Rise of the Bolsheviks

• Bolsheviks were the left wing group in the Social Democratic Party that supported Lenin
• They wanted a worker's revolution and further change beyond the fall of the Tsar
• They were able to exploit the weaknesses of the Provisional Government and replace the Provisional Government as the new leaders

Lenin

• Leader of the Bolsheviks
• Returned from exile on a train that the Germans provided (as they believed he would cause chaos in Russia which would help them win the war)
• Published April Theses criticising Bolsheviks which did not push for revolution and sided with the Provisional Government
• Urged peasants to seize land from nobility
• Urged workers to take over factories
• Promised peace, land, and bread, which the people turned to after the failings of the Provisional Government

July Days

• The failed Kerensky Offensive received heavy backlash
• Problems still continued there was little food, which was expensive to buy
• Soldiers and sailors protested in Petrograd in July 1917, later joined by industrial workers
• Riots happened in 16-17 July, and were oppressed by the Provisional Government
• The people turned to the Bolsheviks who promised what they wanted, who were unprepared to lead this early
• The protests fell apart and failed
• Kerensky decided to become more strict, reintroducing the death penalty
• Bolshevik leaders were arrested, and Lenin fled in exile to Finland

Kornilov Affair and the November Revolution

• The unpopularity of the Provisional Government began to grow
• To keep the situation under control in Petrograd, Kerensky appointed a new Supreme Commander, General Kornilov
• Kornilov decided to take over Petrograd, and Kerensky realised what was happening
• Kerensky was not sure if he was supported by the army because of Kornilov's popularity within it, so he turned to other groups, including the Bolsheviks
• The Bolsheviks were able to assemble 25,000 recruits, dig trenches, and fortify the city
• This gave the Bolsheviks a good image as defenders of Petrograd
• However, Kornilov's coup fell apart without any action and violence as his soldiers did not want to fight members of the Petrograd Soviet
• Even though Kerensky survived this incident, the Bolsheviks were able to gain power much more easily due to it
• Kerensky had given the Bolsheviks weapons to defend the city, which made their Red Army more powerful in the revolution
• Kerensky lost support, and Bolsheviks gained support for protecting the city
• The Bolsheviks declared to Kerensky that they were going to seize power on November 7th
• Kerensky fled Russia, and the Bolsheviks took over the Winter Palace and key parts of the city, and later arresting the senior ministers of the Provisional Government
• Lenin's government became the new government