Russian Revolution
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The success of the Russian Bolshevik revolution in October 1917 can largely be credited to the clear revolutionary ideas and powerful revolutionary leadership displayed by those involved in the revolution. The ideology of Marxism is based on the writings and theories of a 19th century German philosopher. The adaptation of this ideology led to the revolutionary idea of Leninism. This idea combined with the leadership of Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky and the economic and political pressure that faced Tsar Nicholas II and Alexander Kerenskys failures created the lead up to and successes of the Bolshevik revolution of October 1917.
Linins clear revolutionary ideas were based on Karl Marxs theories. Marxism is the works and social theory based on the works of Karl Marx who was a 19th century German socialist philosopher, economist, journalist, philosopher and revolutionary . Marxs fundamental theory was related to the “history of class struggle” as out lined in his texts of Das Kapital and the Communist Manifesto . Marx believed that a certain class could only rule for as long as it represented the economic production of society and that it would be destroyed and replaced when it no longer served its purpose. Marx believed that this process would produce a “classless society” . Marxs theory involved three states of society and 2 clear revolutionary classes. The first stage in the cycle was the feudalist state where an aristocracy controlled the people through the possession of land. This then lead to a bourgeois revolution resulting in a capitalist state. The capitalist state is lead by the bourgeoisie which suppresses the newfound working class. This lead to an eventual class consciousness resulting in an overthrow of the bourgeoisie by the proletariats. A socialist state would emerge where the workers controlled the state, every body was believed to be equal and the class system is brought to an end . During this state the need for government diminished and every one contributed to society in whatever way they could. The important role of Marxist ideology in the October Revolution was that the important party leaders of the socialist parties were influenced by these theories and in turn implemented them but with adaptation.
Leninism was derived from the basics of Marxism but has been adapted by Lenin to fit the situation in Russia at the time. In Russia the bourgeois were not strong enough to start a revolution but Lenin believed the proletariat was. Russia was not a heavily industrialized nation so it did not fit the conditions for proletarian revolution . This was against Marxist ideology as Lenin believed that a communist revolution would start in a backward country where capitalism was just starting up and the conflicts between the proletariat and the bourgeois were the acutest. This was the “Weakest Link” theory as when Russia goes into revolution it will start a revolution in other countries and spark a “world wide revolution”. This world wide revolution would generate a proletarian revolution in an advanced capitalist state that would then help a backward country like Russia to create a lasting socialist state . Lenin argued that the proletariat could only achieve a successful revolutionary consciousness through the efforts of a communist party that assumed the role of a “revolutionary vanguard” . The political reorganization that Lenin brought about through the April thesis reconstructed the views within the party and to a large extent brought about the success of the Bolshevik revolution.
Lenin was a powerful revolutionary leader that proved invaluable in the lead up to and during the October revolution. Lenins organization, leadership skills and a strong personality enabled Lenin to lead the Bolshevik party effectivly in the October revolution. Although Lenin was not a great orator he had a way in getting complex political ideas to the public in words that the general public would understood . For a full dictatorship of the proletariat Lenin created the Council of Peoples Commissars or Sonvarkom. Lenin chaired this council with 14 other members of the Bolshevik party and with this power was able to introduce full censorship of anti-communist material within days of the election . One thing that puts Lenin apart from the other leaders in the revolution is that he was not in it for personal gain but rather for the revolution. Lenins dedication to the revolution was 100% as he “thought of the revolution 24 hours a day, he dreamt about the revolution and was solely devoted to only the revolution”. Lenin was the pivot of the revolution and every thing he did had an effect on the way the revolution went and without him the revolution may not have succeeded.
Leon Trotsky was involved with the revolution from a far at first choosing not to pick a side in the split of the Socialist Democratic Party. In Trotskys time outside of both factions gave him insight and enabled him to draw his own conclusions on a successful and permanent revolution. When Trotsky resolved his problems with Lenin He was welcomed into the Bolsheviks with an appointment of commissar of foreign affairs .
Trotsky was active in organizing the final stages of the October revolution. Trotskys used of the congress to claim the power in the name of the soviets. Trotsky was a powerful leader because he was the best orator as he could swing the mood of a crowd and well known to the people through his actions during the 1905 revolution . Trotskys powerful revolutionary leadership has lead to the suggestion that he was more important than Lenin in the seizure of power in the successful Bolshevik revolution of in October 1917.
Nicholas II was the last Tsar of Russia from 1894 to 1917 and his characteristics where in complete contrast to Lenin and Trotsky. This combined with Nicholass II inadequacies in adequacies of poor decision making, unwillingness to engage in politics, lack of organization skills and his God given duty to uphold the autocracy meant that there would be no movement towards a constitutional government . Sergei Witte the finance minister took control of the task of making Russia industrialized. The methods which Witte used to gain money and industrialize included heavy taxes on the poor, large foreign loans and investments. Which resulted hundreds of thousands had died from the famine that in 1902 . Nicholas tried to bury the problems plaguing his country by starting a war with Japan in 1904 but this only stretched the economic and social plight of the workers and peasantry by shortages of food and raw materials together with the ever increasing failures of the Russian army to an inferior country created mass protests of strikes, rallies and political protests of