broad, and created much ill feeling.

On May 13, 1917, General Kornilov, commanding the Petrograd garrison,
gave up his efforts in despair and handed in his resignation, on
account of "the interference of certain organizations with the
discipline of his troops." Generals Gurko and Brussilov also sent in
their resignations, and a few days later Minister of War and Marine
Gutchkov, wishing to precipitate the impending crisis, also resigned.

Complete anarchy now threatened, for the council still insisted on its
right to guard the interests of democracy in the army as well as among
the civil population. It was then that Minister of Justice Kerensky
rose and saved the situation with an impassioned speech, in which he
declared that he wished he had died two months before when democracy
seemed such a promising dream. He then appealed to his associates in
the council, of which he was a vice president, to set aside their
Utopian fantasies for the time being and consider the needs of the
present. His oratory carried the day. The council agreed to a
coalition cabinet which should have full control of affairs.

After a joint session between the executive committee of the council
and the Duma committee, the new cabinet was formed on May 19, 1917.

Paul Milukov retired as Foreign Minister, for his nationalistic
utterances in regard to Constantinople had aroused against him all the
radicals. Prince Lvov remained as premier. Kerensky became Minister of
War. The Minister of Finance, Terestchenko, became Minister of Foreign
Affairs. Shingarev, a Social Revolutionist, became Minister of
Finance. Altogether the new cabinet included six radicals. Immediately
afterward the council passed a resolution of confidence in the new
government and urged all its constituents to support it. Kerensky
then stated that he would immediately leave for a tour of the front
for the purpose of exhorting the soldiers to submit to military
organization and that an iron discipline would be instituted. The
generals at the front now withdrew their resignations, which had not
been accepted, and returned to their posts.

During this period two important conventions were held in Petrograd; a
national congress of the Cossacks and a national congress of peasants.
The former declared itself for a strong offensive against the enemy
but passed no political resolutions other than to support the
Provisional Government. The peasants' congress did likewise and also
showe