Why was Lenin able to become the ruler of Russia in October 1917?
Lenin’s success in 1917 was a result of an ingenious juxtaposition of his intellectual guidance over the Bolshevik party and good seizure of political opportunism. The question is a twofold one that asks why first it was the Bolsheviks that prevailed in 1917 and second it was Lenin that successfully assumed leadership. This essay will examine the causes of both and look at how Lenin used their own advantage and the disadvantage of their rivalries to achieve their position in 1917.
The power of Lenin and his party manifested in 1917 was accumulated gradually before the year 1917. This period was critical for the formation of Lenin’s opinions and revisions on Marxism, his prospect of Russia’s future and his transformation of the RSDLP party. He was the founder of the RSDLP party in Minsk in 1898. During his exile in Europe he actively published articles and books concerning the political and economic development in Russia which formed an intellectual basis for the party. His book, What is to be done in 1902 outlined the idea of ‘revolutionary vanguard’ which was the rationale for Bolshevik participation in the 1917 events. His radical proposition of stepping into socialism without a stage of capitalism split the party into Bolsheviks and Mensheviks, and his leadership over the Bolsheviks were strengthened. Lenin was also an active agent in international socialist meetings. This helped his election to presidium in 1908. His anti-war attitude won appeal from the Germans, which was significant in their decision to send him back to Russia in 1917. This was the preliminary condition for Bolsheviks’ success in 1917.
