How far was the Provisional Government responsible for its own downfall

To a Lesser extent the fact that the provisional government already faced a rival for political power was a contributing factor towards their downfall. In February 1917 the Provisional Government shared political power with the soviets; this meant that major areas of policy had to be agreed by both. The Provisional Government remained a liberal body however the soviets were dominated by left wing groups. The fact that the Soviets had introduced ‘Order number 1’ meant all army officers had to be elected by their own troops, therefore unpopular or enthusiastic officers were dismissed, undermining the authority of the officers. This Order states that military orders of the Provisional Government would only be recognised if they were agreed by the Soviet. This tipped the balance of power away from the Provisional Government as the Soviet had effective control of the army, because of this the provisional government asked for help from the Bolsheviks. This made the Provisional Government seem weak and additionally made the Bolsheviks popular and they took control of the Soviets.

 A significant factor contributing to the downfall of the Provisional Government is their inability to tackle land reforms. The Provisional Government had control of Petrograd and other major cities, but little control of the countryside. Some peasants to land from large landowners, while others engaged in violence, following the collapse of the June Offensive, peasant soldiers returned from the front to assist in the process of land redistribution. The provisional government simply lacked the ability to impose its authority outside in towns and cities. The army was in the process of disintegration. As a result, the Provisional Government can be held responsible for its own collapse.  

In contrast a factor contributing to the downfall of the Provisional Government was Lenin’s Return and his plans for Russia. Before Lenin’s return the leading Bolsheviks supported the Provisional Government. Lenin’s return changed things dramatically and from April the Bolsheviks planned to overthrow the Provisional Government. Lenin’s  two main rallying cries ‘ Peace, Land and Bread’ and ‘All Power to the Soviets’ were designed to both gain support for the Bolsheviks among the Russian people and undermine the Provisional Government. ‘Peace, Land and Bread’ was a popular message in a country exhausted war and faced serious food shortages. As well as highlighting the provisional government’s support for the unpopular war, it also illustrated their failure to adequately address the land a food problems. Therefore you could also say it was due to Lenin that the Provisional Government collapsed.

The Kornilov Affair brought about a fatal blow to the position of the Provisional Government; Kerensky panicked and feared that Kornilov was planning a military takeover, when in fact Kornilov was more concerned about a radical left-wing plot against the government. Kerensky ordered his arrest and armed groups of workers in the capital; many of the Bolsheviks were also released from prison. The fact that Kerensky had relied on the Bolsheviks made them look strong and set them up as defenders of Petrograd, the Provisional Government then lost most of its authority by October 1917. Therefore the Provisional Government can be seen as responsible for its own downfall.

In Conclusion the failure of the Provisional Government was due to a wide variety of reasons, such as poor leadership, in particular by Kerensky, and sharing power with the Soviet. However I believe that the Provisional Government was responsible for their downfall as it was their decision to continue fighting in the First World War, which was the main reason for the failure of the Provisional Government.