Question: Why was the Bolshevik Party able to seize power in October 1917? (Distinction)
Answer: February 23rd 1917, International Women’s Day. Women workers in Petrograd leave their factories and enter the streets demanding food and peace. By the day’s end almost 100,000 workers march the streets. They worked long hours in dreadful conditions to feed their families, whilst their husbands and fathers fought at the front line. Each day more and more would attend, and by February 25th Petrograd was closed for business, with most of the city on strike. This and other events of February 1917 led to the abdication of Nicholas II on March 2nd, and an end to the 304 year long rule of the Romanovs. Russia, devastated by war and civil unrest, sought a new Government. Many see the rise of Bolshevism as an historical accident or tragedy. Others see it as the work of one man, Vladimir Lenin, who single-handedly marched Russia towards the October Revolution.
The causes of the revolution c...(short extract)
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- Subject: History
- Course: European History
- Level: Degree
- Year: 2nd/3rd
- Mark: Not available
- Words: 2766
- Date submitted: March 26, 2014
- Date written: January, 2014
- References: Yes
- Document type: Essay*
- Essay ID: 5529
