Kornilov affair
The
Kornilov affair in August 1917 became the last nail in the coffin of the Provisional Government. Due to the extreme weakness of the government at this point, there was talk among the elites of bolstering its power by including the Commander-in-chief of Russian army
Lavr Kornilov as a military dictator on the side of Kerensky. The extent to which this deal had indeed been accepted by all parties is still unclear. What is clear, however, is that when Kornilov's troops approached Petrograd, Kerensky branded them as counter-revolutionaries and demanded their arrest. This move can be seen as an attempt to bolster his own power by making him a defender of the revolution against a Napoleon-type figure. However, it had terrible consequences, as Kerensky's move was seen in the army as a betrayal of Kornilov, making them finally disloyal to the Provisional Government. Furthermore, as Kornilov's troops were arrested by the now armed Red Guard, it was the Soviet that was seen to have saved the country from military dictatorship. In order to defend himself and Petrograd, he provided the Bolsheviks with arms as he had little support from the army. When Kornilov did not attack Kerensky, the Bolsheviks did not return their weapons, making them a greater concern to Kerensky and the Provisional Government.
The Provisional Government was expected to rule until the
Constituent Assembly later determined the form of government in Russia. On September 16, 1917, the country's legislature (the
Duma) was officially dissolved by the newly created
Directorate and the country was officially declared the
Russian Republic[
citation needed](
Russian: Российская республика, translit.
Rossiyskaya respublika), even though the state status as such occurred with the fall of the monarchy (Tsar's abdication).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Provisional_Government