Were the mistakes made by the provisional government the main reasons why the Bolsheviks came to power?
The mistakes of the provisional government were important but were not the sole reason the Bolsheviks rose to power. One of the most important mistakes was staying in the war because the majority of the population did not want to stay in the war. Over 50 % 6.6 million men were killed or wounded out of 12 million. The provisional government could not pull out of the war because the France and Great Britain would not help them in the future. Furthermore over 150,000 soldiers deserted to claim land. This is a major reason why the provisional government lost power.