Aleksandr Fyodorovich Kerensky

May 4, 1881 June 11, 1970

Alexander Kerensky was born in modern day Ulyanovsk Russia near the Volga River. His
father was a teacher, whom taught none other than Lenin himself and wrote ironically a
positive recommendation for his sons future rival stating that:
Neither in the school nor outside of it has a single instance been observed when he has
given cause for dissatisfaction by word or deed to the school authorities or teachers
Kerensky graduated from school with honors in 1899 and entered St. Petersburg University
where proceeded to attain a law degree in 1904. Kerensky joined the populist Narodnik
movement and worked as a legal counsel to victims and gained a reputation as an attorney
in the trials of several revolutionaries. Kerensky became widely known in 1912 when he
published material about the Lena Goldfields incident, that same year Kerensky was also
elected to the Duma as a member of the Trudoviks, a party associated with the SRs.
Kerensky was a skilled orator and in the Duma earned the reputation as one of the best
leftist faction speakers, he joined the Dumas budget commission. Kerensky was also voted
in as the deputy chairman of the Petrograd soviet despite his middle class background.
After the abdication of Nicholas II in March 1917, Kerensky was made Minister of Justice in
the Provisional Government abolishing capital punishment and allowing amnesty for
political prisoners amongst other civil liberties, Lenin even stated in acknowledgement
Russia is now the freest country in the world. In May, he was promoted to Minister of War
and in July he became Prime Minister. His rise to power was swift but Kerensky had
developed a reputation for effective leadership in whatever area of government he worked
in.

As prime minister, Kerensky made it his objective to continue the war, launching the JuneJuly Kerensky Offensive into Galicia in Austria-Hungary, which proved a disaster with
Russian losses amounting to 60,000 men. The collapse of the offensive led to the
disintegration of the army, with mass desertions taking place (2 million in August 1917
alone). In the face of General Kornilovs threat to take over Petrograd, Kerensky armed the
populace and in effect the Bolsheviks who had rallied to the defense of the city, this in
Kerenskys words was to be the prelude to the October Revolution.
To undermine the support of the Bolsheviks, Kerensky ordered that elections should take
place for a constituent assembly. The elections were to be held in January 1918. Lenin had
called for such elections earlier in 1917, so he could not object to this. As Kerensky argued,
it was simply an extension of the democratic process denied to the people by the
Romanovs. However, all the evidence indicated that the Bolsheviks would have done less
well than other groups - including the Mensheviks.

Spurred into action by the near certainty of defeat in the January elections, Lenin ordered a
coup d'tat on November 7th, 1917. The successful October Revolution ended the
Provisional Government and the power of Kerensky. He fled to France, moved to Australia
and then spent 24 years living in America.