Provisional Government Introduction

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  • Created by: lilac123
  • Created on: 05-02-21 12:10

Background to Provisional Government

-established on 2nd March 1917 (after February revolution-Tsar abdicated)

-lasted 8 months

-moment of hope as Russia could become a liberal democracy

-unbale to make decisive policies due to political factionalism of state structures

*doomed to failure from the start

-WW1

-weak-opportunity for Bolsheviks to take advantage of this

-determination of revolutionary groups

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How could the Tsar have restored order during the

-could have promised and adopted a constitutional monarchy like Western Europe

*he wouldn't accept it on a personal level

*disrespected the State Duma too much (deprivation of power)

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End of Romanov Dynasty

-Nicholas II had to abdicate

-his son was too sick to rule and carry this great burden (controlling a revolutionary active society)

-Nicholas's brother refused-ends Romanov Dynasty

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How to have a liberal democracy

-voting system equally weighted

-universal suffrage

-equal rights (human and civil)

-political freedoms for all

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Composition of the Provisional Government and Petr

Provisional Government:

-middle class and nobles

elitist

*similar to old regime

*not a representation of all areas in society (difficult for working class and peasantry to relate)

Kerensky was in both the Petrograd Soviet and Provisional Government so could influence PG (more revolutionary ideas/more radical)

Petrograd Soviet:
-member of revolutionary parties

*Kerensky (member of the SRs)

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Clashes between PG and PS

Dual issue of power:

-2 powers coexisted with each other and competed for legitmacy

*unstable situation-opportunity for Lenin + Bolsheviks to seize power

Military issue:

-Petrograd Soviet issued a decree to the whole country (1st March 1917)

*claim authority on the military (undermines PG)

*officers don't have authority to demand when soldiers pick up their weapons

*Proletariat of soldiers form committees and send representatives to the PS

*PG can tell army to do whatever unless there was a different order given by the Soviet to do the contrary

-the PS don't fulling trust the PG (similar to old regime)

*can use military to crush counteraction from public

*have protection

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The Programme of the Provisional Government, 2nd M

-freedom of speech, word and press (article 2)

*able to spread ideas through the nation

-votes were secret

*can't be harmed for voting

-abolition of class restrictions (article 3)

*gain people's trust

-religious freedom (article 3)

*dind't have to fore the religion of the Tsar upon them

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Reasons why the PG gave into the PS

-the PS had the military on their side

*article 7: weapons and machinery on their side

-PS had the public support of the workers

-avoid being overthrown

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Measures that made the PG more or less stable

More stable:

-dismissed the Tsar's provincial governors (get rid of elements of the old regime)

-introduced laws to abolish discrimniation based on social class, religion, ehtnicity and gender

-universal suffrage and freedom of speech

-separate orthodox church from state

-8 hour working day (respecrs workers)

-restored constitution of Finalnd (less of a threat to Empire)

Less stable:

-return of exiles (could challenge authority)

-end of secret police (less efficient at finding revolutionairies)

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Land Problem

Land Problem:

1. PG could force landowns to give up land

2. Buy land off the landowners and redistribute land to peasantry

3. Do nothing/ set up a commission to explore ideas of how to tackle the land question

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