The October Revolution
In the aftermath of the February Revolution, power was shared between the Petrograd Soviet and the weak provisional government, creating the Russian Socialist-Revolutionary Party. However, the party was split between those who supported the provisional government, and those who supported the Bolsheviks. But, many Russians at this time did not take the provisional government serious, which made a great opportunity for Bolshevik Party leader Vladimir Lenin to seize power. On November 6 and 7,1917 (October 24 and 25 on the old Russian calender), leftist revolutionaries and Red Guards led by Vladimir Lenin occupied government buildings and other strategic locations in Petrograd. The night of October 25th, The Bolsheviks stormed the Winter Palace and arrested the provisional government.
Causes of the October Revolution
The Bolshevik slogan, "Bread, Peace, Land" sums up the three most important causes of the October Revolution.
- Bread: People in the cities were starving because of the poor economy and the fact that the army was made mostly of peasants in uniform which led to harvests not being brought in, fields not being plowed, crops not being sown, and major food shortages.
- Land: Russia was largely a semi-feudal country, and peasants wanted to own their own land.
- Peace: Russia was struggling with economic hardships and had little success in World War
Overall, the Russian people wanted a new government that provided for them and listened to them. Lenin promised all of that.
Impact of the October Revolution
Soon after the Bolsheviks stormed the Winter Palace, the provisional government was decomposed and a new government was established with Lenin as its head. Lenin implemented new policies to help the Russians such as the New Economic Policy. However, Lenin became a dictator with immense power over everyone else and was looking to make Russia into a communist society.