The Bolshevik Coup

The Bolshevik Coup 25th-26th Oct 1917

Did they succeed because they were well prepared? Or because Provisional Government did too little to stop them? Was it the leadership of Lenin and Trotsky or the disunity of their opponents, which gave them victory?

Who:

Lenin: Lenin planned and organised the coup and how the Bolsheviks would seize power. Iron will, ruthless and great speaker. Overthrow the government.

Trotsky: although he did not plan the coup, Trotsky did play a role in it, particularly by passing on information about the coup on to Lenin who was in hiding. Trotsky was later discredited for his work however as the Bolsheviks ganged up on after the death of Lenin, not wanting him to become the new party leader.

Kerensky: On October 24th Kerensky attempted to put a stop to the forthcoming seize which he and the rest of the Provisional Government were said to of known was going to happen. He ordered the army to prepare for the Bolshevik attempt to seize power.

What:

This is often referred to as the “bloodless coup” that put the Bolsheviks in power.

- August 1917- Mutiny of General Kornilov panicked the Provisional Government; therefore it released the Bolsheviks from prison and gave them weapons to defend Petrograd against General Government

- Bolsheviks pressured the leaders of the Petrograd Soviet to ...

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What:

This is often referred to as the “bloodless coup” that put the Bolsheviks in power.

- August 1917- Mutiny of General Kornilov panicked the Provisional Government; therefore it released the Bolsheviks from prison and gave them weapons to defend Petrograd against General Government

- Bolsheviks pressured the leaders of the Petrograd Soviet to call a second congress of all the Soviets on the 25th October

- On the 24th October the Bolsheviks used the cover of darkness to take control, they over took railway stations, post offices, telephone centres, banks, bridges and military HQ- however there was no resistance- no shots fired

- On October 24-25, 1917, pro-Bolshevik soldiers, sailors, and Red Guards stormed the Winter Palace and arrested members of the Provisional Government.

- The Provisional Government did a number of things, which they thought would help them prevent a Coup, however the precautions that they took weren’t enough.

They did the following:

Cut telephone wires to the Bolshevik Headquarters
Raised the bridges over the River Neva to stop crowds from entering the city centre
They sent student soldiers, 140 volunteers of the women’s death battalion, a bicycle unit, 40 war invalids and some light artillery guns to protect and guard the Provisional Government in the Winter Palace

However, it is now obvious that these precautions were not enough, as they sent no machine guns to defend the Winter Palace and they left their own headquarters unguarded

When/ why:

- The Bolshevik coup took place on the 25th to 26th of October 1917. This date was significant because it was the day that the Congress of soviets met, therefore Trotsky decided use the Congress as a cover up, claiming it was all done for the soviet, while in the mean time seizing power.

Where:

- In Petrograd

- The Winter Palace: The Bolsheviks invaded the winter palace whilst the second congress was happening