Editing Dual power (section)

== Background ==
{{Leninism sidebar|concepts}}
After [[Nicholas II of Russia|Tsar Nicholas II]] abdicated the throne, the resulting [[February Revolution]] led to the establishment of the Provisional Government and its counterpart, the [[Petrograd Soviet]]. The Provisional Government was composed of former State Duma representatives with approval from the Petrograd Soviet, whereas the Petrograd Soviet was made up of socialist leaders elected by a [[proletariat]] constituency.{{sfn|Steinberg|2017|p=71}} With the Russian government moving from an [[autocracy]] to this system of "dual power" with the Provisional Government and Petrograd Soviet constantly vying for power, there was much confusion on how both could coexist and govern effectively.

In this confusion, the Provisional Government realized the Soviet had the people's trust and enthusiasm.{{sfn|Steinberg|2001|p=59}} In the hopes of appeasing the Soviet and keeping the support of the population, the Provisional Government launched several very bold liberal acts and promoted civil liberties through means of freedom of speech, press, and assembly.{{sfn|Steinberg|2017|pp=71–72}} Yet, other than strategic political motives, the Provisional Government understood that their power was illegitimate, due to the fact that they were not elected by the people. To solve the problem of illegitimacy, the Provisional Government was in the process of establishing the Constituent Assembly, whose members would be democratically elected by the people.{{sfn|Steinberg|2017|p=72}} The Constituent Assembly would never come to be under the Provisional Government's rule, as the elections were set after the Bolsheviks seized power in the [[October Revolution]].{{sfn|Steinberg|2001|p=348}}

After the February Revolution, Lenin published his [[April Theses]] and in it he expressed unhappiness with the February Revolution as he described it as a "Bourgeois Revolution".{{sfn|Wood|2003|pp=38–39}} He pushed for the slogan "All Power to the Soviets". Lenin mentioned that a Proletarian Revolution was necessary, and expressed that he had no interest in cooperating with the Provisional Government or the other Soviet leaders who were willing to compromise. Other members of Soviet leadership were skeptical of Lenin's ideas since they were afraid that Lenin and the Bolsheviks were advocating for [[anarchism]]. Lenin also criticized the Petrograd Soviet for governing alongside the Provisional Government, and accused them of forgetting and abandoning socialist ideas and the proletarian revolution.{{sfn|Wood|2003|pp=38–39}}