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Chapter 1: Military coup in Russia!

The situation in Russia was desperate in the beginning of July 1917. On March 2 1917 (March 15 1917) (dates in parentheses are according to the Gregorian calendar) abdicated Tsar Nikolay 2. after massive demonstrations against the Russian Tsardom. On March 3 1917 (March 16 1917) rejected Mikhail, the brother of Tsar Nikolay, the throne of Russia. Then a provisional government elected by the Duma took power in Russia. But Russia was still plagued by political instability. The Provisional Government was dominated by bourgeois liberal politicians, but after the downfall of Tsar Nikolay were socialist Soviets (worker’s councils) being formed. The Soviets acted in parallel to the Provisional Government and had broad popularity. The liberal prince Georgiy Lvov was the Minister-President of the provisional Russian government.

Russia was at war with Germany and with Austria-Hungary and Turkey, the allies of Germany. Russia was allied with Great Britain and France against Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey. On March 24 1917 (April 6 1917) entered the USA the war by declaring war on Germany and Austria-Hungary, but not on Turkey. The war went badly for Russia despite the entrance of the USA in the war against Germany. The Russian army was on the defensive against Germany and the German army controlled Congress Poland, Lithuania and southern Latvia. The German army advanced towards Riga, the capital of Latvia. Most Russians wanted peace with Germany as quickly as possible, but the Provisional Government rejected peace with Germany.

Social deprivation was widespread in Russia, and the Russian peasants wanted a land reform, which would distribute the agricultural land of the landlords to smallholders and landless agricultural workers. In April 1917 returned Lenin, the leader of the Bolshevik Party, a revolutionary socialist party, to Russia from Switzerland. Lenin opposed the Provisional Government and promised the Russian people bread, land and peace. He supported a revolution, which should overthrow the Provisional Government and establish a revolutionary socialist regime in Russia. Lenin became ever more popular among the Russian people.

On July 3 1917 (July 16 1917) began massive unrest in Petrograd caused by revolutionary socialists. Many of the rioters were Bolsheviks. But Lenin and the rest of the Bolshevik leadership were cautious during the unrest. At the same time a group of Russian officers made plans for a military coup d’état against the Provisional Government. The officer group wanted peace with Germany as quickly as possible and wanted to carry out a far-reaching land reform, which should expropriate most of the agricultural land of the landlords and divide it into plots owned by peasants. The officer group opposed both the Bolsheviks and the bourgeois liberals.

On July 4 1917 (July 17 1917) became the unrest in Petrograd far greater. Massive street fighting erupted in Petrograd. The officer group decided that the time had come to commence the planned coup d’état against the Provisional Government. At 12.15 noon on July 4 1917 (July 17 1917) commenced the military coup d’état of the officer group. Soldiers entered the streets of Petrograd and marched towards the seat of the Provisional Government. At 1.30 PM on July 4 1917 (July 17 1917) assaulted soldiers supporting the coup the seat of the Provisional Government. Minister-President Georgiy Lvov and Minister of War Aleksandr Kerenskiy, who had large influence in the Provisional Government and who belonged to the right-wing of the Socialist Revolutionary Party, a socialist peasant’s party in Russia, were killed by soldiers. The other ministers in the Provisional Government were taken to a military headquarter on the outskirts of Petrograd. The officer group entered afterwards the seat of the Provisional Government and declared itself as the new governing council of Russia.

The Military Governing Council declared the constitution abolished, the Duma dissolved, introduced strict censorship of the press, banned public political assemblies and reintroduced the death penalty. The Military Governing Council declared Russia’s alliances with Great Britain, France, the USA, Italy and Japan dissolved and announced, that it will begin separate peace negotiations with Germany on behalf of Russia. The Military Governing Council declared that it will enact a far-reaching land reform.

At 3.05 PM on July 4 1917 (July 17 1917) killed soldiers on orders from the Military Governing Council the liberal politician Pavel Milyukov, who until April 1917 had been the Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Provisional Government. Pavel Milyukov supported as Minister for Foreign Affairs continued Russian participation in the war with its original war aims and supported the continuation of the alliance with Great Britain and France. At 3.00 PM on July 4 1917 (July 17 1917) the Military Governing Council had taken control of all public buildings in Petrograd.

After the Military Governing Council had announced that it will begin separate peace negotiations with Germany and that it will enact a far-reaching land reform, the protests dissolved. At 1.40 PM on July 4 1917 (July 17 1917) was Lenin shot by soldiers on orders from the Military Governing Council. Lenin died immediately. Trotskiy, who second to Lenin was the most prominent revolutionary socialist leader in Russia, fled Russia after the coup. Stalin, who belonged to the leadership of the Bolshevik Party, declared support for the Military Governing Council. The Abkhaz Bolshevik leader Nestor Lakoba declared support for the Military Governing Council.

Late in the evening on July 4 1917 (July 17 1917) controlled the Military Governing Council the entire Russia. On July 5 1917 (July 18 1917) banned the Military Governing Council the Bolshevik Party and the Black Hundreds, an ultra-nationalist and anti-Semitic party. The Military Governing Council also dissolved the Kadet Party, a bourgeois liberal party opposed to the monarchy, the Octobrist Party, a conservative party, who supported a constitutional monarchy, and the Progressive Party, a bourgeois party. The only large nationwide parties in Russia, which were allowed to continue to exist, were the Socialist Revolutionary Party and the Menshevik Party, a social democratic party. The Military Governing Council banned the Ukrainian Socialist Revolutionary Party because of its support for Ukrainian self-government.

On July 5 1917 (July 18 1917) was Tsar Nikolay allowed to settle in the Livadia Palace in Crimea with his wife and children. Tsar Nikolay was at the same time released from house arrest.

On July 8 1917 (July 21 1917) was the Okhrana (the secret police of Russia before March 1917) restored.
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