Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
June Offensive
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Quizzes
Civil War era cannon overlooks Kennesaw Mountain National Battle. (military, artillery, American history)
Pick Your Battles Quiz
Louis IX of France (St. Louis), stained glass window of Louis IX during the Crusades. (Unknown location.)
World Wars
American infantry streaming through the captured town of Varennes, France, 1918.This place fell into the hands of the Americans on the first day of the Franco-American assault upon the Argonne-Champagne line. (World War I)
World War I Quiz
D-Day. American soldiers fire rifles, throw grenades and wade ashore on Omaha Beach next to a German bunker during D Day landing. 1 of 5 Allied beachheads est. in Normandy, France. The Normandy Invasion of World War II launched June 6, 1944.
A History of War
Quick Facts
Also called:
July Offensive (New Style), Summer Offensive, Kerensky Offensive, or Galician Offensive
Date:
July 1, 1917 - c. July 4, 1917
Location:
Galicia
Participants:
Germany
Russian Provisional Government
Russia
Context:
World War I
Key People:
Aleksey Alekseyevich Brusilov
Aleksandr Kerensky
See all related content
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

June Offensive

Russian military operation [1917]
Also known as: Galician Offensive, July Offensive, Kerensky Offensive, Summer Offensive(Show More)
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

June Offensive, (June [July, New Style], 1917), unsuccessful military operation of World War I, planned by the Russian minister of war Aleksandr Kerensky. The operation not only demonstrated the degree to which the Russian army had disintegrated but also the extent of the Provisional Government’s failure to interpret and respond adequately to popular revolutionary sentiment. Temporarily, it also had the effect of strengthening moderate and conservative elements in the country.

Kerensky’s timing was particularly inauspicious. After the February (March) Revolution, popular demands for peace had grown more intense, particularly within the army. Soldiers’ committees debated military issues and frequently vetoed officers’ orders. Discipline degenerated, and many soldiers made their private peace with the Germans and went home. The first coalition Provisional Government (formed in May 1917) continued to honour the alliances made by the deposed imperial government and hesitated to make a separate peace; it did agree, however, to wage only a defensive war.

Nevertheless, Kerensky planned an offensive. He speculated that a victory would rally the Russian people behind the Provisional Government and also force the belligerents to make peace. On July 1 (June 18, Old Style), 1917, the Russian army, commanded by General Aleksey A. Brusilov, attacked the Austro-German forces along a broad front in Galicia and pushed toward Lvov.

Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Civil War era cannon overlooks Kennesaw Mountain National Battle. (military, artillery, American history)
Britannica Quiz
Pick Your Battles Quiz

Although the Russian effort was initially successful, the soldiers soon refused to leave their trenches and fight. By July 3–4, the offensive had collapsed. On July 6 the Austrians and Germans launched a counteroffensive. They met little resistance and advanced through Galicia and into Ukraine, halting at the Zbruch River.

The military disaster was immediately overshadowed by the July Days uprising and by the government’s fear of a Bolshevik coup d’état. But the June Offensive had serious political consequences. As a result of the army’s failure, Kerensky appointed as commander in chief Gen. Lavr G. Kornilov—who strongly demanded that army discipline be restored—and thereby laid the groundwork for the development of a conservative, military political force and for Kornilov’s alleged attempted coup d’etat, known as “Kornilov’s Rebellion.”