T1 Downfall on PG

Question 1

Richard Pipes (Conservative/Anti-Soviet):

Answer 1

• Pipes argues the Provisional Government could have survived if not for Bolshevik manipulation.
• Quote: “The Bolsheviks did not create the revolutionary situation; they exploited it.”

Question 2

Orlando Figes (Liberal/Revisionist):

Answer 2

• Figes blames the Provisional Government for failing to address key issues, particularly land reform and the continuation of the war.
• Quote: “The Provisional Government was doomed from the start.”

Question 3

Soviet Historians (Marxist/Pro-Revolution):

Answer 3

• They argue that the Provisional Government was bound to collapse because it did not represent the working class.
• Lenin: “All power to the Soviets!”

Question 4

By October 1917, what happened to the Provisional Government’s control over the military?

Answer 4

They lost control of most of Petrograd’s military garrisons.

Question 5

What event in July 1917 showed the weakness of the Provisional Government?

Answer 5

The July Days – a failed Bolshevik uprising.

Question 6

What was Kerensky’s major mistake?

Answer 6

Continuing WWI with the June Offensive, leading to 400,000 Russian casualties.

Question 7

What happened on October 25, 1917?

Answer 7

Bolsheviks stormed the Winter Palace, overthrowing the Provisional Government.