October Revolution & Civil War Flashcards
Discuss Lenin and the Bolsheviks
Lenin was the Leader of the Bolsheviks, a communist.
Discuss the events of October 1917.
October 24, 1917, Bolsheviks seize government buildings in St. Petersburg, including the Winter Palace.
A “revolution by telegraph” followed and the Bolsheviks seize power. Now they need to consolidate their power and end the war.
Who were the Whites?
A mix of nobles, right-wing generals and peasants.
Who were the Reds?
The communists commanded by Trotsky and eventually win.
Who were the Greens?
Commanded by Nestor Makhno who was an anarchist.
Discuss Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky was a Marxist revolutionary, theorist, and Soviet politician.
Discuss the attempts at a right-wing coup.
Lavr Kornilov, a conservative military general, attempts a government overthrow in August 1917, but the provisional government and Bolsheviks prove a match for him.
Discuss the 4 crisis’ the Bolsheviks encountered when they seized power.
- Only had 29% of vote vs the socialist revolutionaries 58%. They forced the Assembly to disband.
- Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. 1/4 of populated imperial Russia surrendered to the Germans. German occupied the western countries.
- War Nationalization in February 1918. All land was nationalized. “War communism”.
- Fate of the Tsar. The entire family was executed July 17, 1918.
What was the breaking point in Russia?
Forcible food requisitions.
Nationalization/War communism.
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.
Murder of the Tsar.
For many peasants, nobles, priests this was enough for a new revolution.
What happened in July 1917 in Russia?
The worker’s societies were growing in popularity and became a “shadow government” The provisional government had to start to rely on the workers parties and Bolshevicks. This empowered them and made the provisional government seem weak.
