The November Revolution 1917 G.C.S.E Sources 1. The three points made by Lenin in April 1917 were attractive to many Russian people because the first point was that, the people wanted the war to end, as clearly Russia was losing, there was plenty of shortages, also shortages of land, and all of the disadvantages were already proven by the March Revolution so, the people and the government knew what was going to happen, so they should have ended it early. The second point was that, the land should be given to the peasants; the people were attracted to this point because, the main population of Russia was the peasants, the peasants were demanding for land in the March revolution, but they weren’t heard. As a result of this, the Peasants were grabbing land because the government didn’t give them the land they requested. The third was that the soviets should take power; the people were attracted to this point because, Lenin was a member of the soviet party, the Russian people were attracted to the soviets as they liked the points they made and also the Soviets were already popular so this means that the people were already supporting the Soviets.
This was a dramatic change from the Bolshevik party's position in 1917 when the party enjoyed widespread support amongst the peasants, workers and soldiers who saw in the Bolshevik's the best hope for popular revolution. By the early 1920's however this had all changed. The Bolshevik's had lost the majority of its popular support after a ferocious Civil War and several economic disasters, political failures and mismanagement. Throughout the period 1917 to 1924 the Bolshevik's tried desperately to consolidate their power and regain control of the Country. Lenin’s contribution to the Bolshevik Party was an essential factor in their consolidation of power during 1917-1924, however; Lenin’s role was not the only factor contributing to their success.
The success of the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War was due to Lenin, Trotsky and their combined political, social and military capabilities as they were experts. They introduced various political and military policies that enabled them to raise support in Russia and create a dominant and successful military force. Both leaders showed immense dedication to the socialist cause and in doing so provided ruthless and brilliant leadership that ensured Bolshevik victory in the Russian Civil War. Peasant support for the Bolsheviks was a result of the Whites political and social faults. Firstly, the Whites treated the peasant class harshly, they did not see the advantage of gaining the support of the larger lower class as about 82% and they did not take full advantage of that.
There were many short and long term effects of the Russian revolution. Firstly the short term effects following the Russian revolution were that Lenin hoped the constituent assembly (parliament) would show the rest of Russia how good the Bolsheviks could be for the Russian nation and how popular their leadership was. However they only gained 161 seats, compared to the social revolutionaries who won 267 seats. Obviously the Bolsheviks had become popular in Petrograd, but beyond the capital the population hadn’t been more in favour of the social revolutionaries and hadn’t been convinced by Lenin’s promise yet. In reaction to this, he shut down the assembly in order to keep power for himself.
The Dumas were the government’s response to the 1905 revolution, and the tsar’s granting of a duma in the October Manifesto was the most striking of the concessions made to the liberals. The Dumas offered a major forum for political debate, and between
How accurate is it to say that Lenin’s leadership was the most important reason for the Bolsheviks’ success in the revolution of October 1917? The Bolshevik party on 25th October 1917 seized control of Russia with Lenin viewed to many as the icon of the revolution since his policies were quickly widespread amongst the people of Petrograd and his impressive leadership skills mobilized his ideas and the Bolshevik planned events to gain power. However, many would disagree, arguing that Lenin is not as significant because other leading Bolsheviks, such as Trotsky, were far more effective than Lenin in carrying out the revolution. Secondly, the weaknesses and underlying issues of the Provisional Government proved that they were destined to fail regardless of their attempts to keep power through repression, already placing the Bolsheviks in a good position for taking control. Finally the failures of the Provisional Government made them vulnerable which coincidentally worked to advantage the Bolsheviks.
“Why did the Bolsheviks win the Civil War?” Bolsheviks were one of the oppositions of the Tsar who were led by Lenin. They were one of the minor groups who were against the Tsar but then their supporters and followers had increased making them stronger and invulnerable. They’ve fought for what they thought was right and this led them to the success they’ve always wanted – taking over Russia. But at the end of the year 1918, a civil war occurred between the Red Army who were mainly the Bolsheviks, and the White Army who were consisted of the Social Revolutionaries, Mensheviks, supporters of the Tsar, workers and capitalists, and the Americans, British and French. The White Armies had outnumbered the Red Armies but the Red Army still managed to win the Civil war.
To what extent was the leadership of the Bolsheviks the reason for their success in the Civil War in Russia from 1918-21? The Bolshevik’s new government was still in its infantry stages when the Civil War broke out, threatening the foundation they had created for their socialist state. It is to a critical extent that the leadership of the Bolsheviks was the reason for their victory in the Civil War in Russia from 1918-1921. Lenin’s introduction of the severe policies under war communism dealt with the disastrous economic and military situation that the Bolsheviks were facing with the onset of the Civil War, and although exasperating social problems it ensured the survival of the industrial areas under Red control and kept the Red armies fed and supplied. Lenin’s skilled use of propaganda and the importance of the cause of ‘mother Russia’ harnessed the support of the peasants and working class in the face of another revolution.
A study of Russian governments in the period 1855 – 1964 suggests that Russia simply exchanged one form of autocracy for another after 1917. How far do you agree? When the February revolution brought an end to Tsarist rule, there was a strong belief that the instatement of the Provisional Government would lead to a more democratic Russia. However in deposing the Provisional Government, the October Revolution had removed any such hope. The totalitarian Government of the Communist Party continued and intensified many aspects of the Tsarist regime including use of the secret police and an intolerance for opposition and democracy in general.
To begin with, before 1917, the Bolsheviks had spent their time planning for revolution. In spring 1917, the Bolsheviks seemed to be the most unlikely group to overthrow the Provisional Government. The Bolsheviks had claimed that they were acting on behalf of the Soviet who had shared political power with the government. The Bolshevik control of the MRC gave them the majority of their victory in the October Revolution. Once the Bolsheviks had come to power, it had announced two measures for the economic policy.