The Provisional Government
- Formation: Established after Tsar Nicholas II abdicated in March 1917. Composed of former Duma members and representatives from the Petrograd Soviet (workers and soldiers).
- Challenges:
- Whether to continue World War I or make peace.
- Land redistribution, as peasants had already started seizing land.
- Food shortages in urban areas.
- Key Promises of Kerensky:
- Immediate elections and suffrage for all Russians.
- Land for peasants and better pay for workers.
- Renewed attempts to defeat Germany in WWI.
- Reasons for Failure:
- Lenin’s return and influence among peasants, industrial workers, and the Bolsheviks.
- Continued participation in WWI, leading to mass dissatisfaction.
- Delays in holding elections and land reforms.
- Hyperinflation and poor working conditions for industrial workers.
Division of power between the Provisional Government and Soviets led to disobedience among soldiers.