User:Jen co16/sandbox

Peer Review Suggestions

Hey! Hope it's ok I edited your sandbox -- your name was the first that came up for your group's edits on Dual Power. I have a couple suggestions, but definitely feel free to take them or leave them -- they're just small things.
 * At the end of the first paragraph in the background section, your group's edit reads:
 * "With the Russian government moving from an autocracy to this system of "dual power" with the Provisional Government and Petrograd Soviet constantly vying for power, there was much confusion on how both could coexist and govern effectively"
 * You use the passive tense here, which I think we're supposed to avoid. Who was confused on how the two could coexist and govern effectively?
 * Near the beginning of the second paragraph, the texts labels the liberal acts as "very bold," which, to me at least, seems a little biased. Again, this is really nit picky and if a secondary source used similar language, then I'm sure it's fine.

Overall though, this is really good and you guys contributed some essential information! All of my edits that I listed are pretty subjective and pertain to my writing style, so like I said before, feel free to disregard any suggestions you disagree with.
 * I also urge you to consider your changes to the headings. To me, they seem a bit wordy and might have been more palatable and easier to navigate before the titles were lengthened.

Cheers!

With the article on Dual Power, our group is hoping to add more information that pertains to the Russian Revolution, as it seems that it has taken on the role of explaining the theory behind dual power and the Zapatistas more than anything pertaining to Russia's government. We hope to link to other articles on the Russian Revolution as they have proven to be accurate, and also remove plagiarism and ask for citations, while moving the theory/Zapatista sections into a separate "effects" category.

Sources we are looking at using include:

The Russian Revolution 1905-1921 by Mark D. Steinberg

Voices of Revolution 1917 by Mark D. Steinberg

The Workers Revolution in Russia, 1917: The View From Below edited by Daniel H. Kaiser

The introduction to the article mostly satisfactory, but more background information is necessary.

Background
After the abdication of the Tsar Nicholas II, the February Revolution led to the establishment of the Provisional Government and its counterpart, the Petrograd Soviet. The Provisional Government was composed of former State Duma representatives with approval from the Petrograd Soviet, whereas the Petrograd Soviet was made up of socialist leaders elected by a proletariat constituency. (Mark D. Steinberg, Russian Revolution 1905-1921 (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2017), 71) With the Russian government moving from an autocracy to this system of "dual power" with the Provisional Government and Petrograd Soviet constantly vying for power, there was much confusion on how both could coexist and govern effectively.

In this confusion, the Provisional Government realized the Soviet had the people's trust and enthusiasm.(Mark D. Steinberg, Voices of Revolution, 1917 (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2001), 59) In the hopes of appeasing the Soviet and keeping the support of the population, the Provisional Government launched several very bold liberal acts and promoted civil liberties through means of freedom of speech, press, and assembly.(Russian Revolution, 71-72) Yet, other than strategic political motives, the Provisional Government understood that their power was illegitimate, due to the fact that they were not elected by the people. To solve the problem of illegitimacy, the Provisional Government were in the process of establishing the Constituent Assembly, whose members would be democratically elected by the people.(Russian Revolution, 72) The Constituent Assembly would never come to be under the Provisional Government's rule, as the elections were set after the Bolsheviks seized power in the October Revolution.(Voices of Revolution, 1917, 348)

July Days impact on balance of power
Jenna:The events of the July Days would solidify the issues of dual power within government between the Provisional Government and Petrograd Soviet. Between the dates of July 3rd and July 7th (Old Style date), a Bolshevik uprising, still disputed if intentional by Lenin, occurred. In what is seen as a "grass roots" uprising, workers and lower ranks of soldiers violently demonstrated in the streets, calling for the Soviet to take power over the Provisional Government. (S.A. Smith, Russia in Revolution: An Empire in Crisis 1890 to 1928 (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2017),124) The uprising was supported by the Bolshevik Military Organization and Petersburg Committee, who sent in more support, but the leaders of the party had less concrete opinions about the demonstration. (Lewis Siegelbaum, "July Days" [subject essay], Seventeen Moments in Soviet History: An On-Line Archive of Primary Sources, accessed November 5, 2017, http://soviethistory.msu.edu/1917-2/july-days/.)

Alexander Kerenksy, head of the Provisional Government, led a crackdown on those involved with events of the July Days and overthrow of the Provisional Government. The military was used to gather and arrest violent demonstrators, retake government buildings from Bolshevik forces, and dissolve military units that had participated in the attempted overthrow. (Mark D. Steinberg, Voices of Revolution, 1917 (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2001), 156) The Provisional Government also attempted to undermine Lenin and his party by revealing their investigation of his ties Germany, Russia's enemy during World War I. (Lewis Siegelbaum, "July Days" [subject essay], Seventeen Moments in Soviet History: An On-Line Archive of Primary Sources, accessed November 5, 2017, http://soviethistory.msu.edu/1917-2/july-days/.) These combined actions would quell the Bolshevik uprising and support until August 1917 (Old Style).

Michael: The reinstatement of the death penalty for soldiers, and Kerensky transferring the Provisional Government into the Winter Palace were among the actions that led to accusations of counterrevolutionary activity(reestablishment of autocratic government) by the Provisional Government. Possible spying on Bolsheviks by Kerensky's forces.

A new kind of duality between the classes (proletariat and bourgeoisie) was the split noticeable in government but in everyday life for Russians. This led to increased tensions between both theaters, and made it difficult for groups to collaborate. (Worker's Revolution, 6) The Petrograd Soviet represented the Proletariat, while the Provisional Government members were part of the Bourgeoisie. This divide was clear in the military between rank-and-file soldiers and military officers. As World War I continued on, soldiers started to mutiny or to obey orders from their superiors, while supporting the Soviets in hopes to end the war. These problems were also shown in many other aspects of Russian culture and life such as peasants versus their landlords and workers versus their bosses and superiors. These struggles were difficult to remain peaceful as power became more and more balanced throughout all different groups.

Bolshevik takeover
Although the Bolshevik party was largely put down after the events of the July Days, Lenin still believed that the group could gain power in government because of unsteadiness due to the dual power situation. In April he wrote that the time was not yet right for revolution, as the Petrograd Soviet was still involved and working with the Provisional Government, as well as stating, "we do not as yet know a type of government superior to and better than the Soviets" (V.I Lenin,"The Dual Power", Marxist Internet Archive, 2005, accessed October 30, 2017, https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1917/apr/09.htm). With the July Days seen as "Lenin's worst blunder" (S.A. Smith, Russia in Revolution: An Empire in Crisis 1890 to 1928 (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2017),122) but never actually created by him, the Bolsheviks were still not in place to take over the Provisional Government and Petrograd Soviet.

However, with the Kornilov affair of August 1917 (Old Style date), the Bolsheviks regained both power in their party, but also with the masses. With Kornilov's soldiers moving towards the capital of St. Petersburg and the Provisional Government, Kerensky had released many Bolshevik leaders arrested during the July Days and also provided arms in order for the Bolsheviks to defend the Provisional Government. By arming and calling on those who he had earlier punished, the Bolsheviks saw that they truly were gaining power in the government and Russian society. The population lost faith in the Provisional Government because of how it handled Kornilov's coup, and many began supporting the Bolsheviks, with the group winning elections throughout Petrograd, especially in districts made up of the working class (Mark D. Steinberg, Voices of Revolution, 1917 (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2001), 171). This event, coupled with food shortages, the continuation of World War I, and mass unemployment, worked in the Bolsheviks favor, turning people away from the government in charge (S.A. Smith, Russia in Revolution: An Empire in Crisis 1890 to 1928 (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2017),147) and toward the party that promised "Bread, Peace, Land " (Mark D. Steinberg, Russian Revolution 1905-1921 (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2017), 79)

When the Bolsheviks overthrew the Provisional Government during the October Revolution, they were able to do so with little resistance. The Provisional Government realized that their power was limited at the point of takeover, as the Bolsheviks had been gaining supporters and had more revolutionaries. When the actual overthrow occurred between the days of October 25th and 26th (Old Style date), Bolsheviks first seized means of transportation and communication, such as roads, bridges, railways, and post offices (Mark D. Steinberg, Russian Revolution 1905-1921 (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2017), 80). Lenin then went to the Second Congress of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies to present the overthrow of the Provisional Government and state authority by the Bolshevik party. (Mark D. Steinberg, Voices of Revolution, 1917 (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2001), 173) The Winter Palace (home of the Provisional Government) was seized without a causality the morning of the 26th, the Congress had no choice but to approve Lenin's decree. (Mark D. Steinberg, Voices of Revolution, 1917 (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2001), 175) With this, the period of dual power between the Provisional Government and Petrograd Soviet came to a close.