Assess the reasons why the Russian Revolution of 1917 ended in victory for the Bolsheviks.

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October/November 2007

Assess the reasons why the Russian Revolution of 1917 ended in victory for the Bolsheviks.

  It is a cliché to say that revolution often associates with the political, social and economic issues. Hence, Russia is the perfect example of it. In the aftermath of Russo-Japanese War in 1904, Russia went through a period of political struggle which ended by the Bolsheviks, also known as USSR in 1922. Out of all the opposition parties, Bolsheviks managed to come out on top and this had surprised most of the on lookers as they had been relatively weak and small. The view in question can be supported by the failure of the provisional government, the Bolsheviks' appeal and also its strong leadership.

  In order to assess the reasons why the Russian Revolutions ended with the Bolsheviks victorously, one must first traced back to the root that enabled the Bolsheviks to take over the provisional government in 1917. Generally, most historians agreed that the provisional government was ineffective in many ways because of its failure in recognizing Russia's weaknesses. In fact, it can be seen as a transitional period for the Bolsheviks to take over and it was meant to be a temporary administration before a legitimate government was elected. Thus, it was powerlessness and was not a representative of the Russians as most of them were Duma politicians who like the Tsar, were also blinded by their powers and superior positions. In many ways, they cannot be considered as a revolutionary although they replaced the Tsar. As a matter of fact, they serve as a vehicle to prevent a revolution for the time being. However, by continuing the war, they had lost the people's supports immediately. This proves that they had little understanding of the harsh and severe conditions in Russia, paving another revolution to occur. Perhaps, the provisional government viewed that it was an obligation to participate as a major power in Europe and most of all, to delay the upcoming election. They knew that they may lose in the upcoming election and so, in order to maintain the government's authority, they continued with Russia's participation in the great war. They did nothing to improve Russia's condition except for a few issues such as released the political prisoners and, freedom of speech and religion. Moreover, the liberals also agreed it was the harsh condition in Russia that motivates the people to rebel to show their extreme dissatisfaction towards the governments. Therefore, it was the provisional government's numerous mistakes that left them in a vulnerable situation that enables the Bolsheviks to take over them.

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  Another significant piece of factor to explain the question is the Bolsheviks gave what the people wanted. Due to the previous governments mismanagement, Russia had participated in a series of war which had taken a toll on Russia's resources. This is why the slogan 'Peace, Land and Bread' was popular among the peasants and it serves to highlight the Bolsheviks' social agenda. One of the major problem in Russia is the population largely made up of peasants who kept demanding for land reform, however, the Tsar and provisional government ceased the issue quickly. These two governments saw that ...

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