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The Kornilov AffairAn Attempt to Rescue the Provisional Government Resulted in ArrestKornilov's misreading of events in the summer of 1917 gave Kerensky the excuse he needed to arrest the commander-in-chief.
The Kornilov Affair preceded, and in some respects, precipitated, the Bolshevik takeover of the Provisional Government in Petrograd in 1917. Kerensky, the new premier, felt threatened by his new commander-in-chief, Kornilov, whose fatal flaw included decisiveness and fantasies of heroism. Kerensky would use Kornilov's personality against him in order to remove him. BackroundAfter Prince Lvov resigned, Kerensky became premier of the Provisional Government in 1917. The Provisional Government, at this point, was still determined to achieve some modicum of victory in WWI. Therefore, after a series of setbacks on the front, the current commander-in-chief, Brusilov, was dismissed. In his place, General Lavr Kornilov was appointed. Kornilov had been commander of the South-West Front and favored strict military order. His own management of forces provided support for his appointment and the ensuing suspicion about his potential to become a military dictator. Indeed, many of his proposals were in keeping with the concept of martial law. This suspicion surrounding Kornilov helped shape perceptions of the events that took place during the Kornilov Affair. Kerensky, who vacillated when making decisions and mistrusted Kornilov, may have led Kornilov to believe that his future actions were warranted. Kerensky indicated to Kornilov that troops should be held at the ready. However, he did not explicitly give Kornilov permission to use them. What Happened During the Kornilov AffairLate summer of 1917, Kornilov received from Kerensky notification of his dismissal as commander-in-chief. Kornilov believed that Kerensky had been taken captive by the Bolsheviks and had issued the dismissal under their influence. The Bolsheviks had been mobilized and given arms to take down what they were told was a counter-revolutionary revolt by Kornilov. Kornilov released his troops into Petrograd with orders to protect the Provisional Government. The Bolsheviks and their mobilized forces were released as well, with roughly the same orders. Kornilov was stymied when both parties realized they had the same goal. Kerensky used this event as an excuse to have Kornilov arrested. Kornilov's PersonalityKornilov's personality paved the way for serious errors in judgment. Kornilov was a soldier first, above all, and had zero instinct for politics. His man-of-action quality, along with his inability to detect the possible consequences of his decisions, were his undoing. He felt that the Provisional Government had long been under undue pressure from the Soviet and that it needed rescuing. He also felt that he was the man to rescue the Provisional Government. His belief that Kerensky had been taken captive gave him the opportunity he was seeking. It is possible to blame Kornilov for having delusions of grandeur, though with clearer orders and less paranoid leadership, it is possible that Kornilov may have acted more judiciously. References Dziewanowski, M.K. A History of Soviet Russia. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1989. Figes, Orlando. A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1924. New York: Penguin Books, 1996.
The copyright of the article The Kornilov Affair in Russian/Ukrainian/Belarus History is owned by Kerry Kubilius. Permission to republish The Kornilov Affair in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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