5. The October Revolution Flashcards
(7 cards)
What was the reaction to Lenin’s plan within the Central Committee?
Zinoviev and Kamenev opposed any uprising, arguing that the Bolsheviks should join a coalition gov with the radical SRs and Mensheviks. In spite of these divisions, Lenin persuaded the majority to back his plans, with Trotsky being given the role of planning the uprising in detail.
What did the PG announce in August that made Lenin act?
The PG announced that elections would take place for a new constituent assembly in November. Lenin knew the SRs would win and that the constituent assembly would have a mandate to create a democratic gov. He was determined to seize power before this could happen. Lenin secretly returned to Petrograd from Finland to persuade the Bolshevik Central Committee to support a revolution.
How did Trotsky and the Military Revolutionary Committee help the revolution?
Trotsky was the chair of the Petrograd Soviet, so he could make the revolution look like the Soviet was seizing power, not the Bolsheviks. The MRC was crucial in his plan. It had been created by the Mensheviks after the Kornilov affair and was formed to protect Petrograd from a military takeover. By October, the MRC was under Bolshevik control. In mid - October, the PG announced that the Petrograd troops were being moved away - which horrified the Soviet as they assumed it meant loyal troops to the Soviet were being moved away so the PG could take control. Trotsky readied the MRC for ‘defensive action’.
What was the first phase of the seizure of power?
Soldiers loyal to the MRC occupied the post and telegraph offices and railway stations. This meant the Bolsheviks could extend their control over the city’s infrastructure, which prevented the PG from summoning help.
What happened during the storming of the Winter Palace?
The PG was based in the Winter Palace. It was surrounded by the Petrograd Garrison and the Battleship Aurora (manned by the Kronstadt sailors) began the assault on the Palace by opening fire. Trotsky and the Red Guards arrested the majority of the PG. On October 25th, the MRC announced that the PG had been deposed - with Kerensky fleeing Petrograd with the help of the US embassy.
How did Lenin create Sovnarkom?
The storming took place on the day the 2nd Congress of Soviets opened. Only 300/670 delegates supported the Bolsheviks. Some SRs and Mensheviks walked out in protest but this reduced their representation, giving the Bolsheviks the majority they needed. The Congress then voted to create a new constitution - at the top of the new gov was the Sovnarkom (Council of People’s Commissars), of which Lenin was the chairman of.
What did Lenin do about the Constituent Assembly elections?
Lenin claimed that Sovnarkom was the legitimate gov of Russia, but this had little impact on life outside of Petrograd. Lenin refused to cancel the Constituent Assembly elections. The Bolsheviks won less than a 1/4 of the support of the country, with the SRs as the clear winners. However, the SRs were split and therefore weak, with the Left SRs supporting Sovnarkom, with it being a coalition of them and the Bolsheviks. So, Lenin could claim it was a coalition of Russia’s two most popular parties.
