Although there are many reasons for the failure of the provisional government, such as the fact they had to share power with the soviets, Lenin’s return, the radicalisation of Russia and the land question. Their decision to continue fighting in the First World War was the most important because of this they lost support from the people and more importantly, from the armed forces, who they relied on to defend them. Therefore you could say that the Provisional Government was definitely responsible for its own downfall.

The biggest problem facing the Provisional Government was the First World War, Russia had already lot Territory in Poland meaning the morale within the armed forces was very low. The continuation of the First World War meant that the Provisional Government lost support from many people. The Provisional Government felt that it was their duty to ensure that Russia continued to fight in the war, additionally Russia owed a large sum money in foreign loans, and the British and French were happy to carry on providing loans as long as Russia continued fighting. Therefore, this influenced the Provisional Governments decision to stay in the war. The continuation of the war brought the Provisional Government into conflict with the Soviet, who had issued n ‘Address to the people of the whole world’ declaring for peace about annexations and indemnities meaning that they would not support the continuation of the war for gaining land or money from opponents. In order to gain support, the Provisional Government planned an offensive on the Eastern Front - ‘June Offensive’ which was made against the Austro -Hungarian army, however the failure of this offensive lead to mass desertion by the Russian troops and the Provisional Government was greatly discredited meaning the Bolsheviks gained support. This was also have said to have led to the July Days, a large street demonstration in Petrograd. However, the rising itself was a confused, disorderly affair. The disunity made it relatively easy for the Provisional Government to crush the rising and the troops loyal to the government were rushed from the front and duly scattered the demonstrators and restored order. Therefore, although there was chaos and opposition against the Provisional Government, it still had the strength to be able to put down an armed insurrection. Overall, the decision to continue fighting in the First World War played a significant role in the failure of the Provisional Government.

To a slightly lesser extent the fact that the Provisional Government already faced a rival for political power was a contributing factor towards their downfall. In February 1917 the Provisional Government shared political power with the soviets; this meant that major areas of policy had to be agreed by both. Provisional Government remained a liberal body however the soviets were dominated by left wing groups. The fact that the Soviets had introduced ‘Order number 1’ meant that all army officers had to be elected by their own troops, therefore unpopular officers were dismissed, undermining the authority of officers. The order stated that military orders of the Provisional Government would only be recognised if they were agreed by the Soviet. This tipped the balance of power away from the Provisional Government as the Soviet had effective control of the army, because of this the Provisional Government asked for help from the Bolsheviks which made them seem weak and made the Bolsheviks look powerful and popular.

A significant factor contributing to the fall of the Provisional Government was Lenin’s return. Before Lenin’s return the leading Bolsheviks had supported the Provisional Government. Lenin’s return changed things dramatically and from April the Bolsheviks planned to overthrow the Provisional Government. Lenin’s two main rallying cries ‘Peace, Land and Bread’ and ‘All Power to the Soviets’ were designed to both gain support for the Bolsheviks among the people and undermine the Provisional Government. ‘Peace Land and Bread’ was a popular message in Russia as it faced war and serious food shortages. As well as a highlighting the Provisional Governments support for the unpopular war, it also illustrated their failure to adequately address the land and food problems. Therefore it is suggested that it was due to Lenin that the Provisional Government collapsed.

The Kornilov Affair brought about a fatal blow to the position of the Provisional Government; Kerensky panicked and feared that Kornilov was planning a military takeover, when in fact Kornilov was more concerned about a radical left-wing plot against the government. Kerensky had relied on the Bolsheviks which made them look strong and set them up as defenders of Petrograd, the Provisional Government then lost most of its authority by October 1917. Therefore the Provisional Government can be seen as responsible for its own downfall

Another significant factor contributing to the downfall of the Provisional Government was their inability to tackle land reforms. The Provisional Government had control of Petrograd and other major cities, but little control of the countryside. The February Revolution had led the peasants to believe that they would soon benefit from a major land redistribution following the governments takeover of the landowners’ estates. When the government did no such thing, the peasants in many parts of Russia took the law into their own hands and seized property of local landlords throughout 1917. The Provisional Government had no real answer to the land problem and lacked the ability to impose its authority outside in towns and cities and it was also questioned whether the governments heart was ever really in land reform. As a result, the Provisional Government can be held responsible for its own collapse.

In conclusion, although Lenin and the Kornilov affair played quite a significant role in the downfall of the Provisional Government, it was the governments decision to continue fighting in the First World war that resulted in its downfall. This is because the June offensive led directly to the demonstrations of the July Days which left the provisional government with no authority.