Petrograd Soviet issues “Order No. 1”

The Petrograd Soviet of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies issues its first official decree instructing soldiers and sailors to obey their officers and the Provisional Government only when those orders do not contradict the decrees of the Petrograd Soviet.

Order No. 1 contributes to the rapid breakdown of discipline with the armed forces. By mid-Summer, the Russian countryside is devolving into chaos as hundreds of thousands of tired, bitter, and well-armed soldiers quit the frontlines and make their way back to the rear.