History- Consequences

• Lenin Arrived in Petrograd on 3rd April 1917

  Cause: Tsar abdication, previously banised aleading revolutionary

  • smuggled on train through Germany (WW1 opposition)
  • asked to lead revolution
• April Thesis- 4th April 1917

  • 'Peace, Land and Bread'
  • 'All power to the soviets'
  • Promised to end war, redistribute land, and solve food shortage
  • forced ideas onto Bolsheviks (not all agree)
• 4th May 1917 - Trotsky returns to Russia
• May 22nd 1917

  • Brusilov elected as Commander in chief of army (brutal tactics)
  • Allowed offensive, aim drive Austrians/Germans from Russian territory (June Offensive)
• June 18th 1917 - Kerensky's June offensive

  • Army was poorly trained and morale was low
  • majority army peasants (poorly trained), group elite soldiers
  • Aim drive Austrians/Germans from Russian territory
  • 400,000 killed, 170,000 deserted fight/mutinied
• July 2nd - offensive stalled due to soldiers refusing to fight
• 3rd to 6th July 1917- July Days (strike)

  • Constant strikes/protest against gov authority
  • unorganised (no one leading them- 1905 Revolution/crowd different wants)
  • Minority govs independence (Ukraine)
  • By end 100,000-500,000 protestors by end (rained away- literally)
  • Soviets not prepared be in charge, looked to PG
• 3-6 July 1917 - July Days

  • People mad still in war, Not all issues fixed, Soviet popularity increase
  • Russia on verge social/economic collapse
  • Spread soviets, workers control factories, peasants seize land, internal gov disputes, sailor mutinies
  • 586 factories closed down, 104,000 lose their jobs
• July 6th - Germans came to aid Austrians, Russian army destroyed (end June offensive)
• July 8th 1917 - Kerensky elected as PM

  • Lenin: urging PG be removed, Bolsheviks ready to take power (not so soon)
  • Uprising fail blamed on Bolsheviks, Lenin made fake passport and escaped to Finland
  • Allowed other party members to be arrested
  • Trotsky: denied organisation, blamed Mensheviks and SR's (still arrested)
• 18th July 1917 - Kerensky fired Brusilov as CIC(commander in chief) and replaced him with Kornilov

  • loss June offensive
• 19-30 August 1917- Kornilov Affair

  • Still believed in monarchy/ liquidating socialists
  • Troops closing in threatening Petrograd
  • Kornilov warned Kerensky of German troops/threat socialist uprising, want to send his troops to defend Petrograd
  • Rumours of military revolution (Kerensky- fear end of PG/ his rule)
  • History tensions between Kerensky & Kornilov
• 19-30 August 1917- Kornilov Affair

  • Former Duma deputy V.N. Lvov tried help mediate differences (misrepresented leader to other)
  • Kornilov- thought Kerensky offering him position of dictator
  • Kerensky- thought Kornilov demanding dictatorship/ Kerensky's resignation
  • Kornilov requested Kerensky meet him at military headquarters, cause miscommunication Kerensky feared plot against him and gave himself dictatorial powers
• 19-30 August 1917- Kornilov Affair

  • Kerensky called Kornilov traitor, called citizens go against him
  • Released all Bolsheviks from prison (Trotsky)
  • Armed/trained 40,000 radical workers (Red Guard)
  • Bolshevik red guard seen as heroes, saved Petrograd from military coup/dictatorship
  • Kornilov surrenders/arrested
  • Weakened national government:
  • Divisions w/ soldiers & officers became awful
  • Military discipline plummeted
  • Desertions increased
  • Land seizures continued
  • Popularity of PM (Kerensky) plummeted
• 2 & 13 September 1917- Bolsheviks gain majority in Moscow/Petrograd

  • Bolsheviks fought with the Red Guard in Kornilov affair
  • Seen as heroes that prevented dictatorship/ military coup
  • Only political group that opposed war
  • Distracted the public from the July Days failures
  • Increase in Bolshevik popularity
  • Gained a majority in Petrograd/Moscow (September)
  • Bolsheviks had Red Guard (had power to take over)
  • Trotsky also became Chairman of Petrograd Soviet (gave Bolsheviks power)
• September 15 1917- Trotsky becomes Chairman of Petrograd Soviet

  • Gives Bolsheviks more power
• October 23 1917 - Kerensky fights back against Bolsheviks

  • Kerensky wanted to capture/arrest Bolsheviks/ Milrevcom members
  • Blocked bridges between militant working class districts to the rest of the city, put up other blockades
  • PG loyal troops shut down printing presses of newspapers
  • Milrevcom: Military Revolutionary Committee, military group of Bolsheviks and Left SR's)
  • Unintentionally gave Lenin and Trotsky excuse to seize power
  • Trotsky: Kerensky anti-Soviet-counter revolution, used Milrevcom to take city, Kerensky ignored Milrevcom declaration
  • Consequently started revolution
• October 24 1917- Beginning of October Revolution

  • Red Guard/ Milrevcom took over blockade points (Kerensky imposed)
  • Bolshevik printing presses recaptured
  • Armed workers, soldiers, sailors flooded into Petrograd
  • Night, Trotsky's forces took over key buildings/offices
  • By morning Bolsheviks had control:
  •  main telegraph/ post boxes
  • Control state bank
  • Control electricity station
  • Control train station
  • PG officials confined to Winter Palace (prep to defend themselves)
  • Kerensky left in car borrowed from US embassy
• October 25 1917- October Revolution

  • Lenin returned from Petrograd outskirts to lead after revolution
  • Realisation PG vulnerable
  • Arrived at 12am Smolny Institute (Bolshevik headquarters)
  • 2am committee members formally approved armed takeover (after meeting)
  • Vladimir Antonov Ovseenko led assault at Winter palace
  • Attack very chaotic
• October 25 1917 - October Revolution

  • Delay in Milrevcom reinforcements (by 3 hrs)
  • Key part in plan to use cannons (discovered unusable, found replacement but no shells available)
  • Signal begin assault was by red lantern hoisted on flagpole from fortress, Aurora firing guns (couldn't find lantern, found lantern but not red and couldn't attach to flagpole)
  • End used Purple flare, Aurora also late to position
  • PG soldiers got tired of waiting for assault, went to dinner
  • Around 190-200 soldiers left at Winter palace
  • Oct 25th 10am: Lenin released statement to press
• Initial days of the Bolsheviks

  • Despite attack on Winter palace, didn't have full power yet
  • Initially met with extreme violence
  • Bolsheviks had no political experience, plan how to run country
  • Artillery (Milrevcom/ Red Guard) used against anti-Bolsheviks (7000 casualties)
• Inherited broken economy from PG/Tsar rule:

  • Production reduced to 2/3 level of 1914 (shortage raw material)
  • Inflation skyrocket
  • Constant worker strikes
  • Fuel/food shortages (13 million tonnes short of grain supply)
  • Soldiers/people want out of war
  • Transport system verge of collapse
  • Workers, peasants, soldiers already taken control of own living/working conditions (PG weak)
  • Peasants: seize landowners land, redistribute land among peasants
  • Soldiers: made revolutionary committees
  • Workers: made work councils, regulated production
• 25th Oct 1917- 2nd all Russian congress of Soviets in session

  • Menshevik suggest coalition government (a lot agreement)
  • In meeting actions of Bolsheviks despised so many walked out of congress at 1am
  • Trotsky refused compromise with any other parties
  • Bolsheviks became majority of Congress (control over Soviet Congress)
  • Only Bolsheviks and SR's stayed
  • manifesto: a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer
  • Manifesto stating Soviet power and promise 'Peace, Land, Bread' read out and passed in congress
  • New regime passed as no opposition
• 26th Oct 1917- Congress of Soviets continued 

  • Lenin now present
  • Decree on Land and Decree on Peace
  • Allowed the peasants to have full ownership of their land, and for land will be equally and fairly distributed to the peasants
  • The decree on peace led to the creation of the Brest Litovsk Treaty
• 27th Oct 1917- Soviet Government

  • New Soviet Government formed
  • Called Council of People's Commissars (Sovnarkom)

  Sovnarkom

  • Cabinet of ministers
  • 17 different commissars, different areas of responsibility (all Bolsheviks, no SR's)
  • Problems:
  • Civil servants refused to work for Bolshevik (keys offices/safes hidden)
  • records destroyed
  • state bank refuse hand money Sovnarkom, railway workers refuse deliver to Petrograd
• 27th Oct 1917- Soviet Government

  CEC (Central Executive Committee)

  • Formed through voting Kamenev (chairman)
  • 29 SR's, 6 Mensheviks- Internationalists, 62 Bolsheviks (whom held seats in other committees)
  • Other socialist parties not happy w/ amount of Bolshevik control, anticipated coalition to be formed
  • Population want soviet power, not Bolshevik power
  • Lenin make it seem shared power- said Sovnarkom only rule until Constituent assembly set up in voting in Nov
• Bolshevik Decrees

  • Sovnarkom released 116 decrees in coming months
  • Decrees legalised actions of people since Feb revolutions (peasants seizing land)
  • Many decrees developed by SR but taken by Bolsheviks (got all credit)
• 12th Nov 1917- Voting of Constituent assembly

  • Lenin prior to takeover didn't think elected assembly important, as Bolshevik taken power
  • Needed to remain visually democratic, went with vote (planned by PG)
  • 47 million of the 80 million eligible voted
  • Bolsheviks 24% (175 seats), SR's 52% (370 seats)
  • Majority of voters from rural areas, where SR's popular, Bolsheviks were known in the city, the SR helped the peasantry during the Tsarist regime
• 5th Jan 1918 - first meeting of Constituent assembly

  • Met Tauride palace Petrograd (Jan 5th) 4pm
  • Morning: protest supporting Constituent assembly dispersed by machine gun fire (pro Bolshevik troops)
  • Sovnarkom (Bolshevik) approved all decrees requested by CA
  • Way Bolsheviks gained power was shamed, many wouldn't recognise the Council of People's commissar
  • Bolshevik proposals debated/defeated throughout evening
• 5th Jan 1918- first meeting of Constituent Assembly

  • Bolshevik reps denounced meeting/walked out 2am
  • Meetings went on till 5am, Red Guard/Kronstadt sailors used violence to request meeting to close
  • Assembly reconvene at 5pm (that day)
  • At 5pm reps went back but Bolshevik soldiers guard palace (decree that Constituent assembly dissolved)
  • Surprisingly little dispute (people tired of striking, couldn't take any more time off work)
• State Capitalism - April 1918

  • Transitional stage before communism enforced by Lenin
  • Fully recognized in April 1918
  • Used period to allow economy to recover
  • Some Bolshevik leaders didn't agree, wanted more immediate approach toward socialist economy
  • Lenin argued capitalism needed to build foundation/system
• State Capitalism - April 1918

  New system enforced tight control over key industries

  • Introduced monopoly on trade (one seller for one unique item)
  • Purpose slowly teach workers to supervise production/economic affairs so they could fully run themselves in future
  • Workers control committee urged Gov take control of more factories, smooth production as they feared collapse (workers not happy with owners)
• State Capitalism

  • Issue workers seizing factories w/o government approval (nationalisation from below)
  • Money/trade continued, Markers/small businesses allowed to run
  • Accountants, factory managers, technicians allowed to work (important)
  • Previous owners/management continued but supervised by Workers control
  • State took control heavy industry, mining, banking, finance
• 3rd March 1918 (signed)- Treaty of Brest Litovsk

  • Treaty to end war between Russia and Germany
  • Began after talks of ceasefire on 15 Dec 1917
  • Trotsky was arguing as if they had won, ‘No War No Peace’- Trotsky's failed strategy
  • Signed in small polish town of Brest Litovsk
• • Lenin view:Want out of war quickly, Bolsheviks didn't have money/resources, Concerned in march Germans would take control of his government, Gaining money from German officials (peace to continue $)
  • Trotsky (minister of national affairs) view: Wanted peace (not immediate), Believed German soldiers encouraged to revolt/overthrow their gov (International revolution)
  • Bukharin (Left SR's/other Bolsheviks) view: Remain in war fight for revolution in Germany, Remain in war until victory, all Europe should be socialist, Germany want to end war to focus all power toward Western front
• Treaty of Brest Litovsk- 3rd March 1918

  • Trotsky making high demands, argumentative, defiant
  • Demand peace w/o concession (Despite Russia losing)
  • Trotsky aiming to stall negotiations, hoping revolution begin in Germany (speeches/propaganda/partying than negotiating)
  • Annoyed Germans due to lack of progress, Shocked due to Trotsky's demands
  • Germans suspended armistice (Feb 1918), bombed Petrograd/ invaded Baltic states, Ukraine, Belarus
  • Forced back into negotiations
  • German issue ultimatum: 5 days to discuss/ sign treaty or else
  • Trotsky refused and resign and become War minister
• Treaty of Brest Litovsk terms

  • 34% population Russia's european pop removed Soviet control (62 million people)
  • lost 32% farmland (including Ukraine, major grain source)
  • owed Germany 3 billion roubles (gold) reparation
  • lost 89% industrial enterprise
  • lost 26% railways
• Beginning of Civil War

  • Military opposition arose soon after October Revolution
  • Street fighting went more than a week before Bolshevik victory
• 30th Oct 1917- lead to Civil War/ elimination of Kerensky

  • Military commissars (communist supporters) led Red Guard/ Kronstadt sailors led fierce battle (Battle of Pulkovo heights- defend Red Petrograd)
  • End Krasnov's Cossacks defeated by Bolshevik forces
  • Kerensky wore goggles and dressed up as sailor (avoid imprisonment, settled in US)
• 30th Oct 1917- lead to Civil War/ elimination of Kerensky

  • Victory important gain for October revolutionaries
  • PG unable to gain power again, Bolsheviks felt no need to maintain negotiations toward coalition socialist government
  • Groups like Vikzhel (Union of Russian Railroad Workers) pressuring Bolsheviks to do so
  • Cossack regions of the Don, Kuban and Ukraine remained hostile toward the Bolsheviks
  • Civil war: started due to emergence of opposition (Nov 1918)