The Bolshevik Revolution of October 1917-Essay Review

In 1917, in the midst of the Great War, Russia faced one of the biggest political shifts that the Tsarist-ruled country had ever known-the Bolshevik Revolution. There are two significant time frames associated with the Bolshevik Revolution. In the February revolution Tsar Nicholas II abdicated his throne and a Provisional Government took control. In the October revolution the Bolsheviks took power by overthrowing the Provisional Government. How did the October revolution become a reality? What factors facilitated the Bolshevik Revolution of October 1917? Two important factors were the July event at Taurida Palace, and the Kornilov Affair. Richard Pipes describes in detail how Lenin influenced the Bolshevik party throughout the Bolshevik revolution. Pipes describes an organized Bolshevik Party with clear direction and purpose. Sheila Fitzpatrick meticulously covers the events that unfold during the Bolshevik Revolution. Fitzpatrick does an excellent job of defining Russian political terminology. Pipes and Fitzpatrick agree that the events unfolding between February and October of 1917 were creating an irreparable rift between the Provisional Government and all parties and classes. What Pipes and Fitzpatrick differ on is their interpretation of the Bolsheviks. Pipes writes about an organized Bolshevik Party that implemented careful planning, while Fitzpatrick expresses a party without direction. Pipes writes about General Kornilov as an ardent patriot who succumbed to deception, while Fitzpatrick views Kornilov as an opportunist. The Bolsheviks were well organized and had a plan walking into the July event, and the Kornilov affair was not a coup based on self interest, but one of self preservation.
An important factor that facilitated the Bolshevik Revolution was the July event. Pipes and Fitzpatrick differ in that Pipes states the July event was masterminded and carefully planned by the Bolsheviks, while Fitzpatrick claims that it was unorganized and