OCTOBER 1917 Flashcards
Where had Lenin been exiled?
Finland.
Why did Lenin feel this was the right time for the Bolsheviks to seize power?
- Had gained control of the Soviet.
- Popularity.
- Liberals and other conservatives were demoralised.
What had been created in the Kornilov affair?
A power vacuum and Lenin was determined to fill it.
What did Lenin write on the 12th September 1917?
He wrote to the Bolshevik Central Committee urging action.
“History will not forgive us if we do not assume power now.”
Who were the two Bolshevik leaders who felt it was not the right time to revolt?
Zinoviev and Kamenev.
What happened on the 9th September?
Bolsheviks won the support of majority of the Petrograd Soviet.
Who was elected chairman of the Petrograd Soviet? What day?
Trotsky.
25th September.
What was formed 9-16th of October?
Military Revolutionary Committee (MRC), to defend against the Germans.
When did Lenin address the Central Committee?
10th October.
What did the MRC do on 21-22nd of October?
Asserted its authority over the Petrograd Soviet.
What action did Kerensky take on the 24th of October?
Finally moved against the Bolsheviks.
What was the result of Kerensky’s action on the 24th of October?
The Bolsheviks launched their attack; the government was persuaded to give up key points.
What happened on the night of 24-25th of October?
Units of the Red Guard sailors and garrison soldiers were sent out to seize key points in the city.
What had Trotsky organised on 24-25th October?
Occupation of the central telephone exchange, railway stations, central post office etc.
What happened the night of 25-26th October?
Bolshevik soldiers entered the Palace and at 2am arrested what remained of the government.
What was the result on the 26th of October?
The Winter Palace was captured after resistance stopped.
What did Trotsky respond to the idea that the Bolsheviks did not represent ordinary Russian people?
‘A rising of the masses of the people needs no justification.’
Who claimed that the Bolsheviks did not represent ordinary people?
The All-Russian Congress of Soviets.
What is the Soviet view of the October Revolution being a coup d’etat or a popular revolution?
It was a popular uprising which was led and carried out by the working-class.
How does the Soviet view support the idea of the October Revolution being popular?
The working class created the Soviets, which acted as the power bases through which the revolution was accomplished.
What is the predominant Western view after 1945, about whether the October revolution was popular or coup d’etat?
They identified the revolution as the starting point for which power was seized in a coup d’etat.
How is the predominant Western view of coup d’etat supported?
Lenin controlled a well-organised and disciplined revolutionary party who directed the masses.
What did Lenin believe that the authorities reaction to the St Petersburg strikes proved?
That the ‘superstructure’ would always prevail to keep workers in their place.
