Another reason that allowed the Bolsheviks to seize power in October 1917 was the strengths of the Bolshevik Party themselves. Without the organisation and unity that the party had as well as its popularity in Petrograd and Moscow, the revolution would not have been successful. As the other socialist parties had chosen to work with the Provisional Government they all became partially responsible for its failures, most importantly, the continuation of the war. This left the Bolsheviks as the only party against the war which vastly boosted their popularity. The Bolsheviks made it appear that they would take power in the name of the Soviet, which fitted perfectly with the soldiers and workers demands allowing the Bolsheviks to infiltrate the army; which could have easily halted Trotsky’s plans in October. Trotsky managed to convince Lenin to wait until the All-Russian Congress of Soviets before the revolution as when the other parties stormed out the Bolsheviks had a majority; allowing to claim power in the name of the Soviet, the true demands of the people of Russia. As well as this, Trotsky’s planning and the formation of the Military Revolutionary Committee gave the Bolsheviks the means to strike and seize the Winter Palace. Although important, the successes of the Bolsheviks were mainly due to the failures of the Provisional Government and other socialist parties; the Red Guard could not have been armed if it not for the failure of Kerensky in the Kornilov affair. Therefore, the revolution was not solely the success of the Bolsheviks, but they were willing to take action once the failures of the Government and the socialist parties had put them in a position to do so.
Kerensky’s poor decisions played into the Bolsheviks hands and strengthened the putting them in a position to act against the Provisional Government in October. General Kornilov was appointed by Kerensky as an attempt to instil discipline, when Kornilov sent troops to Petrograd to seize power of the government Kerensky panicked and armed the Bolshevik Red Guard. Kornilov’s troops were halted by Bolshevik agents. This irretrievably damaged his, the Provisional Government and any party that had affiliated with them, like the Mensheviks. This boosted the popularity of the Bolsheviks as the only party opposed to the Government and consequently the Bolsheviks dominated the Petrograd and Moscow Soviets. Once the Bolshevik plans to seize power were revealed, Kerensky tried to close Bolshevik newspapers and restrict the power of the Military Revolutionary Committee but it was too late. Crucially it gave the Bolsheviks the excuse for action as they claimed that Kerensky was attacking the Soviet; destroying what popularity Kerensky had left and forcing him to flee. Failing to deal with the Kornilov affair and the underestimation of Bolshevik power created a power vacuum that only the Bolsheviks could fill. However, it was not only Kerensky’s failures that created such an opportunity but the policies of the Provisional Government and its failure to deal with the problems of Peace, Bread and Land.
The Provisional Government was illegitimate and unwilling to act effectively of the problems of Russia in 1917, allowing the Bolsheviks to grow in popularity and strength as they played on the mistakes of the Government. The nature of the Government itself was illegitimate because they were the remnants of the last Duma which was the result of a rigged election. Due to temporary nature of the Provisional Government, they refused to make important decisions about Russia. This angered the peasants as nothing was done about Land; this allowed Lenin to effectively reach out to the peasants; boosting the popularity of the Bolsheviks. The Provisional Government’s decision to continue the war was detrimental to its failure. It crippled the Russian economy, soldiers no longer wanted to fight the War as casualties were in the millions and the debacle of the Milukov telegram that contradicted the statement that Russia would only fight a defensive war further damaged the integrity of the Provisional Government and the socialist parties that supported the Provisional Government and left the Bolsheviks as the only party opposed to the War. Because of these actions the Provisional Government had few supporters by October 1917 and its mistakes gave the Bolsheviks the opportunity to strike in October.
Although Lenin played a key role in forcing through the October Revolution, it is evident that the main reason why the October Revolution occurred was not the successes of the Bolsheviks and Lenin but that the failures of the Provisional Government and Kerensky gave the Bolsheviks the opportunity and ability to start a revolution as by October the Provisional Government was loathed and the socialist parties were not unified like the Bolsheviks were, this left the Bolsheviks in the position to seize power which Lenin and the Bolsheviks took advantage of in October 1917.
by
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