Provisional Government (1917)
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| Provisional Government (1917) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Provisional Government (1917) |
| Native name | Временное правительство |
| Established | March 1917 |
| Dissolved | October 1917 |
| Preceding | Russian Empire, Tsar Nicholas II |
| Succeeding | Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic |
Provisional Government (1917)
The Provisional Government formed in March 1917 after the February Revolution, emerging amid the collapse of the Russian Empire and the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, and it attempted to steer Russia through the crises of World War I, social unrest, and political fragmentation. Its tenure intersected with the Petrograd Soviet, the rise of the Bolsheviks, the policies of figures such as Alexander Kerensky, Prince Georgy Lvov, and Pavel Milyukov, and pivotal events including the April Theses, the July Days, and the October Revolution. The government’s brief rule influenced subsequent developments in the Russian Civil War, the formation of the Soviet Union, and debates among historians like Richard Pipes, Orlando Figes, and Sheila Fitzpatrick.
Background and Formation
The February Revolution began with mass demonstrations in Petrograd and mutinies of units from the Pavlovsky Regiment and sailors from the Kronstadt garrison, pressuring Tsar Nicholas II to abdicate and precipitating the collapse of the Romanov monarchy; the resulting power vacuum led liberal ministers from the Constitutional Democratic Party and moderates from the Union of October 17 to form an interim cabinet. Workers’ councils such as the Petrograd Soviet and socialist parties including the Socialist Revolutionary Party, the Mensheviks, and the Bolsheviks mobilized alongside liberal leaders like Prince Georgy Lvov and foreign policy moderates like Pavel Milyukov, producing a dual-authority situation. International reactions from the Entente powers, notably United Kingdom, France, and United States, and military realities on the Eastern Front shaped the provisional authority’s early decisions.
Composition and Leadership
The cabinet initially led by Prince Georgy Lvov comprised ministers from the Kadets and moderate socialists, including foreign minister Pavel Milyukov, interior minister Alexander Kerensky (later prime minister), and military figures such as Mikhail Alekseev and Lavr Kornilov; subsequent reshuffles introduced socialist ministers from the Menshevik and Socialist Revolutionary factions. Key personalities—Alexander Kerensky, Leon Trotsky (as an influential Petrograd Soviet leader later), Vladimir Lenin (returning from exile), and military leaders like Anton Denikin—interacted with the cabinet, while parties such as the Bolsheviks and organizations like the All-Russian Congress of Soviets contested authority. Administrative institutions inherited from the Provisional Committee of the State Duma and the bureaucratic structures of the Ministry of War framed the government’s limited capacity to implement reforms.
Policies and Reforms
The Provisional Government issued proclamations on civil liberties, including amnesty for political prisoners, declarations echoing the Temporary Regulations of the State Duma and measures reflecting demands from the February Manifesto era; it pursued legal reforms influenced by leaders from the Kadet and Socialist Revolutionary Party camps. Agrarian questions involving land redistribution provoked conflict with peasant organizations and the All-Russian Peasant Congress, while urban labor demands drove policies on factory committees tied to the Petrograd Soviet and industrial councils. Economic policy navigated crises in Petrograd and industrial regions like Baku and Poland (then under Provisional Government jurisdiction), attempting fiscal measures under pressure from financiers and ministries associated with the pre-revolutionary apparatus.
Relations with Soviets and Dual Power
The coexistence with the Petrograd Soviet created the condition known as "dual power," where executive ministers from the cabinet negotiated with soviet presidiums composed of Mensheviks, Socialist Revolutionaries, and later Bolsheviks led by figures like Leon Trotsky and Julius Martov; this arrangement constrained cabinet policies on military mobilization, labor regulation, and public order. Tensions over directives, exemplified by disputes on continuation of World War I offensives and order maintenance during events like the July Days, highlighted the fragile balance between the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and ministerial authority. Attempts at coalition governments, soviet influence on decrees, and correspondence with provincial soviets in Kiev, Moscow, and Kronstadt underscored the fragmented locus of power.
Military Affairs and World War I Policy
The Provisional Government’s commitment to continue fighting alongside the Entente led to the Kerensky Offensive in summer 1917, which involved commanders such as Lavr Kornilov and units from fronts around Riga and Lodz; military setbacks exacerbated desertion, mutiny, and collapse of front-line cohesion, influencing events on the Eastern Front. The government’s relationship with the Russian Army hierarchy, the formation of committees like the Committee of Public Safety in some locales, and clashes with revolutionary soldiers and sailors from Kronstadt and Sevastopol undermined efforts to restore discipline. International liaison with Allied leaders and military missions interacted with domestic crises, affecting resupply, armament, and diplomatic standing.
Opposition, Crises, and Collapse
Opposition from the Bolsheviks, who advanced slogans from Vladimir Lenin’s April Theses and organized insurrectionary tactics culminating in the October Revolution, combined with conservative military interventions such as the Kornilov Affair to produce political collapse; the cabinet’s inability to resolve land reform, urban shortages, and war weariness precipitated mass mobilizations and strikes. Key moments—the July Days protests, the dismissal of ministers like Pavel Milyukov, the failed Kornilov coup, and the seizure of strategic points by Bolshevik militias under leaders like Leon Trotsky and Felix Dzerzhinsky—led to loss of authority and the transfer of power to soviet organs dominated by Bolsheviks at the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets.
Legacy and Historical Assessments
Historians debate the Provisional Government’s legacy, with schools of thought represented by Richard Pipes, Orlando Figes, Sheila Fitzpatrick, Neil Faulkner, and Christopher Read focusing on themes of liberal failure, revolutionary agency, and structural crisis; assessments link its decisions to the ensuing Russian Civil War, establishment of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, and later policies of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Its brief rule influenced constitutional debates in émigré circles, the work of jurists associated with the Kadet tradition, and international perceptions among Allied governments, leaving contested conclusions about alternatives to Bolshevik rule and the trajectories of twentieth-century Russian history.