26 July 1917. George Buchanan

Non-fiction

Project 1917 is a series of events that took place a hundred years ago as described by those involved. It is composed only of diaries, letters, memoirs, newspapers and other documents

George Buchanan

4, Dvortsovaya embankment, Petrograd, Russian Empire (British Embassy)

On my calling on him a few days later, Tereschenko assured me that the Government was now completely master of the situation and would act independently of the Soviet. Taking me to the window, he showed me the disarmed men of the machine gun regiment drawn up in the Winter Palace square, and said that they iWere about to be entrained for work on the Murman railway. The committee of the All Russian Work- men's and of the All Russian Peasants' Councils had, he further told me, given the Government full powers to deal with the army, as well as with the Anarchists in the rear, and Kerensky had already, in compliance with Korniloff's request, empowered the army com- manders to shoot without trial all men who disobeyed orders. But, though he now possessed all the powers necessary for dealing with the situation, Kerensky completely failed to turn them to proper account. He made no attempt to find and arrest Lenin ; he counter- manded the order for the arrest of Trotzky and another leading Bolshevik on account of their being members of the executive committee of the Soviet, and he con- tented himself with issuing proclamations ordering the workmen to deliver up their arms, instead of allowing the military authorities to disarm them by force. In fact, I doubt ver>' much if any of the organizers of the Bolshevik rising or any of the men who took part in it were ever really punished. I was anything but satisfied with the attitude of the Government, and in my conversation with Tereschenko I endeavoured to impress on him the necessity of applying the same disciplinary measures in the rear as had been sanctioned at the front, and of reorganizing the defective trans- port system that was at the root of most of Russia's economic troubles. I further suggested that the troops at the front should be reduced to the minimum necessary for holding the Germans, and that the rest should be brought back to work in the rear under a system of national obligatory service.

Kerensky, meanwhile, was endeavouring to recon- struct his Government with a view to giving it a more national character. The Cadets, with whom he had entered into negotiations, attached as conditions to their participation the resignation of Tchernoff, the active prosecution of the war, and the independence of the Government from the Soviet — with all of which, as I told Tereschenko, I heartily sympathized. The first condition proved unacceptable, as Kerensky was afraid that Tchernoff's enforced resignation would lose him the support of the Social Revolutionaries.

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Kazimir Malevich

Moscow, Russian Empire

Kerensky's attack on the South-Western Front and retreat. Adoption of the death penalty within sedentary war. In all other free revolutionary Russia are only prisons and penal servitude.

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Vasily Kravkov

Kopychynets, Russian Empire

The height of “Bolshevism’s” insolence! Plunder and violence committed by the “comrades” have reached the apex of prehistoric savagery—soon, it seems, they will start eating each other. Cossacks and the cavalry are our only protectors from mass manifestations of revolutionary and plundering impulses of “free” Russian citizens! See more

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Anatoliy Lunacharskiy Anna Lunacharskaya

apt.17, 25/20, Lakhtinskaya, Petrograd, Russian Empire

The situation is still the same. Terrible misfortunes at the front and other circumstances provoke a sharp reaction in us, but also in Germany. Times are dismal. Perhaps, I will also be arrested on charges of "incitement" or something like that. But it’s not important. See more

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Alexander Blok

57, Ofitserskaya street, Petrograd, Russian Empire

I will never take power, I will never join a party, I will never make a choice, I have nothing to be proud of, I don’t understand anything. See more

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6 Like

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Nicholas II

Tsarskoye Selo, Russian Empire

For the last two days bad information has come from the front. After our attack in Galicia, many units, thoroughly infected with bad defeatist teachings, not only refused to go forward but are retreating with no pressure from the enemy. See more

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Grigory Zinoviev with Vladimir Lenin

Razliv, Russian Empire

In the hut we have immediately felt ourselves calmer. Life began to “normilise.” Around us there was no one for miles. Tired and exhausted by work and hardships, Vladimir Ilyich enjoyed involuntary rest for the first couple of days. See more

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Julius Martov

Petrograd, Russian Empire

The situation is hopeless. Never, even in 1915, it was not so bad, but I believe that the Revolution still has more resources.

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25 July

"Can there really be no end to the intrigues of the German-socialists and to the rest of this shit?"

"Contrary to the wishes, our troops are being thrown into an offensive"

The Provisional Government introduces censorship in the press

From one revolution to another

Russia in 1917

+13

in Petrograd

+11

in Moscow