RUSSIA 



5123 



RUSSIA 



The formation of a new and stable govern- 

 ment was an extremely difficult undertaking. 

 \ first it was decided to intrust the chief 

 power to the executive committee of the Duma 

 and a Council, or Cabinet, of Ministers, and on 

 March 15 the new Cabinet was announced. It 

 was headed by Prince George E. Lvoff. At 

 this time also was formed what was destined 

 to be the most influent i:il governing body in 

 the country the Petrograd Council of Work- 

 men's and Soldiers' Delegates, and the Peas- 

 anis' Delegates of all Russia. In June this 

 body voted for the abolition of the Duma. The 

 fir>t Cabinet did not long survive because it was 

 not a truly representative body. In the second 

 Cabinet there were six Socialist leaders, and the 

 most able of these proved to be Kerensky, who 

 was made Minister of War and Marine. 



The provisional government attempted to 

 keep the nation in the war, and Kerensky de- 

 parted for the battle front and inspired the 

 armies to begin an offensive in the Austrian 

 crownland of Galicia. After a promising start 

 the movement was crushed, and the demoralized 

 -inn troops were in full retreat by the latter 



of July. At home, meantime, Nikolai Le- 

 nine, had attempted to overturn the govern- 

 ment, but at this time his effort was unsuccess- 

 ful. Kerensky became Premier on July 22, and 

 for weeks struggled heroically against the dis- 

 organization in the army and the propaganda of 

 L nine's followers. These extreme revolution- 

 ists insisted on Russia's making peace with 

 Germany as the first step toward the establish- 

 ment of a truly representative government. 

 They claimed that the mass of the common 

 people were against continuing the war, and 

 with the slogans, "Peace and land for the peas- 



' and "Peace and bread for the workmen," 

 tiny succeeded in gaining control of affairs in 



nber. 

 name Bolshevik/, which means those of 



majority, was originally adopted by t ta- 

 in 1905, when they split, with the 

 moderate faction of the Social Democratic 

 party, an organix ition of industrial workers. 

 Hi- followers of Lenine were joined by the 

 radicals of the peasants' revolutionary party, 

 and tli- t\\. iimtiil in November, 1917. unl r 

 the name Bolshcviki. The establishment of th< 

 i'uhlir dlr.-rrihcd above) followed, as 

 "<ll 'ion of a separate peace with 



iny. 



\ll-Russian Congress of Workmen's and 

 S M -rates selected a new Cabinet on 



ember 9, with Lenine as Premier and I 



Trotzky as Minister for Foreign Affairs. Lenine 

 began at once to carry out his radical program, 

 and Trotzky to reorganize the army for the pro- 

 tection of the revolution. Decrees were issued 

 placing the workmen in control of the factories, 

 private ownership of land was abolished, and 

 mines, forests and waterways were taken over 

 by the state. After an unsuccessful attempt to 

 have the allies meet the Germans in a peace 

 conference, Lenine sent envoys to Brest-Litovsk, 

 who signed there, on March 3, 1918, a treaty 

 which took from Russia one-thirtieth of its 

 territory and one-fifth of its population. Rus- 

 sia agreed to relinquish its sovereignty over 

 Esthonia, Livonia, Courland, Finland, Poland 

 and the Ukraine, to release all German prison- 

 ers, and to pay huge indemnities. Germany 

 planned to make the relinquished provinces 

 German principalities. 



The soviet congress ratified the treaty in 

 March in the city of Moscow, which had been 

 selected as the Bolshevik seat of government. 

 Russia had gained peace with Germany, but 

 civil war was soon raging on all sides. An anti- 

 Bolshevik faction in Siberia, aided by Czecho- 

 slovak troops, set up a so-called All-Russian 

 government at Omsk, of which Admiral Kol- 

 chak became head in 1918. The Ukraine. Fin- 

 land, Poland and the Baltic provinces end 

 ored to set up independent republics, and d 

 perate fighting ensued all around Central Rus- 

 sia between these sections and Trotzky's new 

 army. The situation in August, 1919, was con- 

 fused and uncertain. The allies refused to 

 ognize the Bolsheviks. 



Consult Goodrich' s Russia in Europe and Asia; 

 Alexinsky's Modern Russia: Graham's Russia and 

 the World. 



Ilelated Subject*. The following articles in 

 these volumes will be of interest in connection 

 with a study of Russia : 



Archangel 

 Astrakhan 

 Baku 

 Batum 



rlna 

 Helslngfora 



CITUB8 



Minsk 

 MOMOW 



Nizhni Novgorod 



Odessa 



Orenburg 



\OV 



Kishinev 

 K"\ no 

 Kronstudt 

 Libau 

 Lodi 



rltti 



it- 1 1 in. Congress of 



Crimean War 



Reval 

 Riga 



Saratov 

 Sebastopol 

 Tiflis 

 Vilna 



Warsaw 



)T 



Holy Alii. 



Nihilists and Nihilism 



Poland, subhead 



