Ten Days That Shook the World · Chapter
Appendix to Chapter VI explained
This appendix contains appeals and denunciations from the Socialist Revolutionary Party and the Bolshevik newspaper Pravda, reflecting the intense propaganda war during the Bolshevik uprising.
What happens
This appendix contains appeals and denunciations from the Socialist Revolutionary Party and the Bolshevik newspaper Pravda, reflecting the intense propaganda war during the Bolshevik uprising. The S.R. appeal condemns the Bolsheviks as senseless adventurers and calls for unity around the Committee for Salvation, while Pravda denounces Kerensky as a traitor and usurper.
Themes in this chapter
Struggle for Legitimacy and Power
Both appeals seek to delegitimize the opposing side: the S.R.s call the Bolsheviks senseless criminals, while Pravda brands Kerensky a traitor and usurper.
Counterrevolution and Civil War
The S.R. appeal warns of counter-revolutionists exploiting the Bolshevik 'adventure' and calls for readiness to act, foreshadowing the civil war.
Characters to notice
- Alexander Kerensky
Denounced by Pravda as a usurper, traitor, and 'second Kornilov'.
- General Lavr Kornilov
Mentioned in Pravda as a figure of comparison for Kerensky's alleged betrayal.
- Nikolai Kishkin
Listed alongside Kornilov as someone whose place is in Peter-Paul prison.
Key passages
“The senseless attempt of the Bolsheviki is on the eve of complete failure. The garrison is disaffected.”
The Bolshevik uprising is about to collapse; the garrison troops are no longer loyal to them.
Propaganda from the Socialist Revolutionary Party aimed at undermining Bolshevik morale.
“Kerensky? A usurper, whose place is in Peter-Paul prison, with Kornilov and Kishkin.”
Kerensky is a usurper who belongs in prison alongside Kornilov and Kishkin.
Bolshevik denunciation equating Kerensky with counter-revolutionary figures.