Bolsheviks Seize Power in October Revolution

Context

The February Revolution earlier that year had forced Tsar Nicholas II to abdicate, replacing the monarchy with a Provisional Government dominated by moderate socialists and liberals. This new authority shared power uneasily with the Petrograd Soviet and other workers' councils, creating a situation of dual power across Russia. The government chose to honor Russia's commitments to its World War I allies by continuing the costly conflict, which fueled shortages, inflation, and growing unrest among soldiers, workers, and peasants.

What Happened

By autumn 1917 the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin from hiding, had gained majorities in key soviets by promising peace, land redistribution, and bread. On October 10 the Bolshevik Central Committee secretly voted to prepare an armed uprising. Leon Trotsky, as chairman of the Petrograd Soviet, directed the Military Revolutionary Committee to coordinate Red Guards, sailors from the Baltic Fleet, and sympathetic army units.

Aftermath

The Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets convened on November 8 and ratified the transfer of power, issuing decrees on peace and land that immediately appealed to war-weary troops and rural populations. Alexander Kerensky fled the capital and attempted a counteroffensive with Cossack forces, but it collapsed within days. The new Soviet government moved quickly to negotiate an armistice with the Central Powers.

Legacy

The October events established the world's first socialist state and set Russia on the path to civil war and the eventual formation of the Soviet Union. Historians continue to debate whether the takeover represented a genuine popular revolution or a well-organized coup that overrode the broader democratic aspirations expressed in the February upheaval.