International – Respvblica

[COMMENTARY] Cutting Aid to Palestinians to Bring Them to the Table, Recognize Israel, and Make Peace is Refreshing Diplomacy — And Makes Good Sense

January 26, 2018 joshresnek 0

President Trump’s threat to cut-off aid to the Palestinians if their leaders don’t agree to peace talks is a brilliant move — a hardline negotiating […]

[Commentary] English Tossers Put on a Crude Show, Revealing Not an Ounce of Common Sense or Dignity

January 25, 2018 joshresnek 0

If you want to realize just how far we’ve come in the brave new world where almost the slightest show of misogyny or offensive man-woman […]

The U.S. and Pakistan: Time for a Divorce?

January 23, 2018 Respvblica 0

by Lawrence A. Franklin “The amount of pain that Pakistan has inflicted upon the United States in the last 12 years is unprecedented.” — Amrullah Saleh, […]

ISIS Sets its Sights on Gaza

January 14, 2018 Respvblica 1

by Bassam Tawil ISIS is making it clear that it now has its eyes set on the Gaza Strip. By calling on Palestinians to rebel against […]

Reflection on Poverty and Ruin

January 13, 2018 joshresnek 0

When my great grandparents were living in Russia in the 1860s and walking around with bare feet on mud streets and defecating in holes in […]

Putin and Trump: A Pair as a Full House

December 18, 2017 joshresnek 0

I am interested in all things Russian. I love Russian literature, Russian art, Russian history, Russian politics, Russia’s failed socialist, Communist experience. I love all […]

Newsflash: Jerusalem Not on Fire!

December 11, 2017 Respvblica 0

by Bassam Tawil “More journalists than protesters…” — Björn Stritzel, German journalist. Protests against Israel and the US are not uncommon on the streets of Ramallah, […]

[ANALYSIS] US Recognizes Jerusalem as Capital of Israel: “Recognition of Reality”

December 6, 2017 joshresnek 0

Calling it a recognition of reality, the United States has announced it now officially considers Jerusalem the capital of Israel. This is not so much […]

Tawil: Palestinians vs. Trump: The Battle Begins

November 25, 2017 Respvblica 0

by Bassam Tawil Although the full details of the proposed plan have yet to be made public, the Palestinians have already made up their mind: Whatever […]

Here’s to the “Experts” — Terrorism’s Great Whitewashers

November 15, 2017 Respvblica 0

by Bruce Bawer Never mind that the holy books of Islam quite clearly spell out the doctrine of jihad and the heavenly rewards that await jihadist […]

July 17, 2018 | 1917: Massive Protests Shake the Russian Capital

On this day in 1917, a three-day stretch of fighting in the streets peaks in Pyetrograd after the provisional government falls temporarily amid anger and frustration within and outside the army due to the continuing hardships caused by Russia’s participation in World War I.

Despite devastating losses on the Eastern Front in 1916, the provisional Russian government — which succeeded to power after the abdication of Tsar’ Nicholas II on March 15 — had rejected all calls for peace. Alyeksandr Kyeryenskiy, appointed minister of war in the spring of 1917, was determined to reinvigorate the Russian war effort, installing the victorious General Alyeksyey Brusilov as commander-in-chief of the Russian forces and making plans to go back on the offensive within months. The disintegration and despair within the army continued, however, as some 30,000 deserters were reported from the front every day. At Kyeryenskiy’s command, Brusilov launched another major offensive on July 1, the same day a massive peace demonstration was held in Pyetrograd.

Though the new offensive resulted in heavy losses for the Russians, it was at home where the provisional government received its greatest threat. On July 15, 1917, an uprising in Pyetrograd encouraged by Lyeon Trotskiy, an official of the Bol’shyevik Party — the radical Communist movement led by Vladimir Lyenin, recently returned from exile due to German help — succeeded in briefly toppling the provisional government. The Bol’shyeviks saw their opportunity and attempted to seize power in Pyetrograd, as fighting broke out in the streets. The violence peaked on July 17. The following day, officers loyal to the provisional government destroyed the offices of the Bol’shyevik newspaper, Pravda (meaning “Truth”). Lyenin, sensing the time was not yet ripe for revolution, went into hiding — albeit temporarily — and Kyeryenskiy took charge, restoring order and continuing his efforts to salvage the Russian war effort.

Months later, however, Lyenin emerged again, as the Bol’shyeviks succeeded in wresting power in Russia from the army in November amid massive strikes and rebellions in the streets; almost immediately after taking power, the Bol’shyeviks moved towards an armistice with the Central Powers, ending Russia’s involvement in World War I.

Adapted from “1917: Fighting in the streets of Petrograd, Russia,” History.