The July Days

1
The July Days

• and the Kornilov Revolt

2
The July days

• In the summer of 1917 the provisional government
  was losing its authority
• There was a spread of soviets, worker controlled
  factories and seizure of land by the peasants
• The proletariats expectations of an immediate
  improvement in working and living conditions
  failed to materialise
• Their bitter disillusionment focused on the
  Provisional Government

3
The July days

• Independent national minority governments were
  set up
• Due to the Kiev government offering independence
  to the Ukraine, mass demonstrations took place in
  Petrograd and the Liberal Ministers resigned in
  disgust

4
What happened?

• During the 3 days there were strikes and violence
  but the demonstrators fell out
• Members of the Petrograd soviet who did not want
  to take power were attacked
• Disunity made it easy for the PG to crush the
  rising with loyal troops
• The demonstrators scattered and order was restored

5
Who initiated the rising?

• Lenin had declared the Bolsheviks were ready to
  take power but there was SRs and other non
  Bolsheviks in the soviet
• Trotsky denies the Bolsheviks initiated the
  uprising possibly to absolve them from the blame

6
Who initiated the rising?

• The Bolsheviks explanation was that they had came
  to the aid of their workers and the sailors
  (Kronstadt) who had risen spontaneously
• Or did they organise the rising and then deny
  responsibility?

7
The significance of the July Days

• Opposition forces were disunited
• Bolsheviks were not the dominant party
• PG still in control
• This lifted the spirits of the PG
• However soviets remained a powerful alternative
  authority

• Kerensky became Prime Minister
• Pravda was closed down and Bolshevik leaders were
  arrested
• Lenin fled to Finland

8
The land question

• After the Feb revolution the peasants believed
  the land would be distributed in their favour,
• a commission was set up to oversee this but is
  was to be gradual change
• This did not happen quick enough for the peasants
  and the peasants took the law into their own
  hands, seizing the land- a national peasants
  revolt
• soldiers returned from the war with rifles and
  stories of land seizures in other areas
• PG had to force peasants to give up
  produce-heightened tension

9
The land question PG

• No one had an answer to the problem, was the
  governments heart really in land reform, PG
  majority from land owning class

• They had no intention of losing their own
  possessions, Lenin had highlighted this in
  thesis- replaced by bourgeois regime
• Alienated the majority of population

10
The land question - Bolsheviks

• This was a problem for the Bolsheviks also
• The peasantry was dismissed, working class would
  lead the revolution
• Lenin had to fit the Peasants in to his plans

• land to the peasants a slogan lifted from the
  SRs became the catchphrase
• Led to swing to the Bolsheviks in the countryside
  and a split in the SRs as some joined the
  Bolsheviks

11
The Kornilov Affair

• In August the PG was undermined, losing the
  respect it had gained in July
• The new commander in chief, Kornilov had never
  accepted the Feb revolution

12
The Kornilov Affair

• He believed the socialists in Russia e.g Lenin
  had to be destroyed before they would be able to
  destroy Germany
• The Germans were advancing, refugees fled into
  Petrograd

• Kornilov declared Russia was about to topple into
  anarchy
• He advised Kerensky that he would bring loyal
  troops into Petrograd to save the PG

13
What Happened? Two views

• 1st view Kerensky supported plan
• He wanted to destroy the Soviet and set up a
  dictatorship
• He only turned against Kornilov when he realised
  he was going to establish military rule

• 2nd view Kerensky did not collude with Kornilov
• Commission set up in 1917 cleared him
• Condemned Kornilovs demands
• Ordered him to surrender

14
Kornilovs reaction

• Sent an open telegram, claiming that PG under
  pressure from Bolshevik dominated soviet the PG
  was acting in accordance to German plans to put
  them out the war

15
Kerenskys response

• Called for all loyal citizens to defend city
• Bolsheviks were released from prison and given
  weapons
• However not required as railway workers refused
  to bring the army to the city

16
Significance of revolt

• Kornilov was arrested
• Bolsheviks gained, presented themselves as
  defenders of city
• Kept weapons
• Increased support
• Red guards, now a force of 10,000

• Weakened the PG
• prelude to the October Revolution
• Kerensky