Opposition to the Provisional Government
- Created by: Tori
- Created on: 02-06-20 18:28
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- Opposition to the Provisional Government
- Conflicting attitudes to the war
- There were 3 main points of view during the war:
- Liberals
- Wanted to continue the war to ensure Russian victory.
- Milyukov's appointment as Foreign Minister and Guchkov's appointment as Minister for War showed the first PG's ambition to fight the war to win.
- Wanted to continue the war to ensure Russian victory.
- Bolsheviks and left SRs
- Consistently argued for the end of the war.
- To Lenin, WW1 was an imperialist war.
- This meant it sacrificed the lives of the working people in provide more land for the capitalists to get richer.
- In 1917 the Bolsheviks campaigned for a 'democratic peace'.
- To Lenin, WW1 was an imperialist war.
- Consistently argued for the end of the war.
- Mensheviks
- Majority adopted a policy of 'revolutionary defencism'.
- Workers had a duty to fight in order to defend their revolution.
- Majority adopted a policy of 'revolutionary defencism'.
- Liberals
- By March 1917, 'revolutionary defencism' became the dominant view among Mensheviks and Srs.
- There were 3 main points of view during the war:
- The Milyukov crisis
- This was the first major test of the relationship between the PG and the Petrograd Soviet.
- In April, the PG and the Petrograd Soviet reached an agreement on the aims of the war.
- The 'Declaration of War Aims' committed the new government to 'revolutionary defencism'.
- However, it allowed Milyukov to restructure the war economy and aim for victory.
- The 'Declaration of War Aims' committed the new government to 'revolutionary defencism'.
- Milyukov's fall
- He believed that 'revolutionary defencism' was a feeble policy.
- He thought that failed to take advantage of the opportunity to win the war that the fall of the Tsar had created.
- On 18th April, Milyukov sent a telegram to Britain and France which committed Russia to fighting in order to achive a 'decisive victory'.
- This directly opposed 'revolutionary defencism'.
- He believed that 'revolutionary defencism' was a feeble policy.
- Protest
- The telegram was a betrayal of the compromise set out in the 'Declaration of War Aims'.
- Consequency, when the telegram was made public, soldiers and workers began protest marches demanding Milyukov's resignation.
- The Bolsheviks went further, demanding the overthrow of the PG.
- Consequency, when the telegram was made public, soldiers and workers began protest marches demanding Milyukov's resignation.
- The telegram was a betrayal of the compromise set out in the 'Declaration of War Aims'.
- The consequences of the crisis
- Milyukov resinged on the 2nd May.
- However, his telegram had seriously undermined faith in the honesty of the new government.
- In order to re-establish trust between the PG and the Soviet, Prince Lvov invited 6 of the leading members of the Soviet to join the government.
- Tsereteli (the creator of 'revolutionary defencism') was one of the 6 socialists to join the new cabinet.
- Impact on the Mensheviks and SRs
- Rather than strengthening the government, the decision o some of Mensheviks and SRs to join the government undermined the authority of the moderate socialist parties.
- Following may, increasing numbers of workers and soldiers lost faith in the Mensheviks and SRs.
- They believed that they had entered an alliance with an untrustworthy capitalist dominated government.
- Following may, increasing numbers of workers and soldiers lost faith in the Mensheviks and SRs.
- Rather than strengthening the government, the decision o some of Mensheviks and SRs to join the government undermined the authority of the moderate socialist parties.
- Milyukov resinged on the 2nd May.
- The significance of the debate on the war
- The debate on the war had geuine political significance.
- First, it split the SRs and the Mensheviks between those who favoured ending the war and those who advocated for 'revolutionary defencism'.
- Second, as the war dragged on it created greater economic chaos and hardship for the working people.
- Therefore, over the course of 1917 the Bolsheviks became increasingly popular as they alone were united in their desire for peace.
- The debate on the war had geuine political significance.
- Conflicting attitudes to the war
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