Bolsheviks seize power

• Bolsheviks had 24,000 followers in Feb - 100,000 in April - 340,000 in October with 60,000 in Petrograd alone
• RFR - the meeting of the All-Russian congress of soviets

  • due to meet in late October and Bolsheviks new they would not have majority of representatives, so if they could overthrow the PG before this then they could present their authority. congress would find it hard to refuse and they could not overthrow the PG after the vote or it would look bad.
• RFR - constituent assembly elections

  • they were aware they needed to take over the PG before the elections so the results could be ignored if they were to lose, this was a trigger for the revolution. if they were to act after they would not form a lot of members and not have a big say on the new constitution.
• RFR - Lenin returns

  • Lenin persuaded the central committee to overthrow the PG, 2 members Zinoviev and Kamenev take plans to press so Lenin has to act now.
• RFR - kerensky tries to remove Bolshevik threat

  • he accused them of being German spies so Lenin fleed and Bolsheviks went into hiding but later they were freed and given access to weapons so now the Bolsheviks are in their strongest ever position where they can act.
• RFR - persistence of long-term problems for the PG

  • only meant to be a temporary body, they had not been elected and they shared power with the PS. so they could not overthrow soviet order number one and had no control over the Russian army. they were not well liked as they had done nothing to fix the everyday problems of Russian people
• events

  • night 24th October - bolsheviks capture key buildings surrounding the winter palace whilst the PG was in session.
  • Kerensky escaped morning of 25th, he tried to raise troops from the front but failed
  • the cruiser aurora sailed up the river and fired its guns to signal start of attack. PG gave in. 6 soldiers died and 18 were arrested. The PG collapsed
• events

  • afterwards when the all-Russian congress of soviets met the Bolsheviks held the most seats, 340/650.
  • SR’s and Mensheviks condemned the takeover as it was not a soviet take over
  • following day Lenin set up new government called council of peoples commissars - all Bolshevik membership
• council of peoples commissars

  • Lenin was head
  • Leon Trotsky was commissar of Foreign affairs
  • Joseph Stalin was commissar of Nationalities