Bolshevik Takeover: The 1917 Russian Revolution

The October 1917 Revolution

Revolutionary Days

The Bolshevik Party had been banned, and Lenin was forced into exile due to a popular insurrection. However, its power was not diminished, and the Soviets, led by the Bolsheviks, planned an insurrection with the backing of the Red Guard. At dawn, rebel forces seized key sites and services in the capital, Petrograd. It was unclear who fired from the Peter and Paul Fortress. The army assaulted the Winter Palace, the seat of the provisional government in Petrograd. The victory was decisive, and the government resigned after the flight of Kerensky, the president. The revolution spread. By the beginning of November, northern Russia was in the hands of the Bolsheviks, but some territories remained under the control of former Tsarist authorities.

First Revolutionary Steps

The Second Congress of Soviets dismissed the provisional government and approved the formation of a Council of People's Commissars, led by Lenin, establishing the first workers' and peasants' government. The executive body began implementing socialism and decreed the first revolutionary measures:

• Land was transferred to the peasants.
• Workers gained control of companies.
• Banking was nationalized.
• The Tsarist army was suppressed.

Peoples within the former empire were associated as republics, and the Soviet government recognized their right to self-determination. A new decree aimed to establish peace with Germany. This ended with the signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, accepting all German demands.

Civil War and War Communism

The defenders of the old Tsarist order took up arms to prevent the consolidation of the Soviet state. The former Tsarist army, members of the previously privileged classes, landowners, and other supporters of the old order formed the White Army (named in opposition to the revolutionary Red Russia). Fighting alongside the White Russians were also a Czech Legion and some British and French forces. The Bolsheviks created a formidable army. The Red Army was based on discipline and traditional military hierarchy. A civil war then began, claiming a vast number of lives and condemning millions to poverty and hunger. Tsar Nicholas II and his family were executed by the Bolsheviks. In the initial months, the Whites achieved some victories, including successes in Ukraine. The demands of the civil war forced the country's entire economy to be oriented towards a single goal: supplying the army and winning the war. This phase was known as War Communism and involved the nationalization of industry. The entire economy became state-directed, controlling the production and distribution of agricultural products.