Causes of the Revolution Flashcards
(11 cards)
What were the causes of discontent in Russia which led to the revolution?
•The weaknesses of the PG and defeat of the war
•combined with the political maneuvers of the Bolsheviks under Lenin and Trotsky
•As well as the deteriorating economic situation and the resentment of soldier, peasants and workers created an explosive mix of issues
How did Kerensky respond to the danger of the Bolsheviks?
•He finally acted on 23rd October
•He ordered the printers of two Bolshevik newspapers - the Pravda and Izvestia - to cease all activity
•sent troops to raise the bridges linking the working class areas of Petrograd to the city centre
Why did Kerensky order Bolshevik newspaper to cease all activity?
•In an attempt to restrict the power of the military revolutionary committee (formed by Trotsky)
Did kerenskys actions against the Bolsheviks work?
•No, he was prevented from following through with his actions by troops loyal to the Bolsheviks who claimed that his actions were a betrayal of the Soviet and an abandonment of the principles of the Feb/March revolution
What did Keeenskys failed actions give the Bolsheviks?
•An opportunity to act
What happened on the 24th October?
•following Troskys plan through the night of 24th-25th of October 5000 soldiers and sailors from Kronstadt moved into the city and Bolshevik red guards began to take over key government buildings and positions in Petrograd
• This included the telephone exchange, post office railway stations, news agency, state banks, Bridges, and power stations
• although encountered some resistance at the main telegraph office, the troops on duty generally gave in without resistance
• Lennon remained in hiding until the evening when he traveled to Smolny to take charge of the insurrection
What happened on the 25th October?
•Kerensky left Petrograd in an attempt to rally military support
• Red guards, soldiers, and sailors surrounded the winter palace, which was threatened by artillery from the St Peter and Paul Fortress across the river, and by the guns of the battleship Aurora
• at 9:40 PM blank shot was fired from the aurora. This was the signal for the beginning of the Bolshevik attack
• the red guard was easily able to penetrate the building
•The crew had declared their support for the revolution
• The second Congress of Soviet convened, without Lenin or the Bolsheviks present as they were still out fighting on the streets
•it was nearly midnight when the first Bolshevik deputies arrived with news of the days events
•Some Menshevik and right wing social revolutionaries made public declaration of protest “against the military conspiracy and seizure of power”
What happened on the 26th of October?
• in the early hours of the morning, the Congress gave the announcement of the capture of the winter palace and the arrest of the remaining members of the provisional government
• At 5 AM, the Congress adopted a resolution to take power into its own hands
• at 9 PM the second session of the Congress opened and Lenins ‘decree on peace’ to end the war was adopted unanimously
What happened on the 27th of October?
• at 2 AM Lenins decree on land, which acknowledged the peasant seizures was agreed and the basic fraction forward their proposal for the reorganization of the government
• these were opposed by the mensheviks and left-wing social revolutionaries
• however the Congress adopted the proposals by an overwhelming withdraw and elected, a new old Russian central executive committee of 101 members of whom 52 about civics and 29 were left wing social revolutionaries
• a Soviet of peoples commissars known as Sovnarkom, was created to run the government which included only Bolsheviks because the left wing social revolutionaries refused to join
• Lennon was elected chairman of the Soviet of peoples commissars
• Other resolutions, such as the transfer of power in the provinces to the local Soviets, the freeing of those arrested for political action by the provisional government, the abolition of the death penalty at the and the immediate arrest of Kerensky were enacted
•congress concluded its work at 5.15 am
How large was the October/ November revolution?
•It was a relatively small scale affair
• trust me claim that 25,000 to 30,000 “at the most” were actively involved - this would mean about 5% of all the workers and soldiers in the city
• he also said that the revolution was essentially a series of “ small operations calculated and prepared in advance”
• Record suggest that was no more than five deaths
Why was the October revolution a small scale affair?
• The provisional government had hardly any military resources left to combat the assault
