In this Autumn period of 1917 Kerensky the Prime minister had appointed a general called Kronilov to be Leader of the army. However, Kornilov decided it was time for action and a new strong military leadership; he decided it was time to get rid of these revolutionaries, and He ordered his Cossack troops to march on Pertograd. There was wide spread panic and Kerensky turned to the only people who could help him which were the Bolsheviks, so Kerensky gave the Bolsheviks rifles to their secret force the Red Guard which had been training secretly. In the end the railway worker stopped the trains carrying the troops and other workers had persuaded the Cossack troops not to fight.
However the Red Guard now had rifles. This meant that Lenin could now seize control he persuaded the other Bolshevik leaders to make their bid for power in November 1917. Some Bolshevik leaders felt they were not ready like Zinviex and Kamenev which wanted it delayed. However, Lenin pushed them into making their successful revolutionary take over by using all his determination, leadership, and (oratory) skills.
On the 7th of November Lenin’s new talent Trotsky organised the take over of the city. It was no secret; the newspapers carried articles about it and the Bolsheviks distributed leaflets. Kerensky panicked, dosed himself up on brandy and morphine, desperately rushing around the city trying to find troops to help him. Trotsky made his first moves in the early hours of the 7th of November and as the city slept the Red Guard seized control of the bridges, the main telegraph office, the railway stations and the power stations. In most cases the other troops just dissolved away as the Red Guard arrived. Further more, the Cruiser Aurora sailed up the river Neva so that it was opposite the Winter Palace. Most people though that Kerensky as soon as he arrived with troops would defeat the Red guard but Kerensky had left the city in a car lent to him by the American Embassy and did not return as the troops at the front would not help him either. Lenin had won due to his leadership, oratory skills and his determined personality and he would use theses again in the same way to cling on to power in Russia.
2. Using some of the cause of the Bolshevik Revolution explain how both long-term and short-term causes contributed to the Bolshevik Revolution.
2. LONG TERM: The effects of the First World War was devastating and the poor transport system did not help. This put great pressure on the Tsar and protest and discontent increased. Also when the Tsar took control of what was happening at the front it brought all the problems to his door and when things went wrong he was blamed for it; before he could blame failure on his generals. This was an underlying cause of the November revolution as the Tsar had left the country in unrest over the war. Therefore, making it difficult for the Provisional Government to win the war.
The unrest came to a head when in march 1917 a group of women who had queued outside a baker’s shop were told there was no bread left, became angry and attacked the bakers shop. The next day thousands of workers began to protest and strike against the shortages. Crowds gathered shouting antigovernment slogans. On the 15th of March Tsar Nicholas abdicated he did not realise the seriousness of the situation. The Tsar’s troops no long supported him because they were conscripts and did not support the Tsar unlike the old army which was mostly decimated due to the First World War. With out the support of the army the Tsar could not stay in control of the people. Because the Tsar left the country in such a bad state it caused many problems for the Provisional Government. It is a long term cause because the situation the Tsar put the Provisional Government was a difficult situation for them to control, and hold on to their position of power.
After the Tsar’s abdication the Provisional Government came to power, inherited the long term unpopularity and problems from the Tsar. This Included the war which was their main source of unpopularity. Kerensky and other middle class people wanted to carry on the war which did not make the Provisional government popular. They believed Russia could win the war and that it was important to stand by its democratic allies, Britain and France. In July, Kerensky launched a major attack on the Germans to support his democratic allies, but this led to a terrible defeat. It sparked an enormous demonstration in Petrograd, which became known as the ‘July days’. Soldiers and sailors poured in to the city as they decided to vote with their feet and workers poured onto the streets of Petrograd to complain about the long term shortages of food etc. They naturally turned to the Bolsheviks but at this time they were not ready to seize power. In the end the demonstrating turned into riots and troops were sent into break up the mobs. This was always a problem for the Provisional Government as the war always created difficulties for the Provisional Government. Therefore, it is a long term cause of the November revolution.
The Provisional Government also granted political freedoms to Russian people (including allowing Lenin to return from exile). They believed freedoms would make them popular and freedoms were central to what the Provisional Liberals believed in. However people could now protest against the Provisional Government. Also, there was an appeal of Marxism which was at the Heart of Lenin’s philosophies. This made it more difficult for the Provisional Government to get the ideas across for the future. This policy allowed revolutionaries to protest against them though out their period of power and became a long term undermining of their Government. Therefore, Lenin was a main long term contributor to the November revolution as he created pressure on the Provisional Government and his popularity made lots of problems for the Provisional Government. This is why Lenin was a long term cause for the November revolution.
The provisional Government also made the mistake of delaying the issue of land, they thought the land question was complicated and therefore best left until after the war. The peasant and farming community wanted change straight away. Therefore, discontent with the Provisional Government in the countryside grew. Further more, the Tsar also left the food crisis and shortages unsolved. The Provisional Government had no choice if it was to survive in the long term it had to sort out its problems, but it couldn’t overcome problems of war and communications immediately, which led to more and more discontent with the farming community.
SHORT TERM: The final nail in the coffin was the giving of weapons to the Bolsheviks. The Provisional Government thought they had no choice if they were to survive the Kornilov Rising in the short term. However, Kornilov thought it was time for a strong military Government so he ordered his troops into Petrograd . In the end Kornilov never came to Petrograd due to the trains which were carrying the Cossack troops had been stopped and persuaded not to fight their own country men by the workers.
Now, the Bolsheviks could seize power as they had the weapons. The reason for Lenin to be able to attack Kerensky and the Provisional Government was the fact that Kerensky failed to take effective action against the Bolsheviks. If anything, Kerensky helped them by giving them weapons to fight Kornilov. In the end Trotsky organised the Red Guard which took control of the city. Lenin saw talent in people and one of them was Trotsky. Even though Bolsheviks did not trust him as he used to be a Menshevik he played a major part in organising the Bolshevik take-over in October-November 1917. These points are short term as they clearly are leading up to the revolution so showing why the revolution took place at this time as the Bolsheviks now had the arms and popularity to force out the Provisional Government.
The Building Blocks of the Revolution: Lenin returned in April 1917 with his Marxism beliefs which were very popular. These were the long and short term causes of the problems for the Provisional Government, and the Tsar which inter links with the abdication of the Tsar. Also, Lenin’s ‘April Theses’- ‘peace, bread and land’ caused trouble though out 1917(Hodder & Stoughton). Furthermore, the Provisional Government and its problems contributed greatly to the November Revolution which became a long term underlining problem to the Provisional Government and its unpopularity. With its uncertain status it made it very difficult for the Provisional Government to do anything; its relations with the Petrograd soviet in Dual Authority did not help them. Thus the Soviets could stop anything the Provisional Government tried to do. The Provisional government did not help themselves with the war question as the majority did not like its continuation. Also the land and food problems were not sorted out, which led to shortages and hyperinflation which was not helped by the poor transport system(Hodder & Stoughton).
The Kornilov affair was their short term problem as Cossack troops marched to Petrograd. Therefore, the Provisional Government gave weapons to the Bolsheviks to stop Kornilov. They thought they had no choice if the Provisional Government was to survive the Kornilov Rising. However, Kornilov thought it was time for a strong military Government, so he order his troops on Petrograd. In the end, the railway workers stopped the trains carrying the troops and other workers had persuaded the Cossack troops not to fight. Consequently the Bolsheviks could seize power as they had the weapons.
3. What any one reasons more important than the others in the Bolshevik Revolution? Explain your answer.
3. Lenin’s oratory, personality and leadership was the main driving force of the Bolshevik Revolution.
Lenin after his brothers death in 1887 by the Tsarist regime strove to be a professional revolutionary, he though that Communism is the only way to sort out the poverty in Russia.
Lenin graduated from St Petersburg University after being thrown out of Kacan University for his political beliefs. Lenin had one of the largest Okhrana file about him due to his ‘extraordinary figure was first band foremost a professional revolutionary. He had no other occupation’ (The times). This meant he could put all his efforts into his revolutionary idea and making them a reality. ‘Lenin... Was the overall planner of the revolution: he also dealt with in eternal divisions within the party and provided tight control and a degree of discipline and unity which the other parties lacked’ (sj lee, the European Dictatorships, 1987). This shows how Lenin was a great leader he planed everything and bonded his party like cement which made his party a cut above the rest.
Lenin’s personality drove the Bolsheviks he was ‘a man of iron will and inflexible ambition, he was absolutely ruthless and used human beings as mere material for his purpose’ (the times). This made him able to lead the Bolsheviks to victory and revolution which without him he would not of been there to push the likes of Zinoviex and Kamenev to start the revolution of 1917.
Also his oratory skills were so great he could rally the people around him just with his ‘appearance on the platform inevitably triggered off cheers of the audience’ (Y Kukushkin). He also had brilliant speeches which inspired his people (workers and soldiers to fight the great struggle with out this the Bolsheviks would of never had enough support to win and seize control of power. His ‘April Theses’ caused great popularity when it was put into the popular slogans ‘Peace, land, Bread’ which appealed to key groups; soldiers and industrial workers it also appealed to the peasants who wanted more land to farm.
Lenin even dressed in a certain way to impress the majority ‘when he spoke at meetings his ill-fitting suit, his crooked tie, his ordinary appearance disposed the crowd in his favour. “He is not one of the gentle folk, he is one of us, they would say”’ (The times) increasing the Bolsheviks popularity.
Lenin saw good talent in people and one of them was Trotsky. Even though Bolsheviks did not trust him as he used to be a Menshevik he played a major part in organising the Bolshevik take-over in October-November 1917.
So with out Lenin the Bolsheviks would of never of come to power as Trotsky would of been discarded. The Bolsheviks would not of had the popularity he brought them or his determination to push though the take-over of the Provisional Government. Even tough it was luck that Lenin’s Red Guard got rifles when Kronilov decided to challenge Kerensky and the war which was going bad for Kerensky. This primed Russia for the Bolshevik Revolution. Also with out the unpopularity of the Provisional Government the Bolsheviks would not of had the support of the key groups e.g. The workers and mainly the armed forces which meant Kerensky could not have an armed resistance against Lenin.
It was Lenin though who got the support of the army with the policy of stopping the war with Germany ‘Peace’ (April Theses). All these things brought about Lenin’s Bolshevik revolution. Which makes him the main reason for the Bolshevik Revolution.
Lenin’s main difference was that he pushed his party to apposed the support of the Provisional Government and with out Lenin the Bolshevik most probably would have adopted the Menshevik position in support of the Provisional Government. It would also be wrong to say that Lenin conducted in 1917 the takeover as a flawless exhibition of political manoeuvring. He miscalculated badly during the ‘July days’ so it was more luck, determination and the help of Trotsky which brought Lenin in to power in November 1917.