4 January 1918. Alexander Kerensky

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

Alexander Kerensky

Bologoye, Tver Oblast, Russian Republic

No scientist, historian, sociologist, psychologist could have predicted, could have imagined the depth of the psychological shock that Russia has experienced the moment the monarchy fell.

The sense of boundless freedom, of liberation from all restrictions, mandatory in any human cohabitation, overwhelmed the population of the empire of 170 plus million people. And here everyone suddenly felt exhausted from the three years of war struggled. It resulted in some paralysis of will.

Russia stopped working at factories and fighting at the front. It’s as if the people lost their ability to follow orders, and the leaders lost their ability to give orders and command. For a moment, Russia’s fate and the war were forgotten. In some villages, peasants started tackling the question of land ownership locally: that is, distributing the landlords’ land and stock. Workers stopped working at factories; they are now trying to get involved in management, removing former directors and engineers from their posts. There’s mass demobilisation at the front.

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✍ Also today

Zinaida Gippius

Sergievskaya 83, Petrograd, Russian Republic

There was a big blizzard yesterday. Petrograd is all covered in snow like a village. The snow is not being cleaned, all street cleaners now occupy important positions in the ministries, they are now chiefs, inspectors, etc. See more

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Nikita Okunev

Moscow, Russian Republic

Every day new “decrees” come out, and there have been so many of them that it seems as though everything in our country has been destroyed and life has become such a confusion that no power on earth could cope with it.

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Council of People's Commissars

Smolny Institute, Petrograd, Russian Republic

Decree on the changing of clocks

By decree of the Coalition Government, a directive was issued to move all clocks one hour forward for the summer starting on the 14th of July. The present decree prescribes a return to the usual account of time.

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Ottokar Czernin

In the train

On the way, at 6 P.M., I received, at a station, the following telegram, in code, from Baron Gautsch, who had remained at Brest:

"Russian delegation received following telegram from Petersburg this morning: To General Hoffmann. The Government of the Russian Republic considers it necessary to carry on the further negotiations on neutral ground and proposes removing to Stockholm." See more

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Maxim Gorky

23, Kronversky ave., Petrograd, Russian Republic

Having destroyed the old courts in the name of the proletariat, the People’s Commissars have thereby strengthened in the consciousness of the “street” its right to “mob trials” – a brutish right indeed. See more

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Nicholas II

Tobolsk, Russian Republic

We finished celebrating Anastasia's birthday with church services at 12 o'clock. During the day we worked on the hill and chopped up some firewood. After tea we held rehearsal.

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3 January 1918 года

Petrograd skidded with snow

Tickets for Kiev are discontinued

Lenin writes a private letter to France

From one revolution to another

Russia in 1917

1917. Zombies, drugs, and progress

Why did the Russian Empire collapse

-15

in Petrograd

-10

in Moscow