Explain why the Bolshevik takeover of October 1917 was successful. There are numerous reasons why the Bolshevik revolution was successful, the most important reason to why the revolution of October 1917 was successful was due to the role of Lenin, this is not to say however that he was the only cause, this essay will explain why the Bolshevik takeover succeeded. A predominant factor in the Bolshevik takeover’s victory was the weakness and poor decisions of the provisional government (PG), the provisional government was weak due to numerous defeats in the war and the fact that they did not change how the country was run after the February Revolution which removed the Tsar from power, this meant that the Provisional Government was merely seen …show more content…
This is firstly because he was the one to decide that the Bolsheviks would try to stop the war, which was their most popular policy, especially after the brutal failure of the June Offensive. If it was not for this then the Bolsheviks would have not had the support of as many soldiers or workers. The second reason why Lenin was the most important cause was due to the fact that he turned the Bolsheviks into a brand with him as a figurehead and with simple, easy to understand slogans such as ‘Peace, Land and Bread’ appealed to the masses as they could easily identify what the Bolsheviks supported and why it appealed to them which in turn gained their support. Lenin also created the Red Guard which was very important to the victory as they were the well trained army that fought for the Bolsheviks and it was only with them that they could overcome the PG. Lenin is also important as he was the person who convinced the Bolshevik central committee (controlled by Trotsky) to vote for a revolution , if it was not for this there would have been no Bolshevik revolution in October 1917. Therefore Lenin is more important because he created the resources and gathered the support needed to overthrow the PG by exploiting the PG’s weakness , like keeping the war, and Lenin is more important than Trotsky because without the resources and support which Lenin had gained, he would have not been able to pull of his master
During the 19th century, Russia was experiencing a series of changes with its entire nation and society overall. The government was trying to adapt themselves to them at the same time. It was not an easy time period for Russia whatsoever. Vladimir Lenin helped change this.
The Seizure of Power by the Bolsheviks in 1917. How did the Bolsheviks seize power of the Russian Empire in 1917? They were able to do this as a result of taking advantage of the current political and social situations in the country at the time. Through such decisions as disbanding the army and siding with the majority. the peasants, through such promises as land, food, equality and peace.
Revisionist historians have also benefited from the post-glasnost era and hence have both greater access to more sources as well as the advantage of hindsight. To understand the reasons for the collapse of the Provisional Government it is crucial to be aware of the events leading up to the October Revolution and the atmosphere politically and socio-economically at the time. The year 1917 was a turbulent year of strikes, bad harvests and inflation. ' Week by week food became scarcer'[1] and any that was available usually went to the soldiers. Russian agriculture was primitive and machinery was rarely used hence production was not efficient.
The Failure of the Provisional Government and the Rise of the Bolsheviks i. Subject of investigation. How did the failure of the Provisional Government allow for the rise of the Bolsheviks? ii. Methods to be used.
so a treaty would be a minor set back if Germany lost the war to
Trotsky played a key role in the Bolshevik party, encouraging revolution, which saw the Bolsheviks gain power in 1917. He built up a strong Red Army during the civil war, used to ensure the survival of the Bolshevik government and was seen by many as the most likely candidate to take over as leader after Lenin’s death, showing the significance he was held in by Russians. However, evidence suggests that after Lenin’s death he lost his a considerable amount of power, eventually being exiled from the Communist party. In the short-term it is clear that Trotsky had a huge significance in the development of Russia, shown clearly through both his letters and documents, and the opinions of those close to Trotsky. The significance is obvious through his role in the build up to the October Revolution, his negotiations with Germany through the Brest-Litovsk Treaty, his contribution to Bolshevik success in the civil war and his attitude towards terror and his failure to out maneuver Stalin to succeed Lenin.
The accumulation of these factors centred on Lenin's leadership helped stamp Bolshevik power across the Soviet Union. Lenin’s pragmatic leadership was the most considerable factor in helping to fortify Bolshevik power. His willingness to take power in October/November 1917 and the successes of the move, through his right-hand man, Trotsky, was critical as it helped give him unquestioned authority within the party despite members of the Central Committee i.e. Zinoviev and Kamenev suggested industrialisation needed to occur first. This highlighted Lenin’s communist ideology, which was essential to the Bolsheviks maintaining power. Following the failure of the Provisional Government, Lenin recognised that it was the Bolshevik’s priority to legitimise their government.
There are many people who have lived through and within the Bolshevik Revolution, so there are a multitudinous variety of perspectives, thoughts, and insights about the revolution. The Bolshevik Revolution is known for many things; some say that the revolution helped women become free of control, and others proclaim that it did nothing but continue to hold women captive of their desired rights. The Bolshevik Revolution article states the side of a history professor Richard Stites, who argues yes the revolution benefited the women whilst the other side is declared no the revolution did no justice for women at all, which was argued by a Russian scholar, Lesly A. Rimmel. The opposing arguments both create an effective view on the revolution, and
But both of them caused famines and wars that caused the deaths of millions of people, not to mention the horrible lives of those who survived. I do not believe that Lenin and especially not Stalin realized the goal of the Revolution as they had promised it, and I think that the people of Russia would have been better off if neither Lenin nor Stalin had come to power, and they continued to live under the Tsar. “One death is a tragedy, a million is a statistic” -Joseph Stalin.
I recollect as a child how I cherished the way my mom took care of me and made all my executive decisions. I recall getting excited about my weekly allowances and about her picking out my clothes for school. However, when I became a teenager I wanted my independence. I know longer wanted her to buy my clothing and I wanted to financially support myself by getting a job. I was so tired of her telling me what to do and how to do it that I revolted. At first it was difficult trying to establish independence in my mother's house, but after a while it seemed as if I had won the battle. Unbeknownst to me that battle would be short-lived and ultimately my mom won the war. Basically, I had constructed my own crazy revolution against my mother. You see a revolution is “a fundamental change in political organization; especially: the overthrow or renunciation of one government or ruler and the substitution of another by the governed .Activity or movement designed to affect fundamental changes in the socioeconomic situation (Webster Dictionary).”One revolution that is said to have inspired communism was the Russian Revolutions of 1917.
A power struggle for control of the Bolshevik party began after Vladimir Lenin's death in 1924. Among the several contenders, two of the most important names in this struggle were Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin. Ultimately, Stalin was able to secure power and vote out Trotsky. In the following essay I will discuss the reasons why Stalin rather than Trotsky emerged as the leader of the USSR in 1929.
In 1905 , Russia had a prerevolution that was put down of the Czar. Instead of learning from this prerevolution, Czar Nicholas II, made a very big mistake by in not introducing some reforms to correct the problems. So because of his actions, the situation grew worse. In 1917, the Russians were fighting in World War I. A good majority of the Russian people were weary and uncontent with the way the war was going and with the Czar's rule. This uncontent along with economic hardships caused riots and demonstrations to break out. The Czar called for the army to put down the revolution as they did in 1905. But the army joined the revolt and the Czar was kicked out of power soon afterwards. A temporary government was set up to decide on what kind of government Russia was gonna set up. Two political parties were set up. The Bolsheviks were one of the two. The leader of the Bolshevik party was a man named Lenin. Lenin was a firm believer of the theories and ideas of Karl Marx. So with his slogan of "Bread, Peace and Land", Lenin gained the support of the peasants and gained control of Russia and setup a communist state.
To decide on Lenin’s importance, regarding Bolsheviks success in the November Revolution of 1917, we need to identify the factors that we can take into account. These include Lenin’s April Thesis, his effective use of “Peace, Land, Bread” and his ability to convince the Bolshevik central committee for an immediate revolution. However, over the course of the essay we will see that it’s not just Lenin’s leadership that was the reason for Bolshevik success, we also have the mistakes of the Provisional Government and its overall weakness. By starting with Lenin’s April Thesis we can analyse its key points which structured around the idea of “No Support for the Provisional Government” from which it developed into a campaign to give all power to the Soviets, or in reality the Bolsheviks. The April Thesis basically outlined the plan for the November revolution and essentially set the Bolsheviks onto a path that would put them into the best possible position to take power when the time came, The April Thesis essentially gives us an insight into the amount of planning that Lenin put into the seizure of power and without the April Thesis it’s possible that the Bolshevik party would not have such an established purpose.
After the death of Lenin, his chief lieutenant Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin fought for control of the country. Stalin was able to win out over Trotsky and gain control of the Russian government. He felt that Lenin and Trotsky’s socialistic ideas were flawed in that they were to wait for other countries to revolt and become socialistic as well. Staling believed that a single country could make socialism .
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov better known as Lenin. Lenin was an important part in Soviet Union history . lenin had a determined goal , he wanted power . Lenin was so powerful , he took the practice communism and made it reality throughout Soviet plus other countries he had an influence on. Lenin believed that communism could solve the problems of society , because his brother was killed by a tsarist regime. He started as a politician and war general , he later became the leader of the Soviet Union. Before Lenin was the leader a man named Stalin Ruled Soviet . Lenin despised Stalin , Lenin then started to take control of the states he created.