Things were not great for Russians in August, 1917. For a brief period, the Provisional Government appeared to be under threat from a counter – revolution led by its own army. What followed was a period of struggle between the Prime Minister Alexander Kerensky and the commander-in-chief of the Russian Army, Lavr Kornilov. This period is often referred to as the Kornilov affair.
General Kornilov was a tsarist military officer, known for his loyalty and competence who reluctantly accepted the February Revolution and barely tolerated the Provisional Government.
Disgusted by the activity of the Petrograd Soviet and the influence of socialists, he sought to impose martial law in the Russian capital. In August, Kornilov began plotting a military occupation of Petrograd. He was sacked by Kerensky, who called on the Soviets and Red Guards to protect the capital. The advance on Petrograd did not proceed but the Kornilov affair humiliated the Provisional Government and facilitated a revival in Bolshevik fortunes, leading to the ultimate downfall of the Kerensky government.
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