4. The October Revolution

• When did Lenin announce to the All-Russian Congress of the Soviets that the Bolsheviks were ready to seize power?

  16th June 1917
• What did Lenin state in late June 1917?

  He urged caution regarding a Bolshevik revolution, stating that 'if we were now to seize power, it is naive to think that having taken it we should be able to hold onto it.'
• What did Lenin state in the start of July?

  He called for the Bolsheviks to support the July Days, but gave no specific instructions.
• When did Lenin write his 'Three Crises'?

  7th July 1917
• What did Lenin's 'Three Crises' state?

  Answers:

  • He drew the lesson that the movement's tactics must be quickly changed: all hopes for a peaceful development of the Russian Revolution have vanished for good.
  • This is the objective situation: either complete victory for the military dictatorship, or victory for the workers- an armed uprising.
  • The present Soviets have failed, because they are dominated by the Socialist Revolutionary and Menshevik parties.
• When did Lenin write the pamphlet 'The Political Situation'?

  10th July 1917
• What did Lenin's 'The Political Situation' state?

  Answers:

  • He demanded a reversal of the previous call of 'all power to the Soviets', on the grounds that they were dominated by Mensheviks trying to crush the Bolsheviks.
  • Lenin now decided that Bolsheviks on factory committees would be the cornerstone of the new socialist government.
  • He explained that the Soviets might play a major role in the future when they were purged of their 'bourgeoisie collaboration'.
• What did Lenin urge in September 1917?

  Answers:

  • He urged revolution on the basis that the Bolsheviks now have majorities in the Petrograd and Moscow soviets.
  • They should not wait for constituent assembly elections.
• When did Lenin address a secret meeting of the Bolshevik Central Committee?

  23rd October 1917
• What did Lenin state to the Bolshevik Central Committee?

  Answers:

  • He called for an immediate seizure of power.
  • He argued that if they did not act now, Kerensky would abandon Petrograd to the advancing Germans.
  • A vote of insurrection was passed, 10 votes in favour to 2 in opposition.
• When was the Bolshevik seizure of power?

  24th October 1917-26th October 1917
• Why was Lenin motivated for a Bolshevik Revolution in October 1917?

  Answers:

  • He saw that the consequences of the Kornilov Revolt had left a potential power vacuum, and he believed that the Bolsheviks could fill it.
  • He wanted the Bolsheviks to appear to be seizing power on behalf of the Soviets. Lenin wanted to seize power before the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets on the 25th October so they could claim to have taken power on their behalf.
  • Lenin did not think the Bolsheviks would win the Constituent Assembly elections in November so wanted to seize power before they took place.
• How did Trotsky contribute to the October Revolution?

  Answers:

  • He persuaded Lenin that the Bolsheviks should seize power while the All-Russian Congress of Soviets was actually taking place.
  • He led the Military Revolutionary Committee. This group had been set up by the Petrograd Soviet to defend Petrograd against the advancing German forces. Trotsky used it to hide his preparations for the seizure of power.
  • He persuaded the Petrograd Garrison to support the takeover. He seized key installations in Petrograd and took control of the Winter Palace (the headquarters of the government).
• What mistakes did Kerensky do that allowed the Bolsheviks to take over?

  Answers:

  • After the Kornilov Revolt, he continued to misjudge the mood in Petrograd. To try and prevent trouble, he sent the most radical army units out to the Front, but this sparked rumours that he was intending to abandon the city to the Germans. This catalysed the creation of the Military Revolutionary Committee.
  • He attempted to launch an attack on the Bolsheviks by shutting down two of their newspapers after Zinoviev and Kamenev had given warning of the impending coup by publishing an article denouncing it.
• What mistakes did Kerensky do that allowed the Bolsheviks to take over (card two)?

  Answers:

  • He also tried to restrict the power of the Military Revolutionary Committee and to shut down the bridges which linked the working class suburbs of Petrograd to its centre.
  • This gave the Bolsheviks the impetus to carry out the coup, forcing them to defend their position. They were also able to claim that that they were defending the Petrograd Soviet and the principle of revolution against Kerensky.
  • He subsequently fled from the city in a car borrowed from the American Embassy.
• When did the Bolsheviks take control of the Winter Palace?

  25th October 1917-26th October 1917
• What opposition did the Bolsheviks receive from the battleship 'Aurora'?

  It was moored on the River Neva opposite the Winter Palace, but fired only blank shots as a warning.
• What opposition did the Bolsheviks receive from the Provisional Government during the takeover?

  Answers:

  • Bolshevik troops were met with only kadets (boy soldiers) and members of a women's battalion.
  • Most members of the Provisional Government had fled.
  • Those that remained were arrested.
• What was Bolshevik membership in February 1917?

  Under 25,000
• What was Bolshevik membership in October 1917?

  250,000
• What percentage of votes did the Bolsheviks receive in the Constituent Assembly elections?

  24%
• What proof is there that the October Revolution was a popular revolution?

  Answers:

  • The party's aims reflected the concerns of the population and courted their support- such as calls to confiscate landed estates, nationalise the banks, abolish police and bureaucracy, power to the Soviets, and an end to the war.
  • Bolsheviks were successful in winning worker support. By May 1917, Bolsheviks had dominant positions on workers' committees in factories.
  • The Bolsheviks did represent grievances of the workers, who supported them because they were distanced from the failures of the government.
• What proof is there that the October Revolution was a popular revolution (card two)?

  Answers:

  • The workers supported them since they seemed to be the only ones not contaminated by the Kornilov Revolt and were advocating armed resistance to the unpopular government.
  • The takeover itself had popular involvement, such as Trotsky winning support from the Petrograd Garrison.
  • Lenin was able to persuade his party to armed insurrection partly because this was a popular option, since there had been a demand for an uprising in July.
• What proof is there that the October Revolution was a coup d'état?

  Answers:

  • The Bolsheviks hadn't been involved in the February Revolution (which had been popular). Lenin was not prepared to co-operate with the Provisional Government or socialist parties.
  • Lenin advocated the role of the party as leaders of the workers- a small, dedicated, elite group. His call for popular support can be seen as a cynical attempt to use popular discontent for his own ends. Lenin did not support worker control of factories, but saw it as a way of gaining support, so imposed managerial control.
• What proof is there that the October Revolution was a coup d'état (card two)?

  Answers:

  • When the Bolsheviks had still not won control of the Soviets by July 1917, Lenin described them as useless since they were being dominated. He now advocated for abandoning the idea of power to the Soviets in favour of workers' committees controlled by the Bolsheviks.
  • The Bolsheviks stayed in power despite not having a popular mandate, such as when they closed down the Constituent Assembly at gunpoint in January 1918.
  • The October Revolution was a small revolutionary group led by Trotsky.
• What proof is there that the October Revolution was a coup d'état (card three)?

  Answers:

  • The Military Revolutionary Committee, which was supposed to represent the people in protecting Petrograd from the Germans, was used as a smokescreen to take over government.
  • Trotsky estimated the number of people involved at 30,000.
  • Most of the population of Petrograd didn't even know that the coup had taken place.
  • There was no attempts to defend the Winter Palace, and the portrayal of the storming of it as a great popular uprising was a myth.