Provisional Government

• Problems - Dual Government

  • Shared power with the Petrograd Soviet
  • Had a rule called 'Order No.1', its members should obey the provisional government if the Soviet agreed with it
• Problems - Unelected

  • Members of the Duma appointed themselves as members of government
  • Some Russians argued they had no right to govern
• Problems - Lack of major reforms

  • As it was not a permanent government, it did not want to take any major reforms, instead waiting until elections took place
• Provisional Government's Reforms

  • Abolished:
  • Okrana,
  • Death sentence,
  • Press censorship
  • Allowed political freedom
• Problems - Continued involvement in WW1

  • June 1917 - it organised an attack against Austria-Hungary
  • However it failed, causing many to follow Lenin
  • Russia had to stay in the war, as the loans it had took were from foreign countries - UK and France - fighting in the war
  • Had Russia left, foreign countries might withdraw its money
• Problems - Food & Fuel shortage

  • Continued involvement in war caused this shortage, with the provisional government doing nothing to prevent it
• Problems - Land

  • Many peasants took the land of nobles, who had ran from Russia
  • This caused the provisional government to sent soldiers to take the land back by force