Consolidation of Bolshevik Authority (AQA A-Level History): Revision Notes
Consolidation of Bolshevik Authority
The Bolsheviks' position at the end of October 1917 remained precarious. Civil servants refused to work for the new government, and bankers declined to provide finance. The State Bank resisted handing over its reserves for ten days, yielding only when faced with the threat of armed intervention. This financial obstruction hampered the Bolsheviks' ability to govern and pay supporters.
Beyond Petrograd, the Bolsheviks faced military opposition. Alexander Kerensky established a new headquarters at Gatchina and assembled an army of 18 Cossack regiments alongside a smaller force of Socialist Revolutionary cadets and officers. Many soldiers from the Petrograd garrison had returned to their homes in the countryside immediately after the revolution, weakening the Bolsheviks' military strength.
Lenin lacked direct contact with troops at the front, leaving his forces numerically inferior to those of his opponents. The Bolshevik position appeared vulnerable to counter-attack.
Timeline of consolidation: October to November 1917
The Bolsheviks moved systematically to secure their control through a combination of military action and political manoeuvring:
- 29 October: An army cadet rising against the Bolsheviks within Petrograd met swift defeat by the Red Guard. The Executive Committee of Railwaymen, composed of Mensheviks, Socialist Revolutionaries, and Bolsheviks, demanded a 'united socialist government' and refused to transport food. Lenin ignored these demands, and the protest gradually collapsed.
- 31 October: The Bolsheviks seized control in Baku and 17 other provincial capitals, extending their authority beyond Petrograd and Moscow.
- 2 November: The new government defeated Kerensky's opposition forces. The Soviet Government then proclaimed the 'Declaration of Rights of the Peoples of Russia', which permitted the nationalities of the former Russian Empire to break away and establish independent states if they chose. By the end of 1917, both Ukraine and Finland declared their right to control their own affairs under this decree.
- 3 November: The Kremlin in Moscow fell to Bolshevik forces after a ten-day battle. Lenin issued an ultimatum demanding an end to division within the Bolshevik party. Those who opposed the new government faced a choice: accept it or leave. Several prominent Bolsheviks, including Kamenev, Zinoviev, and Rykov, departed the leadership, and Yakov Mikhailovich Sverdlov replaced Kamenev as Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee.
- 5 November: Lenin proclaimed the revolution's victory, declaring: 'Remember that now you yourselves are at the helm of state. No one will help you if you yourselves do not unite and take into your hands all affairs of the state. Your Soviets are from now on the organs of state authority, legislative bodies with full powers'.
By December 1917, the Bolsheviks controlled the major towns and railways, though large areas of countryside remained outside their control. The path to complete dominance would require four more years of Civil War before the Communists could claim full victory and military control of Russia.
Lenin's rejection of coalition government
Lenin showed unwavering determination to avoid a socialist coalition government. This position appears somewhat paradoxical given both his ideological commitments and the practical situation in 1917. Petitions from factory workers and soldiers demanded a broad socialist government, and the railwaymen's strike demonstrated substantial support for 'democratic government' that included multiple socialist parties. Even members of Lenin's own party favoured this arrangement.
Several factors explain Lenin's resistance:
- Ideologically, he believed in Bolshevik supremacy and distrusted other socialist leaders
- Practically, he feared that sharing power would allow rival socialist leaders to challenge him and dilute his vision for Russia's future
- Other socialist parties might constrain Bolshevik policies or slow the pace of revolutionary change
- Lenin calculated that maintaining exclusive Bolshevik control, despite its risks, offered the best route to implementing his programme
In November, following protests about establishing a purely 'Bolshevik' state, Lenin reluctantly permitted seven left-wing Social Revolutionaries to join Sovnarkom. However, he remained hostile to further suggestions of 'power-sharing', making it clear to these delegates that they must follow the Bolshevik lead. This limited concession preserved the appearance of broader socialist representation whilst ensuring Bolshevik dominance.
Key Points to Remember:
- The Bolsheviks faced substantial challenges initially: civil servants and bankers refused cooperation, Kerensky mobilised opposition forces, and Bolshevik military strength remained limited
- Rapid consolidation occurred between 29 October and 5 November 1917 through defeating counter-revolutionary risings, seizing provincial capitals, and eliminating internal party opposition