Units 3 & 4 History: Revolutions Lecture 9 The Bolshevik Revolution Link to the Videos https://edrolo.com.au/vce/subjects/history/vce-history-revolutions/russian-revolution/bolshevikrevolution/bolshevik-majority-in-soviets/ 203
Bolshevik Majority in Soviets Kornilov Affair shifted the focus onto the Bolsheviks, as the saviours September held a majority in the Petrograd and Moscow Soviets Not solely due to rising popularity, but because less deputies were attending Soviet meetings Bolsheviks attended every meeting, while other members attended irregularly 204
Bolshevik Majority in Soviets - Moscow June SRs Bolsheviks Mensheviks Kadets 205
Bolshevik Majority in Soviets - Moscow September SRs Bolsheviks Mensheviks Kadets 206
Bolsheviks in the Soviets Trotsky now a Bolshevik (former Menshevik) became Chairman of Petrograd Soviet Numbers in the Soviet down significantly when compared to February, but strong Bolshevik influence 207
Provisional Government Failure Class tensions Economic challenges Loss of law and order Provisional Government loss of authority Peasant uprisings Lenin s All Power to the Soviets revived 208
Bolshevik Opportunity Lenin, exiled in Finland, claimed that the Provisional Government was incapable of solving the war and land issues, and that they should be immediately overthrown by the Soviet 209
Lenin s Argument Lenin sought to expedite the revolution for three reasons: 1. Firstly, he saw the Provisional Government haemorrhaging. 2. Secondly, the All-Russian Congress of Soviets was due to be held in late October. He argued that if the Bolsheviks had seized power by then, the soviets would have no choice but to accept their authority. 3. Thirdly, Constituent Assembly elections were due in November, and he was unsure how the Bolsheviks would perform. If another party was elected in November, it would be difficult to challenge their moral authority. 210
Lenin Returns 7 th October Lenin returns to Petrograd 10 th October meeting of the Bolshevik Central Committee History will not forgive us if we do not take power now. Feared the elections would lead to a coalition Believed the mood for revolution was ripe 211
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Counter Arguments Not all Bolshevik s agreed Kamenev and Zinoviev felt they should wait until the Constituent Assembly elections scheduled for 12 th November Trotsky felt they should wait for the All- Russian Congress of Soviets scheduled for late October 10 th October decision for armed insurrection made, not decisive plan 213
Military Revolutionary Committee Mid-October Kerensky ordered soldiers from Petrograd Garrison to Northern Front (protect city from Germans) Wanted to rid Petrograd of trouble and encourage early Bolshevik uprising Plan backfired Military Revolutionary Committee formed to protect city and defend counter-revolution 214
Military Revolutionary Committee Milrevcom or MRC Five man leadership committee (Trotsky and two other Bolsheviks) control of garrison Sent message of protection to workers and soldiers 215
Kerensky s Actions Zinoviev and Kamenev article in Novaia Zhizn (New Life) stating they thought it would be a mistake to try to overthrow the government Lenin was furious Kerensky believed that it was a ploy and that the date for insurrection had been set 23 rd -24 th October, Kerensky s pre-emptive attack bridges raised, closed Bolshevik newspapers and organised troops to arrest leading Bolsheviks Trotsky sets Milrevcom into action 216
Bolshevik s seize power 24 th -26 th October Trotsky orders Red Guard to seize major vantage points around Petrograd Lenin had given the order, Trotsky organised the insurrection Little fighting Provisional Government without military support - Petrograd garrison mass desertion, only a small group of Cossacks and women soldiers The Aurora (anchored on River Nev) sounded its guns in support of the Bolsheviks persuaded most of the Provisional Government to hide, flee or surrender Little resistance when Red Guards entered the Winter Palace most fled 217
All-Russian Congress of Soviets 25 th October, 10:40pm opens Martov proposed a socialist coalition government The right SRs and Mensheviks denounced the actions of the Bolsheviks, claiming that power had not been seized in the name of the Soviets, but in the name of the Bolsheviks Trotsky go back to where you ought to go: into the dustbin of history! Left SRs remain Bolshevik control 218
All-Russian Congress of Soviets 26 th October, 8:40pm reopens Lenin announced that power had been seized by the Bolshevik led Petrograd Soviet in their name Lenin we shall now proceed to build, on the space cleared of historical rubbish, the airy, towering edifice of socialist society. Peace and Land decrees 219
All-Russian Congress of Soviets 27 th October New government named Council of People s Commissars (Sovnarkom) announced Lenin named himself chairman New Soviet CEC elected Decree on Press 220
Historical Interpretations Lynch: In October 1917 the Bolsheviks were pushing against an already open door. Service: If Lenin had never existed, a socialist government would probably have ruled Russia by the end of [1917]. 221
Historical Interpretations Pipes: October was a classic coup d etat, the capture of governmental authority by a small band, carried out, in deference to the democratic professions of the age, with a show of mass participation, but with hardly any mass involvement. 222
Historical Interpretations G.D. Obichkin: In his guidance of the uprising, Lenin s genius as a leader of the masses, a wise and fearless strategist, who clearly saw what direction the revolution would take, was strikingly revealed. 223
Historical Interpretations Wood: There was clearly much more behind the Bolsheviks victory than ideological or organizational superiority over other political forces. The Bolsheviks were simply much more in tune with popular feeling than either the constitutionally-minded liberal politicians or the moderate socialists. 224
Historical Interpretations Figes: The October insurrection was a coup d etat, actively supported by a small minority of the population but it took place amidst a social revolution, which was centered on the popular realization of Soviet power. 225
Historical Interpretations Reed: [Lenin was a] strange popular leader- a leader purely by virtue of intellect; colourless, humourless, uncompromising and detached, without picturesque idiosyncrasies- but with the power of explaining profound ideas in simple terms, of analysing a concrete situation. And combined with shrewdness, the greatest intellectual audacity. Ten Days That Shook the World 226