Lenin's immense determination and sheer strength of will, was a definite factor in the seizer of power from the provisional government in the October revolution. Lenin is a dominant figure throughout the October revolution, claiming himself to be responsible for the success of the Bolshevik takeover. This was, however, with good reason, as under his control the Bolshevik party flourished. They developed determination, ambition and set their main aim to gain power, in contrast to the other parties who had long, arguably unattainable aims such as waiting for a peasant proletariat to mobilize and seize power. Lenin was arguably selfish, uncompromising and only focused on his own aims. He used the Petrograd soviet as a way of gaining power, he was never committed to giving power to the Soviets as stated in his April theses. They were simply a power base which he used to gain the necessary influence required to overthrow the provisional government. Nevertheless he was a brilliant leader and tactician, gaining vital support as he needed it. One key example of this is him changing the Marxist philosophy to include peasants, because he realized they would be crucial in securing power. This is also an example of how Lenin was a revolutionary thinker, instead of underestimating the power of the peasants as many powerful people had before, he realized their importance and utilized it. Lenin's timing was also important as he managed to appear on the scene at crucial moments. His return to Russia in April 1917 meant that he took control of his party and turned them into a focused powerful force with a specific goal. However while Lenin's leadership was important in meaning the Bolsheviks were in the right position to take over in October; the situation at the time ,crucial in the Bolshevik's rise to power, would not have arose, if not for the continuation of the first world war and the weakness of the provisional government.
The continuation of the first world was a critical mistake made by the Provisional Government which caused a snowball effect of events leading to the October revolution. The war was very unpopular among many groups in the Russian society, causing loss of morale as well as economic and social hardship. However the Provisional Government underestimated the negative feelings towards the war effort. They still believed that if they could win the war, they would gain the support of the Russian people. Moreover the Government wanted to honor its international obligations with the Allied countries-- Britain and France; If Russia had backed out of the war it would no longer have received the supplies and war credits being sent from the western allies. Tsardom had left the country on the verge of bankruptcy, meaning no Government could have kept control without the large injections of capital from abroad. So the provisional government was placed in a situation in which they could do nothing right. In order for them to survive it had to stay in the war; however doing so meant they were unable to win the vital support of the public and so crushed their chance of survival. The continuation of the war would not have proved less destructive for the Provisional Government, had the Russian armies been successful. However the situation kept deteriorating and with it gradually decreased the Provisional Governments support. Furthermore, the war opened up a rift between the provisional government and the Petrograd Soviet. On the 14th of March the Soviets issued an 'address to the people of the whole world' asking for 'peace without annexations or indemnities'. Despite the Government accepting this address they went ahead with the war and Milyukov made a pledge to keep fighting with allies until Germany was defeated. Not only did the war cause a rift between the Soviet and the Government it also illustrated divisions within the Provisional Government, shown by the fact Milyukov resigned early in may. So the first world war placed the Provisional Government in a difficult position. However, had they dealt with the problems in a more diplomatic way and dealt with the other substantial issues in the country such as the land shortage, then the war may not have caused such a dire effect on their authority.
The weakness of the Provisional government is an extremely important issue in causing the revolution in October, as a strong government may have been able to hold on to authority until elections in November 1917. By October the Kornilov Scandal had left Kerensky and the Government isolated and they were further deserted by the Petrograd Garrison when revolution broke out. Arguably, this is because of the limited authority the Government had as a consequence of the army's allegiance with the Petrograd Soviet. The fact that the Provisional Government had readily accepted the 'soviet order number 1', is an example of how they were incompetent leaders and were unprepared to control the country. As history shows, if a Government does not have control of its army then it does not hold real power. So this decision to allow the Soviets to control the army created a large weakness within the provisional Government. The government had not dealt with Russia's problems. The war was still ongoing, the peasants were still angry about the land issue and would prove to be a active force in the October revolution. The impact of the continuation of the war and the land issue meant that a revolutionary spirit was brewing in some areas and the Bolsheviks gained much support due to their anti-war policy and their specific promise of land. The provisional government were compromised from the beginning due to their members being made-up of a large proportion of land owners. Therefore they weren't supportive of sharing the land out and this angered workers; leading to a swell in the Bolshevik ranks. Arguably the most important Provisional Governments weakness was that they had never been meant to last. As their name stated, they were 'provisional'. It was not an elected body, consequently it lacked legitimate authority. Therefore it did not have a constitutional claim to throne and it would be judged by the people on how it dealt with the country's problems; which it had failed to do in the time it was in power. So when revolution broke out people did not run to their aid. However, had they held on to control until the planned November elections, then it would have legitimized the provisional government and the future of the Provisional Government may have turned out completely different. The final failure made by the Provisional Government was their lack of even trying to defend their authority. Instead of putting up a fight they accepted defeat and handed over control with barely a fuss.
In conclusion, although the continuation of the war was a significant factor in the cause of the October revolution, it was in no way the main reason. In fact the continuation of the war is an example of how the Provisional Government was not competent or strong enough to rule Russia effectively. The Government failed to deal with the outstanding issues in the country and as a consequence lost support from their public and paved the way for the Bolsheviks and Lenin to take control.