The October Revolution (Bolshevik revolution) - October 1917

Why revolt - Strong position after Kornilov revolt

• The Red guard had been armed and many Bolsheviks were freed from jail

• The Bolsheviks were popular and heroic as a result of saving Russia from a military dictatorship

• Trotsky, a former menshevik, joined the Bolsheviks and as chairman of Petrograd soviet and member of the military revolutionary commitee held great power

Why revolt - Secure authority before all Russian congress of soviets election

• The first meeting of the elected assemblies of workers soviets was fast approaching and many members were not Bolsheviks.

• The Bolsheviks would fail to win enough votes to begin a revolution as Mensheviks and SRs would say to wait so must take power before meetings occurrence at the end of October.

Why revolt - Secure authority before elections of constituent assembly

• The Prov Govt were soon to be replaced by a voted in constituent assembly by the people

• 85% of the voters were peasants supporting the SRs and so Bolsheviks would fail to win the vote and not take power.

• This Vote was taking place in November

Why revolt - Act before imprisonment

• Zinoviev and Kamenev, two key members of the Bolshevik central committee, published a letter which openly opposed the Bolshevik revolution

• Kerensky learned of the revolution through this letter and so attempted to send Bolsheviks to prison to stop this revolution

• As a result Lenin was furious.

The October Revolution

The Revolution took place on the Night of October 24th - 25th. The Military revolutionary committee organised military capture of key buildings such as telegraph offices and railway stations. They also placed road blocks surrounding the winter palace where the provisional govt was in session. The only troops guarding the palace was a women’s battalion (the amazons) and young military cadets. Kerensky had escaped in the early morning (dressed as a nurse). Bolshevik soldiers waited for evening to attack (which was signalled by the Aurora sailing up the rive Neva firing its guns) and the women’s batallion were allowed to leave the palace unharmed. Most of the soldiers had fled by this time and the provisional government gave in easily, 18 were arrested.

Bolshevik seizure of the All-Russian congress of Soviets

The meeting occurred just after the revolution and at it the Bolsheviks shared news of the revolution. This caused the Mensheviks and SRs to walk out as they did not approve of the take over as it did not line up with Marxism and was not a workers revolution. Whilst the Mensheviks and SRs were out foo the meeting the remaining Bolsheviks and few far left-SRs chose the members of the new Govt (Sovnarkom).

Early bolshevik Decrees (November and December 1917) - Positive

• Decree on land - 540 million acre sof Land taken from Tsar, nobility and church given to peasants, fullfilled April Theses promise

• Decree on peace - Russia immediately made peace with enemies in war, no longer fighting, fullfill April theses and safety

• Decree on titles - All titles and class distinctions abolished. Women equal to men, pleased workers, peasants and women (all but nobility)

• Various work decrees - insurance, working hours, holidays and unemployment payoff.

Ways popularity gained by Bolsheviks.

Early Bolshevik decrees - power

• Decree on press - all non-Bolshevik newspapers banned, censorship so Bolshevik ideas shared

• Decree on political police - Cheka set up, opposition can be removed without interruption from law.

• Decree on Political parties - Russia’s mail liberal party and kadets banned, removal of opposition

Way Bolsheviks consolidated power.

The Treaty Of Brest-Litovsk

On March 1918 the treat of Brest Litovsk was signed to formally end Russia’s involvement in WW1. Lenin wanted to make a peace to ensure is power and popularity in Russia as he had promised to end the war. Trotsky led the peace talks form Russia which began in December 1917. He tried to prolong them in hopes a workers revolution in central Europe would end the war so a fair peace could be made but as the German army advanced into Russia a harsh peace treaty had to be agreed on. Russia was forced to give up large areas of land from the Baltic to black sea and pay 3million roubles of reparations which damaged the economy.

Significance of Brest Litovsk

Patriotic Russia were outraged at giving up land and the nation’s interests for peace. any jined anti-bolshevik groups. The Bolsheviks themselves were upset at helping Germany survive as an imperial power.

Lenin gambled when making the treaty as he predicted Germany’s loss in the war before it was certain. Their defeat ultimately gave the treaty no legality but it did consolidate Bolshevik power and contribute to the civil war in 1918.

The Constituent assembly (November 1917 - January 1918)

The first free Russian elections ever, for the constituent assembly, took place in November 1917. The SRs won more seats than all other parties put together and Lenin was concerned. He published his views there was no need for the assembly as there was a soviet in Pravda (Bolshevik newspaper). The first meeting took place on January 18th and when the Bolsheviks proposition for limited power of the assembly was defeated Lenin decided to dissolve the assembly within the next 24 hours. The red guard then prevented elected deputies from entering the assembly and killed 100 people demonstrating in support for the assembly.