Rise of the Bolsheviks and the Russian Revolution
The Rise of the Bolsheviks
At the First Socialist International, a split emerged regarding World War I. Some supported their governments, while others favored using the war to unite workers against the bourgeoisie. Vladimir Lenin, leader of the Bolsheviks, returned to Russia in April 1917 and proposed his April Theses:
- Rejection of the Provisional Government and its decision to continue the war.
- Control of production and distribution by the Soviets.
- Transformation of the bourgeois republic into a republic of workers’ and peasants’ soviets.
Kerensky’s government refused these demands for land redistribution and peace negotiations, losing support among workers and peasants. Kerensky’s failure to suppress protests and a coup attempt further eroded his support. The Bolsheviks gained prestige by opposing the coup. In October 1917, Lenin convinced his party to rebel. The Bolsheviks occupied strategic locations in Petrograd (October 25), forcing Kerensky to flee.
The First Steps of the New Regime
Following the October 1917 revolution, the Bolsheviks held power in Petrograd and Moscow but lacked control over the rest of the former empire. Their primary goal was to maintain power, anticipating revolutions in Europe.
First Bolshevik Decisions
Regarding Labor:
Factory committees, or workers’ councils, were established, placing production under worker control, although these councils were ultimately controlled by the Soviets. Banks were nationalized, an 8-hour workday was introduced, and international debts from the Tsarist regime were repudiated.
Regarding Land:
A socialist land program was adopted. Land was confiscated and redistributed among the peasants instead of being nationalized. Private property was abolished, and wage labor was prohibited. These measures satisfied peasant demands for small, independent farms.
Regarding War:
The Bolsheviks sought to end the war through a peace without annexations or indemnities. Continued fighting was impossible. Germany imposed its terms, and Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (March 1918), excluding its Entente allies. Russia lost significant western territories, some of which became independent states.
Regarding State Organization:
A Council of People’s Commissars was created, a worker and peasant government composed exclusively of Bolsheviks (Lenin as president, Trotsky in external affairs, and Stalin as Commissar of Nationalities). This government operated with independent and unlimited powers. The Bolshevik party maintained tight control over the government and Soviets, with legislative power residing in the Congress of Soviets. Equality among all peoples of Russia was decreed, and the right to independence was recognized, leading to the departure of many nations from the former Tsarist Empire. Soviet Russia, a federation of republics, was formed. Finally, a constitution for the federal socialist republic was approved.