What Enabled the Bolskeviks to Win the Civil War in 1917
- Submitted by: froggoth
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- Category: History: Russian
- Date Submitted: 03/15/2011 02:17 PM
- Pages: 4
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There are many factors that contributed to the second revolution and the Bolsheviks success in seizing power in 1917, but these were not all attributable to the strengths of the party leader, Lenin, alone. Although within the party, he made a great impact on their tactics and decisions, there were other, perhaps more significant factors which led to the second revolution. The weakness of the Provisional Government was also an enabling factor, and overall it could be argued that although Lenin played a key role and without him the party may not have seized power, the weakness of the provisional government also played a crucial role, as without this they would not have seized power.
The Provisional Government lacked real power to make long term decisions for Russia, as it was a temporary body. The Provisional Government felt that they should not make binding decisions affecting Russia in the long term with issues such as the land distribution for peasants, as this would be for the Constituent Assembly to decide. This meant that support from the peasants weakened, and they became less willing to supply food for the cities.
Another mistake made by the Provisional Government which aided the Bolsheviks in their success was its decision to continue with the war effort. Due to the war, there were food and fuel shortages on the home front. The Russian army, who showed declining support for the Provisional Government, was also beginning to collapse. Their decision to not make peace was unpopular and created more opposition to them.
In autumn of 1917, the head of the army, Kornilov, decided to put an end to the uprising of the revolutionaries, by marching troops into Petrograd to fight them. The Prime Minister, Kerensky, panicked and armed the Bolsheviks, who were later able to keep this weaponry. This incident was damaging to the Provisional Government and Kerensky, as it left them discredited. Many felt that he had betrayed Kornilov, and many soldiers refused to fight....
The Provisional Government lacked real power to make long term decisions for Russia, as it was a temporary body. The Provisional Government felt that they should not make binding decisions affecting Russia in the long term with issues such as the land distribution for peasants, as this would be for the Constituent Assembly to decide. This meant that support from the peasants weakened, and they became less willing to supply food for the cities.
Another mistake made by the Provisional Government which aided the Bolsheviks in their success was its decision to continue with the war effort. Due to the war, there were food and fuel shortages on the home front. The Russian army, who showed declining support for the Provisional Government, was also beginning to collapse. Their decision to not make peace was unpopular and created more opposition to them.
In autumn of 1917, the head of the army, Kornilov, decided to put an end to the uprising of the revolutionaries, by marching troops into Petrograd to fight them. The Prime Minister, Kerensky, panicked and armed the Bolsheviks, who were later able to keep this weaponry. This incident was damaging to the Provisional Government and Kerensky, as it left them discredited. Many felt that he had betrayed Kornilov, and many soldiers refused to fight....