The Success of the Bolsheviks in Gaining Power in Russia by 1922

The Success of the Bolsheviks in Gaining Power in Russia by 1922

In February 1917, the Bolshevik party was small and irrelevant. The

leadership was abroad and there was little consistency of purpose

among the party in Russia. However, by the summer of 1922, the

Bolsheviks had become the dominant force, and a new communist state

had emerged from their success. The purpose of this essay is to

explain this transformation.

The abdication of Tsar Nicholas II and the collapse of the Romanov

dynasty threw Russia into a state of turmoil. The elites had withdrawn

their support for the Tsar after a series of disastrous defeats in the

war and continued social and economic problems. In the wake of the

Tsarist collapse, a power vacuum was left behind. The Provisional

Government, a government that was fundamentally unstable and unsure

how to govern, temporarily filled this space.

The Provisional Government opened the door for a seizure of power. It

lacked legitimate power to justify its actions. There was no tradition

of Russia being ruled by a government such as this, indeed, many

people were opposed to it. It was self-appointed and therefore many

people questioned its authority. The lack of an able and charismatic

leader simply compounded the problem. This was their chance to seize

charismatic legitimacy and gain the support of the people. When

Kerensky took over the leadership, the changes his charisma brought

were marked, but even he lacked the ability to repair the situation.

The Provisional Government decided to continue the war. This decision

was to become more important with the benefit of hindsight than it

appeared at the tim...

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...en up once more. Finally, the ability of the

Bolsheviks and Lenin is particular to adapt to situations. Lenin was

determined to secure power at all costs, for example, when he realised

the theory of war communism was not working in practise, he introduced

the NEP which satisfied the people and got Russia back on its feet.

These factors all contributed to the success of the Bolsheviks in

attaining what they set out to achieve. However, the deciding factor

in the success of failure of the revolution was the leadership of the

Bolsheviks. Without Lenin and Trotsky, the revolution would have never

occurred, nor would power have been secured, the combination of these

two inspirational leaders was vital to the outcome of the seizure of

power and civil war. They can be held accountable for the Bolsheviks

gaining power in 1922.