Workers celebrate May Day across Russia

The Provisional Government declared that continued participation in the war was defensive, winning qualified acceptance from Soviet leaders. The source date is 3/27/1917 Old Style.

Veteran Marxist Georgi Plekhanov returned to Petrograd but supported continued participation in the war, separating him from anti-war socialists. The source date is 3/31/1917 Old Style.

Lenin arrived at Finland Station and was welcomed by workers, soldiers and Bolshevik supporters after years in exile. The source date is 4/3/1917 Old Style.

Lenin called for no support to the Provisional Government, an end to the imperialist war, land to the peasants and all power to the soviets. The source date is 4/4/1917 Old Style.

The Provisional Government enacted protections for public meetings and unions, widening the space for mass political organization. The source date is 4/12/1917 Old Style.

Foreign Minister Pavel Milyukov assured the Allied governments that Russia would pursue the war and its strategic objectives. The source date is 4/18/1917 Old Style.

Publication of the foreign minister’s commitments exposed the contradiction between popular demands for peace and government war policy. The source date is 4/20/1917 Old Style.

Soldiers and workers protested the Milyukov Note for two days, producing the first major crisis of the Provisional Government. The source date is 4/20/1917 Old Style.

The Bolshevik leadership argued that replacing one minister would not end the crisis and called for a government based on the soviets. The source date is 4/20/1917 Old Style.

A Soviet majority supported socialist participation in a coalition with liberal ministers despite Bolshevik opposition. The source date is 5/1/1917 Old Style.