October revolution

Question 1

What did Kerensky do on the 23rd of October?

Answer 1

• that pravda and Izvestia to cease activity to restrict the power of the military revolutionary committee
• Troops to raise the bridge between the Bolshevik Vyborg district and the city centre but Bolshevik soldiers prevented this

Question 2

What happened on the 24th of October?

Answer 2

• Trotsky ordered 5,000 soldiers and sailors from Kronstadt and Red Guards to take over post offices, railway stations, news agencies, state banks, bridges, and power stations
• The only resistance they received was at the main telegraph office with troops on duty but they easily gave in
• Lenin remained in hiding but he soon traveled to Smolny to take charge of the insurrection

Question 3

What happened at the Winter Palace on the 25th?

Answer 3

• Kerensky left for the American embassy as a nurse to attempt to get military support
• Red guard soldiers and sailors surrounded the palace which was threatened by artillery from St Peter and Paul fortress
• It was supported by soldiers and guns from the aurora battleship on the river Neva
• At 9:40 am, a blank shot was fired from the aurora ship to signal the red guards to invade the winter palace
• Many members of the provisional government could easily leave out of the backdoor
• Further shots were fired but only one hit the palace

Question 4

What happened after the storming of the winter palace?

Answer 4

At 10:40amthe second congress of soviets convened, although without Lenin or the Bolshevik present as they were still fighting on the street. It was nearly midnight when the first bolshevik deputies arrived with news of the days events. Some mensheviks and social revolutionaries made public a declaration of protest, “against the military conspiracy and seizure of power,”

Question 5

What happened on the 26th of October?

Answer 5

• In the early hours of the morning, the congress greeted the announcement of the capture of the Winter Palace and the arrest of the remaining provisional government members
• 5:00 am, the congress adopted a revolution to take power into its own hands
• At 9:00 am of the second session of congress, the degree of peace was passed unanimously ending the war

Question 6

What happened on the 27th of October?

Answer 6

• At 2:00am, the decree on land was passed acknowledging the peasant seizure of land but it was opposed by the Mensheviks and the SRs
• An all - Russian central executive committee was elected with 101 members with 62 Bolsheviks and 29 left wing social revolutionaries
• The Sovnarkom was created to run the government with only Bolsheviks and Lenin was elected chairman
• Other resolutions approved by 5:15 am were adopted such as transferring power to local soviets, freeing of political prisoners, the abolition of the death penalty, the arrest of Kerensky, ensuring loyalty of the cossacks and railway workers to maintain order on the railways

Question 7

How many people did Trotsky claim were involved?

Answer 7

25,000 to 30,000 people (only 5% of the workforce)

Question 8

How many people were in front of Winter Palace on the evening of the 25th?

Answer 8

10,000 to 15,000

Question 9

How many deaths were there?

Answer 9

No more than 5 as the provisional government lacked military resources

Question 10

What wasn’t affected by the revolution?

Answer 10

trams, taxis, restaurants, theatres and cinemas

Question 11

What did Trotsky say about the revolution?

Answer 11

It was a series of small operations calculated and prepared in advance