4 - The October Revolution Flashcards
Why did the Germans fund Lenin to return from his exile in Switzerland?
In the hope Lenin would overthrow the Russian government and if the Russians withdrew from the war, the Germans could send more troops to the Western Front to fight the likes of Britain and France.
Lenin recorded his plans in the April Theses, what did it state?
- War with Germany had to end
- Power must be passed from middle class to working class
- All land had to be given to the peasants
- The police, army, bureaucracy (system where state officials make decisions not elected representatives) should be abolished.
- Capitalist system must be overthrown, banks, factories must become nationalised
- Bolsheviks should take control of the Soviets in order to achieve theirs aims
When did Lenin return from exile in Finland?
On the 7th October 1917, and on the 10th October he persuaded the Bolshevik Central Committee to agree to an uprising.
How did Kerensky find out about the Bolshevik uprising?
He was warned by two influential Bolshevik leaders, Kamenev and Zinoviev, who wrote their objections in the local newspaper.
How did Kerensky take action?
He closed down Bolshevik newspapers and tried to round up the leading Bolsheviks. Lenin was forced to launch the revolution on the 24th October.
Lenin’s promise of peace, land and bread were much more appealing than Kerensky, who had struggled to fix problems from February.
What happened in the storming of the Winter Palace on the 25th October?
Due to Bolshevik inefficiency, no attack took place in the afternoon. Many of the soldiers defending the palace had fled by the early evening however, and the Women’s battalion was allowed to leave unharmed.
Bolshevik soldiers filled into the palace with no plans, and eventually found the room with the Provisional Government members, and arrested them. Kerensky had fled in the morning.
How did Lenin contribute to Bolshevik victory?
- Had funding from the Germans
- Wrote the April Theses
- Persuaded most Bolsheviks to launch a revolution
- Founded the Red Guard and provided them with weapons and ammunition
How did Trotsky contribute to Bolshevik victory?
- He made plans to overthrow the provisional government and capture key buildings on the 24th October
- Dominant member of the Military Revolutionary Committee
- Persuasive speaker
How did the Red Guard contribute to Bolshevik victory?
- Stormed many significant buildings including a telecommunications building which prevented communication between the government
- Were very popular after the Kornilov revolt
How did the Provisional Government contribute to Bolshevik victory?
- Armed the Red Guard
- Continued the war
- Abolished the Okhrana
- Acted too late and sparked the revolution by attempting to arrest Bolshevik leaders.
Who were Kronstadt?
A group of sailors, about 10,000 men, who assisted Lenin in the revolution in the hope of a Soviet government although Lenin really wanted the supreme power of the Bolsheviks. Kronstadt joined the Red Guard in capturing key buildings and storming the Winter Palace.
