October Revolution - Causes, Events, Outcomes

(1917) The overthrow of the Russian provisional government by Bolshevik-led armed workers (Red Guards), soldiers, and sailors (25–26 Oct 1917). The revolution was organized by the Military Revolutionary Committee of the Petrograd Soviet. The members of the provisional government were arrested and replaced by the Soviet of People's Commissars (Sovnarkom), chaired by Lenin - the first Soviet government.

The October Revolution, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution or the November Revolution, was the second phase of the Russian Revolution of 1917, the first having been instigated by the events around the February Revolution. The October Revolution was led by Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks with the Mensheviks, Left Socialist-Revolutionaries and anarchists.

The crucial revolutionary activities in Petrograd were under the command of the Petrograd Soviet headed by Leon Trotsky and the Military Revolutionary Committee headed by Adolph Joffe.

The revolution overthrew the Russian Provisional Government, which led to the Russian Civil War from 1918–1920, followed by the creation of the Soviet Union in 1922.

Initially, the event was referred to as the October uprising or the Uprising of 25th, as seen in contemporary documents, for example, in the first editions of Lenin's complete works. With time, the October Revolution was seen as a hugely important global event, the first in a series of events that lay the groundwork for an epic Cold War struggle between the Soviet Union and Western capitalist countries, including the United States.

The Great October Socialist Revolution (Russian: Великая Октябрьская социалистическая революция, Velikaya Oktyabr'skaya sotsialisticheskaya revolyutsiya) was the official name for the October Revolution in the Soviet Union since the 10th anniversary celebration of the Revolution in 1927.

Causes

The mounting frustration of workers and soldiers erupted in July with several days of rioting on the streets, in what became known as the July Days. A group of 20,000 armed sailors from "Red Kronstadt", as it was known, marched into Petrograd and demanded that the Soviet take power. After suppressing the riots, the government blamed the Bolsheviks for encouraging the rebellion and many Bolshevik leaders, including Lenin and Grigory Zinoviev, were forced to go into hiding.

The Kornilov Affair was another catalyst to Revolution. Alexander Kerensky, who held positions in both the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet, felt he needed a trustworthy military leader. The Bolsheviks were seen as the "defenders of the city" and their support increased immensely, as the support for Kerensky and the Provisional Government eroded. Bolsheviks became the majority party in the Petrograd Soviet in early September 1917 with Trotsky becoming the Soviet's Chairman

Events

On October 23, 1917 (by the Julian calendar still in use in Russia at the time; November 5 by the current Gregorian calendar), Bolshevik leader Jaan Anvelt led his leftist revolutionaries in an uprising in Tallinn, the then capital of Estland. On October 25 (November 7), 1917 , Vladimir Lenin led his forces in the uprising in Petrograd, the capital of Russia, against the ineffective Kerensky Provisional Government. For the most part, the revolt in Petrograd was bloodless, with the Red Guards led by Bolsheviks taking over major government facilities with little opposition before finally launching an assault on the Winter Palace on the night from November 6 to November 7. Later official accounts of the revolution from the Soviet Union would depict the events in October as being far more dramatic than they actually had been. The insurrection was timed and organized to hand state power to the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies which began on November 7.

Outcomes

The Second Congress of Soviets consisted of 650 elected delegates; When the fall of the Winter Palace was announced, the Congress adopted a decree transferring power to the Soviets of Workers', Soldiers' and Peasants' Deputies, thus ratifying the Revolution. The following day, the Soviet elected a Council of People's Commissars (Sovnarkom) as the basis of a new Soviet Government, pending the convocation of a Constituent Assembly, and passed the Decree on Peace and the Decree on Land. The Bolsheviks viewed themselves as representing an alliance of workers and peasants and memorialized that understanding with the Hammer and Sickle on the flag and coat of arms of the Soviet Union.

Bolshevik-led attempts to seize power in other parts of the Russian Empire were largely successful in Russia proper — although the fighting in Moscow lasted for two weeks — but they were less successful in ethnically non-Russian parts of the empire, which had been clamoring for independence since the February Revolution. For example, The Ukrainian Rada, which had declared autonomy on June 23, 1917, created the Ukrainian People's Republic on November 20, which was supported by the Ukrainian Congress of Soviets. This led to an armed conflict with the Bolshevik government in Petrograd and, eventually, a Ukrainian declaration of independence from Russia on January 25, 1918. In Estonia, two rival governments emerged: the Estonian Diet declared independence on November 28, 1917, while an Estonian Bolshevik, Jaan Anvelt, was recognized by Lenin's government as Estonia's leader on December 8, although forces loyal to Anvelt only controlled the capital.

The success of the October uprising completed the phase of the revolution started in February and transformed the Russian Revolution from liberal to socialist in character.

The United States did not recognize the new Russian government until 1933, and later would send 10,000 troops to contain a Japanese invasion of Siberia.