1. The first precarious months
The Bolsheviks:
The first precarious months

2. Why the first few months were so precarious
Most political parties refused to accept their authority
They had not been democratically elected
The Civil Service went on strike
The State Bank refused to open its vaults
The Constituent Assembly elections were scheduled for November
The War was still going on and needed to be dealt with quickly and effectively
Food crises

3. Getting the masses on side
Land decree gave legitimacy to the peasants’ actions
Workers’ control decree gave the workers control of the factories
The Proletariat were encouraged to attack Burzkhui homes and businesses
Minorities given autonomy
Populist policies, e.g. 8 hour working day
Women given equal rights with men

4. Ruthless Behaviour The Kadets were outlawed
Prominent opposition politicians and civil servants were arrested and killed
Banks were threatened with violence and then nationalised
Opposition newspapers were banned
The CHEKA was set up
Bourgeoisie attacked and blamed for Russia’s problems
Constituent Assembly dissolved at gun point by the Red Guard

5. Dealing with the Socialists
Lenin bought time by initially agreeing to hold talks on power-sharing
Agreed to hold elections to the Constituent Assembly
Lenin made an alliance with left wing SR to keep peasants on side
Formed the Sovnarkom which did not consult with the Soviets

6. The Constituent Assembly
Lenin allowed elections to go ahead – this bought him time and prevented criticism
The SR were clear winners with 370 seats compared with the Bolsheviks’ 175
The Assembly was dissolved after sitting for one day – Lenin justified this by saying the establishment of a representative body was created by the October Revolution
Lenin claimed the results had been rigged by the Kadets
Even leading Bolsheviks, such as Maxim Gorky were disappointed by Lenin’s actions:

7. Maxim Gorky
“The best Russians have lived for almost 100 years with the idea of Constituent Assembly as a political organ which could provide a Russian democracy… on the alter of this sacred idea rivers of blood have been spilled – and now the people’s commissars’ have ordered the shooting of this democracy”

8. The First World War
Caused problems for the Tsar, the Provisional Govt. & now the Bolsheviks
Had promised speedy withdrawal before the Revolution
Even Bolsheviks were divided on what to do
Lenin wanted to end the War immediately
Trotsky – ‘neither peace nor war’
Armistice December 1917
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk signed March 1918

9. Brest-Litovsk Treaty was harsh. Russia lost: A sixth of population
75% of iron ore and coal reserves
27% of farm land
26% of railway lines
A third of European Russian land

10. Lenin and Germany
Between 1914 and 1917 Germany had been paying Lenin in the hope that if his revolution succeeded he would pull Russia out of the War
Lenin was petrified that the German troops would eventually march on Petrograd
Operation Faustschlag saw a temporary resumption of hostilities by the Germans because of the delaying tactics of Trotsky (February 1918)

11. Slide in to Civil War Brest-Litovsk divided Russia
Right-wing nationalists were angry about losing so much imperial land
Far-left SR groups and Bolsheviks were frustrated that Germany had been allowed to gain more imperialist strength (international revolutionaries)
Many ordinary Russians felt humiliated by the terms and conditions
Russia could no longer rely on Western help
Russia could not realistically repair her economy now so much had been ceded to Germany
The Bolsheviks did not have a mandate