Bolshevik Seizes Power

Events leading to the October Revolution

Land - Peasants demand land Hunger - The workers in the cities

were demanding food The war - fight on or make peace Revolutionaries - how to stop the

spread of their influence The Army - needed loyalty of the

army

The Government promised land reforms but gave no date

The Government could not guarantee food supplies as the Soviets controlled railways

The government promised political reform in an attempt to stop revolutionaries. They failed to take any positive action.

The troops in Petrograd were now under the control of the Soviet and refused to obey the government

Peasants angry with the Government started to seize land

Workers joined the Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks and other groups

gathered support The Government was losing control to

the Petrograd Soviet

How did the Bolshevik gained power in Oct 1917?

Do a timeline of the events that led to the October/ November Revolution

You have 15 minutes to do so.

March - Petrograd Soviet issues Order No 1 April - Lenin returns issues April Theses June - Failure of the June Offensive July - The July Days - Lenin flees Aug - Kornilov Revolt Sept - Bolsheviks win control of the Soviet Oct - Trotsky become chairman of Soviet.

Lenin returns Oct 24 - 26 Bolshevik revolution

1. Armed forces are subordinate to the Petrograd Soviet in all their political actions.

2. Orders of Military Commission of the Duma are to be carried out only if they do not conflict with the orders of the Petrograd Soviet.

3. All weapons to remain under the control of company and battalion committees, and in no circumstances to be handed over to officers.

Lenin return from Switzerland with German assistance and issues his April theses

This called for• Overthrow of Government• End to war• Soviets to form new government • Land given to peasants• State to control factories and banks

All power to theSoviets

PeaceLandBread

June The Provisional Government uses troops to attack Germany.

Russia is badly defeated.

Demands for peace are made.

July 16 – 18 Demonstrations in Petrograd turn into a premature Bolshevik uprising

against the Provisional Government.

Referred to as ‘The July Days’.

July It fails to overthrow the government and Lenin flees to Finland.

Leon Trotsky creates the ‘Red Guards’, the Bolshevik military force.

Trotsky becomes the Chairman of the increasingly influential Bolshevik administration and political centre –

The Petrograd Soviet.

Remember – Whoever controlled the soviet could also control Russia….

The July Days

Events

The failure of the June Offensive led to widespread mutinies

The Bolsheviks supported but did not lead

Results

Riots quelled

Bolsheviks accused of being German agents.

Bolshevik leaders arrested . Lenin escapes to Finland

Bolsheviks weakened but seen as main revolutionary group

August 1 Kerensky, the leader of the Provisional Government

appoints General Kornilov as the Commander-in-

Chief of the Russian army.

September 10 Right wing coup led by General Kornilov collapses in

defeat.Bolsheviks and Red Guards

have some of their old leaders released and armed by Kerensky in order to protect Petrograd.

Kornilov’s men are hungry and scared and they mutiny

to join the Petrograd soviet.

Meanwhile: Lenin is busy writing letters to other Bolshevik leaders

urging them to make preparations for a revolution.

The Bolsheviks’ popularity grows steadily and they are now a real power in Russia.

Lenin encourages Trotsky to prepare his men for a

violent seizure of power.

The KornilovRevolt

Events

Aug 1917 General Kornilov attempts a coup

Kerensky is forced to ask the Bolsheviks for help. Bolshevik leaders are released and the Red Guard is given weapons

Bolsheviks defeat Kornilov

Results

Bolsheviks seen as heroes.

Popularity increased and won majority in the Petrograd Soviet

Became a well armed force

October 23 The Bolshevik Central Committee under Lenin vote for revolutionary measures.

At this time in Russia, prices of goods are ten times

higher than they were before the Great War.

People are starving, food and supplies are not getting

through (no thanks to the Provisional Government).

All the while, Lenin is busy formulating his strategy –

making the plans for the revolution.

November 3 Trotsky’s Military Revolutionary Committee take control of the Petrograd garrison after the

mutiny in the July Days.

November 6 Red Guards begin to occupy strategic government buildings

across Petrograd.Kerensky flees.Provisional Government

barricade themselves into the Winter Palace.

Bolsheviks storm the palace during the night and around

2am they arrest the government ministers.The bloodless coup is over.

Role of Lenin

Organised party

Published Pravda

Avoided capture and organised the coup.

Popular slogans to raise moral and public awareness

Role of Trotsky

Joined Bolsheviks after July Days

Masterminded the events of the coup

Great military leader organised the Red Guard

Provisional Government

Kerensky new of Trotsky's plan but had lost support of the army and so was helpless

On the 8th November 1917, the All Russian Congress of Soviets give power to the 15 Bolshevik Commissars under the leadership of Lenin.

But, why were they able to seize power?

They had a strong political and economic centre in the Petrograd Soviet.

They had their own armed forces, the ‘Red Guards’.

They were organised and disciplined and had clear planned strategies.

They were realistic, practical and clever in setting their short term goals.

The Provisional Government was weak and ineffective.

Lenin was an inspiring leader with vision, clarity and ability.

The Bolsheviks took control of the government in an almost bloodless coup between Oct 24 and 26 1917.

The first decrees

Peace

Lenin ends the war sends Trotsky to negotiate with Germany. Treaty of Brest-Litvosk

Establishes the CHEKA

Factories

All factories put under control of workers committees

Land

Land taken from Church, Nobility etc and given to peasants. Land not taken over by the State (yet)

Press

All non -Bolshevik papers were banned

Is this a revolution?

‘The Bolshevik did not seize power; they simply picked it up.’ How accurate is this assessment of the October/November Revolution in 1917?

Choose a sentence-starter and make the most complex statement you can about the causes of the October 1917 Russian Revolution.

Cause and effect: “The main reason …..” Pattern: “Throughout the Russian Revolution people keep ….” Turning point: “Everything changed when …..” Simple judgement: “The smartest choice was ……..”