The Provisional Government did not have the support of the masses. They had not been elected and were comprised of intelligentsia and the middle class. They made some liberal reforms, such as freedom of speech, press and religion as well as returning exiled revolutionary leaders. The middle class themselves only really wanted a say in the government, and once they had that, they did not do much else. They did not redistribute any land or address the Issues of wages and unemployment with urban workers. There was continued social unrest and support for the Provisional Government decreased.
The decision of the Provisional Government to not end the country’s involvement with World War One was one of its major downfalls. The war had devastated the country; all money was going to the war front and there were massive shortages of food supplies and fuel. The majority of the soldiers were peasants, whose problems were only further exacerbated. Due to the government’s preoccupation with the war, almost all social and economic problems were overlooked or Ignored. These problems made the people angry and dislike the government, further reducing their support.
In April, Lenin, leader of the Bolsheviks returned from exile wanting a revolutions and exploited the weaknesses of the Provisional Government to gain popularity. HIS tactic was absolutely no support of the new government, primarily because of they were continuing the war. He took advantage of the government’s weaknesses by using propaganda. ‘ Bread, Peace, Land’ and ‘ All Power to the Soviets’ became key slogans of the revolution. He broadened his support base with these slogans to include all workers and peasants. Acclaim for the Bolsheviks increased, and blame for all robbers were now placed on the Provisional government. Satisfaction with the Provisional Government. Low wages, inflation, lack of adequate housing and food was making life increasingly difficult for workers. There Nas general social unrest with many strikes and demonstrations. The dissatisfaction had even reached the Croissant soldiers, who came to Petrography wanting an uprising. The Provisional Government, with little support, was overwhelmed and could not do anything to address these problems. General Corrosion of the Army perceived the Provisional Government as weak and landed an armed takeover.
He had supported the Tsar and wanted a monarchy. Serenely, the Prime Minister, panicked and turned to the Soviets for help. The Markers of the Soviets were armed and made into units of the Red Guard. Corrosion army turned against him as most of them were peasants and felt that the Soviets represented their interests whereas the General wanted autocratic rule. The ‘ Corrosion Affair’, as it became known, gained more support for the Bolsheviks. As they grew stronger and increasingly popular, the Provisional Government only became weaker ND weaker. Y October, the Provisional Government had weakened to such an extent that the skivvies decided to overthrow them and were able to do so without any resistance. There was serious unrest throughout Russia strikes, demonstrations, protests and marches. There were still food shortages and serious economic problems.