In Russia, the Petrograd Soviet continued to take in new representatives from Soviets across the

nation, building it into something like a National Congress of Workers and Soldiers.

In accord with socialist principles, the Soviet passed multiple resolutions condemning the war

as an act of imperialism, one contrary to the interests of the

Russian people, and calling for an end of the fighting as quickly as possible. There would then

usually follow a passionless line or two, added into the resolution at the request of fellow

socialist and now war minister Alexander Kerensky, suggesting that Russian

soldiers should keep on fighting, for now.

These mixed messages were received that way at the front, as Kerensky himself acknowledged.

When he returned from his tour, he wrote that, After three years of bitter suffering,

millions of war-weary soldiers were asking themselves,

Why should I die now when at home a new freer life is only beginning?

Welcome to the history of the 20th century.

Welcome to the history of the 20th century. Episode Episode 146. Chaos in the Army

Lava Cornelof was born on August 18th, 1870. His parents were Cossacks, apparently, and his father, an officer in the Russian army.

I say apparently, because the sources disagree on his family's ethnic background,

he likely had some Turkic or Asian ancestry.

It's hard to say because he was orphaned at an early age

and adopted by relatives of his mother. As the son of an army officer, young Lava was entitled

to a free education in a military school, which led him to following in his father's footsteps.

He spent his early military career in Central Asia,

Afghanistan, and Iran, and learned several of the regional languages. He served with distinction

...