Chapter 4 - The October/November 1917 Revolution Flashcards
What factors contributed to Lenin’s decision that the time was right for the Bolsheviks to lead a revolution?
- the Bolsheviks dominated both the Petrograd and Moscow soviets, as well as other soviets around Russia
- the PG was very weak, Kerensky’s credibility was greatly reduced after the Kornilov coup
- the Bolsheviks had the Red Guards, armed by Kerensky during the Kornilov coup
- the PG’s defeat in WW1
- the deteriorating economic situation
How many of the Petrograd garrisons declared allegiance to the MRC not the PG?
15 out of 18
How (and when) did Kerensky try to reduce the power of the MRC?
He sent troops to cut off a Bolshevik area of the city from the centre and ordered 2 Bolshevik newspapers to close down on the 23rd of October
The Bolsheviks used this as their excuse to act
What happened on the 24th of October?
The Red Guards, supported by soldiers and sailors from Kronstadt, capture key positions in Petrograd
What happened on the 25th of October?
After a shot from the battleship Aurora to signal the attack, the Red Guards enter the Winter Palace
The Second Congress of Soviets meets; some Mensheviks and right-wing SRs protest against the Bolshevik’s seizure of power
What happened on the 26th of October?
All remaining members of PG arrested
The Congress votes to take power into its own hands
The Congress agrees unanimously to Lenin’s Decree on Peace
What happened on the 27th of October?
The Congress agrees to Lenin’s Decree on Land
A Central Executive Committee is set up, with the majority of members being Bolsheviks or left-wings SRs
Sovnarkom is set up to run the government
How many people did the revolution involve?
25,000-30,000 people at most (approx 5% of the workers and soldiers in Petrograd)
10,000-15,000 people may have been present during the ‘storming’ of the Winter Palace, but many may have been spectators only
What happened across the country during the revolution?
Nothing
The revolution focused on the takeover of a few strategic targets, much of Petrograd (and the rest of Russia) carried on with life as usual during the revolution
Was the revolution violent?
No, it involved very little fighting and there were probably no more than 5 deaths
How did Soviet historians view Lenin’s importance in the revolution?
They idealised his role and portrayed him as the heroic leader of a Bolshevik uprising
After Lenin’s death and Trotsky’s fall from power, they downplayed Trotsky’s role in organising the Red Guard and directing the actual seizure of power
How do critics of the ‘heroic Lenin’ approach view Lenin’s importance in the revolution?
They argue that Lenin was not the driver of the revolution and was absent for most of 1917
They often prioritise the failures of the PG over Lenin’s leadership in bringing the Bolsheviks to power
How did Western historians view Lenin’s importance in the revolution during the Cold War?
Tended to claim that the revolution was a coup d’état not a popular revolution
What is a coup d’état (often shortened to coup)?
An overthrow of the government carried out by a small group of people
How do Western historians now view Lenin’s importance in the revolution?
They have identified that there was at least some radicalism and spontaneous rebellion that the Bolsheviks were able to exploit
Who did the October/November revolution transfer power to?
The All-Russian Congress of Soviets
What happened when the Bolsheviks won a majority of the seats on the Executive Committee of the soviet?
the Mensheviks and right-wing SRs walked out, leaving the Bolsheviks and left-wings SRs in full control
What does Sovnarkom mean?
The Soviet of People’s Commissars
What was Sovnarkom set up to do?
take charge of running the government with Lenin as its Chairman
What did Sovnarkom initially consist of and how did that change?
Initially consisted of just Bolsheviks but Lenin bedgrudgingly allowed 7 left-wing SRs to join in Nov
What was Sovnarkom reluctant to do?
Share power
It sidelined the PS
Why did it take the Bolsheviks a while to establish their control?
- Civil servants initially refused to work for the Bolshevik govt
- Bankers refused to allow the Bolsheviks access to state funds
- The Bolsheviks had to establish their authority outside of Petrograd and combat opposition forces organised by Kerensky
- The Bolshevik’s military force was weakened as many Petrograd garrison soldiers went back home to the countryside
What did it take to access state funds?
It took 10 days and the threat of armed intervention to persuade the State Bank to hand over its reserves
What happened on the 29th of October?
Red Guards put down an army cadet rising up against the Bolsheviks
What happened on the 31st of October?
Bolsheviks take control of Baku and 17 provincial capitals
What happened on the 2nd of November?
Kerensky’s opposition forces are defeated
What happened on the 3rd of November?
The Bolsheviks gain control of Moscow after a 10 day battle
Who left the Bolshevik Party on the 3rd of November and why?
Kamenev, Zinoviev and Rykov
Lenin issued an ultimatum to end division within the Party
When did Lenin announce that the revolution had succeeded?
5th of November
What was the situation for the Bolsheviks at the end of 1917?
They dominated the larger towns and cities and controlled the railways
Huge areas of countryside weren’t under their control
Lenin’s Decree on Peace (October)
- Promised an end to war
An armistice followed in November
What were Lenin’s decrees on workers’ rights?
- the Workers’ decree
- the Social insurance decree
- the Decree on Workers’ Control of Factories
The workers’ decree (October)
limited the working day to 8 hours
The social insurance decree (October)
Gave old-age, health and unemployment benefits
The decree on worker’s control of factories (November)
Allowed workers to ‘supervise’ managers
Lenin’s Decree on Land (October)
- abolished private ownership of land
- legitimised peasant seizures of land from landlords
reduced peasant support for the SRs
What were Lenin’s social decrees?
- the press decree
- the judicial decree
- the decree to outlaw sex discrimination
- the decrees on the church
The press decree (October)
banned the opposition press
The judicial decree (November)
established people’s courts
The decree to outlaw sex discrimination (November)
gave equal rights to women
The decrees on the church (December)
removed marriage and divorce from Church control
Decree to establish the All-Russian Commission for the Suppression of Counter-Revolution, Sabotage and Speculation
created a secret police force (the Cheka) to root out opposition
What steps did Lenin take to combat opposition to Bolshevik control of Russia?
- the Cheka could arrest anyone it suspected
- members of opposition parties were arrested and imprisoned
- anti-Bolshevik newspapers were shut down
What is an example of Lenin moving towards a fully socialist society?
The Veshenka was set up in Dec 1917
It answered to Sovnarkom and was responsible for gaining state control over the economy, starting with the State Bank
What does Veshenka ‘stand’ for?
the Supreme Soviet of the National Economy
What is an example of Lenin being cautious in moving towards a fully socialist society?
He resisted calls to completely nationalise all industry
What does the establishment of the Cheka show?
Lenin’s conviction that active repression of ‘counter-revolutionary’ enemies was needed to safeguard the ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’
