No sooner had he arrived in the capital than Vladimir became involved with a revolutionary communist cell in the city whose members primarily came from the Technological Institute of St Petersburg. ibid.
1905: Workers striking in many cities, portions of the army mutinying and agrarian unrest across the countryside. ibid.
Thereafter, Nicholas reneged on most of his promises. ibid.
By 1907 Lenin was back in London where the Bolsheviks successfully resumed control over the RSDLP against the Menshevik faction at the Party’s fifth Congress which took place that summer. ibid.
In Switzerland Lenin was soon abreast of what was happening back home. Within days he was preparing to return to Russia. ibid.
Yesterday there was a tsar and there were slaves; today there is no tsar, but the slaves remain; tomorrow there will be only tsars ... We have lived through the epoch of suppression of the masses; we are living in an epoch of suppression of the individual in the name of the masses; tomorrow will bring the liberation of the individual – in the name of man. Yevgeny Zamyatin, Tomorrow 1919
The Russian Revolution changed the world for ever. Almost overnight, an entire society was destroyed, and replaced with one of the most radical social experiments ever seen. Poverty, crime, privilege and class division were to be eliminated. A new era of Socialism promised peace, prosperity and equality for all the peoples of the world. But the social experiment failed. Millions were killed. And within a generation almost one third of the world’s population was living in the shadow of Communism. The Russian Revolution, Top Documentaries 2006
It is a time of ideas and ideals. ibid.
It was the end of the provisional government. ibid.
On the 23rd of February women in the factories came out on to the streets to protest at the lack of bread. When rumour spread that the bread was being deliberately hoarded and held back from them their mood darkened. The men from the factories joined the women. Cries changed from demands for bread to the removal of Russia’s Emperor, The Tsar. By the end of the afternoon 100,000 workers were on strike. ibid.
Despite the killings the demonstrations continued. Back at the barracks the soldiers were becoming increasingly angry at what had happened, and when their officer tried to force them back on to the streets again, they let their feelings known. ibid.
The revolution appeared unstoppable. Tsarist symbols were torn down. And the country rushed enthusiastically into uncharted territory. ibid.
The Tsar’s regime had been replaced by a temporary provisional government. Its ministers were democrats, but many of them were landowners too. And they were committed to continuing the War with Germany. Exiled revolutionary leaders had different ideas. And they were on their way home. In a sealed train direct from Switzerland came one of the most important of the revolutionaries – Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. His party name was Lenin. This is the man who would take over the Revolution. His arrival would change everything. ibid.
Lenin’s slogan was Peace, Bread and Land. ibid.
The cause was taken up with a bloody enthusiasm by the sailors of Kronstadt. ibid.
In October the Revolution was also taken up by Lenin’s Bolshevik Party, who with the help of the sailors forced their way to power. Now the Bolsheviks feared their rivals. Determined to keep control, they had begun to build the apparatus of a police state. Slowly a gap is growing between the Party and the people. And the sailors from Kronstadt are caught in the middle. ibid.
After two years the last White general is defeated, and the allies leave Russia for good. ibid.
It’s been a century since the Russian revolution and formation of the world’s first communist state … But at the heart of the Russian revolution lay … the Royal family who were determined to retain autocratic rule. The Russian Revolution, Netflix 2017
The errors made by the Tsar would bring an empire to its knees. ibid.
From the day of his coronation he [Nicholas] was off to a dreadful start … Nicholas was struggling in his role of Tsar. ibid.
Crucially, the Russian armed forces remained loyal to the Crown. ibid.
Civil unrest was about to break out in Russia. ibid.
Lenin’s belief in the profound weakness of the provisional government would prove justified. Russia’s October revolution had begun. ibid.
The Soviet Union March 1953: a brutal wave of terror is unleashed. Its architect the dictator Joseph Stalin who’s already killed thirty million Soviet citizens suddenly falls into a coma. Those surrounding his bed each have a motive to want him dead … New evidence suggests that someone in this room may have killed Stalin. Who Killed Stalin? PBS 2019
Why did the ultra-paranoid leader leave himself vulnerable in his sleep by telling his bodyguards to go to bed? Why did his most senior ministers deprive Stalin of medical assistance for twelve hours? And why did the official announcement of his death omit crucial medical details? ibid.
In October 1917 the world changed for ever. Three men led the takeover of the largest country on Earth. Russia became the world’s first communist state. It took everyone by surprise including its own leaders. Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin had to struggle, plot and force their way into power through the most unlikely series of events. Russia 1917: Countdown to Revolution, BBC 2017
February 1917: Russia is ready to explode; its royalty, the Tsars, have ruled with an iron fist for four centuries … On February 23rd Russia erupts … Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin miss the February revolution. ibid.
‘Stalin was the ultimate man of action … He was the master of assassinations, protection rackets, heists …’ ibid. Simon Sebag Montefiore
Lenin wants a second revolution to overthrow the provisional government. ibid.
Why does Lenin hesitate? For Lenin, timing is everything. ibid.
The Bolsheviks are now seen as the saviours of Petrograd. ibid.
‘This is the moment when one man makes all the difference.’ ibid.
An heroic new world is born: at least in Eisenstein’s version of events. ibid.
Lenin issues scores of decrees that transform Russia in days. ibid.
Amidst the devastation of the First World War bled dry by battles and tortured by hunger the Russia of the Tsars that had once seemed eternal was gripped by revolution. For the people hope was reborn. But the dream would not last. As chaos spread, a handful of men seized power and changed the destiny of their nation. Posterity remembers the October revolution, but has largely forgotten what took place in February that could have led Russia to a different destiny. 1917: One Year, Two Revolutions, National Geographic 2017
He [Tsar] used violence to suppress popular uprisings. His will was law. ibid.
Members of the Duma rose up against the Tsar. ibid.
All the main actors of the revolution were present. ibid.
Lenin was left isolated; his programme was too radical. ibid.
After the February revolution the provisional government and Petrograd Soviet were committed to democratic reform. ibid.
Gradually their [Bolsheviks] ideas of their small party gained ground … Bolshevik beliefs were taking hold. ibid.
Against all expectations Lenin called for restraint. ibid.
The revolution was descending into anarchy. ibid.
Despair was widespread and another revolution was in the making. ibid.
Only the iron leadership of the communist party can guarantee the victory of the popular masses. October: Ten Days that Shook the World, directors Aleksandrov & Eisenstein, caption, 1928
February: May the provisional government have a long life! ibid.
Down with the Provisional Government! ibid. Lenin
The uprising is premature! ibid. Bolsheviks
Everybody to the defence of the Petrograd! ibid.
The government opened the arsenal. ibid.