Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
development between revolutions - chap 3 - Coggle Diagram
development between revolutions - chap 3
return of Lenin and his ideology and April theses
returned to Russia from Switzerland on April 3rd 1917
the feb rev caught hum by surprise and had to list the help of the germans to enable his return - germans saw the advantage of allowing bolsheviks to stir up trouble - allowed him to travel through Germany to Sweden and then to Finland and Petrograd
arrived via sealed train
he returned with a ready made political programme, making it clear that the party's job was to lead the people forward with a second revolution
didn't believe in the need for a bourgeoise stage of revolution as he believed the Russian middle class was too weak - theory of permanent revolution (the russian revolution didn't need to confine itself to bourgeoise democratic objectives
April theses demanded that the war should be brought to an immediate end, power should be transferred to the soviets, all land should be taken over by the state and reallocated to peasants by local soviets -
peace, bread, land and all power to the soviets
when lenins demands were put to the social democrats they caused uproar among the delegates - some feared he had grown out of touch and become too radical.
Lenin got his way due to his skills of persuasion, tactful retreat and compromise - sought converts at party and factory meetings (wore a workers cap to look more proletarian)
by end of April Lenin had won over the majority of the central committee of the Bolshevik party by sheer force of personality
-
in the June demonstrations called by the leaders of the PS in an attempt to outmanoeuvre the Bolsheviks, Bolshevik banners dominated the march
july days
Kronstadt naval base - sailors organised their own armed demonstration in july using Bolshevik slogans. - demonstrations spread into petrograd
put Lenin in a difficult place as he could neither condemn the actions nor support it because a premature revolution
shots fired at demonstrators
the PG brought in reinforcements to stop the demonstration but bolsheviks helped force the demonstrators out of the Peter and Paul Fortress, they were blamed for the bloodshed.
the Pravda (bolshevik newspaper) was closed down and warrants were issued for the arrests of the leaders - Lenin and Stalin fled but Trotsky and Kamenev were imprisoned - bolshevik propaganda was burned and Lenin's reputation was ruined for fleeing not leading
8th July Kerensky replaced Prince Lvov as prime minister
it is unclear whether the rebellion was actually formed by the bolsheviks
Kornilov Coup, role of PG and Trotsky
June 1917 - major offensive in Galicia led by Brutilov in hopes of rallying the nation but the Russian advance was beaten back with heavy losses -
the anti war sentiment grew so Kerensky appointed General Kornilov as commander in chief of the army in an effort to restore discipline
- death penalty reinstated
Moscow state conference - Bolsheviks boycotted, SRs and Mensheviks spoke out against Kornilov's measures - those on the right who felt the PG had done little to protect their land and interests saw Kornilov as their saviour
by summer 1917 - PG had little support - food supplies were in chaos, real wages fell rapidly as prices rose, by October prices were 755% above war levels.
at the end of august Kornilov ordered six regiments of troops to march on Petrograd, intending to crush the soviets and assume a military dictatorship
this coup failed when Kerensky ordered Kornilov to come to a halt, he didn't so Kerensky had to release imprisoned Bolsheviks and provided workers with weapons from the government's armouries to halt the advance. Kornilov's supply lines were cut and the coup leaders were arrested
the Bolsheviks majorly benefitted from the coup - despite being a minority in the soviet - they took the lead in organising the Petrograd Red Guards creating a more efficient paramillitary unit. they milked propaganda opportunities to tarnish Kerensky, basking in the reputation of being the only group to stop the Kornilov advance
Bolsheviks were elected in increased numbers to the soviets. it stood at 23,000 in Feb and reached 200,000 by beginning of October which by this time the party was producing 41 newspapers and commanded a force of 10,000 red guards -
won a majority in both Moscow and Petrograd soviets and on 26th September Trotsky became executive committee of the Petrograd soviet
5th October - Kerensky sent some of the more radical army units out of Petrograd to prepare for front line service - out of fear of a Bolshevik uprising - Bolsheviks claimed Kerensky was abandoning Petrograd allowing it to fall to the germans
Lenin and Central Committee
from mid September, Lenin had began bombarding the 12 man committee with letters demanding that they prepare for the revolution and seizure of power
15th September - committee voted against a coup and even Lenins threat of resignation didn't move them
Lev Kamenev and Grigorii Zinoviev feared Russia wasn't economically ready for a revolution - believed they shouldn't act before the constituent assembly elections
Trotsky suggested they should work through the Petrograd soviet and wait for the congress of soviets which was to be convened on the 26th October
Lenin slipped back into Russia in disguise and harangued the central committee all night and finally succeeded with a vote of 10 to 2.
trotsky
Trotsky was left to organise the revolution
sent bolshevik speakers around factories
5 October - set up 'military revolutionary committee' - comprise of 66 members, 48 bolsheviks
he massed troops at the Solmony institute
commissars were sent to all Petrograd's garrison units and 15 out of 18 declared their allegiance to the soviet rather than the PG - they ensured loyalty and issued orders and organised weapon supplies
committee came to 200,000 red guards, 60,000 Baltic sailors, 150,000 soldiers - revolution officially began 25th October