The October/November 1917 revolution

how did the bolsheviks seize infrastructure?

on the 24th october, 5000 Kronstadt sailors moved into the city.
-bolshevik red guards took over key infrastructure such as railway stations, state bank and the power stations.

how did the bolsheviks seize government?

25th october, Red Guards surround the winter palace, threatening it from artillery from the battleship Aurora. teh red guards seized the building.

-kerensky left the city, and was unable to gather meaningful support.

how did the bolsheviks finalise the revolution ?

at 5:00am congress adopted a resolution to take power.

the day was septn “mopping up operations” and at 9:00pm congress unanimously adopted lenins decree on peace.

when was the sovnarkom established and what was it?

-27th october, created to run the government. Lenin was elected chairman.

how did the bolsheviks dominate the new government?

Lenin had no intention to share power with Mensheviks/SR’s.
-Sovnarkom was able to rule by decree, sidelining the petrograd soviet
-Lenin was able to start peace talks with germany without consulting the soviet
-while sovnarkom met daily/twice per day, soviet met increasingly less frequently.

what were some of lenins october decrees?

in october, Lenin passed the workers decree (maximum 8 hour day), and the press decree to ban opposistion press.

the decree on land abolished private land owernship, and allowed peasant seizures without compensation to landlords. (this decreased peasant support for SR’s / Mensheviks)

what were some of lenins november decrees?

in november, lenin passed the nationality decree, giving finland indepdence and ukraine an elected parliament, decreasing dissent.

-the judicial decree set up a new socialist legal system
-decree to outlaw sex discrimination gave both men and women the same property rights.

what were some of lenin’s december decrees ?

-decree to establish the cheka

what was the veshenka?

In december, lenin established the veshenka.
-it was the council of hte national economy
-it controlled economic development
-however, Lenin remained cautious and did not immediately nationalise everything.

what were some early steps to combat opposistin?

-anti bolshevik newspapers were closed down

-there was a purge of the civil service

-use of the cheka

-leading kadets, right wing Srs and Mensheviks were rounded up and imprisoned in december.

Weaknesess of opponents
before the bolsheviks fully seized power, how was the political opposistion weak?

the majority of seats of the new soviet executive committee went to the boslehviks and the left wing SR’s
-in response, moderate Mensheviks left congress, leaving bolsheviks and the left wing SR’s in control.

-this played into bolshevik hands.

was this all truely a revolution?

While trotsky claimed that 25-30,000 were involved, 10-15,000 is a more accurate number for those in front of the winter palace on the 25th october.

-there was very little revolutionary fighting, and only 5 deaths were recorded.