The October/ Bolshevik Revolution Flashcards
When did Lenin return to Russia after the abdication of the Tsar, and what did he do?
- April 1917
- He set out his plans a day after he returned, in what became known as the April Theses
How did Lenin get to Russia and what other help did he receive? What effect did this have?
- The Germans sent him back on a sealed train
- They also gave him money which he used to finance the revolution
- He was therefore accused of being a German spy after the July Days
What other issues did the Bolsheviks face after the July Days?
- Their newspaper Pravda was closed down
- Senior Bolsheviks were arrested or went into hiding
- It seemed that after the failure of the July Days (as Lenin believed they were in a position to threaten the PG) the Party was in decline
List 4 statements in the April Theses
- The war has to be ended
- Power should move from the middle to the working class
- All land should go to the peasantry
- ‘All power to the Soviets’
What was the Bolshevik membership in February? April?
- 24,000
- 100,000
How else did the Bolsheviks’ popularity increase?
- By June over 40 newspapers were spreading Lenin’s views across Russia
- They had their own ‘Red Guard’ which had 10,000 armed workers in Petrograd alone by July
What different approach did Lenin take to winning support?
- Lenin was now trying to get support from the peasants
- The Bolsheviks encouraged land seizures
- ‘Land to the peasants’ was a new slogan
- He knew the army would be swayed by this and the Bolsheviks’ anti-war policy, as most of the army were peasants
What forced the revolution to happen earlier than originally anticipated?
- The All-Russian Congress of Soviets was due to meet in late October and Lenin was aware that the Bolsheviks may not have a majority in it
- The Bolsheviks were also not that likely to win the elections that Kerensky would call
Describe how the Bolsheviks decided on whether to have the revolution.
- The Bolshevik Central Committee voted
- The vote was 10-2; Kamenev and Zinoviev disagreed
What ironic effects did Kerensky’s actions have just before the revolution?
- Kerensky tried to limit the Bolshevik threat- particularly by trying to round up Bolsheviks
- This pushed Lenin into deciding the exact timing of the revolution
Describe what happened on the 2 main dates of the revolution.
Night of 24th:
- Bolsheviks capture telegraph offices and railway stations
- Road blocks were set up around the Winter Palace (where the PG governed from)
- Life in Petrograd continued as normal
Morning of 25th:
- Kerensky escaped and tried to get troops from the front but failed
- Troops guarding the Winter Palace surrendered
- The cruiser Aurora fired its guns and the PG surrendered while some members escaped
- In total only 6 soldiers died
What happened at the All-Russian Congress of Soviets?
- The Bolsheviks held a majority (390/650)
- The SRs and Mensheviks disagreed with the Bolsheviks’ actions and left the congress
- This increased the Bolsheviks’ majority
How were roles distributed among the Bolsheviks in October?
- Lenin was the head of the new all-Bolshevik government
- Trotsky was Commissar of Foreign Affairs
- Stalin was Commissar for Nationalities
How was the revolution presented afterwards?
- The Bolsheviks presented it to be a heroic storming and battle for the Winter Palace
- Historians later presented it to be a working class revolution with the help of peasants
How did the presentation of the Bolshevik revolution differ from the reality?
- The Winter Palace was guarded by cadets from military school, women and Cossacks who disliked working with the women
- They were allowed to go/ could escape/ put up little resistance
