Caitlin Longbottom

How far do you agree that the provisional government mistakes enabled the Bolsheviks to come to power? Certainly the mistakes of the Provisional Government were a key factor in the Bolsheviks rise to power in October 1917. The continued war, the loss of control in the countryside, and the changes to the voting system had a huge impact on Russia. However, one cannot deny that the dual authority and the return of Lenin were just as pivotal as the reasons prior.
The mistakes of the a Provisional Government were a significant reason why the Bolsheviks came to power. The biggest problem facing the Provisional Government was the First World War. The continuation of the war caused conflict. With the Soviets, because in 1917 Russia was clearly losing the war, alongside land and the soldiers’ moral, due to the lack of supplies. Britain and France were loaning Russia money to help finance the war which unfortunately meant the taxes in Russia were increased, putting more pressure on the workers/peasants who were already struggling to survive on what little money they had. At this time the dual authority between the Provisional Government and the soviets caused many conflicts within the government as the soviets suggested that they would only become involved with the war if there was a threat that Germany would invade. However, the Provisional Government wanted to continue with the war as they believed that more land (won from the war) would help improve Russia. The June offensive was yet another mistake the provisional government made as the army collapsed, this lead to the July days which then lead to many of the Russian soldiers deserting. These many mistakes meant that many people believed that Russia needed a new Provisional Government, Kerensky, the new leader was the only representative of a radical party. In short, the Provisional Government made many mistakes that enabled the Bolsheviks to come to power.Another mistake was that due to the collapse of the Tsarist autocracy which ultimately led to the collapse of administration across Russia the provisional government had very little control over the towns/cities and therefore lost control of the countryside. The peasants began to take the law into their own hands, some taking land from landowners and others participating in violent protests against them. After the June offensive troops went back to the countryside which increased the amount of people having to live in the small pieces of land and limited the support the army had as the June offensive tainted people's opinion of the Russian authority. The provisional government struggled to do anything as they had no real organisation due to the countryside having no effective government.
The mistakes made by the Provisional Government were highlighted by the dual authority with the Soviets. Order Number One was put forward by the soviets. This stated that the military orders of the Provisional Government would only be recognised if they were agreed by the soviets. This undermined the provisional government. As there were two different political groups in charge of Russia there was a division in loyalty and left the country in a state of confusion. The soviets represented the people in contrast to the provisional government whom only represented the middle class. This meant that the provisional government had little support from the