What was ‘Dual Power’?
Two political bodies - Provisional Government and the Petrograd soviets
Provisional Government:
Made up of figures from the Kadets and other Liberal parties
Leader Prince Lvov (played a role in the Zemgor, descended from the Rurik dynasty)
Role was to run the country until a constituent assembly had been formed
Provision gov were chosen by a committee of the Duma - it had not been elected by
the people
Petrograd Soviets
Made up of workers and soldiers’ representatives
Socialist Intellectuals, mainly Mensheviks (happy to sit and watch and make sure the
people weren’t exploited, wanted to wait until the Proletariat dominate society and
then take over (proletariat Revolution) and Socialist Revolutionaries - Lenin thought
this would take to long
Leader was Chkheidze (Menshevik)
Role was the protect the interest of the working classes and soldiers
Alexander Kerensky - member of both bodies and provided the main line of communication
between the two
Provisional Government Petrograd Soviet
Declared March 2nd Formed 27th February
Who were Milyukov leader of Kadets First Chairman was leading
its became foreign minister Menshevik, Chkheidze
members? Socilaist minister, Alexander
Kerensky became minister of
Justice - soon to become a
major player in events of
1917
New Prime Minister Price G.E
Lvov - popular choice, had
headed the union of Zemstva
and widely praised for his
efforts in supply issues and
providing support and
medical help for soldiers at
the Front
How was Factories asked to elect
this body delegates to attend a full meeting
formed? of the Soviet - when it met an
Executive Committee was
chosen - dominated by
Mensheviks and non-party
socialist intellectuals
Soldiers wanted to protect own
interests and on 1st March they
went to the Soviet and demanded
representation - gained famous
Order No.1, each regiment was
to elect committees that would
, send representatives to the
Soviet
What Has power to make laws but Order No. 1 gave soldiers
powers did had to have agreement of the representation and gave their
it have? Soviet committees control of all
PG has all the responsibility, weapons
Soviet shave all the power The soldiers would only obey the
Could not move around or orders of the PG if the Soviet
send a message without the agrees - situation of ‘dual power’
Soviet’s knowing - created
Could determine which factories
stayed open and which services
such as electricity would be
provided
Why was Order No.1 important:
Gave Soviet power of all weapons and meant representation for all soldiers
Created a situation of dual power
Why did the Soviets refuse to take power but still cooperate with the Provisional
Government?
Leaders of the Soviet did not think the time was right for the workers to form the
government - Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries believed that Russia had to
go through a ‘bourgeois revolution’ before the workers could assume power -
following classic Marxist line and believed that Capitalism had to develop fully,
society to become more industrialised and the proletariat to become much larger,
during this time Russia would be run by a democratically run government. Believed
workers needed a period of education before they could run the economy, though
they did see a powerful role for the Soviets in the local government
They wanted to avoid civil war and counter revolution - needed to keep the middle
classes and the army commanders on their side. Russian High Command had kept
their troops outside the city because they wanted to reassure the Duma politicians
(solid middle-class citizens) were in control of the situation they thought that a
socialist government hostile to them and to military discipline was going to assume
power, then they might send their troops on
Leaders of the soviet were scared (mainly intellectual socialists) and were not sure
they could control the masses, thought all the anger might be turned against them if
they became the government
So they decided to step back and cooperate, they were inexperienced and wanted to let the
others steer the ship into the dangerous waters of February-April 1917. They also wanted to
keep the High Command on their side and if there is counter-revolution the gains of the
February revolution might be lost.
What was the ‘honeymoon’ period of the Revolution?
First 2 months of Revolution there was little to bring the Provisional Government and
the Soviet into conflict
First measures taken by the Provisional Government met with Soviet and public approval:
Two political bodies - Provisional Government and the Petrograd soviets
Provisional Government:
Made up of figures from the Kadets and other Liberal parties
Leader Prince Lvov (played a role in the Zemgor, descended from the Rurik dynasty)
Role was to run the country until a constituent assembly had been formed
Provision gov were chosen by a committee of the Duma - it had not been elected by
the people
Petrograd Soviets
Made up of workers and soldiers’ representatives
Socialist Intellectuals, mainly Mensheviks (happy to sit and watch and make sure the
people weren’t exploited, wanted to wait until the Proletariat dominate society and
then take over (proletariat Revolution) and Socialist Revolutionaries - Lenin thought
this would take to long
Leader was Chkheidze (Menshevik)
Role was the protect the interest of the working classes and soldiers
Alexander Kerensky - member of both bodies and provided the main line of communication
between the two
Provisional Government Petrograd Soviet
Declared March 2nd Formed 27th February
Who were Milyukov leader of Kadets First Chairman was leading
its became foreign minister Menshevik, Chkheidze
members? Socilaist minister, Alexander
Kerensky became minister of
Justice - soon to become a
major player in events of
1917
New Prime Minister Price G.E
Lvov - popular choice, had
headed the union of Zemstva
and widely praised for his
efforts in supply issues and
providing support and
medical help for soldiers at
the Front
How was Factories asked to elect
this body delegates to attend a full meeting
formed? of the Soviet - when it met an
Executive Committee was
chosen - dominated by
Mensheviks and non-party
socialist intellectuals
Soldiers wanted to protect own
interests and on 1st March they
went to the Soviet and demanded
representation - gained famous
Order No.1, each regiment was
to elect committees that would
, send representatives to the
Soviet
What Has power to make laws but Order No. 1 gave soldiers
powers did had to have agreement of the representation and gave their
it have? Soviet committees control of all
PG has all the responsibility, weapons
Soviet shave all the power The soldiers would only obey the
Could not move around or orders of the PG if the Soviet
send a message without the agrees - situation of ‘dual power’
Soviet’s knowing - created
Could determine which factories
stayed open and which services
such as electricity would be
provided
Why was Order No.1 important:
Gave Soviet power of all weapons and meant representation for all soldiers
Created a situation of dual power
Why did the Soviets refuse to take power but still cooperate with the Provisional
Government?
Leaders of the Soviet did not think the time was right for the workers to form the
government - Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries believed that Russia had to
go through a ‘bourgeois revolution’ before the workers could assume power -
following classic Marxist line and believed that Capitalism had to develop fully,
society to become more industrialised and the proletariat to become much larger,
during this time Russia would be run by a democratically run government. Believed
workers needed a period of education before they could run the economy, though
they did see a powerful role for the Soviets in the local government
They wanted to avoid civil war and counter revolution - needed to keep the middle
classes and the army commanders on their side. Russian High Command had kept
their troops outside the city because they wanted to reassure the Duma politicians
(solid middle-class citizens) were in control of the situation they thought that a
socialist government hostile to them and to military discipline was going to assume
power, then they might send their troops on
Leaders of the soviet were scared (mainly intellectual socialists) and were not sure
they could control the masses, thought all the anger might be turned against them if
they became the government
So they decided to step back and cooperate, they were inexperienced and wanted to let the
others steer the ship into the dangerous waters of February-April 1917. They also wanted to
keep the High Command on their side and if there is counter-revolution the gains of the
February revolution might be lost.
What was the ‘honeymoon’ period of the Revolution?
First 2 months of Revolution there was little to bring the Provisional Government and
the Soviet into conflict
First measures taken by the Provisional Government met with Soviet and public approval:
