Russia Turns Red
In November 1917, the Bolsheviks seized power in Russia and created Soviet Russia. Led by Vladimir Lenin, they promised bread, land, peace, and a fairer society for workers and peasants. Their victory ended the old government and opened a new political era.
Key Facts
Date: 7 November 1917, or 25 October in the old Russian calendar.
Leader: Vladimir Lenin and the Bolshevik Party.
Method: They took power by force with the Red Guards militia.
Target: The weak Provisional Government failed to solve Russia’s crises.
Promises: Immediate peace, land reform, economic control, and a Constituent Assembly.
Support: They won backing from many workers, soldiers, and soviets.
Result: Russia withdrew from World War I.
Aftermath: The Bolsheviks became the Communist Party, and only one party was allowed.
Historical Context
Russia was in chaos in 1917. Tsar Nicholas II had already abdicated, but the new government could not fix war, hunger, inflation, or unrest. The Bolsheviks used this anger to present themselves as the only group offering real change.
Historical Significance
The revolution transformed Russia from an empire into the world’s first major socialist state. It also helped shape the rise of the Soviet Union, one of the most powerful states of the 20th century. Its success showed how war, crisis, and clear political messaging could overturn an old order fast.
Learn More: Bolshevik Revolution: When Russia Became a Socialist State in 1917
