Bolshevik Revolution

1
Bolshevik Revolution

• How Bolshevik party came to power.
• Chapter 4

2
Was the Bolshevik seizure of power in October
1917 inevitable?

• Bolsheviks so popular and how they almost lost
  their power
• Kornilov Affair and its Consequences
• October Revolution- Bolsheviks in power
• Popular Revolution
• Seizure Inevitable

3
Bolsheviks and Power

• By the summer of 1917, workers had become more
  disillusioned with the policies of the
  Provisional Government and the moderate socialist
  leaders in the Soviet (an elected council).

4
Bolsheviks Answer

• Programme of ending the war, controlling
  employers, social reform for workers and
  prioritizing food supplies
• Appealing policies
• Left-wing groups like the Socialist Revolutionary
  and Menshevik increasingly attracted to Bolshevik
  camp
• Most famous recruit Leon Trotsky
• According to Berry Williams, in The Russian
  Revolution 1917-1921, it seemed that by June
  (1917) many workers were becoming aware of the
  Bolsheviks as a separate party with a different
  programme- one which tied in with their own
  demands and aspirations

5
July Days

• Mounting frustration of workers and soldiers
  erupted at the beginning of July
• Several days of uncontrolled rioting in the
  streets
• Workers angered at their economic plight
• For two days the capital was utterly defenseless
• On July 4, events took a more violent turn when
  20, 000 armed sailors from the Kronstadt naval
  base arrived in Petrograd. The sailors marched to
  the Tauride Palace and demanded that the Soviet
  take power.
• Bolsheviks played minor role not very committed.
  There was also a noted lack of leadership.
• Lenin, in fact, was on holiday. Upon his return
  on the 4 July he appealed for restraint and
  adopted a wait and see policy.
• Lack of leadership proved the undoing of the July
  rising and tarnished the reputation of the
  Bolsheviks.

6
Kornilov Affair and its Consequences

• The arrests of leading Bolsheviks and the closure
  of Bolshevik newspapers after the July days gave
  the moderate socialists and the liberals in the
  Provisional Government a boost, but not for long/
• The governments problems only increased
• Kerensky, Prime Minister of the Provisional
  Government, had come to the conclusion that the
  only course open to him was to restore law and
  order in the cities and discipline the army
• General Kornilov, however, saw it as an
  opportunity to crush radical socialists, prevent
  the worst excesses of the revolution, and restore
  order and authority in Petrograd.

7
Kornilov Affair and its Consequences

• Sent his troops marching towards the city in what
  was the beginning of an attempt to seize control
  of the government and establish military control
• Kerensky panics denounces Kornilov and called on
  the Soviet to help defend Petrograd from
  counter-revolution.
• The mass of the people rejected Kornilovs
  strategy as it meant a return of the old order
• Kornilov plans fail. His troops never arrive at
  Petrograd. Kornilov is arrested.

8
Kornilov Affair and its Consequences

• Repercussions Kerenskys reputation damaged
• Menshevik and Socialist Revolutionary discredited
  by association with Kerensky
• the mass of people are distrusting of the
  liberals as agents of the industrialists and
  large landowners Bolsheviks ride back on a wave
  of popular support and are elected in huge
  numbers in the soviets
• 25 September Trotsky is elected President of
  Petrograd soviet

9
October Revolution- did Kerensky hand power to
the Bolsheviks?

• Lenin hiding in Finland
• Felt that factors working factors were working in
  the favor of the Bolsheviks.
• High popularity of the party in Soviet
• Control of the Soviet
• Kornilov affair
• History will not forgive us if we do not assume
  power now.

10
Kerenskys Response

• Kerensky sent army unit out of the capital,
  rumors started that Petrograd would be abandoned
  to the Germans.
• Bolsheviks set up a Military Revolutionary
  Committee (MRC) in the capital.
• Bolsheviks want to take power.
• MRC lead by Trotsky and had many resources.
• Kerensky tried to close Bolshevik newspapers,
  they took this as an attack on them giving them a
  reason to use military action.
• They said that he was acting the Soviet and
  Russia.

11
Bolsheviks in Control

• Night of October 24-25 Red Guard, sailors, and
  garrison soldiers to seize Petrograd.
• Petrograd remained as usual the next day.
• Next night Bolshevik soldier enter the Winter
  Palace and arrested the remainder of the
  government.
• The storming of Winter Palace remains a great
  Bolshevik myth of the heroism of the
  revolutionaries.

12
Bolsheviks in Control

• All-Russian Congress met. People from other
  parties denounced to Bolsheviks.
• Because these parties had no support, money, or
  resources for war they could not make the
  Bolshevik Party do anything.
• After this was said, the other parties walked out
  giving the Bolshevik party complete control of
  the Congress.

13
The Soviet View (1917-1991)

• The Soviet interpretation claims that the October
  Revolution was a poplar uprising, which was led
  and carried out by the working class, supported
  by the poorer peasants.
• They were able to do this because of the weakness
  of the bourgeoisie in Russia.

14
The predominant Western view after 1945

• Predominant view was hostile to the USSR.
• They saw a strait line from Bolshevism to
  Stalinism and totalitarianism.
• Identified October Revolution as the starting
  point for this change.

15
The revisionists

• Historian Stephen Smith saw a much more active
  role for the lower ranks of the Bolshevik Party
  in pushing forward the revolution.
• Some historians suggested that Lenin wasnt
  firmly in control and the Bolsheviks were not so
  disciplined.

16
Recent Views

• Without the drive and persistence of Lenin there
  would probably not been an October Revolution.
• Increase in radicalism of the workers, soldiers,
  sailors, and peasants cannot be ignored in the
  takeover of power.

17
What evidence is there for Bolshevik popularity?

• November elections were interpreted as a disaster
  for the Bolsheviks because they got less than a
  quarter of the seats in the Constituent Assembly.
  
• Bolsheviks did very well in the cities (as much
  as 70 of the votes were in the working class
  districts of Petrograd).
• Many peasants would have been voting left wing of
  the Socialists Revolutionaries who were
  collaborating closely with the Bolsheviks at this
  time.
• Workers and peasants (in the months of September
  and October) had attitudes that were highly
  politicized and radicalized in theses months when
  there was a food shortage. 

18
What evidence is there for Bolshevik popularity?

• Hunger was a crucial factor in October. -Also in
  September there was an upturn in violence.
  Estates were raided, land was seized, landowners
  murdered and their houses burned. (To give an
  idea about how the popularity of the Bolsheviks
  grew there is a chart giving the numbers of the
  municipal elections of 1917 where the Bolsheviks
  (in July) had 11 of the total votes whereas in
  October there popularity rose and they received
  51 of the votes)

19
Support for the Bolsheviks OR for Soviet Power?

• Historian Beryl Williams makes the point that
  Workers and soldiers might support October and
  vote for the Bolsheviks in elections, but this
  did not necessarily imply support for one-party
  rule, or indeed for Bolshevik policies once they
  had become known (The Russian Revolution
  1917-1921) 

20
Why did the Bolsheviks present the October
Revolution as a mass uprising?

• On the evening 25 October, the cruiser Aurora
  fired a blank shot at 940 p.m., which signaled
  the beginning of the attack on Winter Palace
  where the Government was in session.
• They stormed the palace, broke in and arrested
  the ministers.

21

• Bolshevik came to power because of the problems
  that were in Russia. Lenin and his party took
  advantage of the situation that was presented to
  them. Because of mistakes in the Soviet
  government, the Bolshevik party was able to take
  over the capital of Petrograd, in two nights.
  This party lasted for a very long time due to its
  tactics and Lenins success.