Miliukov Note

a diplomatic document from P. N. Miliukov, the minister of foreign affairs of the bourgeois Provisional Government, to the governments of the Entente countries. Dated Apr. 18 (May 1), 1917, it explained the position of the Provisional Government on the question of war and peace. A declaration on Russia’s war aims issued by the Provisional Government on Mar. 28 (Apr. 10), 1917, contained points that led the masses to think the war would soon be over. (Among the misleading points in the declaration were the renunciation of annexations and claims of indemnities and the recognition of the rights of nations to self-determination.) The March declaration evoked dissatisfaction from the Entente governments. The Miliukov Note, which may be considered an accompanying document to the declaration, affirmed the Provisional Government’s readiness to “carry the world war through to decisive victory.” The April 20 (May 3) demonstrations of Petrograd soldiers and workers protesting the Miliukov Note set off the April Crisis of 1917, which led to Miliukov’s retirement and the formation of a coalition government.