Role of Trotsky

• Better known to the public than Lenin, chaired the Petrograd Soviet from 25th September, was a charismatic speaker and tactician
• Persuaded Lenin to seize power whilst the All Russian Congress of Soviets was actually taking place, not before it met
• He took over organisation of the Military Revolutionary Committee, set up by Petro Soviet to defend Petrograd against advancing Germans.

  • used it as a smokescreen to hide his preparations for takeover
• Persuaded the Petrograd Garrison to support the takeover, w/o support of soldiers they would not have been successful
• Trotsky persuaded the Soviet to take advantage of the unrest from Kerensky's order of 5th Oct mobilising Petrograd troops for the front line to form a Military Revolutionary Committee

  • sent speakers into factories to get support for uprising
  • sent MRC commissioners to get Petrograd garrison units to ensure soldier support
• He organised the actual seizure of power on 25-26 Oct
• Used the opportunity of the SR and Mensh walk out of the All Russian Congress to block the chance of a coalition saying they walked 'into the dustbin of history'