Russia, 1917–1953 – Dissent and Revolution, 1917: The October/November…

The idea

The October 1917 Revolution was driven by the Provisional Government's failures, ongoing war, and Bolshevik radicalisation. The course of the revolution was masterminded by Trotsky through the Military Revolutionary Committee, culminating in the relatively bloodless seizure of Petrograd's key infrastructure and the Winter Palace. The extent of the initial revolution was limited primarily to Petrograd and Moscow, requiring the Bolsheviks to rapidly establish authority across a vast, fractured empire. Leadership transitioned to the newly formed Sovnarkom, exclusively Bolshevik and chaired by Lenin. To consolidate power by December, Sovnarkom issued populist decrees, including the Decree on Land, legitimising peasant land seizures, and the Decree on Peace. They also established the Cheka to suppress opposition, demonstrating an immediate shift towards authoritarian control.

What earns the marks

• Identify the underlying and immediate causes of the October Revolution, including the continuation of the First World War, economic collapse, and the strategic failures of Kerensky.
• Describe the course of the uprising, highlighting Trotsky's tactical use of the Military Revolutionary Committee to seize control of Petrograd's infrastructure.
• Evaluate the extent of the revolution, noting that while Petrograd fell quickly, establishing Bolshevik authority in Moscow and the provinces involved prolonged conflict.
• Analyse the creation and composition of Sovnarkom as the new executive body, emphasising Lenin's refusal to share power with other socialist parties.
• Assess the significance of the early decrees on Peace, Land, and Workers' Control in securing popular support and neutralising immediate threats to Bolshevik survival.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Describing the October Revolution as a massive popular uprising.

  Put it right: It was actually a highly organised, relatively small-scale coup d'état executed by dedicated Bolshevik forces.

• Assuming the Bolsheviks immediately controlled all of Russia after taking the Winter Palace.

  Put it right: Their authority was initially confined to Petrograd and faced fierce resistance elsewhere.

• Confusing the Decree on Land with Marxist collectivisation.

  Put it right: The decree actually endorsed the Socialist Revolutionary policy of private peasant land seizures to win rural acquiescence.

Exam tips

• Contrast Trotsky's practical organisation of the Military Revolutionary Committee with Lenin's ideological drive when discussing the leadership of the October Revolution.
• Use the early Sovnarkom decrees as evidence of Lenin's pragmatism, showing how he temporarily compromised Marxist ideology to consolidate political survival.
• When discussing the establishment of authority, mention the creation of the Cheka in December 1917 as a crucial step in transitioning from revolution to dictatorship.