The October Revolution seemed to represent what the Russian people wanted. However, the truth was that the Bolsheviks were playing the Russian people, enticing them with what they could get. When the Bolsheviks actually got into power, it would become obvious that it wasn't what the Russian people wanted.
The main reason the Russian people would want the revolution was because they felt the Provisional Government was taking too long to give them the rights they were told they would get. Like the Czar, the Provisional Government had promised to give Civil Liberties to the people, as well as declaring all of the people equal -- all Russians. The Provisional government would even grant the people the right to have unions and hold strikes. However, though it would seem that these rights could be granted instantaneously (Free press for example; okay, don't censor the press, now you've granted that right. Don't attack strikers, right to strike is covered), the Provisional Government was taking time to roll the liberties out to the people (notes), which Lenin would solve the issue by not granting civil liberties, instead promising what the people needed and wanted most; "Bread, Land, and Peace". This slogan, as well as many others, would be chanted by the Russians during rallies against the Provisional Government. The people would also be upset because of the fact that the Provisional Government, unlike the Soviets, wouldn't be elected. Though they would be in a while, the Provisional government at the time weren't an elected body. The point of this being, the people would want the Russian Revolution to occur, so that they could get what they thought needed to be granted to them. That would be the entire reason they would agree to the revolution. If they had known what the result would have been (which would include the Cheka and the Concentration Camps)[book], the people most likely wouldn't have agreed to the revolution, and would have tried to wait it out.
Lenin and the Bolsheviks would grant what they thought the people would need. When Lenin comes back on the train from exile, he would create the April theses. (April Theses) With the first part, Lenin would effectively decide that the war with Germany has to end.(April Theses), though it would be a while, and Lenin would eventually be forced to destroy parts of Russia that were being invaded so that the Germans couldn't survive. (Book) This would be another factor that would get the Russians people to help the Bolsheviks succeed in getting power. Lenin would also say that the power should be taken away from the bourgeoise and given to the people, but specifically a group that would be known as the Soviets of Workers' Deputies. (April Theses) The people would agree with this point, and this would help get the Bolsheviks into power, because the people did want more say in government. However, a point that the people and Lenin would disagree with would be the idea that the government wasn't to be elected. (April Theses) Lenin would say that the people didn't actually need this right, but the real reason would be that without just taking the position, there would be little to no chance that Lenin and the Bolsheviks would have any power or say in the government. With that, we can see how the two groups; that is, the Bolsheviks (or the extreme party) versus the Russian people seemed to have similar goals at first.
However, after the revolution, we see who the revolution really starts to benefit; the Bolsheviks. Though at first we do see the Russian people get the land, Lenin starts to show the differences that he had said earlier in the April theses; he institutes a dictatorship. (Book) Even though the Bolsheviks did invite others to the Sovnarkom, it would be obvious that they wouldn't have much power, and the people called it "political terrorism". (Book) Though the people did want the benefit of land being given to them, the fact that they were now under a dictatorship would be a major setback; this would be the equivalent of having the czar again, but instead under a marxist ruler. The right to freedom of expression would be removed, as the Bolsheviks would censor the press. (Book) Lenin would start to use scare tactics to keep the people from rebelling, as the people started to see that they weren't the real winners in terms of the revolution; the Bolsheviks were. The Cheka, the Death Penalty being reinstated, and the concentration camps would be used against anyone who wasn't in full support of the government.(book) People that were considered revolutionist would most likely have to deal with one of the three listed. But the reason that this is so important is because it means that the Bolsheviks were truly in power, but the people felt that the Bolsheviks didn't deserve it.
Therefore, since the Bolsheviks were in power, and they were getting benefits that the people were starting to seem to lose, the October Revolution would be a successful attempt by the extremist group into getting power. They would fool the Russian people into believing that their wants would be met, and would eventually use strong armed tactics in order to keep the power.
I like how Aarum compares Lenin to the Tzar that was in power before the provisional government and Lenin came in, and want to expand more on it. It is evident that although Lenin was offering the essentials that the people wanted, they were never given to them. As the people became angry and talked out against Lenin, lening used dictatorship and political terrorism to hush the people like Aarum said. It was seen the same when the Tzar was in power. The Tzar did not offer the people needs, but made unwise decisions that led the people to go out against him. Like Lenin, the Tzar used terror and violence to hush the people in order to attain agreement. Of course it is seen through both leaders that these methods were of complete failure.
ReplyDeleteI agree that both the tzar and Lenin terrorized the Russian people, but I don't agree that the Tzar was a complete failure as a ruler. He may have made a few wrong decisions, but his motives were based on the country and not himself. He went as far as to leading his own army, which showed his courage and his commitment to the country of Russia.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I want to ask Araam if you think there was some way that Lenin swayed the bourgeoisie into supporting him as a ruler, if not than he couldn't have fooled the entirety of Russia, only the proletariat. And if the bourgeoisie were against Lenin's rule then Lenin would have some groups that were against him that could counteract those "strong armed tactics" dont you think?