The OCtober/November Revolution Flashcards
Why was the time right for a revolution?
Bolsheviks dominated Petrograd and Moscow Soviets,
PG was weak,
Bolsheviks had red guards
When was the MRC established?
16 October
How many petrograd garrisons declared allegiance to the MRC
15/18
How many petrograd garrisons declared allegiance to the MRC
15/18
What happened on 23 October 1917?
Kerensky attempted to limit the power of MRC by cutting Bolshevik troops off and closing newspapers
When did the Red Guards initially capture key positions in Petrograd?
24th October
What happened on the 25th October?
Red Guards enter Winter Palace
Second Congress of Soviets meeting - Mensheviks and SRs protest against seizure of power
When did the Congress of Soviets vote to take power?
26th October
What is the first thing the Congress votes on?
Lenin’s decree of Peace
What is the Sovnarkom?
A Central Committee - members of Bolsheviks and left-wing SRs
When was the Sovnarkom established?
27th October
How many people were involved with the Revolution?
25-35,000
How many were present at the storming of the Winter Palace?
10-15,000
How many deaths were involved?
estimated around 5 - very little fighting
What did Soviet historians think about Lenin’s involvement in the Oct Revolution?
idealised Lenin and downplayed Trotsky’s role in organising Red Guard
What would critics of Lenin argue about 1917?
He was absent for most of it - weakness in PG rather than Lenin’s strength
What would Western Historians claim about the October Revolutions compared to revisionists?
Tended to claim a coup d’etat, however modern historians argue it was a popular rebellion exploited by Bolsheviks
What did the October/November revolution transfer the power to?
the All-Russian Congress of Soviets
Who walked out of the executive committee after the Bolsheviks won the majority?
The Mensheviks and Right0-wing SRs
Who was the Chairman of the Sovnarkom?
Lenin
Who initially refused to work for the Bolshevik government?
Civil servants - banks took 10 days to hand over state funds under armed threat
Why was the Bolsheviks’ military force weakened after the revolution?
Soldiers went back to homes in the countryside
When was the army cadet rising against the Bolsheviks?
29 October
When was Kerensky’s opposition defeated?
2 November
What did Lenin announce on the 5th November?
That the Revolution has succeeded
Why did Kamenev, Zinoviev and Rykov leave the Bolshevik party on 3rd November?
Lenin’s ultimatum to end division.
What was the 4 early Lenin decrees?
Decree on Peace
Decree on Workers Rights
Decree on Land
Decree to establish Cheka
Social Decrees
What was the Decree on Peace?
Promised to end war
What was the Decree to establish the Cheka?
Created the state secret police - Cheka
What abolished private land ownership?
Lenin’s Decree on Land - as well as legalised land seizures
What was the Workers decree?
Workers had a maximum 8 Hour day
What banned the opposition press?
the Press decree
What was the Decree to Outlaw sex discrimination?
gave equal rights for women
What was the Decrees on the Church?
removed marriage and divorce from church control
What allowed workers to ‘supervise’ managers?
The Decree on Workers Control
Who led the Cheka in 1917?
Felix Dzerzhinsky
What did Lenin establish in December 1917?
the Vesenkha - Supreme Soviet of the National Economy
Gained control over economy
