Tuesday, November 7, 2017

"Kerensky Deposed" Is Report From Petrograd As Russian Pacifists Revolt -- November 7, 2017

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Today is the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia.  I know that today is November, but in Russia, where they were still using the Julian calendar, it was 25-October-1917.  

The poster is from October, a film made by  Grigori Aleksandrov and Sergei Eisenstein to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the revolution. Outside of the Soviet Union, it was recut and released as October: Ten Days That Shook the World.  

The article is from the 08-November-1917 Washington Times.  I never thought of the Bolsheviks as pacifists, but they wanted an immediate separate peace with the Central Powers.  

The Maximalists had been a radical party in the Russian Empire.  

"Kerensky Deposed" Is Report From Petrograd As Russian Pacifists Revolt  
SEPARATE PLEA FOR PEACE IS EXPECTED


Bolsheviki Looked for to Propose Immediate Distributionof Land to Peasants -- Slavs in London Discredit Rumors

News of the overthrow of Kerensky by the pacifists in Russia, caused a general slump in Wall Street today. Most of the issues, and especially the war stocks', dropped suddenly, and at 2 o'clock there was no sign of a recovery.

LONDON, Nov. 8. -- Russian pacifists rose in open revolt today; A wireless from Petrograd declares "the garrison and the proletariat have deposed Kerensky."

Dispatches from Petrograd, even, though carefully censored by the Bolsheviki forces now controlling the telegraph stations, indicate that in Petrograd what amounts to a civil war is probably on today.

It is reported the Bolsheviki leaders will immediately sue for a separate peace with Germany.

Proclaims Hold on City.


The Soviet (council) of the Petrograd branch of the soldiers and workmen, which la notoriously Bolsheviki. and completely under the domination of Leon Trotsky, pacifist and antiwar advocate, on Wednesday formally proclaimed its "possession of Petrograd," according to a Reuter dispatch received early today.

The newly styled government, it was declared, proposes an immediate peace and immediate distribution of all land to the peasants.

The Bolsheviki manifesto summons at once a constituent assembly to administer Russia.

In some quarters the Petrograd dispatches are discounted in a measure, because, it is pointed out, the Maximalist and pacifist revolters control the cables and other means of communication with the Russian capital and would be likely to exaggerate their revolt.

Kerensky Policy Opposed.


Russians here emphasize the fact that Petrograd alone is affected by the Soviet uprising. The workmen and soldiers council there has always been pacifists and opposed to all Premier Kerensky's measures looking to continuance of the war.

 Workmen's and soldiers' councils in other sections of Russia, however, have been loyal to the provisional government. The revolt, therefore, must be regarded on all surface indications as affecting Petrograd. and not Russia aa a whole, although the Bolsheviki would naturally seek to claim their movement as a natlonal one.

The people as a whole, it is said, do not favor the Maximalist plan, and one of the most favorable  moves in the interest of Kerensky has been refusal of the soldiers on the north front to desert. They have promised full support in putting down the Maximalist revolt.

The Women's Legion of Death is said to be encamped in front of Kerenskys residence doing guard duty.  Their definite stand for the premier may influence other army divisions.


PETROGRAD, Nov. . (No date in original - JT) -- The crisis between the provisional government and the local Bolsheviki council of Workmen and soldiers approached the pointed (point? - JT) of an armed break today.

Leon Trotsky, president of the Soviet, issued a statement declares (declaring? - JT) that the provisional government was nonexistent.

It is officially announced that the Maximalist local Soviet of workmen and soldiers today arrested several ministers.

Dissolution of the sittings of the preliminary parliament was decided upon by Premier Kerensky.

Many Maximalist and Bolsheviki members of this body had previously voted firmly to resist the government's announced attempt forcibly to crush out all the Bolsheviki movement. Three Cossack regiments today formally announced they would hereafter disobey all orders of the provisional government and give their allegiance to the soldiers and workmen.

Preparing for an armed clash with the Bolsheviki, Premier Kerensky, through the commander of the Petrograd military district, today ordered that all private motor cars be delivered to the winter palace. This step was taken to prevent seisure of these vehicles by the Soviets.

All Russian trcops were prohibited, under strict penalties, from leaving their barracks today.


RUSSIAN EMBASSY HINTS ALLIES MUST ACT QUICK IF DISPATCHES ARE TRUE

A number of cable messages received at the Russian embassy today caused evident concern, but officials refused to make any statement.

The report that the Kerensky government had been overthrown by the Bolshevikis was neither confirmed nor denied at the embassy.

It was admitted, however, that if the reports reaching here are true that very important readjustments must immediately be made to meet the situation and to cope with it so far as the entente allies are concerned.

The embassy stated that any announcement to be made would come from the State Department or Ambassador Bakhmatieff. The latter was inaccessible today.

The state department has received no word from Ambassador Francis bearing on the matter.



 

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