Bolshevik Seizure of power

Weaknesses and mistakes of the Provisional Government.

• They didn't think they had the authority to make important decisions and so didn't end the war
• At first, were afraid of being executed for treason by Tsarist officers
• Orders had to be approved by the Petrograd Soviet, who refused to cooperate
• Didn't try to tackle food shortages or agricultural problems
• They continued the war, and in 1917 launched an attack on Austria, which failed very badly. Support for them really fell after this.
• Abolished the Okhrana, which allowed political opponents to rise up quickly
• Didn't carry out significant reform.

 The Petrograd Soviet.

• Formed on the 27th of Feb, 1917
• Made up of workers and soldiers that had been part of previous commitees
• Controlled at first by Socialist Revolutionaries
• Issued Order Number One which declared that the Soviet had control of military forces in Petrograd
• Issued Military Order Number One which said all the Provisional Government's decisions had to be approved by the soviet
• They had significantly more power than the prov. gov.
• Alexander Kerensky provided a good bridge between them
• Having two governments with shared power caused chaos in Petrograd

The activities of Lenin and the Bolsheviks.

• In march, 1917, Lenin was living in Switzerland. He was sent to Russia by the Germans in an attempt to stir up trouble.
• He hoped to take power by taking advantage of the chaos caused by the feb revolution
• He made extravagant promises and used the slogan 'peace, land, bread' - everything the people wanted.
• He returned to Russia in April, 1917, and immediately published the April Theses (16th April) which declared:
• All power to the soviets
• Banks should be controlled by the state
• Army should become a national millita
• All factories should come under the control of the Soviets
• An end to the war with Germany
• Abolition of the provisional government
• When strikes broke out in April, 1917, the Bolsheviks tried to take over Petrograd, but failed.
• The members of the Soviet were invited to join the provisional government and Lenin opposed this with limited success
• He encouraged criticizm of the provisional government and the Petrograd Soviet
• Wanted the Soviet to be more outspoken in their criticisms of the provisional government
   

 July Days

16 - 17 July, 1912

Causes

• Collapse in government ministry
• Prime Minister Lvov resigned and so did all four Kadet ministers which sparked the collapse of the coalition ministry
• Provisional government's attempt to escalate the war effort
• The Kerensky Offensive - the first few days were mostly a success. Kerensky seemed excited by the arrival of new heavy artillery pieces from Japan and Britain. He hoped this would improve the morale of the soldiers and Russia in general. Once the Allies broke through the Austro-Hungarian defences, though, they were met by strong German forces
• 400,000 Russian casualties
• 200km surrendered
• Constant stream of Bolshevik propaganda condemning the government and calling for all power to the Soviets

Events

• On July 3rd, street riots and demonstrations broke out. The next day, they were joined by mutinying soldiers and Kronstadt sailors
• A large group assembled outside the Tauride Palace where the Petrograd Soviet resided.
• Others assembled outside Kseshinskaya Palace where the Bolsheviks resided, chanting for Lenin to come out and hoping he would make a great inspiring speech about how the government would be overthrown
• Instead, they got a delayed and unenthusiastic response from Lenin, who eventually appeared, who offered breif and restrained comments.
• He did not give the public support, motivation or instruction, and the deflated mob eventually went away
• Many of them resorted to heavy drinking and disruptive behavior (eg vandalism)

Effects

• Blame for the July Days was put at the feet of Lenin and the Bolsheviks
• As soon as Kerensky became prime minister (i.e. just after the July days), he took immediate action and ordered the arrest of Lenin and a series of other Bolsheviks
• Many Bolsheviks were rounded up, arrested, or sent into exile. Lenin had to flee to Finland disguised as a fisherman
• The Bolshevik movement seemed done for

 Kornilov Revolt.

Causes / events

• Led by General Kornilov, who was a traditionalist who believed in capital and corporal punishment as a means for enforcing order and discipline. He hated anyone who disagreed with these methods.
• For several days, Lavr Kornilov (still loyal to Tsarism) tried to gather troops and financial support so he could take over Petrograd and "restore order" there.
• He claimed to be acting on Kerensky's instructions (which he wasn't) but Kerensky called him a counter-revolutionary who wanted a military dictatorship with him at the head.
• Wanted to crush radical socialism. He met with wealthy Russians on a train and asked for their financial and moral support in the occupation of Petrograd. He promised he had Kerensky's approval and that he would be loyal to the future Constituent Assembly. He probably later met up with his officers to gain even more support.
• The thing that probably helped him was his promise to dissolve Lenin and the Bolshevik party by dispersing and arresting them
• Kerensky heard about Kornilov's plans and sent him a telegram asking him to confirm whether it was true. His answer did not meet Kerensky's expectations, so he sacked Kornilov, convinced that a military coup was about to happen.
• He called on the Soviet to protect the government in case Kornilov made a move

Effects

• Bolshevik leaders, including Trotsky, were set free from prisonat the request of the Soviet
• Bolsheviks were given weapons, which they kept. This would later be important
• They had re-injected revolutionary leaders into an already unstable political environment
• Showed that the Provisional Government, including Kerensky, had little real power because he had to beg the Soviet for help

Work in progress ^

Key events of the Bolshevik takeover

• In September, 1917, Trotsky became leader of the military commitee of the Petrograd Soviet. Up until September, Trotsky had been a Menshevik, but soon joined Lenin and became a Bolshevik instead.
• Lenin helped to force the Bolsheviks to accept the idea of an actual seizure of power. However, during the planned takeover between the 25th and 26th of October, he was still hiding in Finland. Trotsky became the most important Bolshevik in Petrograd.
• Trotsky had planned it all out.
• He cut the telephone wires
• Seized control of the post office, railway station and other key buildings
• Isolated the winter palace, where the prov. gov. met
• Used his position on the Military Committee to send the army units still loyal to the prov. gov to fight off an attack from the Germans (supposedly)
• The Bolsheviks drove the provisional government out of the Winter Palace
• Kerensky sent various messages calling for help from the army, but he only managed to get the support of a few assorted troops. This included students, 140 women, and 40 soldiers crippled by wounds.
• There were only a few thousand Bolsheviks, but it took them 2 days to take control of the Winter Palace.
• The Petrograd Garrison could've stepped in, but didn't.

Reasons for success of Bolsheviks, especially the role of Lenin and Trotsky.

• Trotsky had everything impeccably planned out
• Once they siezed power, Lenin declared himself the ruler of Russia. He immediately issued two decrees:
• Land Decree: land belonged (now) to peasants who farmed it
• Peace Decree: the war with Germany was now over
• He did this to 'assure' the Russian people that he was trustworthy and could keep his promises
• He had previously promised an election. He did meet this promise. However, the elections were won by the Social Revolutionaries, which made Lenin really angry. So he closed down the Constituent Assembly the next day and started to run the country as a dictatorship.
• He enforced his policies with the secret police, or CHEKA.
• He had agreed to stop the war, and so he sent Trotsky to negotiate a peace treaty with the Germans in January, 1918. The talks dragged on for two months, and the Germans were determined to give Russia a harsh deal. It was so harsh in fact, that Trotsky refused to sign it at first. Lenin sent him back and told him to accept the conditions, which he reluctantly did. And so the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed in March, 1918.
• Russia lost 25 % of its population
• 25% of its iron and wheat
• And had to pay 300,000 gold Roubles

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