The most important individual in bringing about the change in influence is Vladimir Lenin, who brought about a sudden sharp rise in the party’s popularity. Following the 1917 October Revolution, Lenin became the leader of the Communist Party and greatly increased the party’s political influence with his ‘one party state’. Lenin’s creation of the Politburo in 1919, which was a group of eight high profile party members who influenced any decision being made, demonstrates the party’s increased political influence by showing their domination of governmental bodies. Public support of the party is obvious in the increase of RCP membership, March 1919 to March 1920, from 250,000 to 612,000. This may have been due mainly to Lenin retaining his power through the 1918 civil war. In 1921, Lenin introduced his New Economic Policy, aimed at gaining peace with the peasant class, which resulted in the ending of armed resistance to the communists. This support increased the Russian Communist Party’s (RCP) public influence greatly, backed in rural areas as well as urban working class districts. Due to all these factors, Lenin is the most important individual in changing the influence of the Russian communist party between 1905 and 1945.…
After the October Coup in 1917, the Bolshevik’s power as the government of Russia was not completely solidified. This was mainly due to the vast opposition that the Bolsheviks experienced from all over Russia along with other pressing issues such as food shortages, an exhausting war, and a crippled economy. Yet the Bolsheviks not only survived the early day‘s of empowerment but went on to rule Russia for the next 70 years. This essay will examine the factors that allowed the Bolsheviks to have such a sweeping success in ruling Russia.…
Russia was torn between the world war and the population was threatened as levels of starvation rose whilst industry fell. The provisional government could not do much to stop Russia plummeting as they did not have much power and the people of Russia failed to support them (1). The citizens of Russia were desperately looking for help and the Bolshevik party, created with the help of Lenin and Trotsky in the year 1917, had the answer. Slowly, they had managed to become one of the most powerful parties ever created, but many factors were to cause the consolidation of power. In this essay I will be comparing the significance of Vladimir Lenin in the Bolshevik consolidation of power with another important factor; Leon Trotsky.…
The Russian Communist Party first emerged under the Bolsheviks in 1905 when general strikes were organised in St. Petersburg and Moscow. At this time the Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, were a minority group and increasingly divided from the Mensheviks over pace of reform and ideology. It was due to the Tsar’s ignorance throughout World War One that the Bolshevik saw an inadvertent increase in influence of opposing groups. Although, the Bolsheviks were not in power by 1917 their membership was increasing and it was Lenin’s simple slogans, such as ‘Peace, Bread, Land’ that attracted the Russian population, increasing Bolshevik influence. The fact that the Bolsheviks were the only party to promise an end to the war won the ‘hearts and minds’ of the Russian people, which could be argued that Lenin was the most significant individual in the changing influence of the Russian Communist Party. However, it was both the leadership from Lenin and military organisation from Trotsky that meant the October revolution of 1917 was, to a certain extent, a success. Darby argues that ‘Without [Lenin] it is unlikely that the Bolsheviks would have taken power in October’ whilst Figes claims ‘Trotsky became its principal source of public inspiration’. Post the October revolution, the Bolsheviks were a majority in the second All-Russian Congress of Soviets, proving that they had managed to exert a large amount of influence on the Russian population. After this it is more difficult to assess whether it was certain individuals that played a part in the changing influence of the Russian Communist Party as in the summer of 1918 Lenin set up a one-party state and ended the Constituent Assembly. The introduction of the NEP, in 1921, increased party influence as the peasants were allowed a little capitalism back, ending grain requisitioning and armed resistance in the countryside. It is hard to evaluate…
In 1917, Russia was crumbling into pieces. The World War I was draining all of Russia’s resources. There was shortage of food throughout the country, which left people starving. At the battlefront, millions of Russian soldiers were dying, they did not possess many of the powerful weapons that their opponents had. The government under Czar Nicholas II was disintegrating, and a provisional government had been set up. In November of 1917, Lenin and his communist followers known as the Bolsheviks overthrew the provisional government and set a communist government in Russia. However, in 1924, Lenin died and Josef Stalin assumed leadership of the Soviet Union, which was the name for the communist Russia. Stalin was a ruthless leader who brought many changes to the Soviet Union. Stalin’s goal was to transform the Soviet Union into a modern superpower and spread communism throughout the world, and he was determined to sabotage anyone who stood in his way. He used many methods such as collectivization, totalitarianism and five year plan’s to achieve his goals. Stalin’s rule brought both harmful and beneficial consequences to the Soviet Union; however, the negative factors were so terrible, that they overwhelm the positive factors.…
The Twentieth century was a very important time for the whole world. Empires rose and fell and the modern world was shaped. One of the most influential men of the century, if not the most, was Joseph Stalin. His legacy continues to frighten and inspire even 60 years after his death.…
On 24th October 1917 the Lenin and the Bolsheviks led a revolution in Russia. The Bolshevik Red Guards led a revolution against the Provisional Government by seizing control of stations, telephone exchanges, post offices, the national bank and the Winter Palace in Petrograd. Now Lenin set about creating the world’s first communist state. Although he was a strong influence, he was not solely responsible for the outbreak of revolution. There are other important causes of the Bolshevik seizure of power, such as the weakness of the Provisional government and Kerensky’s mistakes. Also other important factor was the actions of Trotsky and the timing and luck of the Bolsheviks. However, Lenin was, to a large extent, crucial to the Bolshevik seizure of power because he presented his April thesis, which gave the people of Russia an awakening to the communist aim.…
In March, 1917, Tsar Nicholas resigned from the throne. New laws were passed by the new government called the ‘Provisional Government’, many Russians faced by poverty were expecting changes, but the laws did not pass their expectations. This government did not last long. Lenin, leader of the Bolsheviks travelled to Russia and was dissatisfied with the new government and made a bid for power. In October, the Bolsheviks led another revolution, which remove the Provisional Government from power. With Lenin, now the ruler of Russia, he went about completely altering Russia into a Communist society.…
Russia’s economy suffered worse during the war than most of the other participants due to its underdeveloped Industrial sector. Eventually, the toll on the Russian economy and quality of life caused the Russian people to rebel against Czar Nicholas II and a revolution took place in 1917. When Vladimir Lenin of the Bolsheviks came to power, he withdrew Russia from the war in order to begin ameliorating working conditions and quality of life, but before he could begin stabilizing the economic and political climate in Russia, a Civil War broke out. Ultimately, the Bolshevik regime won the war and Russia emerged as the Soviet Union: the first communist country in…
In 1917, Russia was ruled by Tsar Nicolas II until the Bolshevik party overthrew the Russian government by storming the palace in October commanded by Stalin, Lenin, and Trotsky. The Tsar family, which had been crueling dictating for centuries, was finally overthrown which lead to the creation of U.S.S.R. or the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. In 1992, Stalin was became the general secretary of the Committee, but he isolated the other party members by betraying and manipulating them out of office including his arch-enemy Trotsky, who was eventually exiled in 1929, and became the uncontested leader of Soviet Union. This Union was founded on the protection of the working class and everyone worked together to make the country great.…
During 1917 the political system of Russia, and the political opinions of its public, began to change. The First World War was deeply taking its toll, with the casualties running into millions, and food shortages were reaching crisis levels across Russia. Presided over by the Provisional Government, who had little support and even less real power, the people of Russia became restless. In October, the animosity between Government and populace came to a head, and a revolution put Lenin’s socialist Bolshevik party in power. This essay will show that, while the Bolshevik party was dedicated and driven in the values they believed in, it was only the seizing of opportunity, and a lot of luck, that they succeeded in taking power.…
The Russian revolution of 1917 saw the overthrow of the tsarist autocracy in February and the seizure of power by the Bolshevik party in October.The Bolsheviks proceeded to establish the world’s first Communist state on a territory covering one-sixth of the globe. A series of events and ideas led to the October revolution, each significant in its own capacity.…
By 1917, Russia was chaotic, the government had been thoroughly corrupted, strikes were rampant and all happening at once. The World War I had begun and Russia was having many casualties due to being ill - equipped against industrialized Germany, and amidst the countries it was the one to receive most damage. Due to the german attacks the Russian economy had been falling apart, and such a situation was only useful to the radicals, as they used it as an opportunity to join with the moderates among other forces, in order to overthrow the Czar and achieve their revolutionary goals. As time passed Russia’s situation only deteriorated, demonstrators and protestants took over the streets, the king’s armies killed many of them, but they still continued to attack full force. Then when an army took the protestants side, the tables flipped, Nicholas II, the Czar at the time was forced to abdicate his throne and so freed Russia of over four centuries of Czarist…
In March of 1917 in Russia, The Tsar, Nicholas II had little choice. The Great War (as it was known as at that time) had turned into a disaster, conditions at home were horrible, and the Menshevik government had forced Nicholas to abdicate He did this for himself and his son and gave the power to his brother. His brother gave up the power the next day because the country was in such disarray. After that, the Provisional Government took power. By November of 1917 in Russia, the Provisional Government was in complete collapse. In the meantime, the Bolshevik party, which was helped by German money, had built up an efficient party organisation, had a brilliant propaganda machine, and a powerful private army know as the Red Guards.…
This economic system had numerous features, both good and bad. Following the end of czarist rule, Vladimir Lenin, and later Joseph Stalin, came into power as leader of the Bolsheviks, or the Communists, those who deeply desired communist ideas for a government. Vladimir Lenin and his Communist Party established the Soviet Union, which by Joseph Stalin, was made into a communist and totalitarian state, which is ruled by one dictator. A factor of communism in Russia set by Stalin was the Great Purge. During this enforcement, those who resisted the government, going against their ideals, were executed or exiled from society. If any were even accused of opposition towards the government, they would be brutalized, murdered or removed from their country. This action sparked great fear in the people of the Soviet Union, as they were forced to be harshly subordinate to Stalin.…