Developments between the 1917 Revolutions Flashcards
How many members did the Bolsheviks have at the time of the Feb Revolution?
Only 23,000 members
Why did Germany allow Lenin to travel back to Russia?
Hoped he could further destabilise Russia
What were Lenin’s famous slogans?
“All power to the Soviets!”
“Peace, Bread, Land”
How did Lenin believe a revolution needed to be carried out?
The workers and peasants needed to carry out the revolution, unlike Marxist theory
Why did Lenin not immediately receive support for his April Theses?
- Some argued the Bolsheviks were not powerful enough to oppose the Provisional Government
- Some fear his radical policies would do more harm than good
What did Lenin abandon to increase support?
He abandoned his call for an immediate overthrow of the Provisional Government which convinced those worried of a Civil War
What did Lenin claim credit for to increase Bolshevik support?
Claimed credit for the social changes already happening, such as the peasant seizure of land
How many people in the Petrograd Soviet voted for the Provisional Government to stay (vote of confidence) and how many against?
543 supported the Provisional Government
126 were against
Who organised an armed demonstration July 1917?
Sailors from the Kronstadt naval base
Who were blamed when the July Days went violent?
Bolsheviks
Who crushed the demonstrations of the July Days?
The Provisional Government
What were some consequences to the Bolsheviks due to the July Days?
- Bolshevik newspapers shut down
- Trotsky arrested
How did the Kornilov Coup start?
June 1917, increase in desertions following heavy losses in the war- Kerensky appoints Kornilov as Commander in Chief to bring back discipline
What did the Petrograd Soviet criticise Kornilov for?
His army discipline and right-wing views
What did Kornilov attempt to do August 1917?
March on Petrograd to establish a military dictatorship
What does Kerensky allow the Bolsheviks to do to help with Kornilov’s advance?
He allows the Bolsheviks to arm workers which ultimately boosts their support
How much had the membership of the Bolshevik Party increased from Feb to October 1917?
23,000 to 200,000
What did the Bolsheviks promise, that the Provisional Government was failing on, therefore increasing Bolshevik support
- 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
What did the Kornilov Coup show?
That the revolution was under threat from the right, just as the Bolsheviks had warned, they could play on fears of right-wing attacks
What was the MRC and what was its purpose?
Military Revolutionary Committee to protect Petrograd from right-wing attacks, adopted by the Petrograd Soviet as a resolution written by Trotsky
What did Trotsky become on the 26th of September 1917?
Chairman of the executive committee of the Petrograd Soviet
How did the Kornilov coup affect Kerensky?
Weakened his authority/influence
Who disagreed with Lenin’s command to seize power in September 1917?
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
What did Lenin do after resistance to seizing power?
Returned in disguise and convinced the Central Committee to vote in his favour
Who did Lenin put in charge of organising the seizure of power?
Trotsky
