Feb - Oct Flashcards
Lenin’s April Thesis
✓ ‘Second Revolution’ – it would be the duty of Bolsheviks to lead the revolution as the ‘vanguard of the masses.’
✓ Marxist-Leninism – there was no need to wait for the bourgeois phase of Marxism to happen. Change was needed immediately as the Russian working class was underdeveloped and lacked sufficient class consciousness.
✓ Permanent Revolution – revolution in Russia would precipitate revolution elsewhere in Europe. Russia had no need to wait for the revolution but would instead lead it.
✓ ‘All power to the Soviets’ – there would be no support for the Provisional Government and all power should be transferred to the Soviets.
✓ ‘Peace, Bread and Land’ – the war should be ended immediately.
✓ Redistribution of all land owed to the peasantry. All land should be taken over by the state & reallocated by local soviets.
July Days
20,000 Kronstadt sailors started armed protest using Bolshevik slogans, Lenin couldn’t deny them- chaos ensued and Lenin was forced into exile
Kornilov affair
In August, freshly appointed war general Kornilov attempted to march on Petrograd to crush the soviet but was stopped whilst Bolsheviks reaped the benefits- Petrograd Red Guarded and an increased membership by 177000, Trotsky head of Petrograd soviet
10th October
Lenin returns to the country having been denied revolution by Zinovev and Kamanev as well as Trotsky who wanted to seize power through the soviet rather than directly though he finally managed a 10-2 vote for armed rising
16th October
. A ‘Military Revolutionary Committee’ was set up- around 200,000 Red Guards, 60,000 Baltic sailors and 150,000 soldiers of the remaining
Petrograd garrison.
24th October
Throughout the night 5,000 soldiers, sailors and Red Guards began to take over key government buildings in Petrograd – they met little resistance. Lenin remained in hiding until the evening, travelling to the Smolny Institute by train to lead to revolution.
25th October
Red Guard soldiers surrounded the Winter Palace, and the Aurora battleship fired a blank round to signal the start the revolution.
Lenin arrived at the Smolny Institute and declared the deposition of the Provisional Government.
He was, however, unable to open the All-Russia Congress of Soviets until the Palace was taken.
The Red Guard quickly gained entry into the Palace with only five registered deaths. Soviet
propaganda would mythologise the ‘storming’ of the Winter Palace – but only about 5% of all
workers and soldiers in the city had active involvement in the Revolution – maybe 30,000 at most.
Kerensky escaped to Pskov whilst other ministers were arrested.
26th October
The Second All-Russia Congress of Soviets opened (3am) and greeted the capture of the Winter Palace and arrested the members of the Provisional Government.
Objections were raised against a socialist coalition government, with many Mensheviks and SRs fearing a Bolshevik conspiracy. 70 walked out in protest, including Martov (Menshevik leader). As chairman, Trotsky dismissed their arguments claiming that the role of the Mensheviks and SRs was
now ‘played out’, claiming they were consigned to ‘the dustbin of History’. Consequently, the transfer of power to the Bolsheviks was granted owing to the majority they now held at Congress.
Lenin’s ‘Decree on Peace’ (to end the war) was adopted unanimously.
A new Soviet Executive Committee elected, with 62 Bolsheviks out of 101
27th October
Lenin’s ‘Decree on Land’ (land seizures) was agreed, and the reorganisation of government was proposed.
A ‘Soviet of People’ Commissar (Sovnarkom) was created to run the government – included
only Bolsheviks. Lenin was elected chairman of the Sovnarkom. This was used to deliberately sideline the Petrograd Soviet as Sovnarkom was ruled by decree without seeking their approval.
Other resolutions adopted – including the transfer of all power to local soviets, freeing of political prisoners and arrest of Kerensky. The revolution was completed in the words of Trotsky as a series of “small operations, calculated and prepared in advance.”
Lenin’s Decrees
▪ Workers’ Decree: maximum 8-hour working day.
▪ Social Insurance Decree: provided old age, health and unemployment benefits
▪ Press Decree: banned the opposition press
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▪ Decree on Peace: an end to war “without annexation or indemnities.”
▪ Decree on Land: abolished private ownership of land and legitimised peasant seizures without compensation to landlords.
▪ Rights of the people of Russia Decree: abolished titles and class ranks.
▪ Bank Decree: nationalised all banks
▪ Nationality Decree: promised self-determination to the peoples of the former Russian Empire.
▪ Decree on Workers’ Control of Management: gave workers the right to ‘supervise
management.’
▪ Judicial Decree: established a new legal system of elected people’s court.
▪ Decree to outlaw sex discrimination: gave women full equality with men and the right to own property.
▪ Decree to establish the Cheka: established a new secret police “for the suppression of counterrevolution, sabotage and speculation.” The ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’ would require the active repression of ‘counter-revolutionary’ enemies.
▪ Class Decree: everyone to be addressed as a ‘citizen’ or, if a party member, ‘comrade’.
▪ Military Decree: removed class ranks, saluting and military decorations from the army and placed the army under the control of soldiers’ soviets which elected officers.
▪ Decree on the Church: nationalised church lands, removed marriage and divorce from ecclesiastical control and gave women the right to initiate divorce.
▪ Opposition Decree: leading Kadets, SRs and Mensheviks were rounded up and imprisoned in December 1917.
