Why was the

provisional
government unable
to deal successfully
with the problems it
faced in 1917?
 WAR
• Unsuccessful:
• Differing political views –Liberals vs Sociallists
• Summer Offensive 1917- was a disaster, as the soldiers who fought the Germans became increasingly
unwilling to fight and turned on each other and their officers. They had little control over the soldiers & no
respect. They survived this however in the long run moderate social leaders, lost their credibility with
soldiers and workers.
• HISTORIAN:
• Orlando Figes; “The offensive was over. It was Russia's last.” Soldiers just stopped in the trenches and
drank themselves drunk. No control.

• Successful:
• Formed coalition to deal with war (Tserteli and Chernov)
• Kerensky gained support.
• Soviet: success in first meetings and Kerensky linked the two.
• However they were unsuccessful, soviet had the power- controlled the telegraph stations, railways,
soldiers, power supplies and factories.
• Robert Service; all soviets “in city after city” were following the Petrograd Soviet.
• In fairness, Russia's allies had desperately asked her to defend Germany on the east so they heat was
taken off their western forces.
• Some argue that if Russia had signed a peace treaty with Germany their issues would be solved but this
could have offended Britian and France, their allies. So the Provisional Gov. was in a tight situation.
 LAND
• Unsuccessful
• Differing political beleifs; Sociallists vs Liberals.
• Peasants demands of land.
• Land seizures- 237 cases in July
• B.N Pomomarev: “the workers created their own organs of power”
• JLH Keep “in the traditional liberal view it was another instance of the governments division, and
political ineptitude”

• Successful
• In fairness, they wanted to wait for a constituent assembly because something with such great
magnitude would require and official government.
• Edward Acton “all sides of the government, agreed that there steady refusal to give in to peasant
impatience for the immediate transfer of private land was suicidal” he also said “premature
action would lead to individual injustice and severe disruption of agriculture on the large
estates”
• Also, the government may have been right to not hand over the land as they would have had to
arrange it legally and compensate land owners, as that could have caused even more unrest.
• Set up a network of local committees made up of representatives to discuss the land issue.
 NATIONAL MINORITIES
• Unsuccessful
• Ukraine – Ukrainians demanded self-government and the moderate socialists in the government made
concessions to them. Outraged the Liberals
• As soon as the Tsars regime failed the Finns and Poles wanted independence and reform.
• S Blanc “The October revolution was as much a great Russian chauvinist uprising as it was a class struggle”
• There was ethnic and national friction within the lower classes, e.g. In Petrograd, when rumours circulated
the government sought to shut down factories, the Russian workers isolated the small minority of Chinese
workers as likely candidates for unemployment.
• Edward Acton “The main battle lines of 1917 were not between one nation and another but between
officers and soldiers, landowners and peasants, employers and workers”

• Successful
• In Poland, where they had the least influence, the Provisional Government promised independence, in
hope that in exchange they would receive help on the warfront
• Discrimination was made illegal by the Provisional Gov. at their first meeting with the Soviets.
• In fairness, they argued that only the constituent assembly could make such decision regarding the rights of
National Minorities.
 SOCIAL REFORM
• Unsuccessful
• They failed to
• Edward Acton: the Government failed to cater fro the needs of the people and paid the political price.
• Kornilov Affair: Kornilov became the new supreme commander of the Russian forces, he wanted to seize control of
the government and establish military control. He marched his troops into Petrograd, and Kerensky panicked and
called on the soviet to help him, this made Kerensky and the provisional Gov. appear weak to the working class. As
the majority of working class were afraid of this possible revolution, and the Bolsheviks became more popular as
they were seen as the true defenders

Successful
• In their first meeting with the Soviet, reforms were made that met with public approval; Tsarist officials were
imprisoned, Secret police was disbanded, Amnesty granted for political religious prisoners, Freedom of press &
speech, Death penalty was made illegal, Promise was made to arrange elections for the constituent assembly using
a secret ballot and universal suffrage.
• In fairness, they could not meet the workers demands of wage levels, eight hour days and improvement of working
conditions. This was due to the pressure from factory owners and tradesman who did not want their involvement in
the workplace.
• In fairness to Kerensky, Kornilov was a man who seemed reliable, and he had no political goals so seemed like the
perfect candidate.
 ECONOMY
• Unsuccessful
• The railway system had been damaged by the war and was showing signs of breaking down, even after the
Provisional Gov took power.
• Factories cutting output, or closing and laying off workers. 568 factories were closed in Petrograd between
February and July.
• The peasants were unwilling to sell their grain, because there were few goods to buy so the Provisional Gov.
sent out punishment brigades, but this caused the peasants to be more hostile towards them.
• there was great division within the Provisional. Gov. The Mensheviks in particular could not free themselves
from their strong beliefs.
• Edward Acton “If only the Mensheviks had been practical politicians and recognized the critical need for whole
hearted co-operation with the liberals all might have been well”

• Successful
• Ministers accepted the need for a state monopoly of grain and established a hierarchy of food committee's to
which producers were obliged to fell their surplus at fixed prices.
• In fairness, The Provisional Gov. felt pressure from industrialists not to interfere of fix prices, and would not
act against them. Because the workers were demanding price controls, therefore this shows us that they were
struggling to keep everyone happy, from the workers, to the factory owners.
 Coup d’etat or Poletarian Revolution?
Coup d’etat: Revolution:

Violent seizure of power by a relatively Huge uprising of the people to overthrow

small group of people. the Government.
• Predominant Western View • Soviet View