Leaders + Figureheads of the Russian Revolution and Civil War

Alexander Kerensky was born in 1881 in Simbirsk (modern day Ulyanovsk). His father was a teacher, and then later a headmaster, who famously taught Lenin. Thus, the Lenin and Kerensky families were close.

When Alexander was 8, he moved to Tashkent, where his father was an inspector of schools and colleges. Kerensky studied History and Philogy (language relationships and developments). Then, he switched to Law, receiving his Law degree in 1904. He became a political lawyer. He became a member of the Trudoviks (a moderate left-wing party). Kerensky was one of the most prominent leaders of the February Revolution of 1917. In May, Kerensky became the Minister for War. He launched the Kerensky Offensive. 

In July 1917, Kerensky became Prime Minister of Russia. He became Supreme Commander in Chief of the Russian Army following the Kornilov Affair. Both positions ended in November 1917. Kerensky's party was decimated after many abandoned Kerensky and the Trudoviks for the Bolsheviks who were offering rewards and incentives. During the Civil War, he opposed both sides and thus escaped Russia. He lived in Paris for 23 years until 1940. When France fell in 1940, he emigrated to the United States. 

In 1941, Kerensky offered his support to Joseph Stalin, but received no reply. Then he went into journalism and broadcasting, dominating a Russian radio station. He settled in New York City, but lectured at Hoover College at Stanford University in California. He wrote books on Russian Military History and worked as an archivist at Stanford University. He died in 1970 in New York.