...Lenin’s leadership was the main reason for why the Bolsheviks were able to seize power in 1917. Lenin was a very significant figure during the Russian revolution, under his strong leadership and the advice of some of his advisors, Lenin helped the Bolsheviks come to power. However I would not agree that his leadership was the main reason to why the Bolsheviks were able to seize power as factors such as the weakness of the provisional government, the home front and most importantly Trotsky role all played a significant role to why the Bolsheviks were successful. Lenin’s leadership played a significant role to why the Bolsheviks were able to seize power in 1917 due to his clear and persuading aims. Lenin was an influential figure in the eyes of the proletariat. Due to the April thesis clear aims resulted in that he was able to gain greater support and he succeeded in having 200,000 members. The vast amount of members meant that the Bolsheviks had greater support when it came to seizing power. The main aims of the April theses were, Peace, Land and Bread and power to the soviets. Many supported the idea of Peace, Land and bread as they were fed up with the affect the war was having on them and wanted to bring it to an end, people were also starving due to the war and therefore welcomed the idea of Peace, Land and bread. Lenin also promised the confiscation of landed estates from landowners and the aristocracy. The slogan all power to the soviets played on the feelings of the proletariat...
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...The Bolshevik seize of power in October 1917 was undoubtedly a turning point for Russia’s political situation and a point that would set the tone for the future rulings. It can be easily argued that the Bolsheviks were only able to take over as a result of the long term weaknesses and failures of the Provisional Government. However, as with all events in history, the final seizure in October would not have been possible had it not been for the more recent, trigger causes. The roles of Lenin and Trotsky, during the later months of 1917, were key factors in allowing the takeover to happen; and the extremely poor decisions and military leadership executed by Kerensky strengthened the Bolsheviks position for revolution. Whilst these short term causes played a major role in October, it cannot be argued that without the weaknesses of the Provisional Government, the Bolsheviks would not have been sitting in power by the end of 1917. The weakness of the Provisional Government was one the most important factors in the Bolshevik takeover in October 1917. After the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II in March 1917, the Provisional Government, formed from some of the previous Dumas, was set up to govern Russia. The new government was weak and unstable from the start, mainly due to whom it was made up of. It was a coalition, if you could call it that, between the Liberals, the Mensheviks and the Social Revolutionaries; and thus the new government had no unity from the start. With each part...
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...for the Bolsheviks’ success in the revolution of October 1917? (20 Mark) It is accurate to say that Lenin’s leadership was one of the most important reasons for the Bolsheviks’ success in the revolution of October 1917, due to Lenin taking control over the Bolsheviks and beginning to make preparations for seizing power. The whole idea of the revolution only came about because of Lenin returning to the Bolsheviks. However, it cannot be ignored that there were other factors that contributed to the success of the October revolution such as the failings of the Bolsheviks political opponents. Lenin contributed to the Bolsheviks’ success in October 1917 mainly in three different ways. The first contribution Lenin had made in the success of the October Revolution was on the return from exile in April 1917 where he persuaded and took control over the Bolshevik party and made them adopt the idea of seizing power. This was a difficult task as many of the members of the Bolshevik party shared the Menshevik view which predicted that the overthrow of capitalism was far off. Lenin had to work hard to persuade the Bolshevik party to understand his interpretation. Lenin’s success was largely based on his force of personality, but it also owed something to the support he received from new entrants in the Bolshevik party. Secondly, Lenin raised the Bolsheviks’ political profile as he recognised that the Bolsheviks were too weak to mount a serious challenge for power. The Bolsheviks had around...
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...was the Provisional government responsible for its own downfall? The Provisional Government made many mistakes, such as their response to the Kornilov affair that ended in the Bolsheviks gaining arms and regard amongst the Russian people, which became disastrous for its popularity and effectiveness, and their decision to keep Russia in WW1 which had a domino effect of food shortages and unrest. The unrest and unsatisfaction theat the Provisional Government brought upon itself was the most influential factor for its downfall. However, let it not be forgotten that the task the Provisional Government had was a vast and difficult one, what with Russia being so large and diverse and the complications of theWar. Indeed, any organisation that attempted to recover Russia after the February revolution was almost doomed from the outset. Although, had the situation been handled more effectively by pertaining to the people’s desires: granting more land reforms, taking Russia out of the First World War, the Provisional Government may have been able to sidestep the challenges and pull Russia into a democracy. It was because of their lack of grasp on the situation that doomed them. Their lack of grasp was enhanced by their political situation and decisions; in particular the fact that they had a system of dual power with the Petrograd Soviet. This contributed to their downfall because although certain individuals acted as ‘bridges’ between the two governments, overall the two organisations...
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...Evaluate Lenin’s contribution to the success of the Bolshevik Revolution in November 1917? Lenin played a crucial role in the success of the November Revolution. He did not create the discontent which permeated Russian society in 1917, but he did devise slogans and strategies to win disaffected groups over to the Bolshevik Party. By the beginning of 1917, the Tsarist regime was facing insurmountable problems. The peasants were demanding land; the workers wanted higher wages and better working conditions; the middle class wanted political reforms to make Russia a true constitutional democracy; and all three classes were demanding an end to the war. More than anything, it was the war which brought an end to Tsarism and set the scene for the Bolshevik Revolution. By 1917, casualties numbered in the millions, and the lack of food and fuel on the home front led to hunger and privation. The Tsar was unable to solve these problems, and was soon overthrown in a popular uprising. What emerged was a system of dual power, based on the workers’ soviets (councils) and the Provisional Government. The soviets represented the peasants, workers and soldiers. The Provisional Government represented the aristocratic and middle classes. Lenin understood that the Provisional Government would only survive if it met the popular expectations which were unleashed by the fall of Tsarism. However, the Provisional Government saw itself as a caretaker institution only, and was unwilling to...
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...both the support of civilians and soldiers. WW1 was the main cause of the revolution in the first place; the public of Russia felt no hope and protests carried on. Conditions worsened and throughout 1917 there was constant procrastination. Russia’s situation after the Tsar had abdicated went from bad to worse. Lenin is an important consequence as he transformed Russia into a communist country. Lenin spent his time from 1900 to 1917 abroad; he had previously been threatened by the Monarchy and thought it was in his best interests to leave Russia. When the provisional government formed, after the abdication of Nicholas II, Lenin saw the opportunity for the Bolsheviks to seize power (the Bolsheviks were a political faction that believed in socialism). Vladimir Lenin was one of the main leaders of the Bolsheviks party. Lenin was accepted by the people of Russia because he argued for two points, the ending of the war and the replacement of the provisional government; by a soviet one. The people of Russia shared Lenin’s discontent; this opened a new stage of the Russian Revolution. The provisional government...
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..."Unless we accept the claim that Leninism gave birth to an entirely new state, and indeed to a new era in the history of mankind, we must recognize in today Soviet Union the old empire of the Russians -- the only empire that survived into the mid 1980's" (Luttwak, 1). In their Communist Manifesto of 1848, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels applied the term communism to a final stage of socialism in which all class differences would disappear and humankind would live in harmony. Marx and Engels claimed to have discovered a scientific approach to socialism based on the laws of history. They declared that the course of history was determined by the clash of opposing forces rooted in the economic system and the ownership of property. Just as the feudal system had given way to capitalism, so in time capitalism would give way to socialism. The class struggle of the future would be between the bourgeoisie, who were the capitalist employers, and the proletariat, who were the workers. The struggle would end, according to Marx, in the socialist revolution and the attainment of full communism (Groiler's Encyclopedia). Socialism, of which "Marxism-Leninism" is a takeoff, originated in the West. Designed in France and Germany, it was brought into Russia in the middle of the nineteenth century and promptly attracted support among the country's educated, public-minded elite, who at that time were called intelligentsia (Pipes, 21). After Revolution broke out over Europe in 1848 the modern working...
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...growing popularity and strength of the Bolsheviks as they played on these mistakes. With the Bolshevik under the leadership of Lenin, they managed to create the October Revolution. Figures like Leon Trotsky and the weaknesses of Kerensky were both significant factors that led to the Bolshevik Revolution. Lenin’s role in the revolution was vital but he would have not taken power were it not for the failures of the Provisional Government, which was the most crucial factor that caused the revolution and led the Bolsheviks to power. Word count: 104 One of the key element to the success of the Bolshevik revolution was Lenin’s orating and leadership skills, personality and his determination to take power. Lenin’s April theses where he spoke of ‘Peace, Bread and Land’ increased the popularity of the Bolshevik as it reached out to the peasants who made up most of the population. The April theses was effective because it highlighted the feelings and aspiration of the workers and soldiers. The Bolsheviks pacifist stance from the very start of the war and Lenins’ promise of ‘peace’ proved a popular idea and this gained them thousands of followers. With inflation causing prices, of the food that was available, to increase Lenin’s offer of food was an immense attraction. Lenin realised the importance of the peasants for support so he promised them land to get their support. The April theses offered what the Provisional Government would not and so the Bolsheviks gained supporters, which is why the...
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...revolutionaries overthrew the Czars, which resulted in a state of anarchy and turmoil. The Bolshevik Party of Lenin masterminded the Bolshevik take-over of power in Russia in 1917, and was the architect and first head of the USSR. History, nonetheless, as history often does has opened up a series of questions, It is generally accepted that Leon Trotsky played a greater role in organising and executing the Bolshevik revolution. Even Joseph Stalin acknowledges his major rival’s role in the events in Pravda on the 10th November, 1918, “All practical work in connection with the organisation of the uprising was done under the immediate direction of Comrade Trotsky, the President of the Petrograd Soviet...the Party is indebted primarily and principally to Comrade Trotsky...” This statement by Stalin confirms the role of Trotsky in the revolution, however Terry Brotherstone, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen, argues that “The Bolshevik victory in the October Revolution would have been just as unthinkable and unrealisable without Trotsky as it would have been unthinkable and unrealisable without Lenin”. It has been suggested often that whilst Lenin was the visionary of the Bolsheviks, Trotsky was the practitioner. This is most evident in his contribution in the lead up to and during the Russian civil war, which led to the ultimate success of the Bolsheviks. Leon Trotsky had joined the Bolsheviks much later than other members of the party. During his time in London in the early...
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...Between 1917 and 1924 the Bolshevik party went through a baptism of fire which transformed it from a revolutionary splinter group into a party of government. During that period it faced intense opposition from a bewildering array of political, military, social and national groups. By the time of Lenin’s death, in January 1924, the regime was, despite all the odds, still in power – but at what cost was this success achieved and to what extent was it superficial rather than real? Political Opposition: Constituent Assembly to ‘Red Terror’ Politically, the Bolshevik party faced massive opposition following its seizure of power in 1917. The Social Revolutionaries (the party of the peasants) had more support in the countryside, whilst the Bolsheviks (the party of the proletariat) did not command the overwhelming support of the Soviets. Nevertheless, having made so much political capital out of the Provisional Government’s failure to call a Constituent Assembly throughout 1917, Lenin had no choice but to call elections immediately. For the Bolsheviks, the results were depressingly predictable: they gained barely a quarter of the available seats, whilst the SRs gained almost half. Given his precarious position, Lenin’s response to this setback at first sight appears reckless: he contemptuously dissolved the Assembly, calling his action ‘true democracy’ because he knew the needs of the proletariat better than they did themselves. He then set up Soviets throughout the country in a...
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...wanted their allies to adopt an economic system that they thought was superior to the other in terms of capitalism and socialism. The Bolshevik party which was made up of revolutionary leaders where Lenin came to amass the political clout which he enjoyed through his rule was the ruling party that gained victory after the revolution. However before the Bolshevik party came to be a part of the...
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...After Lenin’s death, a power struggle ensued that resulted in a shift from collective leadership in the Soviet Union to Josef Stalin emerging and establishing his position as the individual leader of the state. To the majority of the Communist Party this was an improbable development as it was thought Trotsky would succeed Lenin. Trotsky had originally affirmed allegiance to the Mensheviks after the spilt of the social democrats in 1903, nevertheless the outbreak of revolution in 1917 witnessed Trotsky joining the Bolshevik party and playing a crucial part in the communist takeover that followed. He began his time in government as the foreign commissar and was principle negotiator in the peace terms with Germany; he then became war commissar and played a vital role in the preservation of the Bolshevik regime by leading the red army to victory against the whites in the civil war. It was down to these factors that Trotsky was seen as the evident heir of Lenin. As well as this Stalin had never posed any threat, Kamenev had described Stalin as ‘a small town politician… a man with no ideas or ambitions’ . However, Trotsky and other leading politicians such as Kamenev and Zinoviev underestimated Stalin’s abilities. Trotsky especially, felt secure as the next successor to Lenin and so when opportunities arose to eradicate Stalin from the party he made the mistake of not taking hold of them. For example, Lenin’s last testament called for the removal of Stalin however Trotsky failed to...
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...To an extent it is valid to say that Lenin's skill and determination as leader of the Bolsheviks was the main reason for the overthrow of the Provisional government. Although, there are significant other factors that contributed to the downfall of the government, such as the weakness the government it in itself possessed, the misjudgment and mistakes it made, and other contributing factors, such as the influential role of Trotsky, which helped impact on the eventual overthrow of the government. Evidence suggests that one of the main reasons for the fall of the Provisional government, was the weaknesses it in itself possessed. For example, the dual authority government can be seen as a weakness because it was not an elected body, and came into being as a rebellious committee of the old duma, refusing to disband at the Tsar's order. This meant it consequently lacked legitimate authority as a result. It had no constitutional claim upon the loyalty of Russian people and no natural fund of good will to rely on, meaning it was judged entirely on how it dealt with the nations problems, making it vulnerable from the start. Its second major weakness was that its authority was limited by its unofficial partnership with the Petrograd Soviet. To begin with there was considerable co-operation between the two, with some people (e.g.- Kerensky) being members of both bodies. The soviet did not set out to be an alternative government, and regarded its role as supervisory, checking that the...
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...such as it nature, various blunders and the return of exiled revolutionaries. Yet the underlying cause of its collapse seems to be the lack of resources-both military and economic-to deal with the problems it inherited and was faced with. The nature of the Provisional Government certainly had some impact on shortening its life.It had not been appointed and therefore lacked legitimacy in the eyes of the Russian people. This reduced its political authority so the Provisional Government was very ineffective at dealing with civil unrest i.e. the chaos in the countryside. The lack of legitimacy also reduced its support, making it easier for the Bolsheviks to seize power. The government was also not representative of wider Russian interests. Dominated by minority groups like the Octobrists and Trudoviks,the much bigger factions like the Bolsheviks and Social Democrats who represented a far wider cross-section of the Russian populace had negligible input into Provisional Government legislation. Again, this undermined its legitimacy and fuelled Lenin’s all-round condemnation of it in the April Theses. Once Lenin was able to construe the Provisional Government as so reprehensible in its manifestation as a “bourgeoisie democracy” and that as a result imminent socialist revolution was the only way forward, the proletariat became repulsed by its sole middle-class interests and the...
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...beginning of War Communism by the Bolsheviks. I was amazed by all of the things he lived through and what he experienced, and how lucky I was to find these. I got them checked out and found out they were authentic and the entries were from the years 1917-1922. I was so astonished by the fact that these letters have been just sitting up in my attic for years. Come to think about it, my Grandfather loved collecting old Russian historic memorabilia. The first series of notes I found described the Bread Riot, and how Alexi’s wife waited in line for flour, and how the women rose up against the government for their demands and needs. I know a little bit about the Bread Riot from my World Societies class but it will be nice to read about it from someone who lived during the event. January 7, 1917 Today is a good day for me, I celebrate my birthday today and my wife Anya wanted to...
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