Ten Days That Shook the World · Chapter
Kerensky in Flight explained
Kerensky flees Petrograd on November 7th, traveling to Gatchina, Ostrov, Luga, and the Southwest Front in a desperate attempt to rally military support against the Bolshevik insurrection.
What happens
Kerensky flees Petrograd on November 7th, traveling to Gatchina, Ostrov, Luga, and the Southwest Front in a desperate attempt to rally military support against the Bolshevik insurrection. He faces hostility from soldiers and Cossacks, narrowly avoids arrest, and ultimately fails to secure reliable troops, with only about five thousand Cossacks following him.
Themes in this chapter
Struggle for Legitimacy and Power
Kerensky's desperate flight and failed attempts to rally military support illustrate the collapse of the Provisional Government's authority.
Counterrevolution and Civil War
Kerensky's efforts to organize resistance against the Bolsheviks mark the early stages of counterrevolutionary mobilization.
Characters to notice
- Alexander Kerensky
Flees Petrograd and appeals to Cossacks and soldiers for support against the Bolsheviks, but faces protests and near-arrest.
Key passages
“Kerensky spoke to the assembly, appealing for aid against the Bolsheviki, and addressed himself almost exclusively to the Cossacks.”
Kerensky addressed the gathering, focusing his plea for help against the Bolsheviks on the Cossack delegates.
Highlights Kerensky's reliance on Cossack support and the tension with other soldiers.
“The soldier deputies and the Ussuri Cossacks decided to arrest Kerensky, but the Don Cossacks prevented them, and got him away by train.”
Some soldiers and Ussuri Cossacks moved to arrest Kerensky, but Don Cossacks intervened and helped him escape by train.
Shows the divided loyalties among Cossack units and Kerensky's narrow escape.