The Provisional Government

1
The Provisional Government

• And Lenins return

2
Weakened from the beginning

• It was the old duma in a new form replacing the
  Tsar as the government
• Intended to act as a temporary government until a
  general election was held but its authority was
  questioned as it was not an elected body
• It was also unable to rule on its own and had to
  work with the soviets e.g Petrograd who were wary
  of their intentions

3
Weakened from the beginning

• There was liason between them initially
• Kerensky was the chairman of the soviet as well
  as a minister
• However the Provisional Government was unsure of
  its own authority given the soviet greater
  prominence

4
Weakened from the beginning

• The PG continued the war despite the risks
• Introduced a number of popular reforms eg 8 hour
  day but failed to tackle the land question
• Soviets spread in the cities

• soviet order number 1 was printed in Pravada
  declaring that military affairs had to be
  approved by the soviet
• Therefore the PG did not have power over the army

5
Lenins return

• Bolsheviks in exile rushed back to Petrograd
• Lenin arrived from Switzerland in April in a
  sealed German train
• When he arrived he called for the PG to be
  overthrown

6
Lenins return

• The following day he issued his April theses
• Lenin insisted that the Bolsheviks abandon all
  compromise with other parties and work for the
  true revolution
• He believed the bolshevik takeover of the soviets
  would allow them to takeover the state

7

• provocative Bolshevik slogans
• Peace, Bread and Land
• All Power to the Soviets

8
Failure of the Provisional Government

• No choice but to fight on, country was bankrupt
  and was reliant on the allies
• This prevented the PG from dealing with the
  social and economic problems
• Led to first serious rift between government and
  the Petrograd soviet
• Violent demonstrations occurred leading to
  resignations
• Kerensky became the war minister, hoping to ease
  the relationship

9
Failure of the Provisional Government

• The socialists however became more isolated due
  to comprises they had made with the kadets
• The Russians suffered further defeats and morale
  was further weakened by the Bolsheviks

10
Failure of the Provisional Government

• The government faced further problems at
  Kronstadt naval base
• The sailors and workers set up their own
  government tempting revolutionaries in Petrograd
  to bring down the PG
• This was known as the July days