HIST 236 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Petrograd Soviet, Mikhail Rodzianko, Saint Petersburg
19 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Continuing Tsarist Incompetence
After female textile workers in Petrograd went on strike on February 27
(March 8), due to unrest spread to the whole city
Started international women's day
○
Marching for bread
○
-
The Tsar ordered the use of force to contain strikes and disturbances
-
He also prorogued the duma again, leaving it unable to act
Infuriates the members of the duma especially Mikhail Rodzianko
because they feel like they need to do something
○
He writes to the Tsar and tells him that the situation is serious and
writes to his wife saying that Rodzianko wrote him nonsense
○
Duma is convinced that they need to do something themselves so
the Progressional block creates a "provisional committee" which is
a forerunner for the provisional government to restore law and
order
○
Re-establish the Petrograd Soviet
○
-
The Tsar refused to heed warnings that the situation was out of control
-
The "Provisional Committee" of the State Duma and the Petrograd Soviet
were formed as rivals for government
-
Loss of Military Support
The Tsar ordered that harsh measures be taken against protestors
-
The Petrograd garrison was unable to put down the protests
-
Several important regiments mutinied and many soldiers even joined the
protestors, many Cossacks refused to attack protestors
-
The Abdication of Nicholas II and The February Revolution
The Tsar returned from the front and finally agreed to abdicate
-
He first wanted to give the throne to his son Aleksei, but then decided to
give it to his brother the Grand Duke Michael
-
Michael rejected the offer, unless the people wanted it
Goes to England to live with his cousins, he is related to the British
monarchy
○
-
This brought an end to the 300 year reign of the Romanov dynasty
-
The Provisional Government
The Provisional Committee of the Duma formed the Provisional
Government on March 2, 1917
They have appointed themselves, they have not been elected
○
-
The leading parties in the provisional government were the Kadets,
Octobrists and Progressivists
-
No socialists joined the Provisional Government except for Alexander
Kerensky
Knew Lenin growing up
○
-
Its first Prime Minister was Georgy L'vov, a Kadet, followed by Kerensky
-
The Provisional Government was recognized as Russia's legitimate
government by its wartime allies, but had no real power
-
Petrograd Soviet
The Petrograd Soviet had real power on the ground and had control over
the military
Soldiers should obey no order unless it was sanctioned by solider
committees
Self control over the military
§
○
Abolish death penalty for subordination
○
-
In late June 1917, the first "All-Russia Congress of Soviets of Workers'
and Soldiers' Deputies" was held
-
It was dominated by pro-government parties, including Socialist
Revolutionaries including Socialist Revolutionaries and Mensheviks
-
It voted to support the Provisional Government, viewing this as a
necessary stage in Russia's socialist development
-
Come into conflict over WWI
Socialists did not support the war and the Provisional government
maintained support for the war
○
-
Continuing the War
The Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet clashed over
Russia's continuing participation in the war
-
The Provisional Government wanted to fight toward a "glorious victory";
the Petrograd Soviet wanted to work toward a peace that involved no
annexations and no reparations
-
The Petrograd Soviet's position was ignored by the Foreign Minister
Pavel Milyukov, who re-committed Russia to fighting for the Tsar's aims
Wanted to regain territories
○
-
This prompted a public backlash and Milyukov to resign
-
"All power to the Soviets" comes from this event
-
A new coalition government is formed
-
Alexander Kerensky goes to the front and tries to keep pushing soldiers
towards the front - huge defeat
-
July Days
In July, spontaneous armed demonstrations broke out in Petrograd
against the Provisional Government
-
Soldiers marched under the slogan "All Power of the Soviets" and were
supported by the Bolsheviks, but not by the Mensheviks or SRs
Made the Mensheviks look like they were not on the side of the
working class
○
-
The Petrograd Soviet did not support the protests
-
The military sent troops loyal to the Provisional Government to fire on
protestors
-
The Provisional Government issued an arrest warrant for Lenin, who was
accused of inciting an insurrection with German backing, Lenin fled
Workers are moving to the left
○
Middle and upper classes are moving to the right
○
-
Workers and Peasant Unrest
Workers continued to strike and express economic grievances
-
Some factories organized "worker committees" that seized control over
factories
-
Workers pushed left politically
-
The workers' wing of the Petrograd Soviet voted in favour of expanding
workers' control
-
Peasants also formed their own Soviets and had land committees
-
They wanted land redistributed to them without compensating landlords
-
They tried to push for this in the Provisional Government via the SRs and
their leader Viktor Chernov
-
When this failed, many peasants seized the lands for themselves
-
The Kornilov Affair
Under pressure from socialists, the PG introduced land reforms that
alienated Kadets and others who formed a coalition around General Lavr
Kornilov
-
In late August, Kornilov presented Kerensky with a list of demands, which
he most accepted; Kornilov took this to mean he could established a
military dictatorship in Petrograd
-
Kerensky backed out at the last minute and declared a mutiny was taking
place
-
The Petrograd Soviet came to the PG's defense and put down Kornilov's
attempted "coup d'etat"
-
The affair had the effect of increasing support for the Bolsheviks
-
This pushes people further to the left because it looks like they are trying
to restore the old order
-
The October Revolution
Not all Bolsheviks agreed the time for an uprising had come, especially
Mensheviks who believed Russia had first to pass through a bourgeois
phase
The Bolsheviks Lev Kamenev and Grigori Zinoviev published their
objections to an uprising, tipping the Bolsheviks hand to the
Provisional Government, who ordered their arrests
○
-
By October 24, Lenin was convinced the time was now
-
By the end of the day, Petrograd was under Bolshevik control and the
Provisional Government had been arrested
-
At the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets on October 25, all power
was declared to belong to the Soviets
Going to go to the Winter palace and arrest the Provisional
Government
○
-
Lecture 14 -The Collapse of Autocracy and The Russian Revolutions
Monday, February 12, 2018
10:44 AM
Continuing Tsarist Incompetence
After female textile workers in Petrograd went on strike on February 27
(March 8), due to unrest spread to the whole city
Started international women's day
○
Marching for bread
○
-
The Tsar ordered the use of force to contain strikes and disturbances
-
He also prorogued the duma again, leaving it unable to act
Infuriates the members of the duma especially Mikhail Rodzianko
because they feel like they need to do something
○
He writes to the Tsar and tells him that the situation is serious and
writes to his wife saying that Rodzianko wrote him nonsense
○
Duma is convinced that they need to do something themselves so
the Progressional block creates a "provisional committee" which is
a forerunner for the provisional government to restore law and
order
○
Re-establish the Petrograd Soviet
○
-
The Tsar refused to heed warnings that the situation was out of control
-
The "Provisional Committee" of the State Duma and the Petrograd Soviet
were formed as rivals for government
-
Loss of Military Support
The Tsar ordered that harsh measures be taken against protestors
-
The Petrograd garrison was unable to put down the protests
-
Several important regiments mutinied and many soldiers even joined the
protestors, many Cossacks refused to attack protestors
-
The Abdication of Nicholas II and The February Revolution
The Tsar returned from the front and finally agreed to abdicate
-
He first wanted to give the throne to his son Aleksei, but then decided to
give it to his brother the Grand Duke Michael
-
Michael rejected the offer, unless the people wanted it
Goes to England to live with his cousins, he is related to the British
monarchy
○
-
This brought an end to the 300 year reign of the Romanov dynasty
-
The Provisional Government
The Provisional Committee of the Duma formed the Provisional
Government on March 2, 1917
They have appointed themselves, they have not been elected
○
-
The leading parties in the provisional government were the Kadets,
Octobrists and Progressivists
-
No socialists joined the Provisional Government except for Alexander
Kerensky
Knew Lenin growing up
○
-
Its first Prime Minister was Georgy L'vov, a Kadet, followed by Kerensky
-
The Provisional Government was recognized as Russia's legitimate
government by its wartime allies, but had no real power
-
Petrograd Soviet
The Petrograd Soviet had real power on the ground and had control over
the military
Soldiers should obey no order unless it was sanctioned by solider
committees
Self control over the military
§
○
Abolish death penalty for subordination
○
-
In late June 1917, the first "All-Russia Congress of Soviets of Workers'
and Soldiers' Deputies" was held
-
It was dominated by pro-government parties, including Socialist
Revolutionaries including Socialist Revolutionaries and Mensheviks
-
It voted to support the Provisional Government, viewing this as a
necessary stage in Russia's socialist development
-
Come into conflict over WWI
Socialists did not support the war and the Provisional government
maintained support for the war
○
-
Continuing the War
The Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet clashed over
Russia's continuing participation in the war
-
The Provisional Government wanted to fight toward a "glorious victory";
the Petrograd Soviet wanted to work toward a peace that involved no
annexations and no reparations
-
The Petrograd Soviet's position was ignored by the Foreign Minister
Pavel Milyukov, who re-committed Russia to fighting for the Tsar's aims
Wanted to regain territories
○
-
This prompted a public backlash and Milyukov to resign
-
"All power to the Soviets" comes from this event
-
A new coalition government is formed
-
Alexander Kerensky goes to the front and tries to keep pushing soldiers
towards the front - huge defeat
-
July Days
In July, spontaneous armed demonstrations broke out in Petrograd
against the Provisional Government
-
Soldiers marched under the slogan "All Power of the Soviets" and were
supported by the Bolsheviks, but not by the Mensheviks or SRs
Made the Mensheviks look like they were not on the side of the
working class
○
-
The Petrograd Soviet did not support the protests
-
The military sent troops loyal to the Provisional Government to fire on
protestors
-
The Provisional Government issued an arrest warrant for Lenin, who was
accused of inciting an insurrection with German backing, Lenin fled
Workers are moving to the left
○
Middle and upper classes are moving to the right
○
-
Workers and Peasant Unrest
Workers continued to strike and express economic grievances
-
Some factories organized "worker committees" that seized control over
factories
-
Workers pushed left politically
-
The workers' wing of the Petrograd Soviet voted in favour of expanding
workers' control
-
Peasants also formed their own Soviets and had land committees
-
They wanted land redistributed to them without compensating landlords
-
They tried to push for this in the Provisional Government via the SRs and
their leader Viktor Chernov
-
When this failed, many peasants seized the lands for themselves
-
The Kornilov Affair
Under pressure from socialists, the PG introduced land reforms that
alienated Kadets and others who formed a coalition around General Lavr
Kornilov
-
In late August, Kornilov presented Kerensky with a list of demands, which
he most accepted; Kornilov took this to mean he could established a
military dictatorship in Petrograd
-
Kerensky backed out at the last minute and declared a mutiny was taking
place
-
The Petrograd Soviet came to the PG's defense and put down Kornilov's
attempted "coup d'etat"
-
The affair had the effect of increasing support for the Bolsheviks
-
This pushes people further to the left because it looks like they are trying
to restore the old order
-
The October Revolution
Not all Bolsheviks agreed the time for an uprising had come, especially
Mensheviks who believed Russia had first to pass through a bourgeois
phase
The Bolsheviks Lev Kamenev and Grigori Zinoviev published their
objections to an uprising, tipping the Bolsheviks hand to the
Provisional Government, who ordered their arrests
○
-
By October 24, Lenin was convinced the time was now
-
By the end of the day, Petrograd was under Bolshevik control and the
Provisional Government had been arrested
-
At the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets on October 25, all power
was declared to belong to the Soviets
Going to go to the Winter palace and arrest the Provisional
Government
○
-
Lecture 14 -The Collapse of Autocracy and The Russian Revolutions
Monday, February 12, 2018
10:44 AM
