Trotsky’s Involvement in The October Revolution

As the Russian Revolution rose in 1917, so did a new political force known as Communism. When the Czarist autocracy was overthrown, there was now a need for a new government to rule Russia. After the abdication of the Russian throne and a civil war between the Bolsheviks (Red Army) and the Russian Republic (White Army), the Bolsheviks came out victorious and established themselves as the ruling party of Russia. Bolshevik leader, Vladimir Lenin, preached Karl Marx’s infamous pamphlet, The Communist Manifesto because he believed Communism was the ideal political system for Russia. Despite his beliefs in Marxism, Lenin felt that it had its limitations; therefore he applied Marxism to the extent he felt was necessary in establishing communism in Russia.

He became a member of the Bolsheviks’ Central Committee and emerged, along with Lenin, as the most influential opponent of Russia’s new Provisional Government. In contrast to the Mensheviks, who favoured cooperation with the liberals, the Bolsheviks sought to bring down the government and replace it with a so-called “dictatorship of the proletariat”—in other words, a government ruled by the Bolsheviks on behalf of Russia’s industrial workers and peasants. Trotsky was imprisoned for his opposition to the Provisional Government in August but was released on bail in early September and elected chairman of the Executive

What In Your View Is the Short term Significance of Leon Trotsky? Trotsky played a key role in the Bolshevik party, encouraging revolution, which saw the Bolsheviks gain power in 1917. He built up a strong Red Army during the civil war, used to ensure the survival of the Bolshevik government and was seen by many as the most likely candidate to take over as leader after Lenin’s death, showing the significance he was held in by Russians. However, evidence suggests that after Lenin’s death he lost his a considerable amount of power, eventually being exiled from the Communist party. In the short-term it is clear that Trotsky had a huge significance in the development of Russia, shown clearly through both his letters and documents, and the opinions of those close to Trotsky.

The October Revolution The October Revolution, is also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was the second phase of the Russian Revolution of 1917, the first occurring in the Febuary Revolution. The October Revolution was led by the Bolsheviks under the command of Vladmir Lenin and marked the fist officially Communist revolution of the 20th century. The Bolsheviks based there revolution on the theories of Carl Marx, however they believed that they had to press for a change rather than waiting for one to occur. The main crucial revolutionary activities happened in Petrograd were under the command of the Petrograd Soviet’s Military Revolutionary Committee. The revolution was a communist coup against the Russian provisional government, which would lead to the creation of the Soviet Union.

Promoted by Lenin, the chairman of the communist party in Russia, as well as Trotsky, another prominent leader who was in charge of the Red Army, the values of a classless society, equality for all, equal distribution of resources, and a place for everyone became the basis of a revolution that transformed Russia into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the USSR (Stoff 16). Under Lenin, who became the new leader, the country was able to recover from the economi... ... middle of paper ... ...oad to Stalingrad. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1975. Mawdsley, Evan. The Stalin Years: The Soviet Union 1929-1953.

There were more people getting involved in this revolution, inspired by the Bolsheviks and Len-in’s over all ideas for Russia. His slogan Peace, la... ... middle of paper ... ...keep everyone at the same level. The government pro-vided for its people but individuality and owning anything was not possible especially if you want to get ahead. There’s ups and downs to the Bolsheviks beliefs but it was all created to make a change from the conditions of that time period. The Bolsheviks believed that Marxism was the solution to all of Russia’s problems to better the country and the world.

This government was filled with liberals and moderates. The new government lasted barely six months before the government was overthrown and replaced, this time by radical socialists. "This group, known as the Bolsheviks, struggled to keep their power by suppressing dissent and eliminating their opponents" (Llewellyn, 2012) The Bolsheviks also began planning Russia’s transformation which was from a backward economic state organized on medieval principles into a modern industrial and technological superpower. "This transformation alone made the Russian Revolution one of the most significant events in modern history for all countries" (Llewellyn, 2012). The rise of socialism in Russia changed the ... ... middle of paper ...

Lenin had successfully launched his revolution in October, 1917 and became the leader of the Russian Communist Party until his death in January 1924. Stalin played only a minor role in the October Revolution and a relatively inconspicuous part in the Civil War (Lee 1). Stalin was sent to exile in Siberia for committing crimes in Russia, and after his return he became a member of the Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party in 1912. Stalin worked to gain support in the Communist party during its early stages. He created close contacts that he would later betray, and others which he would use to help him become the next leader of the Soviet Union.

The use of terror under Lenin 's rule was also highly effective in removing political dissidents and exerting Bolshevik authority through coercive measures like the Cheka and the Red Terror. The accumulation of these factors centred on Lenin 's leadership helped stamp Bolshevik power across the Soviet Union. Lenin’s pragmatic leadership was the most considerable factor in helping to fortify Bolshevik power. His willingness to take power in October/November 1917 and the successes of the move, through his right-hand man, Trotsky, was critical as it helped give him unquestioned authority within the party despite members of the Central Committee i.e. Zinoviev and Kamenev who suggested industrialisation needed to occur first.

This event later on, marked him as a radical in the authorities view. Many years later from this event, the April Theses of 3 April 1917, where Lenin called for 'all powers to the soviets', could also be put forward as an evidence to this view; saying that this Theses showed Lenin wished to ... ... middle of paper ... ... too much, devoted to his cause and most importantly an internationalist. The fact that he even worked for revolution while he was in exile shows that his real aim was not to be in power but to lead the world to a socialist path, which he believed was best. As Trotsky had said: " if the peasants had not read Lenin, Lenin had clearly read the thoughts of the peasants". He said this refering to his commrade's " Bread, Peace, Land" slogan , suggesting they promised something for almost everyone who had been suffering.