Lenin hated the Tsar. Russia was currently being run by the Tsar under dictatorship. The Tsar was very into rich people and gave them even more money, he neglected the peasants and they turned against him. Lenin hated the Tsar for this and he wanted a fairer way of running the country. Lenin was a very determined man and he got rid of his hates, being mainly the Tsar.
One of the men that influenced Lenin was Plekhanov, it was he who chose Lenin’s name for him. Lenin’s original surname was Ulyanov. Lenin was a Russian revolutionary, the first Premier of the soviet Union, the leader of the Bolshevik party and the main theorist of Leninism, this was the adaptation of Marxism to the age of Imperialism.
Lenin didn’t settle into a legal career and instead became more involved in revolutionary propaganda efforts and also the study of Marxism. After his exile, he traveled around Russia and Europe and he then published a paper called “iskra” and also other books to do with the revolutionary movement.
He was part of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, (RSDLP) and he led the Bolsheviks after the split with the Menshaviks in 1903, his pamphlet “what is to be done” inspired this. In 1906 he was elected the Presidium of the RSDLP. Now that he was higher up and the leader of the Bolsheviks he could start planning and thinking about the revolution, he wasn’t going to rush things.
Lenin and the Bolsheviks overthrew the provisional government that was originally set up by Tsar Nicholas II. Lenin waited patiently until the time was right for the revolution. Then he had his chance and reacted to the continued mood of despair throughout Russia, they saw this as an opportunity to take control of the country in one quick move. The continuing weaknesses of the Provisional Government also helped Lenin secure his popularity with the Russian public.
The Bolsheviks were quite powerful now and were growing in strength. Lenin ensured they appealed to the Soviets which were made up of more militant (military) workers. They just wanted to end Russian involvement in the war and therefore looked to the Bolsheviks for this. The Bolsheviks also appealed to the poorer class people, industrial workers and low ranking military workers. The Bolsheviks gained the support of these people by what they vowed to do, they said they would redistribute the wealth from the aristocracy and give it to the lower classes.
The Bolsheviks planned to overthrow the provisional government and in St Petersburg people of the Bolshevik movement stormed the Winter Palace with support from soldiers and sailors. This all happened very quickly and the Bolsheviks had taken over by November 1917.
Being a very patient man Lenin managed to use his time right. When the Provisional Government was weak he made his move. The Provisional Government was weak when it was in the middle of the war, know body trusted them and they lost their support. Lenin then gained the people support and succeeded to overthrow the Provisional Government.
“The Provisional Government has been overthrown. The cause for which the people have fought has been made safe: the immediate proposal of a democratic peace, the end of land owners’ rights, workers control over production, the creation of a soviet government. Long live the revolution of workers, soldiers and peasants this was a proclamation of the Petrograd Soviet.”
With Lenin being a very patient man and by having an eye for detail the revolution happened. His plans were very precise and he had the upper hand when it came to politics as his father was a politician and he was into politics from a very early age.
Anuraag Jain
