Select and Explain the Most Important Reasons For the October Revolution in 1917.

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                Select and Explain the Most Important Reasons

For the October Revolution in 1917

The Russian revolution of October 1917 was when the Bolsheviks overthrew the Provisional government and seized power. They took control of Russia and began to set up a communist dictatorship. Some of the most important causes of this revolution were, The weakness of the Provisional government, the March revolution, the first world war, Lenin’s determination and use of propaganda and also the fact that the Bolsheviks had the support of the soviets.

In March 1917 there was a huge revolution. The workers went on strike, the army mutinied and Petrograd was in the hands of rioting mobs. The Tsar, Nicholas, had completely lost control of his country. He was forced to abdicate and passed the throne to a relative but the people of Russia refused to accept a monarchy and so on March 14th the Provisional government was set up. The Provisional Government was opposed right away by the soviets, or councils of workers and peasants, who wanted the right to make their own decisions. The March revolution paved the way for the October revolution. The people of Russia now knew they could have some say in what happened to Russia. If the March revolution had never occurred then the Tsar would never have abdicated and the Provisional government wouldn’t have been set up for the Bolsheviks to overthrow. It was a vital event in the lead up to the October revolution.

The weakness of the provisional government was another major cause of the October revolution. It was the first proper government Russia had ever had so they were bound to make mistakes but that didn’t mean they could get away with it. The first major mistake they made was choosing to continue fighting the First World War even though Russia had inadequate supplies for this decision. Also the peasants were asking for more land to be able to support themselves and the provisional government had no idea how to deal with this so they ignored it and refused the peasants demands, yet another major mistake. They did try to introduce rationing to improve chances of making their supplies last however they were unable to transport the supplies they had around Russia quickly enough so they’re idea failed. The Provisional government was faced with insurmountable problems, and had little chance of surviving all along although perhaps if they’d listened to the interests of the Russian people they would’ve been better off and the people would have supported them instead of the Bolsheviks who promised them what they wanted. In July of 1917 the workers challenged the Provisional Government and ended up defeated, with their leader jailed and Lenin going into hiding. At the point when everything looked very bad for the Bolsheviks, two very good things happened. First, the Provisional Government ordered a big war offensive that ended up in ruin, with thousands being either killed or injured. Late in August, the soldiers of the Provisional Government began to fall away from their support of the Provisional Government and began to support the workers. They were becoming closer and closer to being Bolsheviks themselves. Secondly, in September, during the Kornilov affair, a pro-czar section of the military threatened Petrograd, which was the city occupied by the Bolsheviks and the Provisional Government. The Bolsheviks had established themselves as the only party which stood in opposition to continuing the war effort. The Bolshevik workers had to unite and fight as one against the military. Now that the Bolsheviks had the support of the workers, they were able to win the important elections in early September in important Russian industrial centers. By the middle of September, the Bolsheviks had formally acquired a majority in the St. Petersburg Soviet.

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The First World War was a huge problem for Russia. The Provisional Government chose not to withdraw from the First World War even though they didn’t have the means to keep fighting. The provisional government was very weak and failed to live up to its promise of ending Russia's involvement in the war. They kept Russia in the war and just made things worse for themselves and for Russia. They didn’t want to face the harsh treaty they knew Germany would give them if they surrendered. By making this decision the Provisional government lost a lot of support the ...

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