October Revolution of 1917

The October Revolution of 1917 was the Bolshevik overthrow of Russia's Provisional Government, which had taken office after the fall of the Tsar. Led politically by Vladimir Lenin, the Bolsheviks used popular demands for peace and land, the government's weakening authority, and organised armed action to seize power in Petrograd.

War intensified Russia's social and economic crisis

The First World War deepened existing inequalities and undermined confidence in the monarchy and, subsequently, the Provisional Government.

• Military defeats, heavy casualties and shortages of equipment weakened soldiers' morale and increased opposition to continuing the war.
• Wartime disruption of transport and production contributed to food shortages and rising prices, worsening conditions for urban workers.
• Peasants wanted redistribution of land, while workers sought better wages and working conditions; these unresolved demands gave revolutionary politics a broad social base.
• The February Revolution removed the Tsar but did not resolve the problems of war, food supplies and landownership.

The Provisional Government failed to consolidate authority

Russia developed a situation of dual power: the Provisional Government held formal governmental authority, while soviets, councils of workers' and soldiers' representatives, exercised substantial influence.

• The government's decision to continue the war alienated soldiers and workers who increasingly demanded peace.
• It postponed a comprehensive settlement of the land question until a Constituent Assembly could decide it, frustrating peasants seeking immediate redistribution.
• The unsuccessful military offensive of June 1917 further damaged the government's credibility.
• Attempts to restrain radical political activity and restore military discipline widened the gulf between the government and revolutionary workers and soldiers.

The Bolsheviks converted discontent into political support

Lenin's April Theses demanded an end to the war, transfer of land to peasants and nationalisation of banks. The Bolshevik call for All power to the soviets offered an alternative to the Provisional Government.

• The attempted military intervention associated with General Kornilov strengthened fears of counter-revolution; Bolshevik participation in resisting it improved their standing.
• By September, the Bolsheviks had gained majorities in the Petrograd and Moscow soviets, providing important bases of support.
• Their demands connected immediate grievances over peace, land and bread with the objective of replacing the existing government.

Organisation made the seizure of power possible

Popular discontent alone did not produce the takeover. Lenin pressed for an armed uprising, while the Military Revolutionary Committee of the Petrograd Soviet, with Trotsky playing a central role, coordinated revolutionary forces.

• Red Guards and sympathetic soldiers secured strategic locations in Petrograd before the Provisional Government could organise effective resistance.
• The seizure succeeded because organised revolutionary forces confronted a government with declining political legitimacy and unreliable military support.