: Stalin, Kamenev and Zionoviev wanted to cooperate with the Prov Gov to consolidate the bourgeois phase of the revolution. 
• The importance of the slogan "Peace, Bread and Land":
• The importance of the slogan "Peace, Bread and Land":

  Peace - end the war which appealed to everyone.

  Bread - bread rationing. appeals to hungry people suffering from food shortages. 

  Land - appealing to the peasants, who had always wanted more land.
• April 1917, post Lenin's return: However, as a reaction to this scandal (Milyukov telegram leaked), the Prov Gov tried to become more popular with left wing groups. Prince Lvov reshuffled the government. The Prov Gov added six leaders of the Petrograd Soviet who belonged to SR/Menshevik parties to join the reshuffled cabinet. PG STRENGTH
• April 1917, post Lenin's return: Prov Gov weakness; The Milyukov telegram was leaked to the press. This made it clear that the aims of the Prov Gov were still annexationist (taking land). Scandal as this revealed the aims of taking land and not just defending it. Revealing that they had lied to the Soviet and were breaking their promise to them. Losing popularity and trust at this point. The Soviet would now have doubts. 
• April 1917, post Lenin's return. Bolshevik Strength: As a reaction to Mensheviks joining the Prov Gov cabinet, a number of Mensheviks are so disgusted that they join the Bolsheviks. The Bolsheviks grew in number, in particular gaining Trotsky (who had just arrived back from New York). 

  The Mensheviks were happy being part of the Soviet which was elected by the people. But the Prov Gov were not yet elected (they were planning to but the war was stopping them) and this went against Menshevik (Marxist) beliefs.
• April, 1917. Post Milyukov scandal: PG STRENGTH: The first all Russian congress of Soviets called upon all Russians to continue to support the Prov Gov as long as they held through on their promises. The Prov Gov still had support despite their earlier scandal.
• April, 1917. Post Milyukov scandal: PG WEAKNESS: The Prov Gov wasn’t making that much progress in terms in resolving the big problems in the country: WW1 is still going on (not very popular with the people), there’s still bread shortages (not able to be solved without land reform), can’t deal with land reform until elections (PG aren't the elected government, so they can’t deal with land reforms), and they can’t have elections because the war’s still going on and there are soldiers still at the frontlines.
• April 1917, post Milyukov telegram: Bolshevik STRENGTH: There are signs that the Bolsheviks were growing in popularity. The Soviets also organised huge demonstrations with many carrying the Bolshevik slogan “All Power to the Soviets”. Lenin’s propaganda slogans were working. 
• June - July 1917: The Kerensky Offensive: The Prov Gov decided to launch an attack on the Germans, hoping there would be victory which would them allow them to deal with other problems - peasants wanted land reform, can't happen because of the war. An election couldn't happen because of the majority of men on the front lines). This is a mistake. There are 400, 000 casualties - a military failure. Prince Lvov wrote to his parents at the time: “This Country is heading for general slaughter”. He is correct: This led to the ‘July Day’ riots in Petrograd. PG MISTAKE.
• July, 1917: July Days. PG STRENGTH: The Prov Gov was strong enough at this point to crush these spontaneous riots (which involved some sailors from the Kronstadt Naval Base).

  Prov Gov strength: crush their Bolshevik opposition.
• July, 1917: July Days. PG MISTAKE: Kerensky moved into the Tsar’s apartments at the Winter Palace. This revealed his vanity, but also would make a statement as he would be living in luxury while around 80% of Russians were living in poverty and were peasants.
• July, 1917: July Days: Bolshevik WEAKNESS: Consequence of the July Days, the Prov Gov (new PM, Kerensky) decided to arrest 800 leading Bolsheviks + shut down their printing press. PG published a document which showed that the Germans had helped Lenin by financing his return to Russia, made him look like a traitor. Sheila Fitzpatrick called the July Days “lowest point of Bolshevik fortunes”. They lost the support of some workers who felt that they should have helped and the Prov Gov had crushed them. Lenin fled to Finland which was bad for the Bolsheviks as they had now lost their leader.
• July 1917: Lenin in hiding: Bolshevik Strength: Whilst in hiding, Lenin completed “State and Revolution”. This was a much more comprehensive explanation of his beliefs than the populist “April Thesis” and was designed to win the support of the dissenters in his own party. This helped to gain support for the Bolsheviks.
• August 1917: Kornilov Coup: The new commander in chief of the army (Kornilov) wanted to overthrow the Prov Gov and the Soviet. Kornilov was right wing and wanted to establish a military dictatorship. He hated the soviet (it was full of socialists). Some criticised Kerensky for putting Kornilov in this position of power in the first place. One interpretation is that Kerensky asked Kornilov to come into the city to crush any uprisings as they had just experienced the July Days. Another weakness came from having to rely on the Bolsheviks and arming these political enemies. PG WEAKNESS.
• August 1917: Kornilov Coup: Bolshevik STRENGTH: Kerensky was desperate to stop Kornilov, so he released the Bolshevik prisoners and provided them with ammo and weapons, because he needed them to fight off Kornilov’s troops if they arrived in the capital city, but they never did arrive - the Bolsheviks never had to fire on anybody. But the Bolsheviks were now seen as heroes because they were out on the streets with weapons and were prepared to fight. 
• Sept - Oct, 1917: Result of Kornilov Coup. Bolshevik STRENGTH: As a result of the Kornilov Coup, the Bolsheviks are seen as heroes and saviours because they were willing to fight Kornilov. Their reputation increases. Due to their newfound popularity, they win a lot of seats on the Petrograd Soviet and gain control of it. Trotsky (a Bolshevik) is elected Chairman. Lenin secretly returned to Petrograd in disguise. The Bolshevik leader was back in the capital. Lenin persuaded the Bolshevik central committee to plan for a revolution (good leadership).
• Sept - Oct, 1917: Result of Kornilov Coup: However, Lenin’s suggestions about a revolution caused a split. In particular, the two voices against him were Kamenev and Zinoviev.
• 7 - 10 October, 1917: Bolshevik STRENGTH. Trotsky set up the MRC (Military Revolutionary Committee) and used it to organise the Bolshevik revolution. 
• 23rd October, 1917: Bolshevik STRENGTH: The Peter and Paul garrison agreed to support the MRC. 
• 23rd October, 1917: Bolshevik WEAKNESS: In response, the Prov Gov declared the MRC a criminal organisation and tried to arrest its leaders. 
• 24th October, 1917: PG STRENGTH: The Prov Gov shut down the Bolshevik printing press and sent groups to guard the Neva bridges.
• 24th October 1917: PG WEAKNESS: This could be argued it was too little too late and the Petrograd Soviet’s MRC began to seize power. 
• 24th October 1917: Bolshevik STRENGTH: The battleship Aurora fired blank shells and this is the signal to take over the post office, telephone exchange and other key buildings. Strength because this cut off any communication going to or from the Prov Gov.
• 25th October 1917: Bolshevik STRENGTH:

  Lenin announced that the Bolshevik government had seized power: they had not by this point, which is a clever strategy by Trotsky - they’re being established as the leaders before a proper Bolshevik government has been set up - The SRs and Mensheviks storm out and Trotsky tells them “Go where you belong - to the rubbish bin of history!” At this point, they make it clear that their propaganda was a lie - they have no intention of sharing power with anyone else. 
• 26th October, 1917: Bolshevik STRENGTH. The Bolsheviks storm the Winter Palace (where the Prov Gov had been staying) and all the Prov Gov leaders that are there are arrested. Kerensky escapes, but the Bolshevik Revolution has begun.