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Account For The Success Of The Bolsheviks

In Gaining Power In Russia By 1922 Essay, Research Paper


??????????? In February


1917, the Bolshevik party was small and irrelevant.? The leadership was abroad and there was little consistency of


purpose among the party in Russia.?


However, by the summer of 1922, the Bolsheviks had become the dominant


force, and a new communist state had emerged from their success.? The purpose of this essay is to explain this


transformation.? The abdication of Tsar Nicholas


II and the collapse of the Romanov dynasty threw Russia into a state of


turmoil. The elites had withdrawn their support for the Tsar after a series of


disastrous defeats in the war and continued social and economic problems. In


the wake of the Tsarist collapse, a power vacuum was left behind.? The Provisional Government, a government


that was fundamentally unstable and unsure how to govern, temporarily filled


this space. ??????????? The


Provisional Government opened the door for a seizure of power. It lacked


legitimate power to justify its actions. There was no tradition of Russia being


ruled by a government such as this, indeed, many people were opposed to it. It


was self-appointed and therefore many people questioned its authority.? The lack of an able and charismatic leader


simply compounded the problem. This was their chance to seize charismatic


legitimacy and gain the support of the people. When Kerensky took over the


leadership, the changes his charisma brought were marked, but even he lacked


the ability to repair the situation.? The Provisional Government


decided to continue the war.? This


decision was to become more important with the benefit of hindsight than it


appeared at the time. The decision was made with some justification, Russia was


virtually bankrupt and continuation with the war provided much needed western


financial assistance. Despite the financial considerations, the Provisional


Government felt obliged to continue the war out of a sense of loyalty to


Britain and France. In addition, they were reluctant to leave the war without


salvaging some prestige and pride from the current situation. They were still


hopeful of an allied victory.? However,


the decision to continue with the war was to prove extremely unfortunate. It


was unpopular, as there appeared to be few aims to the continued fighting. The


government quickly lost the support of a large proportion of the troops. These


disillusioned peasants in uniform provided excellent targets for Bolshevik


propaganda.? What is more, the Russian


situation in the war worsened and humiliating defeat began to loom large on the


horizon. Russia was a poverty stricken,


backward power in 1917. It also had a majority peasant population. The


continuation of the war meant that the key issues of ?peace, bread and land?


that Lenin so aptly highlighted could not be addressed. Reforms and visible


improvement in the peasant way of life were vital if the government wished to


gain their support and maintain its power. ?


However, revolutionary forces, suppressed under Tsarist Russia came to


the surface under the new, weaker and less repressive Provisional Government to


create a body known as the Soviet.? This


body created a duality of power. Whilst, in principle, the Provisional


Government ran the country, they were only in command whilst the Soviets


allowed them to be so. (Soviet Order Number One stated that the people were to


obey orders given by the Provisional Government provided they did not


contradict orders given by the Soviets.)?


The Petrograd Soviet consisted of a multitude of different socialist


revolutionary parties, such as the Social Revolutionaries, Mensheviks and


Bolsheviks. These parties were united in their ambition of turning Russia into


an independent socialist state although they had very different ideas of how


this should be accomplished. The Bolsheviks manipulated this body once they


achieved a majority on 31st of August 1917, when the first Bolshevik


resolution was passed.? ??????????? In the


interim between the collapse of the Tsarist Regime and the election of the


Constituent Assembly, the Provisional government gave the revolutionary parties


an unmistakeable opportunity.? On German


authority and in a German train, Lenin returned to Russia with many other


revolutionary leaders in order to stir up revolution, invoke civil war, and end


the war with Germany. He became the charismatic leader the party needed, and


set about gaining support for his ideas and far reaching ambitions. In his


April Thesis, Lenin spelt out the future of the party.? He insisted that the February revolution had


been a government coup and advocated a second revolution in which the Soviet


would seize power. ?


Lenin was a ruthless leader. He brought a new direction to the party and


non-cooperation with other parties. He ensured that his party was not


influenced by the policies of the Soviet, whilst advocating a Bolshevik control


of the same body. (?All Power to the Soviet? was a slogan from the April


Thesis.) Lenin?s return resulted in a key alteration in the Bolshevik party as


a whole. The party changed from a small party in cooperation with others to a


well-organised disciplined party capable of seizing power and gaining support


within a few months. Lenin?s Bolsheviks became committed to carrying out a


revolution on behalf of the workers, and Lenin set about ensuring the party was


strongly associated with them. Through propaganda he attracted his power base,


the workers, to support Bolshevik policy.?


The Bolshevik party, slowly and surely became the peoples party. By advocating a revolution of


behalf of the workers, Lenin proved himself to be flexible. He took the part of


the peasants over the issue of land, emphasised this point and furthered his


support.? Lenin?s willingness to adapt


Marxist ideology to the Russian situation was vital. The catch phrase ?Peace,


Bread, Land? formed part of the April Thesis and became extremely popular


with the peasantry.? Using a stolen


policy, Lenin was able to appeal to the peasants promising land reform, an end


to the war and an improvement in Russia?s food supply.? It was flexibility that enabled Lenin to


appeal to a wide cross section of Russian society.? However, Lenin was fortunate that


non- Bolshevik elements of the Soviet were not committed to the organisation.


This left the Bolsheviks in control. ?All Power to the Soviet? was a


dangerous policy to pursue. Lenin risked gaining support for a Soviet that was


not Bolshevik controlled. However, the element of daring within Lenin?s


policies played an essential part in their success. Yet Lenin should not receive too


much credit for the Bolshevik seizure of power.? Lenin played an unusual role in the revolution, during the months


between February and October, Lenin spent a considerable amount of time abroad


and whilst in Russia he spent much of his time in hiding.? Despite being an influential and charismatic


leader, he was not the driving force behind the day to day running of the


party. ??????????? Perhaps one


of Lenin?s most influential actions in the seizure of power was recruiting


Trotsky.? Trotsky, originally a


Menshevik was a vital Bolshevik acquisition.?


He brought a disciplinarian approach, whilst remaining an inspirational


character.? Whilst Lenin masterminded


much of Bolshevik policy, the organisation of action was largely due to


Trotsky.? Despite Lenin giving the


order, the storming of the Winter Palace and the relatively bloodless takeover


was organised and supervised by Trotsky. The success of the October coup can be


attributed to his organisation and supervision. His position as Chairman of the


Soviet was also of vital importance as he managed to gain the support of the


MRC (Military Revolutionary Council) for his actions during the October


coup.? This meant that the actions of 25th


October 1917 were carried out on behalf of the Soviet and not the Bolsheviks.


Furthermore, his Red Guards, an extremely well trained private army loyal to


the Bolshevik revolutionary cause, disciplined and inspired by his charisma,


played a vital part in the seizure and maintenance of power.? ??????????? The


manipulation of events and the ability to deal with setbacks owed much to the


vision of Lenin and Trotsky.? The ?July


Days? as they have come to be known were the result of the Bolshevik ?workers


party? being carried along by the workers. The workers rose of their own accord


and did not heed the advice of the Bolshevik leadership. The Bolsheviks,


anxious to maintain solidarity with the workers, supported the revolt. The


Provisional Government, at this stage had enough loyal regiments to put down a


relatively minor revolution and the success of their swift action gave the


Provisional Government and Kerensky new confidence and gained them


support.? It was a set back for the


Bolsheviks who were nearly destroyed by this sequence of events.? Lenin was forced to flee to Finland and


Trotsky and Bukharin were imprisoned.?


It also illustrated that the Bolsheviks were still an insignificant


force and were certainly not capable of mustering enough support to seize


power.? Nevertheless, the Bolsheviks


manipulated these events in their favour as they became associated with the


workers. The workers realised that the Bolsheviks were willing to join a


revolution with them and this resulted in the workers looking towards the


Bolshevik leadership for guidance. It was a setback the Bolsheviks used to


their advantage. ??????????? As with many successful revolutions, the end result


was partially due to extremely good fortune.?


In August 1917, Kerensky, who was still Prime Minister of the


Provisional Government, invited General Kornilov to bring an army to help him


maintain order in Petrograd.? Kornilov


proceeded to mar

ch on Petrograd.?


Kerensky realised that Kornilov?s army was intent upon an armed coup and


panicked. The Provisional Government lacked sufficient military support to


defend the city.? Kerensky appealed to


the citizens of Petrograd to protect the city against the advancing forces and


offered weapons to all who were willing to fight.? The Bolsheviks realised the opportunity that the Provisional


Government had given them, and used it to great effect in order to improve the


party?s position and recover from previous failures. The leadership were


released from prison or came out of hiding to receive the weapons that were


given to them by the Provisional Government. The attack never took place,


railway workers under Bolshevik influence refused to operate Kornilov?s train


bringing his army to Petrograd and faced with a people?s militia, his support


dwindled and he allowed himself to be arrested. ??????????? The real significance of these events was


twofold.? Firstly, the Provisional


Government looked impotent in the face of a military threat. A Russian army


turning against the Provisional Government which in turn could only raise a


people?s militia to defend itself resulted in a huge loss of confidence and


support for a self ?appointed organisation, a loss that the Government could not


afford.? These two factors combined


practically negated any increase in confidence achieved during the ?July


Days?.? Secondly, it strengthened the


Bolsheviks by presenting them as the defenders of Petrograd and consequently,


increasing their support in the city.?


Large amounts of munitions were given to the Red Army that they kept and


used in the October coup and the civil war. These events were fortunate, but


they were used to maximum affect by the leadership. These events pushed the


party into a position from which they could seize power. After


the Bolsheviks seized power in the October Revolution in Petrograd and Moscow,


the question was how to secure and increase their gains.? The Bolsheviks went on to control the whole


of Russia.? This was achieved to a great


extent, by Trotsky?s organisation of the Red Army.? The eventual victory over the ?Whites? was due partially to


Trotsky?s ability as a general and leader and partially to the disorganisation


among the ?Whites? forces.? The term


?Whites? tends to give the impression of unity, organisation and common


purpose.? This was not the case.? The ?Whites? were, by definition, any party


that was opposed to the ?Reds? i.e. the Bolsheviks.? They included forces of the allied powers, Britain, France and


the USA. They were not a united force and attacks on the Red Army defending the


main cities were sporadic and normally carried out by a single group.? There was never an attack by the ?Whites? as


a whole. In


contrast, although the Red Army was not yet the mighty force it was to become


in the years that followed, the sporadic, individual attacks enabled Trotsky to


move his troops quickly, by train, to the area under threat. The transport, and


in particular, the railways were essential to the Bolshevik success.? They controlled the trains that ran between


Moscow and Petrograd, which were also some of the best and most efficient in


the country. The movement of troops was therefore fast and efficient under


Trotsky?s organisation. The contrast between the brilliant organisation and


discipline of the Bolsheviks, and the weakness and disorganisation of the


?Whites? as a whole, was the main reason for the Red Army?s civil war victory


in 1920. ?In addition, the Bolsheviks were able to


supply their forces efficiently from their city strongholds.? Moscow and Petrograd both contained the vast


majority of Russian industries, and this allowed the Bolsheviks to keep the Red


Army well supplied with what was needed for them to operate efficiently.? The ?Whites? had no such industrial base


from which to operate. However, these ?fortunate? blessings were also due to


careful planning on the part of the leadership. By taking both cities, they had


effectively cut the main supply lines for the ?Whites? and kept hold of an


excellent transport system.? Furthermore,


many Russian people associated the ?Whites? with the old regimes, the


autocratic, antiquated Tsarist system and the repression of the landowning


nobility. The new communist regime promised much and acted quickly to bring


about change.? They ended the war,


despite the harsh terms of the Brest-Litovsk treaty and in doing so they


stopped the drain on Russian resources.?


They took the land from the landowners, bringing it instead under state


control, they brought factories under workers control, and they modernised the


calendar. The Bolsheviks seemed to be bringing about a new utopian society with


a brighter future and rapidly gained support. The


maintenance of power was made possible by the tactics employed by the


Bolsheviks once power had been seized.?


Lenin realised that power once seized, must be secured.? He astutely closed down the Constituent


Assembly once he realised that the Bolsheviks did not have a majority.? Once again he manipulated Marxism to suit


his purposes claiming that the Assembly belonged to a bourgeois phase of


history with had now been superseded. The Bolshevik party had sufficient power


in Petrograd to overthrow the new elected parliament without too much complaint


from the people. The


transition between revolutionary party and government bureaucracy did not prove


easy for the Bolsheviks.? The difference


between theory and practice quickly became apparent to those with no experience


in running a country, the initial policy of ?War Communism?, which was


introduced in 1919, was extremely unpopular and ineffective. The peasants began


to revolt, the towns began to depopulate and production of most goods including


food fell, the final straw was the revolt of the Kronstadt sailors who had been


the most loyal of Bolshevik supporters.?


Lenin realised that the policy was unsuccessful and that Russia was not


yet ready to become a fully communist state.?


The result was the New Economic Policy (NEP).? This returned Russia to and essentially capitalist system whereby


the government took a tax in kind from small businesses, and the individual was


allowed to sell any surplus. This was primarily aimed at allowing farmers and


small businesses to make a profit and provide an incentive for them to continue


to work.? However, the state did not


entirely return to capitalist ways, 84% of workers, all large scale industry


and banking remained under government control. Lenin also introduced a new


currency to replace the devalued rouble. The result of this plan was a


widespread temporary recovery within Russia. However,


despite his attempts to improve the standards of living in Russia under the


NEP, he was intent upon maintenance of power at all costs. He introduced a


repressive secret police force known as the CHEKA; they were responsible for removing


any revolutionary threats after the victories of the Red Guards.? This body was extremely effective in its


repression of the ?Whites? and through the use of coercion the ?Whites? were


pacified.? This repression is often


referred to as the ?Terror?, which commenced in September 1918 and resulted in


the deaths of about fifty thousand people.?


However, the ?Terror? achieved its objective in securing power for the


Bolsheviks, and repressing the revolutionary forces within Russia that sought


to overthrow them. Lenin?s


multiple strokes during 1922 and his eventual death in 1924 brought an end to


his plans for Russia, the result is that we will never know what his long term


plans were. Lenin?s primary objective at this stage was to retain power, and he


was willing to go against his own ideologies and beliefs in the short term, in


order to achieve his future ambitions.?


This shows that, perhaps had Lenin lived, Stalin?s tyranny and


repression would never have come into being, resulting in a less repressive more


Marxist communist state. In


conclusion, the Bolsheviks successful seizure of power in 1922 was due to


several reoccurring factors.? Lenin?s


genius combined with Trotsky?s organisation and discipline allowed the party to


seize power.? Without these two, the


Bolsheviks would have remained a revolutionary party. The fortunate Kornilov


affair was an unexpected bonus for the Bolsheviks who exploited it to full


effect. The gain of weapons and support was vital to the eventual Bolshevik


success.? The capture of the main


industrial centres and the transport between them (Moscow and Petrograd) gave


the Bolsheviks excellent transportation and supplies, vital to their victory in


the civil war.? The disorganisation and


lack of cooperation between the ?Whites? as a whole made the ?Reds? victory in


the civil war much easier than it could have been.? The CHEKA and the ?Terror? repressed after Red Army victories had


been obtained removing revolutionary elements of society that could have risen


up once more.? Finally, the ability of


the Bolsheviks and Lenin is particular to adapt to situations.? Lenin was determined to secure power at all


costs, for example, when he realised the theory of war communism was not


working in practise, he introduced the NEP which satisfied the people and got


Russia back on its feet.? These factors


all contributed to the success of the Bolsheviks in attaining what they set out


to achieve.? However, the deciding factor


in the success of failure of the revolution was the leadership of the Bolsheviks.? Without Lenin and Trotsky, the revolution


would have never occurred, nor would power have been secured, the combination


of these two inspirational leaders was vital to the outcome of the seizure of


power and civil war.? They can be held


accountable for the Bolsheviks gaining power in 1922.? ???

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