Factors Enabling Lenin and Bolsheviks to Seize Power: Failures of the Provisional Goverment
Using the four sources and your own knowledge, assess the view that the failures of the Provisional Government were the main factors in enabling Lenin and the Bolsheviks to seize power.
Seizure of power appeared more prominently due to the nature of 1917, in which the April Theses was published, the July Days occurred and the Kornilov Affair, which emphasised the weaknesses of the Provisional Government. However, it is how the Bolsheviks enabled their power through 1917: through their powerful, hard hitting propaganda or through the Provisional Government’s failures. Interpretations [A] and [B] focus more on Lenin’s domineering nature, and how he exudes control in order to enable power, whilst [C] and [D] clearly display Lenin and the Bolsheviks as beneficiaries of the Provisional Government’s failures. Though it can be seen that Lenin’s determination clearly allowed for support to grow for the Bolsheviks, it does appear that the conditions of chaos in 1917 emphasised the Provisional Government’s weaknesses, and ultimately the Kornilov Affair was the most important factor in enabling Lenin and the Bolsheviks to seize power and interpretation [C] is the most reliable in assessing this view, as it depicts the effects of the Kornilov Affair and specifically how it benefitted Lenin and the Bolsheviks. Conditions in 1917 were a trigger for growth in support for the Bolshevik party, as the poor conditions and diminishing hope led to periods of misery and discontent within the Russian population. No running water, overcrowded cities, strenuous working hours (at least ten hours a day, six days per week), wages were low and inadequate (made worse by World War One) were only some of the dehumanizing conditions in which the Russian people lived in. This is supportive of [A], which clearly exemplifies the problems, depicting the main issues as ‘anxiety, hunger, exploitation’, referring to the increasing prices and taxes whilst wages seemed to stay constant. However, [A]
Seizure of power appeared more prominently due to the nature of 1917, in which the April Theses was published, the July Days occurred and the Kornilov Affair, which emphasised the weaknesses of the Provisional Government. However, it is how the Bolsheviks enabled their power through 1917: through their powerful, hard hitting propaganda or through the Provisional Government’s failures. Interpretations [A] and [B] focus more on Lenin’s domineering nature, and how he exudes control in order to enable power, whilst [C] and [D] clearly display Lenin and the Bolsheviks as beneficiaries of the Provisional Government’s failures. Though it can be seen that Lenin’s determination clearly allowed for support to grow for the Bolsheviks, it does appear that the conditions of chaos in 1917 emphasised the Provisional Government’s weaknesses, and ultimately the Kornilov Affair was the most important factor in enabling Lenin and the Bolsheviks to seize power and interpretation [C] is the most reliable in assessing this view, as it depicts the effects of the Kornilov Affair and specifically how it benefitted Lenin and the Bolsheviks. Conditions in 1917 were a trigger for growth in support for the Bolshevik party, as the poor conditions and diminishing hope led to periods of misery and discontent within the Russian population. No running water, overcrowded cities, strenuous working hours (at least ten hours a day, six days per week), wages were low and inadequate (made worse by World War One) were only some of the dehumanizing conditions in which the Russian people lived in. This is supportive of [A], which clearly exemplifies the problems, depicting the main issues as ‘anxiety, hunger, exploitation’, referring to the increasing prices and taxes whilst wages seemed to stay constant. However, [A]