Provisional Government of Russia

Provisional Government of Russia was the short-lived authority that governed the Russian Republic between the February Revolution and the October Revolution in 1917. It was formed by members of the State Duma after the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II and intended to rule until a Constituent Assembly could be democratically elected. The government, led first by Georgy Lvov and then Alexander Kerensky, faced immense challenges including World War I, internal political strife, and the competing authority of the Petrograd Soviet.

Formation and composition

The government was proclaimed on 15 March [O.S. 2 March] 1917, following negotiations between the Provisional Committee of the State Duma and the Executive Committee of the Petrograd Soviet. Its first cabinet, led by Prince Georgy Lvov as Minister-Chairman, was composed predominantly of liberals and moderate reformers from the Constitutional Democratic Party (Kadets) and the Octobrist Party. Key initial portfolios included Pavel Milyukov as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Alexander Guchkov as Minister of War. The government's legitimacy was based on its succession from the State Duma and its recognition by key institutions like the Russian Army high command, including figures such as Mikhail Alekseyev.

Policies and challenges

The Provisional Government's primary declared goals were to continue the war effort alongside the Allies, to prepare for elections to the Constituent Assembly, and to enact liberal reforms. It issued sweeping decrees, including the granting of civil liberties, amnesty for political prisoners, and the abolition of the Okhrana. However, it deferred critical issues like land reform and the question of national self-determination, arguing these must wait for the Constituent Assembly. Its insistence on continuing World War I, epitomized by the failed Kerensky Offensive, proved deeply unpopular with war-weary soldiers, workers, and peasants, fueling radicalization. Economic collapse, marked by hyperinflation and food shortages in cities like Petrograd, further eroded its support.

Relationship with the Petrograd Soviet

The government's authority was severely constrained by its uneasy and competitive coexistence with the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. Although not formally part of the government, the Soviet wielded de facto power through its control over the garrison, railways, and communications, enforced by its Order No. 1. This created a system of dual power (dvoevlastie). The Soviet, influenced by Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries (SRs), initially provided conditional support to the Provisional Government under a policy of "critical support." Key Soviet leaders like Nikolay Chkheidze and later Leon Trotsky acted as a powerful counterweight, with the Soviet frequently issuing its own proclamations on peace and land.

July Days and Kornilov Affair

Mass discontent culminated in the July Days demonstrations, where radicalized workers and soldiers, encouraged by the Bolsheviks, demanded "All Power to the Soviets." The government suppressed the protests, discrediting the Bolsheviks temporarily and leading to the appointment of Alexander Kerensky as Minister-Chairman. The subsequent Kornilov Affair in August, where General Lavr Kornilov appeared to march on Petrograd to suppress the Soviet, proved catastrophic for the government. Kerensky's ambiguous role and his arming of Bolshevik Red Guards to defend the city destroyed his credibility with both the right and the left, massively strengthening the Bolsheviks and the Petrograd Soviet's Military Revolutionary Committee.

October Revolution and dissolution

On the night of 7 November [O.S. 25 October] 1917, Bolshevik-led forces, acting on the orders of the Military Revolutionary Committee, seized key points in Petrograd including the Winter Palace. The October Revolution met with minimal resistance; the Provisional Government was arrested in the palace, with Kerensky having fled earlier. The Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets then transferred power to the Council of People's Commissars headed by Vladimir Lenin. The government's final remnants, including attempts at resistance by generals like Mikhail Alekseyev and Anton Denikin, coalesced into the White movement, initiating the Russian Civil War.

Category:1917 in Russia Category:Defunct governments of Russia Category:Russian Revolution