The revolution started on January 9, 1905, when a priest led a petition to increase living wages and civil rights. His protest gained the attention of several hundreds of people causing the troops patrolling the streets to panic and open fire. Many were wounded and two-hundred people died leaving this day to be known in history as Bloody Sunday and the current tsar’s benevolent reputation ruined. The mass popular unrest gave the professional strata and the intelligentsia the chance to press their demands for an elected parliament or even constitutional assembly to decide on Russia’s future form of government. This allowed the formation of political parties, notably the Kadets, the Bolosheviks, Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries. This also prompted the Kadets, who wanted a constitutional democracy, to rally together and eventually pressure Nicholas II into abdicating in February 1917. Unfortunately for Russia, Nicholas II’s abdication left Russia without a leader. Enter the Provisional Government, created and headed by multiple political parties like the Kadets (and later more importantly Kerensky), who took reign over Russia until a more permanent and agreed upon government could be established. This government didn’t have any power or coercive ability and were in the difficult position of trying to run a country while also participating in World War I. While the Provisional Government was trying to function, Lenin returned to Russia from his exile in Switzerland. Back in Russia, Lenin presented “The Task of the Proletariat in the Present Revolution (April Theses)” to his political party, the Bolosheviks who branched off Marxism and believed in quick, radical change. He announced what he believed should be the tasks of the party including giving the power to the peasants, eliminating any capitalistic elements in Russia, like banks, and making them into common resources for all of Russia and lastly to not only expand Russia domestically but internationally and start an international revolution. And when placed in debate with other parties, such as Tsereteli of the Mensheviks (another branch of Marxism that believed in a slow revolution), he remarked: [Tsereteli] said there is no political party in Russia that would express willingness to take all state power into its hands. I say: such a party exist! No party has a right to refuse power and our party does not refuse it. Our party is ready at any moment to take all power into its hands. Lenin’s ability to orate gave the Bolosheviks the upper-hand many times and allowed Lenin to control the narration of the Revolution even when there was the counter revolution. …show more content…
During a time known as the July Days, Kerensky gave orders to the troops that were refused. Lenin on the other hand, gave the soldiers land and calendars that they’d later roll for smoking. Kerensky though has a panic attack over being disobeyed by the troops and orders, in August, General Kornilov to get rid of the order and to arrest the Bolosheviks. The Bolos then begin to spread rumors about Kerensky causing him to rebuke his alliance with Kornilov. These happenings unintentionally made the Bolos out to be candor and reliable in the eyes of the people and soldiers and gave them more support than was expected of the small political party. The extra support also gave the Bolosheviks the confidence in October to take over the capital. After Kerensky tried to strike back at the Bolos by cutting