Developments Between Revolutions

Question 1

Return of Lenin

Answer 1

Permitted to travel back to Russia via Germany on a sealed train. The Germans allowed this as they thought it would pull Russia out of the war.
Returned to Russia on 3 April 1917

Question 2

Lenin’s ideology and April thesis

Answer 2

Russian MC were too weak to carry through a revolution the WC supported by peasants needed to do it
Rest of Europe close to socialist revolution
April theses explained Lenin’s political programme
His demands are summarised in the two slogans ‘peace,bread and land’ and ‘all power to the Soviets’

Question 3

The July Days

Answer 3

Sailors from the Kronstadt naval base organised an armed demonstration that spread to the centre of Petrograd, with workers and soldiers joining them. Rising prices and unemployment contributed to the unrest
When demonstrations turned violent Bolsheviks were blamed
PG brought in troops to crush demonstrations
Bolsheviks newspapers shut down and Lenin and Stalin fled while other leaders like Trotsky were imprisoned

Question 4

Kornilov coup

Answer 4

June 1917 increase in desertions from the army following heavy losses in the war
Kerensky appointed kornilov as commander in chief to bring back discipline
August Kornilov orders troops to march on petrograd presumably in an attempt to establish a military dictatorship
Kerensky panics and allows bolsheviks to arm workers to halt it
March is stopped and the coup leaders are arrested

Question 5

Lenin and BCC

Answer 5

From mid September Lenin demanded the Bolsheviks get ready to seize power
Kamenev and Zinoviev disagreed and feared Russia wasn’t economically ready
Frustrated by resistance Lenin returned to Russia and convinced CC that ‘an armed uprising is the order of the day’
Trotsky’s organisational skills led him to be put in charge of the red guard