Developments between the 1917 Revolutions

Question 1

How many members did the Bolsheviks have at the time of the Feb Revolution?

Answer 1

Only 23,000 members

Question 2

Why did Germany allow Lenin to travel back to Russia?

Answer 2

Hoped he could further destabilise Russia

Question 3

What were Lenin’s famous slogans?

Answer 3

“All power to the Soviets!”
“Peace, Bread, Land”

Question 4

How did Lenin believe a revolution needed to be carried out?

Answer 4

The workers and peasants needed to carry out the revolution, unlike Marxist theory

Question 5

Why did Lenin not immediately receive support for his April Theses?

Answer 5

• Some argued the Bolsheviks were not powerful enough to oppose the Provisional Government
• Some fear his radical policies would do more harm than good

Question 6

What did Lenin abandon to increase support?

Answer 6

He abandoned his call for an immediate overthrow of the Provisional Government which convinced those worried of a Civil War

Question 7

What did Lenin claim credit for to increase Bolshevik support?

Answer 7

Claimed credit for the social changes already happening, such as the peasant seizure of land

Question 8

How many people in the Petrograd Soviet voted for the Provisional Government to stay (vote of confidence) and how many against?

Answer 8

543 supported the Provisional Government
126 were against

Question 9

Who organised an armed demonstration July 1917?

Answer 9

Sailors from the Kronstadt naval base

Question 10

Who were blamed when the July Days went violent?

Answer 10

Bolsheviks

Question 11

Who crushed the demonstrations of the July Days?

Answer 11

The Provisional Government

Question 12

What were some consequences to the Bolsheviks due to the July Days?

Answer 12

• Bolshevik newspapers shut down
• Trotsky arrested

Question 13

How did the Kornilov Coup start?

Answer 13

June 1917, increase in desertions following heavy losses in the war- Kerensky appoints Kornilov as Commander in Chief to bring back discipline

Question 14

What did the Petrograd Soviet criticise Kornilov for?

Answer 14

His army discipline and right-wing views

Question 15

What did Kornilov attempt to do August 1917?

Answer 15

March on Petrograd to establish a military dictatorship

Question 16

What does Kerensky allow the Bolsheviks to do to help with Kornilov’s advance?

Answer 16

He allows the Bolsheviks to arm workers which ultimately boosts their support

Question 17

How much had the membership of the Bolshevik Party increased from Feb to October 1917?

Answer 17

23,000 to 200,000

Question 18

What did the Bolsheviks promise, that the Provisional Government was failing on, therefore increasing Bolshevik support

Answer 18

• End to the war, Russia’s offensive in June failed
• Provisional Gov pushed back land distribution, Bolsheviks promised land for the peasants
• Bolsheviks promised to end food shortages, PG failed to improve food supplies and prices were higher than wages

Question 19

What did the Kornilov Coup show?

Answer 19

That the revolution was under threat from the right, just as the Bolsheviks had warned, they could play on fears of right-wing attacks

Question 20

What was the MRC and what was its purpose?

Answer 20

Military Revolutionary Committee to protect Petrograd from right-wing attacks, adopted by the Petrograd Soviet as a resolution written by Trotsky

Question 21

What did Trotsky become on the 26th of September 1917?

Answer 21

Chairman of the executive committee of the Petrograd Soviet

Question 22

How did the Kornilov coup affect Kerensky?

Answer 22

Weakened his authority/influence

Question 23

Who disagreed with Lenin’s command to seize power in September 1917?

Answer 23

Zinoviev and Kamenev, they feared Russia was not economically ready for a revolution and did not want to act until a Constituent Assembly was called

Question 24

What did Lenin do after resistance to seizing power?

Answer 24

Returned in disguise and convinced the Central Committee to vote in his favour

Question 25

Who did Lenin put in charge of organising the seizure of power?

Answer 25

Trotsky