---
title: "Petrograd Soviet Definition and Overview | Model Diplomat"
description: "The Petrograd Soviet was a council of workers' and soldiers' deputies in 1917, rivaling the Provisional Government during the Russian Revolution."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/petrograd-soviet"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The Petrograd Soviet was the council of workers' and soldiers' deputies formed in Russia's capital in March 1917 that became the chief rival power to the Provisional Government.
- What was 'dual power' and how did the Petrograd Soviet embody it?
- What did Order No. 1 do?
- Which parties initially led the Petrograd Soviet?
- How was the Petrograd Soviet connected to the October Revolution?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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## Timeline

1. 27 February 1917

   The Petrograd Soviet (full name: the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies) emerged on (Old Style; 12 March New Style) during the February Rev…

2. 1 March 1917

   1\*\*, issued on , which directed soldiers to obey the Provisional Government only insofar as its orders did not contradict those of the Soviet, established so…

3. 25 October 1917

   The Soviet's Military Revolutionary Committee (Voenno-revolyutsionny komitet), established in October, became the operational headquarters of the October Rev…

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Example

In March 1917 the Petrograd Soviet issued Order No. 1, placing the capital's garrison under its own authority rather than the Provisional Government's, and by October 1917 it served, under Leon Trotsky, as the command centre of the Bolshevik seizure of power.

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