History glossary
Provisional Government
the temporary government that ruled Russia between the February and October Revolutions of 1917.
- Category
- Government
- Region
- Russia
- Date range
- 1917
What it means
The Provisional Government ruled Russia after Nicholas II abdicated in March 1917 and before the Bolsheviks seized power in November 1917. It promised political reform but lost support by continuing Russia's involvement in the First World War.
Related terms
Stories using this term
The Russian Revolution
From the 1905 crisis to the creation of the USSR, the Russian Revolution transformed imperial collapse into a new one-party socialist state.
The Soviets
From revolution to superpower, the Soviet Union rose, struggled internally, and collapsed in 1991.
The First World War
World War I reshaped empires, borders, and societies, setting the stage for World War II.
Origins of the Cold War
From the Grand Alliance to the Truman Doctrine, this story traces how the United States and Soviet Union shifted from wartime cooperation to global confrontation.
