The Kornilov Coup and Trotsky’s Role (AQA A-Level History): Revision Notes
The Kornilov Coup and Trotsky's Role
Military failure and growing disorder (June-July 1917)
The Provisional Government's authority weakened considerably during summer 1917 following military setbacks and internal disorder. In June 1917, Brusilov launched an offensive in Galicia hoping to rally national sentiment behind the government. The Russian forces suffered heavy losses and were pushed back, leading to increased desertion rates. Anti-war feeling intensified among soldiers and civilians alike.
In response to the deteriorating military situation, Kerensky appointed General Lavr Kornilov as Commander-in-Chief of the army in July. Kornilov implemented harsh measures to restore discipline, including reinstating the death penalty as the only method he believed could control the troops. This marked a return to authoritarian military practices that had been abandoned after the February Revolution.
Kerensky organised the Moscow State Conference to demonstrate political unity, but the Bolsheviks boycotted the gathering and organised a general strike instead. The Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries spoke out against Kornilov's disciplinary measures. However, right-wing groups, particularly landowners and businessmen, felt the Provisional Government had failed to protect their property and interests. Even moderate figures such as Milyukov and the Kadets, whose influence on the government was declining, came to view a military takeover by Kornilov as preferable to a Socialist regime.
Economic collapse and political crisis in summer 1917
By summer 1917, the Provisional Government commanded minimal support across Russian society. Food supplies remained chaotic in urban areas. Although the government had granted an eight-hour working day, real wages declined rapidly as inflation accelerated. By October, prices stood at 755% above pre-war levels.
Workers had hoped that factory soviets would improve their conditions, but these hopes were dashed in August when right-wing factory owners dismissed workers who participated in strikes. Factory owners banned meetings of factory soviets during working hours. The government's continuation of the war and its failure to redistribute land cost it support in the countryside. Peasants simply seized land themselves rather than waiting for official redistribution.
An electoral commission had been established in May to arrange elections for November, but suspicion grew that the 'bourgeois' government was deliberately delaying the move towards greater democracy to preserve its own power. The Bolsheviks emerged as the main beneficiaries of this widespread disillusionment.
The attempted coup (late August 1917)
At the end of August, Kornilov ordered six regiments of troops to march on Petrograd. His apparent intention was to crush the Soviet and establish a military dictatorship. However, Kerensky, who at first appeared to support Kornilov, panicked and ordered Kornilov to halt. When Kornilov failed to comply with this order, Kerensky released imprisoned Bolsheviks (who held the confidence of the working class) and provided workers with weapons from government armouries to halt Kornilov's advance. Kornilov's supply lines were severed and the coup leaders were arrested.
Consequences: Bolshevik resurgence and Trotsky's rise
The Bolsheviks became the main beneficiaries of what became known as the 'Kornilov coup'. Although still a minority in the Soviet, they seized the initiative in organising Petrograd's defence. Kerensky had given them the task of creating the Red Guards, a more efficient paramilitary unit formed from the various militia groups attached to factories that had been established to defend workers' interests in March and April.
The formation of the Red Guards proved crucial for the Bolsheviks' future success. This armed force, officially sanctioned by Kerensky during the crisis, provided the Bolsheviks with both military capability and political legitimacy. The Red Guards would later become instrumental in the October Revolution.
The Bolsheviks exploited the propaganda opportunities presented by the affair and poured scorn on Kerensky's government, building their reputation as the only group that had consistently opposed Kornilov. Lenin sent orders from Finland urging his followers to maintain pressure, and 'Committees to save the Revolution' were established throughout the country.
The Bolsheviks secured election to increased numbers of soviets across urban Russia. Bolshevik membership, which stood at 23,000 in February, reached 200,000 by the beginning of October. By this time the party produced 41 newspapers and commanded a force of 10,000 Red Guards. The Bolsheviks achieved a majority in both the Petrograd and Moscow Soviets in September, and on 26 September Trotsky became chairman of the executive committee of the Petrograd Soviet.
On 5 October, Kerensky sent some of the more radical army units out of Petrograd, ostensibly to prepare for front-line service. This decision proved a political miscalculation in the inflamed political atmosphere. Claiming that Kerensky was abandoning the capital to allow it to fall to the Germans, on 9 October the Soviet adopted a resolution, written by Trotsky, to create a 'military revolutionary centre' to protect Petrograd from attacks being prepared by 'civil Kornilovites'. This resolution played on fears that government ministers might support another right-wing coup.
Key Points to Remember:
- The failed Brusilov Offensive in June 1917 led to Kornilov's appointment as Commander-in-Chief and the reinstatement of harsh discipline including the death penalty.
- By summer 1917, the Provisional Government faced economic collapse (prices 755% above pre-war levels), minimal popular support, and growing disillusionment across all social groups.
- Kornilov's attempted march on Petrograd in late August backfired when Kerensky armed the Bolsheviks to defend the capital, giving them legitimacy and weapons.
- The Bolsheviks grew from 23,000 members in February to 200,000 by October, gained control of Petrograd and Moscow Soviets, and Trotsky became chairman.