Alexander Kerensky

Alexander Fedorovich Kerensky:

Rise to Power• Graduating with a Law degree in 1904, Kerensky

joined the Socialist Revolutionary Party. • Kerensky made himself known by defending

revolutionaries accused of political offenses

Duma• In 1912 Kerensky was elected as a more radical

member of the conservative fourth Duma, as a Trudoviki delegate.

• Kerensky became known as a charismatic politician of the moderate left in the following years

Positions of Power with Provincial Government • Vice Chairman of the Petrograd Soviet of Workers’ and

Soldiers’ Deputies• Minister of Justice in the Provisional GovernmentAs he held positions in both governing bodies, Kerensky acted

as a liaison

Elected War Minister, May 1917• Planned a new offensive and went to the front lines.• Tried to inspire the exhausted and demoralised troops• Kerensky’s June Offensive was a total failure

Elected Prime Minister of Provincial Government, July 1917

• Kerensky tried to unite the political factions but failed; he alienated the moderates, and the left wing didn’t support him

• Rumours of Kerensky planning to assume dictatorial powers contributed to his loss of power to Bolsheviks in October

Basis of Kerensky’s popularity

• Kerensky was a persuasive and charismatic speaker, drawing attention and commanding authority

• Introduced a series of popular reforms, including the abolition of capitol punishment, and basic civil liberties

• Reputation as an effective leader in whatever area of government he was positioned

• Good relationship with the working class of St Petersburg which was instrumental to his success.

Influences on Kerensky’s leadership

• Kerensky’s time at the University of St Petersburg contributed to his political style

• There, he joined the Socialist Revolutionary party

• During this time university students were a radical political voice

• Kerensky’s study of law and the political nature of the university would contribute to his later actions in government, giving him a prevailing sense of the need for civil liberty and justice

Kerensky’s Unique Impression on Revolution

• Alexander Kerensky’s primary quality was his exceptional ability as an orator

• This skill and popularity were instrumental to his ascension to positions of power in the government

• Without Kerensky to introduce basic rights, abolish capital punishment and arm the Bolsheviks who would later go on to overthrow the government, Russia would have been shaped into an entirely different country

• If Kerensky had not been present in the Revolution it would be likely that Russia would have pulled out of the war sooner

Coherent Vision?• Kerensky had a clear vision of the ideals that he

wanted to introduce into Russian society, » universal suffrage, basic rights, etc

but he failed to anticipate events in Russia • Kerensky ignored the actions of his opponents

towards the end of his reign and failed to adapt to the events of the revolution

This was very detrimental to his progress towards achieving reform, and the strength of his leadership

Progress towards revolution• Kerensky introduced many reforms, continuing

progress towards revolution.• Kerensky, as a leader, guided Russia as a member of

the Duma, as the Minister of Justice, War and as Prime Minister. Kerensky was instrumental to the continuation of the revolution

Whether by his success or his failures, Kerensky facilitated Russia’s progress towards revolution

Involvement in Popular Movement

• Kerensky’s revolutionary actions began in 1899, during his university years, slightly ahead of the popular movement

• This position as a leader in revolutionary thought was crucial to the establishment and maintenance of Kerensky’s power, as he was able to meet the needs of the masses

• As Kerensky fell behind the sentiments of revolutionaries, his power and popularity began to decrease

• This adds weight to the necessity of leaders to meet the demands of the popular movement, for their power to remain secure.

Fall From Grace• In the last weeks of the Provisional Government,

Kerensky’s rule began to mirror that of the Tsar• Kerensky remained ignorant to threats of the rising

Bolshevik revolutionaries, the rejection of foreign Allies, and the flailing support of the Russian people.

• In Russia, the following joke illustrated this similarity between Nicholas II and Alexander Kerensky, who both failed to acknowledge revolutionary threat.

Q. What is the difference between Russia today and at the end of last year?

A. Then we had Alexandra Fedorovna (tsarevitch), but now we have Alexander

Federovich.

• Rumours about Kerensky’s private life, which included:– a cocaine and morphine addiction, – an affair with his sister’s wife, alcoholism, and – an extravagant lifestyle within the Winter Palace– and a rumoured cross-dressing habit

all determined that the ‘people’s hero’ of July, became the people’s ‘anti-hero’ by September

• As the view of Kerensky’s moral corruption influenced the view of his competence, Kerensky’s leadership was permanently weakened

• Subsequently, when Lenin made his charge for power, they Bolsheviks were able to gain power - Social Revolutionaries were no longer prepared to fight for Kerensky, as they had been in the July days.

• In September, Lenin staged a second revolution, usurping power

• Kerensky fled in October, 1917

Leader = Following?• In the strongest period of Kerensky’s leadership, Kerensky

had an impressive following, consisting largely of workers However, during Kerensky’s fall from grace, his policies

became more distanced from the mass populace, and workers began favouring the Bolshevik party

• While Kerensky was indeed a powerful leader in Russia, his power did not necessarily correspond with the size of his following

• at the time of his greatest leadership, as leader of the provisional government, Kerensky’s following was all but gone

While it is not necessary for a leader to have a strong following, leadership is impossible it a small following is outweighed by a large opposition, as was the case for Kerensky in September 1917

Legitimacy of Kerensky• For Kerensky legitimacy and belief of the people

were garnered by appealing policies, and commanding speech

• Kerensky’s refined speech was crucial in adding to his authority

• The fall of Kerensky demonstrated that a fall in public perception, due to damaging rumours of drug addiction, translates into a decreased belief in political morality

View of Kerensky over time• Historian Dietrich Geyer praises Kerensky’s

“considerable rhetorical skills”, and states Kerensky’s dramatic prose was crucial “at a time when history had become a theatre”, “Kerensky was indispensible both to the government and the soviet.

• However, the favourable view of Kerensky’s rise to power and status as a brilliant orator is overshadowed by his disastrous downfall;– Figes describes Kerensky, at the end of his career, as being

“oblivious”, and “naïve”.• More modern Russian Federation liberals however,

view Kerensky in a positive light. • Current Russian president Dmitry Medvedev views

Kerensky very favourably, and has put himself on the side of Kerensky in many speeches.