The Establishment of Bolshevik Authority

Question 1

What happened during the evening of the 24th of October?

Answer 1

The MCR began there attack on the PG

Question 2

Why did the PG have little defence?

Answer 2

Soldiers who had previously served the PG offered little resistance and the Petrograd Garrison in fact backed the uprising
Winter Palace was defended by small number of female troops who were outnumbered by MCR

Question 3

How did the MCR prevent the PG from summoning help?

Answer 3

They occupied the post and telegraph offices as well as the railway stations (control over cities infrastructure = prevents help coming)

Question 4

Where was the PG bases?

Answer 4

The winter palace

Question 5

What did the MCR fire and why?

Answer 5

A blank shot from the battleship ‘Aurora’ to signal the beginning of the attack

Question 6

What did Trotsky and the Red Guard do when they entered the Winter Palace?

Answer 6

Successfully arrest the majority of the PG

Question 7

What was announced on October the 25th and who fled?

Answer 7

That the PG had been deposed and Kerensky fled with the help of the American Embassy

Question 8

What had Lenin always promised and what was his real intention?

Answer 8

Always promised ‘power to the soviets’ but soviets were multi-party organisation (didn’t want to share power with SR’s and Mensheviks) - he gave impression soviets were taking power was actually creating a situation where he could begin a communist dictatorship ending real soviet power

Question 9

Who was pleased at the news of Lenin’s and Trotsky’s seizure of power and when did it meet?

Answer 9

The Second All - Russian Congress - met on the 25th of October

Question 10

What happened when congress met and what did it allow Lenin to do?

Answer 10

Some Mensheviks and SR’s walked out in protest - this reduced SR and Menshevik representation and gave Bolsheviks the majority at the Congress - Lenin was therefore able to get support for new Bolshevik- dominated Government

Question 11

The Congress of Soviets voted to create a new constitution , what was at the top of the new government?

Answer 11

The Sovnarkom ( Council of Peoples Commisars) - exclusively made up from Bolsheviks unlike soviet Lenin acted as chairman of the Sovnarkom and was overall leader of government

Question 12

What was Below the Sovnarkom and then at the bottom of the government?

Answer 12

Below Sovnarkom = All-Russia Congress of Soviets which the Bolsheviks dominated
Bottom = representatives of cities, villages and local soviets

Question 13

Why was the nature of Bolshevik control fragile?

Answer 13

The Bolshevik influence was limited to two cities and the surrounding countryside and not much else - Bolshevik government was expected to collapse after a few days
Protests broke out and the State bank even refused to hand over money - took 10 days

Question 14

Did the Bolsheviks have majority support at the Second Congress of Soviets?

Answer 14

No - only 300/670 delegates supported the Bolsheviks but there was a majority of support for Lenin’s major policies so Congress passed a number of radical but largely popular measures.

Question 15

What was the Decree on Peace?

Answer 15

This ended Russia’s fighting in WW1 and committed the new revolutionary government to seek peace (without annexation)

Question 16

What was the Land Decree?

Answer 16

This Authorised peasants to seize the land of the gentry without compensation, land could no longer be bought, sold or rented, it belonged to everyone (not what Bolsheviks wanted - privately owned land not part of socialist vision
Abolished private ownership of land (reducing peasant support for SRs)

Question 17

What is the Workers Control of Factories Decree?

Answer 17

Factory committees given the right to control production and finance in the workplace - didn’t give direct powers to workers but many committees took it like that
Giving workers right to supervise management

Question 18

What was the Nationality decree?

Answer 18

Gave the right of self-determination to the national minorities in the former Russian empire (Bolsheviks didn’t have control of places where many of these lived anyway so just a paper measure), Finland became an independent state

Question 19

How did the Soviet begin to lose power under the Bolsheviks?

Answer 19

Lenin passed decrees by the Sovnarkom not seeking approval from Soviets (e.g. initiating peace talks with Germany without consulting soviets) - the soviet executive began to meet less and the Sovnarkom met once or twice a day
It was never dissolved but its power became negligible
Local soviets kept importance but they were brought into a new Bolshevik dominated power structure

Question 20

What happened on the 24th October?

Answer 20

5000 soldiers and sailors from the Kronstadt base moved into the city and Bolshevik red guards began to take over key government buildings and positions in Petrograd e.g. telephone exchange, railways, banks etc (despite some resistance, troops on duty generally gave in with no resistance)
Lenin remained in hiding until the evening

Question 21

What happened on October 25th?

Answer 21

Kerensky left Petrograd in an attempt to rally military support
Reg guard soldiers and sailors surrounded the winter palace which was threatened by artillery and the Battle ship Aurora
Blank shot was fired at 9:40 signalling the start of the Bolshevik attack - red guard easily able to enter
10:40 Second Congress of Soviets met (Lenin and the Bolsheviks still out fighting on the street) - mid day when first Bolsheviks arrived
Some Mensheviks and SRs made a public declaration of protest against ‘the military conspiracy and power seizure’

Question 22

What happened on October 26th?

Answer 22

In early hours of the morning, Congress greeted the announcement of the capture of the Winter Palace and arrest of the remaining members of the PG
5 AM congress adopted a revolution to take power into its own hands
Day spent sorting out the streets
9 PM the second session of the Congress opened and Lenin’s Decree on Peace (to end the war) was adopted unanimously

Question 23

What happened on 27th October?

Answer 23

At 2 am Lenin’s decree on Land was agreed and Bolsheviks put forward their proposals for the reorganisation of the government
They were opposed by the Mensheviks and left-wing SRs
Congress adopted the proposals with a massive majority and elected a new all Russian central executive committee of 101 Bolsheviks (62 Bolsheviks, 29 left-wing SRs)
Soviet of Peoples Commissars (Sovnarkom) was created to run the government (left SR’s refused to join so included only Bolsheviks and Lenin elected chairman

Question 24

What other resolutions were put forward on 27th October?

Answer 24

Abolition of death penalty, immediate arrest of Kerensky, transfer of power in the provinces to the local soviets and congress issued an appeal to the Cossacks to switch sides, to the railway workers to maintain order on a railway

Question 25

Was the Oct/Nov revolution big?

Answer 25

Trotsky claimed that 25,000-30,000 at most were actively involved (5% of all soldiers and workers in the city)
There may have been 10,000 to 15,000 in the square in front of the Winter Palace on the evening of 25th October but many may have been by standers not involved (suited the Bolsheviks to claim they were larger = ‘popular’ revolution = legitimises regime

Question 26

How much disturbance did the seizure of power cause and why?

Answer 26

25-27th there was very little fighting (no more than five deaths) as the PG had very little military resources left
Much of Petrograd was unaffected with trams, taxis, restaurants, theatres etc running normally

Question 27

When the first session of the second ‘All Russian Congress of Soviets’ met on the 25th of Oct was it united in support for the insurrection?

Answer 27

No - even the Bolsheviks (Z and K) spoke out about the ‘coup’
Tsereteli (The Menshevik leader) predicted Bolshevik power would last no longer than three weeks
SRs were split (left supported Lenin while right accused him of using violence to seize power illegally)
500 of the original 670 delegates voted in favour of a socialist government

Question 28

What was the moderates (Mensheviks and right SRs) response to the majority support for Lenin in Congress of Soviets?

Answer 28

They walked out in protest leaving a Bolshevik and left SR coalition therefore helping the Bolsheviks

Question 29

Who was the Sovnarkom made up from?

Answer 29

Exclusively of Bolsheviks with Lenin as chairman and Trotsky as Commissar of foreign affairs (included one female commissar - Aleksandra Kollontai)
Despite ‘all power to the soviets’, Lenin had no intention of sharing power with other socialists so he side lined the Petrograd Soviet in whose name he had claimed to act
Stalin = commissar of nationalities

Question 30

What happened on the 29th of Oct in terms of Bolsheviks establishing their control?

Answer 30

An army cadet rising against the Bolsheviks in Petrograd was quickly defeated by the red guard
The Executive Committee of railwaymen (Mensheviks, SRs and Bolsheviks) demanded a united socialist government and refused to transport food - Lenin ignored demand and protest fizzled out

Question 31

What happened on the 31st of Oct in terms of Bolsheviks establishing their control?

Answer 31

The Bolsheviks took control in Baku and 17 provincial capitals

Question 32

What happened on the 2nd of Nov in terms of Bolsheviks establishing their control?

Answer 32

Kerensky’s forces were defeated

The soviet government allowed nationalities of Russia to break away and have free independence if they chose so

Question 33

What happened on the 3rd of Nov in terms of Bolsheviks establishing their control?

Answer 33

The Kremlin in Moscow was taken, ending a ten-day battle for Moscow
Lenin issued an ultimatum to end division within the Bolsheviks- those unhappy with the new government given choice of accepting or leaving (K + Z + R with others left and Sverdlov was elected Chairman of the All Russian Central Executive Committee to replace K)

Question 34

What happened on the 5th of Nov in terms of Bolsheviks establishing their control?

Answer 34

Lenin proclaimed the victory of the revolution - assuring them that they were in power through the soviets

Question 35

By the end of 1917 what was the Bolshevik position like?

Answer 35

Dominated major towns and railways but large areas of the countryside were still outside their control (would take 4 years of civil war before Communists could claim full military control and victory of the country)

Question 36

What did Lenin reluctantly allow in November?

Answer 36

7 left wing SRs to join the Sovnarkom in November, in the wake of protests about the establishment of a purely Bolshevik state but he was hostile to other suggestions of power sharing

Question 37

What and why was Lenin’s hostility to power sharing?

Answer 37

Determined to avoid a socialist coalition government - seemed strange considering his ideological belief
Petitions from Factory workers and soldiers demanded a broad socialist government and the railwaymens strike demonstrated the strength of feeling for democratic government
Even Bolsheviks favoured this - possible he didn’t as he feared other socialist leaders might challenge him and dilute his own vision for the future

Question 38

What is the period between the Bolshevik seizure of power and the end of 1917 known as?

Answer 38

The ‘utopian phase’ (idealised perfection) of the Bolshevik rule as optimism was high and Lenin issued a high number of decrees

Question 39

What were the workers, social insurance and press decrees?

Answer 39

Workers - established a maximum 8 hour day
Social insurance - Provided old age, health and unemployment benefits
Press- banned opposition press

Question 40

What was the Rights of the people of Russia Decree, the judicial decree and the decree to outlaw sex discrimination?

Answer 40

Rights of People- abolished titles and ranks
Judicial - established a new legal system of elected peoples courts
Outlaw sex discrimination - gave women equality with men and right to own property

Question 41

What were the bank, military and church decrees?

Answer 41

Bank- nationalised banks and ended the private flow of capital
Military - removed class ranks, saluting and military decorations within the army and placed army under control of soldiers soviets which would elect officers
Church - nationalised church land, removed marriage and divorce from church control and gave women right to divorce

Question 42

What was the decree to establish the ‘All Russian Commission for the Suppression of Counter-Revolution, Sabotage and Speculation?

Answer 42

Created secret police force (Cheka) to root out opposition

Question 43

When was each of the decrees established?

Answer 43

Oct = Workers, social insurance, peace, land
Nov = Rights of People, nationality, judicial, outlaw sex discrimination 
Dec = Cheka, bank, military, church

Question 44

What was Lenin’s initial view on economic affairs?

Answer 44

Envisaged a long transition to socialism in which the first stage would be a form of ‘state capitalism’ throughout which there would be a degree of state control over the economy but private markets would remain an important feature of economic life - he spoke of the dangers of moving to socialism too quickly

Question 45

In December 1917 what was established to supervise the economy?

Answer 45

Veshenka - to supervise and control economic developments but Lenin remained cautious in the demands of some party members who stated Lenin should set about the complete nationalisation (taking business out of private hands under control of state) of industry

Question 46

How else was opposition combatted in the early months?

Answer 46

Anti Bolshevik newspapers closed down
Huge purge of the civil service
Cheka established in December
Leading Kadets, SRs and Mensheviks rounded up and imprisoned in December
Propaganda campaign mounted against political and ‘class enemies’ (particularly the bourgeoise (from Nov decreed that everyone had to be addressed as a ‘citizen’ and party members as ‘comrade’

Question 47

What did Lenin emphasise about his policies?

Answer 47

They were not simply intended to intimidate enemies but to transform society

Question 48

What are the different views of Lenin’s role in the revolution?

Answer 48

That it suited Soviet historians to idealise his role and treat him as heroic leader
Some believe Lenin was the central force directing the action, others state it was Trotsky who organised the red guard and the actual seizure of power
Some state Russia was heading for socialist takeover and Lenin just ensured it was the Bolsheviks
Critics point out he was absent for most of 1917 and and that he stayed in Petrograd rather than trying to create a truly ‘Russian’ revolution (making PG failures more important than Lenin’s role?)
Popular rising or coup?