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Who Opposed the Provisional Government and Why? - Coggle Diagram
Who Opposed the Provisional Government and Why?
Petrograd Soviet
The Petrograd Soviet introduced Order Number 1 which prevented the Provisional Government from using the military without the permission of the Soviet.
This handcuffed the Provisional Government as they were unable to fight the war how they wanted and could not enforce policies that the Soviet did not agree with.
The Petrograd Soviet stepped up to claim power when the Tsar fell along with the provisional government.
The provisional government was also suffered as a result of not being formally elected to their position, whilst the Petrograd Soviet had democratically elected its members
Lenin and the Bolsheviks
Lenin returned to Russia from his exile in Switzerland in March 1917. A month later he published the April Theses and Letters from Afar which documented how he thought the workers and the peasantry should revolt again.
After this Lenin immediately announced that he planned to launch a bid for power, however other Bolsheviks weren't on board with this.
In early 1917 Lenin had to gain the support of the rest of the Bolsheviks before he could enact his grand dreams for power.
The Mensheviks and the SRs
With the Duma becoming more left leaning after the fall of the tsar, the Mensheviks and the SRs became the centre left
The Mensheviks and the SRs wanted the constituent election to wait until after the harvest in order for their peasant supporters to vote for them
The different attitudes to the War
There were three key options for the Provisional Government surrounding the war when they took power in 1917
They could use Revolutionary Defencism and fight to defend Russia but not gain land
This would appease the Soviets and would allow the Provisional Government some breathing room to try and get some more support, as well as meant the Soviets wouldn't try to force a coup.
This could anger the Allies if they found out Russia had no intention of fighting the full war and they would reduce support for Russia financially and renege on deals made for Russia to get land in future.
Would upset Russian minorities who thought Russia might not liberate them after they lost other territories
They could negotiate an immediate peace treaty with Germany
They could fully commit to fighting the war and honour their commitment to the allies
This would anger the Soviets who didn't believe in fighting for land and who would try to seize power if the provisional government went against their wishes. They could also control the military and might force a coup.
This would appease the Allies who in return for Russia fighting in the war had lent them large sums of money to prop up their economy, and had made deals to get pieces of Poland and the sea between the black sea and Russia
This could potentially result in further land lost and meant that the Provisional Governments fortunes were directly tied into the War