Russia and the Bolshevik Revolution
Why were the Bolsheviks able to seize power in Russia in 1917?
The Bolshevik’s were able to seize power in Russian in 1917 mainly due to the exceptional leadership of Lenin and the organisational skills of Trotsky, the Red Guard army that was formed on May 11th 1917 and then re-organised on the 4th of November and the problems that the Provisional government had. The Bolshevik revolution took place with an armed rebellion in Petrograd. The October revolution led by the Bolshevik party and Lenin as a significant figure within this party took over the Provisional Government and gave power to the local soviets. This revolution would not have taken place if it wasn’t for the leadership skills of Lenin and Trotsky the Red Guard army and the failure of the provisional government.
The Bolsheviks were able to seize power in Russia in 1917 through the failure of the Provisional Government. The Provisional Government was founded on March 15th 1917 and immediately followed the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II. However this new form of government was weak and unpopular, some of the reason for this being firstly the fact that Kerensky Minister of War was unwilling to end the war against the Germans. Soldiers fighting on the Eastern Front were fuming when they heard the news of Kerensky planning his new summer offensive. Many soldiers refused to move to the front line and by the autumn of 1917 it was estimated that around two million had informally deserted the Russian army and headed home. Once many of these soldiers got home they used their weapons from the war to grasp land from the nobility. In addition another reason for the failure of the Provisional government being that it unsuccessfully endorsed land reforms which were demanded from the peasants who accounted for eighty precent of Russia’s population. Finally poverty in Russia was increasing due to the money and resources spent on the war, therefore leading to rations and increased working hours with minimal pay for
The Bolshevik’s were able to seize power in Russian in 1917 mainly due to the exceptional leadership of Lenin and the organisational skills of Trotsky, the Red Guard army that was formed on May 11th 1917 and then re-organised on the 4th of November and the problems that the Provisional government had. The Bolshevik revolution took place with an armed rebellion in Petrograd. The October revolution led by the Bolshevik party and Lenin as a significant figure within this party took over the Provisional Government and gave power to the local soviets. This revolution would not have taken place if it wasn’t for the leadership skills of Lenin and Trotsky the Red Guard army and the failure of the provisional government.
The Bolsheviks were able to seize power in Russia in 1917 through the failure of the Provisional Government. The Provisional Government was founded on March 15th 1917 and immediately followed the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II. However this new form of government was weak and unpopular, some of the reason for this being firstly the fact that Kerensky Minister of War was unwilling to end the war against the Germans. Soldiers fighting on the Eastern Front were fuming when they heard the news of Kerensky planning his new summer offensive. Many soldiers refused to move to the front line and by the autumn of 1917 it was estimated that around two million had informally deserted the Russian army and headed home. Once many of these soldiers got home they used their weapons from the war to grasp land from the nobility. In addition another reason for the failure of the Provisional government being that it unsuccessfully endorsed land reforms which were demanded from the peasants who accounted for eighty precent of Russia’s population. Finally poverty in Russia was increasing due to the money and resources spent on the war, therefore leading to rations and increased working hours with minimal pay for