Prashanth Rasanayagam
Activity 3: The Russian Revolution 1917
Option C: The Bolshevik Coup d’état. November 1917
Dear Father,
It’s been a long time since I have wrote to you, how are you? I am writing to inform you that I was part of the Bolshevik Coup d’état. It truly was a revolutionary endeavour and being a part of it made me proud. I saw the Red Guards as they stormed the Winter Palace. I could see groups of people all marching shouting and yelling for the sole purpose of a new government. The events were truly remarkable and I felt as if I was Lenin marching along with the people. It is hard to believe that just a few years ago I served in the Russo-Japanese War. I am glad to say that resisting attending World War One was a benevolent act and it probably saved me the humiliation and disgrace of being a failure in such a significant war. At the Bolshevik Coup d’état the Red Guards took over banks, government buildings, and the railways stations. The Red Guards took over the Winter Palace and arrested the Provisional Government leaders. The Provisional Government was weak and unpopular and it deserved to be eliminated. I believe now the new regime would be more successful in managing the country. The Tsar and the Provisional Government were senseless leaving Russia in an unstable position and it’s for this sole reason that I decided to join the Bolshevik Coup d’état.
