The October Revolution

     The October Revolution in Russia did not happen in October, and this is because the Russians were using the Julian calendar, which only consisted of 10 months. The revolution occurred in the month of November, from the 7^th to the 8^th. This political revolution was when Czar was overthrown by the Bolsheviks, who were inspired to action following the Russian setbacks in World War I.

     The Bolshevik Red Guard’s forces, under the Military Revolutionary Committee, began the occupation of government buildings on November 7, 1917. “The Bolsheviks were formed and led by the Vladimir Ilyich Ulianov - known simply as Lenin. Ruthless and single-minded, Lenin decided that the conditions in Russia in 1917 were ripe for revolution” (BBC).

     “The Bolsheviks were members of a wing of the Russian Social-Democratic Workers Party, which, led by Lenin, seized control of the government in Russia during October 1917 and became the dominant political power” (Encyclopedia Britannica Editors). The Bolsheviks were a Democratic Party, but they were also then called the Communist Party. This group originated at the party’s second congress in 1903; Lenin’s community insisted that party membership should be restricted to professional revolutionaries.

      After its founding, the party won a temporary majority of the central committee and on the editorial board of its newspaper Iskra. The October Revolution is viewed differently in

many ways, some people thinking that it was for the best while others thought that it was a negative turn for the nation. The Bolsheviks gathered most of their support and popularity from ‘blue collar’ workers, laborers and soldiers.

     The revolution took place in Petrograd of the Russian Republic, which had only existed a short time. Conquering the Republic, supporters of the revolution carried it throughout the country. The October Revolution is now considered one of the largest and most controversial of all Russia’s historical events. During the Cold War, the October Revolution was viewed as a beautifully organized military strategy. This interpretation was rejuvenated after the dissolution of the Soviet Union at the end of the Gorbachev era.

     The October Revolution was an extremely popular uprising of the Russian

masses. “Sure, the autocratic tsarist political system had somehow managed to remain intact

throughout the revolutions of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Even the

Revolution of 1905, which resulted in the creation of a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament (the Duma), had left predominant political authority in the hands of Tsar Nicholas II” (Encyclopedia of Russian History). One thing that can be learned from the Revolution is the need for a leader to be gentle and kind but firm and commanding to garner the most respect. If the leader of the time hadn’t been a bad leader, the revolution might not have taken place. Although Adolf Hitler was a terrible man, he was an amazing leader, and that’s why his people did not revolt against his regime. The Czar was Hitler’s counterpart, telling people his goals without the subterfuge, and his people disagreed, taking actions to prevent those goals.