The Petrograd Soviet approves coalition government

Mass demonstrations marked International Workers’ Day and displayed the political strength of organized workers after the fall of the monarchy. The source date is 4/18/1917 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.

The foreign minister left office following mass opposition to his commitment to continued war and territorial ambitions. The source date is 5/2/1917 Old Style.

After release from British detention, Trotsky reached the revolutionary capital and soon became a prominent advocate of transferring power to the soviets. The source date is 5/4/1917 Old Style.

The sailors’ and workers’ soviet announced that it alone exercised governmental authority in Kronstadt. The source date is 5/17/1917 Old Style.

Alexander Guchkov left the government after demonstrations and growing resistance to military policy. The source date is 5/31/1917 Old Style.

Alexander Kerensky assumed responsibility for military policy and promoted a new offensive despite deep war weariness. The source date is 5/31/1917 Old Style.