Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko was born in Russia in 1884.

He had a military father and attended

military colleges. However, he became disillusioned with the czar and was expelled for not
taking an oath of loyalty to the czar. He sided with Martov over Lenin and joined the
Mensheviks. He was later jailed, released, and inducted into the army. There, he recruited
lower-ranking officers to join the Mensheviks. In the 1905 revolution, like many other soldiers,
he deserted. He was caught, escaped, and then was caught again. After being sentenced to
twenty years hard labor, a group of Mensheviks blew a hole in the prison wall and freed him.
After hiding out in Poland, he returned to Russia with a false passport. He then organized labor
marches and edited pro-revolution newspapers. He emigrated to France two arrests later and
wrote for a French newspaper there.

The Romanov Dynasty, Russian nobility, oppressed the peasants.

They starved the poor and didn’t allow much freedom.
The Romanovs were also closely tied to the Russian Orthodox Church.
In 1880 the Okhrana was formed.
It busted trade unions and acted as an intelligence service for the Czar.
This all lead peasants to want a revolution.
Some rebelled in peaceful ways.
Some committed revolutionary terrorism, but the government unfairly blamed the Jews.
The government sometimes authorized pogroms, or lynchings and beartings against the Jews.

We should not go to war because it is not the Menshevik way.

We cannot overthrow the czar while also fighting the Germans. History has shown that approval
of a leader goes up at the start of a war. If we win the war, the czar may never be overthrown. If
we lose, there is no Russia. Therefore, the only way of an independent free Russia is peace.

In addition, the war would be devastating to our economy. We would have a worker shortage. It
would require a massive industrial overhaul as well. We would need transport systems,
factories, medical centers, and all of the other things that go along with war. And after the war,
all of that would be rendered useless.
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Nicholas II was blamed for Russian defeats.
The provisional government was undermined by a group who wanted peace.
The Bolsheviks and the government worked together during the war to defend Petrograd.
Trotsky wanted a socialist Germany before the treaty was signed.
15 million served in the Russian Army.

Kerensky tried to motivate the Army.

The Bolsheviks favored peace negotiations.
“Peace, Bread, and Land” was echoed in protests.
Kerensky then announced a new offensive after becoming PM.
Returning soldiers used their guns to rebel.
Kornilov and industrialists tried to take control of Petrograd.
Kerensky used the Soviets and the Red Guards to defend Petrograd.
Kornilov troops didn’t attack Petrograd, and Kerensky committed suicide.

If I were the government, I would have tried to appease the people by not starting the July
Offensive and putting in social programs so that I would be a popular incumbent.