The February Revolution in Russia quickly produced astonishing political reforms.

Freedom of speech and of the press, universal suffrage, even for women, the end of legal

restrictions on the rights of Jews and other religious and ethnic minorities, the promise

of a new constitution and a new representative

government.

The popular and charismatic Alexander Kerensky, the Minister of Justice, proudly proclaimed

that Russia was now the freest nation in the world.

If this had been peacetime, most Russians would likely have celebrated all this as a great victory,

this transformation of an almost medieval autocracy into a modern liberal state in a matter of weeks.

But Russia was not at peace. Russia was embroiled in the Great War, and many Russians would not be satisfied

until that too had changed. Welcome to the history of the 20th century.

Music The

The The other, Episode 145, The July Days

Today we press on with the topic of the February Revolution and its aftermath

in a little series of episodes I like to call,

What the hell is going on in Russia?

Which is what most foreign observers would also have asked.

Recall that last time we saw a shake-up in the provisional government, triggered by the

refusal of the foreign minister, Pavel Muayukov, to make a clear, unambiguous, and public

statement that Russia was disavowing any previous claims to territory or reparations from

the central powers, and wanted only

peace without annexations or indemnities, as the socialists were wont to put it.

...