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How important was Lenin in the fall of the Provisional Government? (Oct.…
How important was Lenin in the fall of the Provisional Government? (Oct. 1917)
LENIN WAS IMPORTANT
He had support from the people
Kronstaders rallied around him during the July Days
He was absolutely dedicated to the cause.
Exiled to Siberia for sedition, renamed himself Lenin after the River Lena
Held a grudge against tsarism after the People's Will executions
Returned to Russia in disguise to hound his party into agreeing to another revolution.
Continued to influence the Bolsheviks even while in Finland
He sent numerous telegrams telling them to act now against the TPG.
When he returned, he managed to convince the majority of the Central Committee to take action against the TPG on Oct 10.
He developed many of the theories that personified the Bolshevik party in his April Theses (which contributed to the Jult Days uprising), such as peace ('without annexations or indemnities', which may have developed later) and the redistribution of land among the peasantry, and Soviet control of production and manufacture. The theses helped to spread Bolshevik ideas and gain support.
He was a good speaker, and his slogan of 'peace, bread and land' was pertinent and won many to his side.
EXAGGERATED IMPORTANCE
His fondness for control and power sometimes overruled the good of the revolution he professed to fight for.
The July Days could've possibly been a turning point against the TPG, but he refused to give the Kronstadt sailors the decisive leadership they looked to him for.
Some argue that Lenin merely reacted to events, rather than propelling them onwards.
For example, the historian Robert service is of the opinion that "revolution was coming; Lenin just esnured it was Bolshevik.".
He never managed to convince the whole Bolshevik party to his side: Kamenev and Zinoviev always opposed him.
Other figures, such as Trotsky (the 'architect' of the revoltuion, its planner) were also significant in the downfall of the TPG.
MISTAKES OF THE TPG
The Dual Authority was difficult to navigate because of the diapritate aims of the Soviet and the TPG.
It was too bourgeios, too similar to the Duma; the Russian people expected a full overhaul of the old elite.
They were not consistenet in their promises; specifically, they proposed a defensive victory for Russia, whilst most just wanted the war to end, but they even ordered an offensive, which was a failure and completely went against all they had said they would do in regards to the war.
They weren't looking to make massive reforms to please the people the way the Soviet was.
They weren't solving the economic situation, which was only getting worse as the war continued.