Your blog speaks very well to the chronology and the slowly deteriorating power of the Provisional Government. I think it’s important to remember, and it’s something you point out, that the Revolution wasn’t simply overnight but a long drawn-out series of events that pushed the Russian citizens to their breaking point. This time period in Russia shares characteristics of Germany when Hitler was rising to power. When a population has lost their sense of direction they turn to a figure head/movement that they think will better their living standards and overall livelihood. The fall of the Russian Provisional Government was inevitable.
Month: February 2018
Comment on Kornilov’s Attempted Coup Backfired Worse Than He Ever Could Have Imagined by ejrhodes5
I did my post on the Kornilov affair as well! It’s really interesting, because while leftist historians describe it as an attempted coup by Kornilov, many center and right-leaning historians believe prime minister Kerenskii tricked him into attacking Petrograd. I don’t think either is completely true – it seems like miscommunication between Kerenskii and Kornilov (combined with Kornilov’s ambition and dislike of the Soviet) led to the incident. It certainly is ironic how badly this backfired – great post!
Comment on The Soldiers’ Revolution by cnritchey
Nick, I really enjoyed your post and I think your emphasis on the people’s dissolution with the tsar even going into the war is really important. The tsar’s emphasis on himself bringing the Russian people into the war ended up hurting him in the end, and gave the Russian people a target as for why they were suffering. I also think it’s interesting and important that it was the imperial army itself that dealt the final blow to the autocracy. Great work!
Comment on Leon Trotsky by cnritchey
Sean, I think this post was really interesting and gives a good backdrop for the events to come. The political situation at the time was really complex and many parties had similar, but not quite the same, platforms. I think your post really highlighted that, and I also liked how you included Brest-Litovsk and the other complications that were happening at the time.
Comment on The Conspiracy of General Kornilov by bmarceau17
Great post! I agree, some more research into those three question would be extremely interesting.
Comment on Mounting tensions cause setbacks for the Bolsheviks by bmarceau17
I really like how you used a personal account as a source, this give a great first person look at the events!
Comment on The Yakutian Laika Dog by Papa John
I am impressed with the Tundra breed unmolested by western dog show enthusiasts who have manipulated the genes of a wonderful family member, hunter and herder and turned them into a prancing spectacle. The tri color is my favorite.
Comment on It was the Best of Times and it was the Worst of Times by nhinguyen14
WOW! What a post!! I love the pun in the name and the cover photo; it made me laugh. I love your post because the entertainment and media aspect is not something that is commonly looked at when talking about the February and October revolutions of Russia. This was really unique for that reason, but in addition, you added examples and photos of what you were talking about. I liked how you focused on escapism and how “…a number of intellectuals and Bolsheviks saw sex itself was a distraction from the suffering and exploitation.” This demonstrates great reasons why Russia’s mass culture transformed in the way that it did. Great post, I love this!!
Comment on Revolution and Consequences by nhinguyen14
I wrote my blog on Nicholas II, in which his abdication led to the February Revolution. I enjoyed reading this because it taught me about the October Revolution, something that I did not do much research upon. I thought the post was very easy to understand and overall, a very summary of what happened!
Comment on Meet “Nicholas the Bloody” by Nhi Nguyen
I also wrote about Nicholas II. I thought it was great that you inserted a picture! It makes the blog visually appealing. I thought the following sentence demonstrated his main downfall that led to the turning point of the Russian empire: “This combination of political ineptitude and stubbornness of his belief in aristocratic powers did not end well for the Russian people.” The revolutions were inevitable, but I agree that the casualties could have been minimized. Great post! I loved reading to learn more about him.
