Russian Revolution, 1917 (9781108109161) by Wade Rex A

Author:Wade, Rex A.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cambridge Univ Pr
Published: 2016-12-21T00:00:00+00:00

Plate 16. Kerensky addressing troops at the front during a tour to urge the June offensive. After becoming minister of war in May he often wore a military tunic.

Courtesy of Columbia University Library Bakhmeteff Archive.

A major effort to pump up support for an offensive, and especially the enthusiasm of the troops, began. Kerensky, now minister of war, embodied the effort. On May 14 he issued an order calling for discipline in the army and readiness to undertake military action in the name of the lofty ideals of the revolution: “not a single drop of blood will be shed for a wrong cause.”11 Kerensky followed this up with tours of the front where he harangued the troops in great open air assemblies. He usually received a tremendous immediate response – he was a spellbinding orator – but the impact evaporated when he left. Phrases such as “I summon you not to a feast but to death”12 caught the emotion of the inspired moment, but had no appeal to the soldiers after the moment passed. The soldiers’ enthusiasm vanished as quickly as it came. Attempts by officers to resume training, reimpose more traditional discipline and otherwise prepare for offensive action aroused the hostility and opposition of the troops.

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