The Bolshevik Revolution Flashcards
who arranged for Lenin return from exile and what was their sim in doing so
Germans
- hoped that Lenin would create upheaval in Russia and made them pull out of the war, give then one less enemy to fight
where was Lenin exiled to
Switzerland
what were the old Bolshevik members reaction to Lenin’s ideas after his return
- April Theses a shock: thought he was ignoring key communist belief - workers’ revolution could only happen in a advanced industrial country - Russia industrial growth very behind Germany, France, Britain, USA
- new members of the now risen numbers of 75,000 Bolsheviks helped in supporting Lenin’s decision of immediate action - they were not interested in waiting
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What was the ‘April Thesis’ and what did the demands include?
April 1917, Lenin set out manifesto of how working class out take control of Russia
Demands included:
1. End the War: a capitalist and imperialist conflict that threatened the revolution
2. transfer all power to soviets: for all governments from local to national
Prov Gov should not be supported
3. Take land from rich landowners and give to peasants through agricultural soviets
support for the Bolsheviks grew because of what 3 things:
- Lenin’s ‘April Theses’: showed Bolsheviks had clear + powerful message for workers, peasants and soldiers
- German secretly funding Bolsheviks campaigning –> 41 newspapers set up across Russia by June
- Bolshevik newspapers in most Russian cities constantly criticised the failures of the Provisional Government
what was Lenin’s new slogan that said that power to govern Russia should all go to the soviets
‘All power to the soviets!’
- Russia’s power to soviets:
- worker’s soviets to run factories
- agriculture soviets to run rural districts
- regional + city soviets + congresses of soviets making decisions at national level
what was Lenin’s other slogan which a better future?
‘Peace, Land, Bread’
If Bolsheviks had power, promised:
- end Russia’s involvement in war
- give land to peasants
- end food shortages in the cities
what were the ‘July Days’ and what were the dates
why did the uprisings of the July Days start
- food shortages
- failure of June Offensive
did the Bolsheviks join the demonstrations and if so why?
Yes:
Lenin believed right time to overthrow the Provisional Government
why did Petrograd Soviets not support the July Days and help the Provisional Government instead
its Menshevik members did not trust the Bolsheviks
How did the Provisional government defend Petrograd
- brought soldiers from the front to defend itself
- denounced the Bolsheviks as German spies
were did Lenin flee to during the July Days
Finland fleeing in disguise
what were they consequences for the Bolsheviks as they were blamed for starting the revolt
Key members arrested : Kamenev + Trotsky
what statistic shows that the Kornilov Revolt boosted Bolsheviks support
- by October 1917: Bolsheviks had 340,000 members
what did Lenin do that shows that despite the failure of the July Days he felt that it was the right time to overthrow the provisional Government
10th October: Lenin secretly returned to Petrograd from exile in Finland
- arranged meeting with 12 senior Bolshevik party members and convinced them to support new attempt to seize power
when did Trotsky plan to seize power , and how was it different to Lenin’s
- Lenin wanted Red Guards to seize power immediately - but still in Finland
- Trotsky thought better to seize power just before the 2nd All-Russian Congress of Soviets met later in October
how did Trotsky’s position as chairman of Petrograd Soviet help him succeed in seizing power for the Bolsheviks?
- had been elected chairman of Petrograd Soviet –> gave him opportunity to use its Military Revolutionary Committee (MRC) to seize power
what did Kerensky do as he tried to stop the Bolsheviks seize power
24 October: Kerensky ordered:
- closing Bolshevik newspaper
- blocking river crossings between city centre and working class districts
- calling for arrest of MRC
Trotsky used the MRC to take control of what 3 things:
- road and canal bridges
- army headquarters
- telegraph offices
by the night of 24 - 25 October, what had the Red Guards done
occupied key positions in the city
what happened in the night of the 25th - 26th October
Bolshevik soldiers climber through windows of olf tsarists Winter Palace (Prov Gov headquarters) + arrested remaining members of Provisional Government
why was the Provisional Government so easy to defeat during the raid of the Winter Palace
palace was only defended ny officer cadets + womens battalion
- Kerensky could not persuade experienced troops to fight for Provisional Government
what council was formed on the 26 October and why
Council of People’s Commissars (Sovnarkom) - formed by Lenin
- many socialists left the Soviet in protest at the Bolsheviks actions
why was the October Revolution successful
- Lenin was single - minded with a clear plan of attack
- Lenin made sure Bolsheviks were in charge not any other revolutionary group
- Kerensky didn’t take Bolsheviks **revolution seriously after July Days
- Kerensky didn’t disband the Red Guards after Kornilov affair
- Trotsky was amazing planner –> formed the Red Guards into effective fighting force
- the Provisional Government had become unpopular and no one stook up to defend it
