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Alevel History OCR Russia and it's Rulers Lenin and Trotsky Notes
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Alevel History OCR Russia and it's Rulers Lenin and Trotsky Notes Kornilov Revolt Bolshevik seizure of Power Revolution
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Lenin When the Kornilov Revolt took place Lenin was hiding in Finland, he continued to write to
leading Bolshevik leaders in Petrograd and Moscow that the time was ripe to seize power
from the Provisional Government. He wrote to the Bolshevik Central Committee on 12 th
September ‘History will not forgive us if we do not assume power’.
Lenin saw that the consequences of the Kornilov Revolt had left a potential power vacuum
and he believed that the Bolsheviks could fill it.
He wanted the Bolsheviks to appear to be seizing power on behalf of the Soviets. Lenin
wanted to take control before 25th October (the date of the Second All Russian Congress of
Soviets) so they could claim to have taken power on their behalf.
Kerensky called for elections for the constituent Assembly and these were due to take place
in November, Lenin did not think that the Bolsheviks could win these elections and wanted
to seize power before they took place.
However Lenin faced opposition from within his party. Many other leading Bolsheviks
including Kamenev and Zinoviev did not support Lenin arguing that the coup would be
unsuccessful.
Lenin returned to Petrograd on 7 th October. On 10th October, at a meeting of select number f
the Bolshevik Central Committee, Lenin finally persuaded the Party to organise a seizure of
power.
Lenin was persuaded by Trotsky that the Bolsheviks should seize power while the All Russian
Congress of Soviets was actually taking place, not before it met.
Lenin emerged from hiding to take charge on the night of 25 th October only after the Military
Revolutionary Committee had directed its units to seize the key points of the capital
In the early hours of 26th October, Lenin was able to announce to all the Second All Russian
Congress of Soviets that the Bolsheviks had seized power on their behalf.
Trotsky
Trotsky was also in exile when the February Revolution broke out. He arrived in Russia in
May.
By July 1917, Trotsky was convinced by Lenin’s arguments that the Bolsheviks should seize
power immediately, and joined the Bolsheviks. At this time, Trotsky was better known by the
general public than Lenin, as he had chaired the Petrograd Soviet in 1905 and was elected as
Chairman once more in September 1917.
Trotsky was a charismatic speaker and a good military tactician. He was the person
responsible for organising the actual takeover of power, once the Bolshevik Central
Committee had agreed.
He persuaded Lenin that the Bolsheviks should seize power while the All Russian Congress of
Soviets was actually taking place, not before it met.
He took over the organisation of the Military Revolutionary Committee. This group of armed
men had been set up by the Petrograd Soviet to defend Petrograd against the advancing
German soldiers. Trotsky used the Committee as a smokescreen to hide his preparations for
a seizure of power.
He persuaded the Petrograd Garrison to support the takeover – without the support of the
soldiers they would not have been successful. In total 15 of the 18 garrisons declared
allegiance to the Soviet rather than the Provisional Government.
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