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Russian Provisional Government

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Russian Provisional Government



 
 
The Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
n Provisional
Provisional government

A provisional government is an emergency or interim government set up when a political void has been created by the collapse of a previous administration or regime....
 Government
Government

Government is the body within any organization that has the authority to make and the power to enforce laws, regulations, or rules. Typically, the government refers to a civil government -- local, provincial, or national -- but commercial, academic, religious, or other formal organizations are also administered by governing bodies....
 was formed in Petrograd
Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a types of inhabited localities in Russia and a federal subjects of Russia of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea....
 in 1917 after the February Revolution and the abdication
Abdication

Abdication is the act of renouncing and resigning from a formal office, especially from the supreme office of state. In Roman law the term was also applied to the disowning of a family member, as the disinheriting of a son....
 of Tsar Nicholas II
Nicholas II of Russia

Nicholas II was the last Tsar of Russian Empire, Grand Prince of Finland, and claimant to the title of King of Poland. His official title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is currently regarded as Saint Nicholas the Passion Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church....
.

The weakness of the Provisional Government is perhaps best reflected in the derisive nickname given to Prime Minister Alexander Kerensky
Alexander Kerensky

Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky served as the second Prime Minister of the Russian Provisional Government, 1917 until Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, known commonly as Vladimir Lenin, was elected by the All-Russian Congress of Soviets following the October Revolution....
, who became known as the "persuader-in-chief." Although at first the Petrograd Soviet
Petrograd Soviet

The Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, usually called the Petrograd Soviet, was the Soviet in Saint Petersburg , Russia established in March 1917 after the February Revolution as the representative body of the city's workers....
 gave support to the Provisional Government, this gradually eroded. Since the Soviet controlled the army, factories, and railways and had the support of the workers, this became a period of dual authority.

The Provisional Government was led first by Prince Georgy L'vov
Georgy L'vov

Prince Georgy Yevgenyevich Lvov was a Russian statesman and the first post-imperial prime minister of Russia, from March 15 to July 21, 1917....
 and then by Alexander Kerensky
Alexander Kerensky

Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky served as the second Prime Minister of the Russian Provisional Government, 1917 until Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, known commonly as Vladimir Lenin, was elected by the All-Russian Congress of Soviets following the October Revolution....
.






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The Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
n Provisional
Provisional government

A provisional government is an emergency or interim government set up when a political void has been created by the collapse of a previous administration or regime....
 Government
Government

Government is the body within any organization that has the authority to make and the power to enforce laws, regulations, or rules. Typically, the government refers to a civil government -- local, provincial, or national -- but commercial, academic, religious, or other formal organizations are also administered by governing bodies....
 was formed in Petrograd
Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a types of inhabited localities in Russia and a federal subjects of Russia of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea....
 in 1917 after the February Revolution and the abdication
Abdication

Abdication is the act of renouncing and resigning from a formal office, especially from the supreme office of state. In Roman law the term was also applied to the disowning of a family member, as the disinheriting of a son....
 of Tsar Nicholas II
Nicholas II of Russia

Nicholas II was the last Tsar of Russian Empire, Grand Prince of Finland, and claimant to the title of King of Poland. His official title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is currently regarded as Saint Nicholas the Passion Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church....
.

The weakness of the Provisional Government is perhaps best reflected in the derisive nickname given to Prime Minister Alexander Kerensky
Alexander Kerensky

Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky served as the second Prime Minister of the Russian Provisional Government, 1917 until Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, known commonly as Vladimir Lenin, was elected by the All-Russian Congress of Soviets following the October Revolution....
, who became known as the "persuader-in-chief." Although at first the Petrograd Soviet
Petrograd Soviet

The Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, usually called the Petrograd Soviet, was the Soviet in Saint Petersburg , Russia established in March 1917 after the February Revolution as the representative body of the city's workers....
 gave support to the Provisional Government, this gradually eroded. Since the Soviet controlled the army, factories, and railways and had the support of the workers, this became a period of dual authority.

The Provisional Government was led first by Prince Georgy L'vov
Georgy L'vov

Prince Georgy Yevgenyevich Lvov was a Russian statesman and the first post-imperial prime minister of Russia, from March 15 to July 21, 1917....
 and then by Alexander Kerensky
Alexander Kerensky

Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky served as the second Prime Minister of the Russian Provisional Government, 1917 until Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, known commonly as Vladimir Lenin, was elected by the All-Russian Congress of Soviets following the October Revolution....
. Instead of ending Russia's involvement in World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
, it launched a new offensive against the German and Austro-Hungarian army in July 1917, thereby weakening its popularity among Russia's war-weary people. This Kerensky Offensive
Kerensky Offensive

The Kerensky Offensive was the last Russian Empire offensive in World War I. It took place in July 1917....
, as it was called, was a failure which further eroded support for the government. The Provisional Government was unable to make decisive policy decisions due to political factionalism and a breakdown of state structures. This weakness led to a challenge from the right in the form of the Kornilov Affair
Kornilov Affair

The Kornilov Affair was a struggle between the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian army, General Lavr Kornilov, and Aleksandr Kerensky in August and September of 1917 between the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II and the October Revolution....
, and then from the left, which organized the October Revolution, transferring power to the Soviets controlled by the Bolshevik
Bolshevik

Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists were a faction of the Marxism Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the 2nd Congress of the RSDLP in 1903 and ultimately became the Communist Party of the Soviet Union....
s.

Formation and initial composition

When the authority of the Tsar's government began disintegrating after the February Revolution of 1917, two rival institutions, the Duma
State Duma of the Russian Empire

State Duma of the Russian Empire was a legislative assembly in the late Russian Empire. It was convened four times.Under the pressure of the Russian Revolution of 1905, on August 6, 1905, Sergei Witte, appointed by Nicholas II of Russia to manage peace negotiations with Japan, issued a manifesto about the convocation of the Duma, initially...
 and the Petrograd Soviet
Petrograd Soviet

The Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, usually called the Petrograd Soviet, was the Soviet in Saint Petersburg , Russia established in March 1917 after the February Revolution as the representative body of the city's workers....
, competed for power. Tsar Nicholas II abdicated on March 2 (Julian calendar
Julian calendar

The Julian calendar, a reform of the Roman calendar, was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, and came into force in 45 BC . It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year, known at least since Hipparchus....
) and nominated his brother, Grand Duke Michael
Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia

Grand Duke Michael of Russia, Mikhail Aleksandrovich Romanov was the younger brother of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. Nicholas abdicated in favour of Michael on , but the next day Michael deferred acceptance of the throne....
 as the next tsar. Grand Duke Michael did not want to take the poisoned chalice and deferred acceptance of imperial power the next day. Legal authorization for the transfer of power was given by a proclamation signed by Grand Duke Michael. The Provisional Government was expected to rule until the Constituent Assembly
Russian Constituent Assembly

The All Russian Constituent Assembly was a democratically elected constitutional body convened in Russia after the October Revolution of 1917. It met for 13 hours, from 4 p.m....
 later determined the form of government in Russia. The Provisional Government was designed to set up elections to the Assembly while maintaining essential government services, but its power was effectively limited by the Petrograd Soviet
Petrograd Soviet

The Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, usually called the Petrograd Soviet, was the Soviet in Saint Petersburg , Russia established in March 1917 after the February Revolution as the representative body of the city's workers....
's growing authority.

Public announcement of the formation of the Provisional Government was made. It was published in Izvestia
Izvestia

Izvestia is a long-running high-circulation daily newspaper in Russia. The word "izvestiya" in Russian language means "delivered messages", derived from the verb izveshchat ....
 the day after its formation.

Initial composition of the Provisional Government:
Post Name Party
Minister-President and Minister of the Interior Georgy Lvov  
Minister of Foreign Affairs Pavel Milyukov
Pavel Milyukov

Pavel Nikolayevich Milyukov , a Russian politician, was the founder, leader, and the most prominent member of the Constitutional Democratic party ....
 
Kadet
Minister of War and Navy Alexander Guchkov
Alexander Guchkov

Alexander Ivanovich Guchkov was a Russian politician, Chairman of the Duma and Minister of War in the Russian Provisional Government....
 
Octobrist
Octobrist

The Octobrist Party was a non-revolutionary Centrism Imperial Russia political party formally called Union of October 17 . The party's program of moderate constitutionalism called for the fulfilment of List of Russian rulers Nicholas II of Russia's October Manifesto granted at the peak of the Russian Revolution of 1905....
Minister of Transport Nikolai Nekrasov
Nikolai Vissarionovich Nekrasov

Nikolai Vissarionovich Nekrasov was a Russian Liberalism politician and the last Governor-General of Finland....
 
Kadet
Minister of Trade and Industry Alexander Konovalov
Alexander Konovalov

Alexander Ivanovich Konovalov was a Russian Constitutional Democratic Party politician and entrepreneur. One of Russia's biggest textile manufacturers, he became a leader of the liberal, business-oriented Progressist Party and was a member of the Progressive Bloc in the Fourth Duma....
 
Progressist
Progressist Party

The Progressist Party was a group of moderate Russian liberals organized in 1908; it had 28 deputies in the Third Duma and 48 in the Fourth. Its most prominent members were Ivan Nikolaevich Efremov, Alexander Konovalov, and Pavel Ryabushinsky....
Minister of Justice Alexander Kerensky
Alexander Kerensky

Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky served as the second Prime Minister of the Russian Provisional Government, 1917 until Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, known commonly as Vladimir Lenin, was elected by the All-Russian Congress of Soviets following the October Revolution....
 
Socialist-Revolutionary Party
Socialist-Revolutionary Party

The Socialist-Revolutionary Party was a Russian political party active in the early 20th century....
Minister of Finance Mikhail Tereshchenko
Mikhail Tereshchenko

Mikhail Ivanovich Tereshchenko was a foreign minister of Russia from May 5, 1917 to October 25, 1917, old style. He was also a major landowner, owner of several sugar factories, and financier....
 
Non-Party
Minister of Education Andrei Manuilov
Andrei Manuilov

Alexander Appolonovich Manuilov was a Russian economist and politician. He was one of the founding members of the Constitutional Democratic party and was the Rector of Moscow State University between 1908 and 1911....
 
Kadet
Minister of Agriculture Andrei Shingarev
Andrei Ivanovich Shingarev

Andrei Ivanovich Shingarev was a Russian doctor, publicist and politician. He was a Duma deputy and one of the leaders of the Constitutional Democratic party ....
 
Kadet
Ober-Procurator of the Holy Synod Vladimir Lvov Progressist
Progressist Party

The Progressist Party was a group of moderate Russian liberals organized in 1908; it had 28 deputies in the Third Duma and 48 in the Fourth. Its most prominent members were Ivan Nikolaevich Efremov, Alexander Konovalov, and Pavel Ryabushinsky....


April crisis and first coalition government

On April 18 (May 1) minister of Foreign Affairs Pavel Milyukov
Pavel Milyukov

Pavel Nikolayevich Milyukov , a Russian politician, was the founder, leader, and the most prominent member of the Constitutional Democratic party ....
 sent a note to the Allied governments, promising to continue the war to a victorious conclusion. On April 20 and 21 massive demonstrations of workers and soldiers erupted against the continuation of war. Demonstrations demanded resignation of Milyukov. They were soon met by the counter-demonstrations organised in his support. General Lavr Kornilov
Lavr Kornilov

Lavr Georgiyevich Kornilov was a senior Russian army general during World War I and the ensuing Russian Civil War. He is today best remembered for the Kornilov Affair, an unsuccessful endeavor in August/September 1917 that purported to strengthen Alexander Kerensky's Russian Provisional Government, 1917, but which led to Kerensky eventual...
, commander of the Petrograd military district, whished to suppress the disorders, but premier Georgy Lvov refused to resort to violence.

The Provisional Government accepted the resignation of Foreign Minister Milyukov and War Minister Guchkov, and made a proposal to the Petrograd Soviet to form a coalition government. As a result of negotiations, on May 5 (18) agreement was reached and 6 socialist ministers joined the cabinet.

Composition of the first coalition government:
Post Name Party
Minister-President and Minister of the Interior Georgy Lvov  
Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Tereshchenko
Mikhail Tereshchenko

Mikhail Ivanovich Tereshchenko was a foreign minister of Russia from May 5, 1917 to October 25, 1917, old style. He was also a major landowner, owner of several sugar factories, and financier....
 
Non-party
Minister of War and Navy Alexander Kerensky
Alexander Kerensky

Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky served as the second Prime Minister of the Russian Provisional Government, 1917 until Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, known commonly as Vladimir Lenin, was elected by the All-Russian Congress of Soviets following the October Revolution....
 
Socialist-Revolutionary Party
Socialist-Revolutionary Party

The Socialist-Revolutionary Party was a Russian political party active in the early 20th century....
Minister of Transport Nikolai Nekrasov
Nikolai Vissarionovich Nekrasov

Nikolai Vissarionovich Nekrasov was a Russian Liberalism politician and the last Governor-General of Finland....
 
Kadet
Minister of Trade and Industry Alexander Konovalov
Alexander Konovalov

Alexander Ivanovich Konovalov was a Russian Constitutional Democratic Party politician and entrepreneur. One of Russia's biggest textile manufacturers, he became a leader of the liberal, business-oriented Progressist Party and was a member of the Progressive Bloc in the Fourth Duma....
 
Progressist
Progressist Party

The Progressist Party was a group of moderate Russian liberals organized in 1908; it had 28 deputies in the Third Duma and 48 in the Fourth. Its most prominent members were Ivan Nikolaevich Efremov, Alexander Konovalov, and Pavel Ryabushinsky....
Minister of Justice Pavel Pereverzev Socialist-Revolutionary Party
Socialist-Revolutionary Party

The Socialist-Revolutionary Party was a Russian political party active in the early 20th century....
Minister of Finance Andrei Shingarev
Andrei Ivanovich Shingarev

Andrei Ivanovich Shingarev was a Russian doctor, publicist and politician. He was a Duma deputy and one of the leaders of the Constitutional Democratic party ....
 
Kadet
Minister of Education Andrei Manuilov
Andrei Manuilov

Alexander Appolonovich Manuilov was a Russian economist and politician. He was one of the founding members of the Constitutional Democratic party and was the Rector of Moscow State University between 1908 and 1911....
 
Kadet
Minister of Agriculture Victor Chernov Socialist-Revolutionary Party
Socialist-Revolutionary Party

The Socialist-Revolutionary Party was a Russian political party active in the early 20th century....
Minister of Labour Matvey Skobelev
Matvey Skobelev

Matvey Ivanovich Skobelev was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and politician....
 
Menshevik
Menshevik

The Mensheviks were a faction of the Russian revolutionary movement that emerged in 1903 after a dispute between Vladimir Lenin and Julius Martov, both members of the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party....
Minister of Food Alexey Peshekhonov
Alexey Peshekhonov

Alexey Vasilyevich Peshekhonov was a Russian economist, publicist, and statistician. He was a member of the Russian Russian Provisional Government as a minister of food supplies for some months in the summer of 1917....
 
National socialists
Minister of Post and Telegraph Irakli Tsereteli
Irakli Tsereteli

Irakli Tsereteli was a Georgia politician, one of the leaders of the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party and the Georgian Mensheviks.Irakli Tsereteli was born in Kutaisi in the family of a radical writer Giorgi Tsereteli , of the noble family of Tsereteli....
 
Menshevik
Menshevik

The Mensheviks were a faction of the Russian revolutionary movement that emerged in 1903 after a dispute between Vladimir Lenin and Julius Martov, both members of the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party....
Ober-Procurator of the Holy Synod Vladimir Lvov Progressist
Progressist Party

The Progressist Party was a group of moderate Russian liberals organized in 1908; it had 28 deputies in the Third Duma and 48 in the Fourth. Its most prominent members were Ivan Nikolaevich Efremov, Alexander Konovalov, and Pavel Ryabushinsky....


During this period Provisional Government merely reflected the will of the Soviet, where left tendencies (Bolshevism) were gaining ground. The Government, however, influenced by the "bourgeois" ministers, tried to base itself on the right wing of the Soviet. Socialist ministers, coming under fire from their left wing Soviet associates, where compelled to pursue a double-faced policy. The Provisional Government was unable to make decisive policy decisions due to political factionalism and a breakdown of state structures.

July crisis and second coalition government

July crisis took place in Petrograd between July 3 and July 7 (Julian calendar) (July 16-July 20, Gregorian calendar), when soldiers and industrial workers in the city rioted against the Provisional Government. Bolsheviks led the attack, but it failed and their leader Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin , born Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov and also known by the pseudonyms V.I. Lenin and N. Lenin, was a Russians revolutionary, a Bolshevik Communism politician, the principal leader of the October Revolution and the first head of the USSR....
 went into hiding, while other leaders were arrested.

The result of the events was new protracted crisis in the Provisional Government. "Bourgeois" ministers, belonging to the Constitutional Democratic Party
Constitutional Democratic party

The Constitutional Democratic Party was a liberalism political party in the Russian Empire. Party members were called Kadets, from the abbreviation K-D of the party name ....
 resigned, and no cabinet could be formed to the end of the month. Finally, on August 6 (July 24) 1917, new coalition cabinet was formed with the Kerensky at it's head and composed mostly of socialists.

Second coalition:
Post Name Party
Minister-President and Minister of War and Navy Alexander Kerensky
Alexander Kerensky

Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky served as the second Prime Minister of the Russian Provisional Government, 1917 until Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, known commonly as Vladimir Lenin, was elected by the All-Russian Congress of Soviets following the October Revolution....
 
Socialist-Revolutionary Party
Socialist-Revolutionary Party

The Socialist-Revolutionary Party was a Russian political party active in the early 20th century....
Vice-President, Minister of Finance Nikolai Nekrasov
Nikolai Vissarionovich Nekrasov

Nikolai Vissarionovich Nekrasov was a Russian Liberalism politician and the last Governor-General of Finland....
 
 
Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Tereshchenko
Mikhail Tereshchenko

Mikhail Ivanovich Tereshchenko was a foreign minister of Russia from May 5, 1917 to October 25, 1917, old style. He was also a major landowner, owner of several sugar factories, and financier....
 
Non-party
Minister of Internal Affairs Nikolai Avksentyev Socialist-Revolutionary Party
Socialist-Revolutionary Party

The Socialist-Revolutionary Party was a Russian political party active in the early 20th century....
Minister of Transport Piotr Yurenev Kadet
Minister of Trade and Industry Sergei Prokopovich Non-party
Minister of Justice Alexander Zarudny National socialists
Minister of Education Sergey Oldenburg
Sergey Oldenburg

Sergey Fyodorovich Oldenburg was a Russian orientalism who specialized in Buddhism studies. He is remembered as the founder of Russian Indology and the teacher of Fyodor Shcherbatskoy....
 
Kadet
Minister of Agriculture Victor Chernov Socialist-Revolutionary Party
Socialist-Revolutionary Party

The Socialist-Revolutionary Party was a Russian political party active in the early 20th century....
Minister of Labour Matvey Skobelev
Matvey Skobelev

Matvey Ivanovich Skobelev was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and politician....
 
Menshevik
Menshevik

The Mensheviks were a faction of the Russian revolutionary movement that emerged in 1903 after a dispute between Vladimir Lenin and Julius Martov, both members of the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party....
Minister of Food Alexey Peshekhonov
Alexey Peshekhonov

Alexey Vasilyevich Peshekhonov was a Russian economist, publicist, and statistician. He was a member of the Russian Russian Provisional Government as a minister of food supplies for some months in the summer of 1917....
 
National socialists
Minister of Health Care Ivan Efremov  
Minister of Post and Telegraph Alexei Nikitin Menshevik
Menshevik

The Mensheviks were a faction of the Russian revolutionary movement that emerged in 1903 after a dispute between Vladimir Lenin and Julius Martov, both members of the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party....
Ober-Procurator of the Holy Synod Vladimir Lvov Progressist
Progressist Party

The Progressist Party was a group of moderate Russian liberals organized in 1908; it had 28 deputies in the Third Duma and 48 in the Fourth. Its most prominent members were Ivan Nikolaevich Efremov, Alexander Konovalov, and Pavel Ryabushinsky....


Third coalition

From October 8 (September 25), 1917.
Post Name Party
Minister-President Alexander Kerensky
Alexander Kerensky

Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky served as the second Prime Minister of the Russian Provisional Government, 1917 until Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, known commonly as Vladimir Lenin, was elected by the All-Russian Congress of Soviets following the October Revolution....
 
Socialist-Revolutionary Party
Socialist-Revolutionary Party

The Socialist-Revolutionary Party was a Russian political party active in the early 20th century....
Vice-President, Minister of Trade and Industry Alexander Konovalov
Alexander Konovalov

Alexander Ivanovich Konovalov was a Russian Constitutional Democratic Party politician and entrepreneur. One of Russia's biggest textile manufacturers, he became a leader of the liberal, business-oriented Progressist Party and was a member of the Progressive Bloc in the Fourth Duma....
 
 
Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Tereshchenko
Mikhail Tereshchenko

Mikhail Ivanovich Tereshchenko was a foreign minister of Russia from May 5, 1917 to October 25, 1917, old style. He was also a major landowner, owner of several sugar factories, and financier....
 
Non-party
Minister of Internal Affairs, Post and Telegraph Alexei Nikitin Menshevik
Menshevik

The Mensheviks were a faction of the Russian revolutionary movement that emerged in 1903 after a dispute between Vladimir Lenin and Julius Martov, both members of the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party....
Minister of War Alexander Verkhovsky  
Minister of Navy Dmitry Verderevsky
Dmitry Verderevsky

Dmitry Nikolayevich Verderevsky was a Russian military leader and rear admiral....
 
 
Minister of Finance Mikhail Bernatsky  
Minister of Justice Pavel Malyantovitch Menshevik
Menshevik

The Mensheviks were a faction of the Russian revolutionary movement that emerged in 1903 after a dispute between Vladimir Lenin and Julius Martov, both members of the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party....
Minister of Transport Alexander Liverovsky Non-party
Minister of Education Sergei Salazkin Non-party
Minister of Agriculture Semen Maslov Socialist-Revolutionary Party
Socialist-Revolutionary Party

The Socialist-Revolutionary Party was a Russian political party active in the early 20th century....
Minister of Labour Kuzma Gvozdev Menshevik
Menshevik

The Mensheviks were a faction of the Russian revolutionary movement that emerged in 1903 after a dispute between Vladimir Lenin and Julius Martov, both members of the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party....
Minister of Food Sergei Prokopovich Non-party
Minister of Health Care Nikolai Kishkin Kadet
Minister of Post and Telegraph Alexei Nikitin Menshevik
Menshevik

The Mensheviks were a faction of the Russian revolutionary movement that emerged in 1903 after a dispute between Vladimir Lenin and Julius Martov, both members of the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party....
Minister of Religion Anton Kartashev Kadet


The October Revolution

The Provisional Government was deposed as a result of the October Revolution. Kerensky escaped the Bolsheviks in their capture of the Winter Palace
Winter Palace

The Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia, was, from 1732 to 1917, the official residence of the Russian Tsars. Situated between the Palace Embankment and the Palace Square, adjacent to the site of Peter I of Russia's original Winter Palace, the present and fourth Winter Palace was built and altered almost continuously between the late...
 and fled to Pskov
Pskov

Pskov is an ancient types of inhabited localities in Russia located in the north-west of Russia about east from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River....
, where he rallied some loyal troops for an attempt to retake the capital. His troops managed to capture Tsarskoe Selo but were beaten the next day at Pulkovo
Pulkovo

Pulkovo may refer to:*Pulkovo Heights marking the southern limit of Saint Petersburg, Russia*Pulkovo Airport serving that city*Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise, a former state airline based in Saint Petersburg, Russia...
. Kerensky spent the next few weeks in hiding before fleeing the country. He went into exile in France.

The Bolsheviks then replaced the government with their own which, until the Russian Constituent Assembly
Russian Constituent Assembly

The All Russian Constituent Assembly was a democratically elected constitutional body convened in Russia after the October Revolution of 1917. It met for 13 hours, from 4 p.m....
 was disbanded.

Some historians, such as Pavel Osinsky, argue that the October Revolution was as much a function of the failures of the Provisional Government as it was of the strength of the Bolsheviks. Osinsky described this as “socialism by default” as opposed to “socialism by design.”

Riasanovsky
Nicholas V. Riasanovsky

Nicholas V. Riasanovsky is a professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley and the author of numerous books on History of Russia....
 argued that the Provisional Government made perhaps its "worst mistake" by not holding elections to the Constituent Assembly soon enough. They wasted time fine-tuning details of the election law, while Russia slipped further into anarchy and economic chaos. By the time the Assembly finally met, argued Riasanovsky, "the Bolsheviks had already gained control of Russia."

Additional reading


  • Kerensky, Alexander
    Alexander Kerensky

    Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky served as the second Prime Minister of the Russian Provisional Government, 1917 until Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, known commonly as Vladimir Lenin, was elected by the All-Russian Congress of Soviets following the October Revolution....
    . . New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1927.
  • Medvedev, Roi. The October Revolution. New York: Columbia University Press, 1979.
  • Nabokov, Vladimir Dmitrievich
    Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov

    Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov was a Russian criminology, journalist, and liberal politician. He was the father of Russian-United States writer Vladimir Nabokov....
    . V.D. Nabokov and the Russian Provisional Government, 1917. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1976, ISBN 0300018207
  • Reed, John. . New York: Boni & Liveright, 1919.
  • Riasanovsky, Nicholas
    Nicholas V. Riasanovsky

    Nicholas V. Riasanovsky is a professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley and the author of numerous books on History of Russia....
    . A History of Russia (sixth edition). New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
  • Trotsky, Leon
    Leon Trotsky

    Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronstein , was a Bolshevik revolutionary and Marxism theorist. He was one of the leaders of the Russian October Revolution, second only to Lenin....
    . . New York: Pioneer Publishers, 1937 (1924).