"The thirst and yearning for a strong government are such in the provinces that, if they should be put to serious test in this respect, they are ready to follow any strong government, whatever its origin."
Following the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II and the refusal of the throne of his brother, Michael, the Duma members hastily formed a provisional government. It is important to note that this organisation did not originally plan to govern Russia, but simply stepped in to fill an obvious void left after the removal of the monarchy. Their primary role was to decide how Russia should be governed as a democratic state. This abrupt change of leadership, after years of autocracy was a difficult task for anyone, but the added pressures of the war as well as rapid social change made it especially challenging for the inexperienced leaders of the Provisional Government. Life under such conditions inevitably led to widespread confusion, despair and lack of discipline at a time when, as the Bolsheviks later showed, what the country really needed was a strong sense of political direction.
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