History essay
Why were the Bolsheviks successful in 1917?
In 1917, things were changing for Russia. The Tsar was overthrown, new governments were set up and Russia was firmly set on the path towards…something. During the month of October, there was the second revolution of 1917. Instead of the first one placed in February, this time the Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, are taking over, resulting in the creation of the world's first communist country.
Lenin Became the leader of the Bolsheviks
How did Lenin come to lead the Bolsheviks
Vladimir Lenin was the most influential political figure in the development of the Russian Revolution. Before he was able to lead the coup in the capital during October 1917, however, Lenin first had to win the support of the Bolshevik party upon his return to Russia earlier that same year. His work to consolidate support and gain influence was not easily accomplished, however, due to the fact that many of the Bolshevik leaders at the time considered Lenin's views to be quite insane.
When he arrived at Finland Station late in the night of April 3rd, after being abroad for several years, he was greeted by Nikolai Chkheidze, head of the Petrograd Soviet. He immediately proposed that Lenin support their plan to unite with the Provisional Government and advocated for the continuation of the war.
What Lenin did next did not please Chkheidze at all. Lenin completely bypassed him, appealing instead to the workers, soldiers and sailors. Lenin in his first speech held at the Finland Station in front of thousands of people, congratulated the Russians for their successful revolution, however he had more to say. In a speech made just hours later, Lenin shocked everyone by denouncing the Provisional Government and calling for a new revolution. He reminded the people that the country was still at war and that the Provisional Government had done nothing to give the people bread and land.
The April Theses
On April 4th, only a day after arriving in Petrograd, Lenin presents his set of policies and ideas to the April Conference of the Bolsheviks. This document was the April Theses. It showed Lenin’s idea, which was meant to focus the Bolsheviks’ goal on maintaining the movement of the February revolution along the Marxist vision of a true proletariat revolution that would spell the end of capitalism and elevate the Russian working class.
The April Theses had 10 points, of which the most important ones were:
-Bolsheviks still see it as a war to overthrow a capitalist and imperialist aggression, so the purpose of a revolution is not changed;
-Bolsheviks will not support the provisional government of Russia, which is filled with bourgeoisie capitalists who stole power from the people in the February revolution;
-A workers' administration will be created to replace the bourgeoisie bureaucracy, and the workers will be placed in charge of production;
– Bolsheviks mean to end the war and create a republic of Soviet workers, not a parliamentary republic.
Although some Bolsheviks still had reservations about the program, the concepts contained in the theses became very popular among the workers and soldiers of Petrograd, who, using Bolshevik slogans, unsuccessfully tried to force the Soviet to take power in July. It was not until October, however, that Lenin’s party was able to begin implementation of its program and seize power from the Provisional Government in the name of the Soviets.
Lenin’s promises to the Russian population
In July 1916, the proletariat, although it was disorganized, protested animatedly against the government, shouting in group to the Palace of Tauride: "All power to the Soviets".
Meanwhile the Bolsheviks, led
by Trotzki and Lenin, placed a leader of the protest. Prepared their program to meet the demands of the workers, as was interpreted by the programmatic manifest of February 25th, 1917, spontaneously born by the people, where there is written the phrase: "Let's go down in the streets with the red flags of the revolution". Thus, the Mensheviks warmongers and socialists were mired in compromises with the bourgeoisie, the Bolsheviks soon conquered the masses. Although persecuted and scorned in July, they had already held to their cause the most of the workers of the capital, the Baltic sailors and the soldiers in September. People in Russia at the time were reduced to the bone; in the "tails of bread", queues with people standing for some food, were the people who would be the cause of the prompt revolution: they were preparing to wait for hours, under the frost of the Russian winter, along the shops of Petrograd to get some food to survive.
On October 17th the newspaper "Raboci i Soldat" ("The Worker and the Soldier") in its first issue stated the Bolshevik program, which includes: all power to the Soviets, in the capital enters the provincial. Immediate truce on all fronts; loyal peace among the people, and that the land is given back to the peasants, without compensation to the owners. These were the promises made by the Bolsheviks, which were planned by Lenin. The three main requests of the Russian people were just peace, land and bread which meant: no more senseless war, giving them back their own lands and being able to provide food.
This shows how Lenin was able to have the population on his side, that is needed to take control of the revolution.
Most of the workers were on Lenin’s side
Once Lenin had pronounced his promises, on behalf of all the Bolsheviks, he obtained the total support of most of the workers, farmers sailors and industrial workers.
Lenin’s middle class background was not held against him as he had been in prison for his believes and he was seen by the workers as the man able to lead them.
Even before making people know his idea, Lenin had already decided that the workers were incapable of leading themselves as they did not have the necessary skills. He and other trained revolutionaries would take over it. Therefore in October 1917 Lenin felt that the time was right for a revolution, which he would have been in charge . However the actual revolution began in November, when the leftist revolutionaries led by Bolshevik Party leader Vladimir Lenin launched a nearly bloodless coup d’état against the Duma’s provisional government.
During the night of 7th November Bolsheviks and their allies occupied the government buildings and other strategic locations in Petrograd. They soon formed a new government with Lenin as its head; this made Lenin become the dictator of the world’s first communist state. The 8th of November the decrees on land, bread and peace, are issued by the new Bolshevik government. Subsequent workers’ decrees outlined measures for an eight-hour working day, minimum wage and the running of factories. Moreover the death penalty was abolished.
The 1917 was certainly one of the most difficult and controversial years for Russia, and for its population. During this year two revolutions, which had totally different political interests, had taken place: the first one in February and the second one in October. At the end the communism, constituted by the Bolsheviks, has managed to undermine the provisional Government.