To what extent do you agree with the view that the collapse of the Provisional Government was due to the strength of the Bolsheviks?.
Response.
The Provisional Government was established by the Duma immediately following the February Revolution to function as a Russias governing body in March 1917. However, under its governance, Russia was plagued with ever-growing political instability and turmoils. The 25th October went down in history as the Bolsheviks successfully launched the virtually bloodless takeover of power into their hands, marking the complete collapse of the short-lived Provisional Government for only 8 months. Evidently, the most important factor bringing about this failure of Provisional Government went to the superior strength of Bolsheviks while other factors such as the institutional weaknesses and the mistakes of the Provisional Government also contributed significantly to this result. .
To begin with, by the time of October 1917, the Bolsheviks had been well-prepared enough for its takeover of political power from Provisional Government. Regarding its leadership, Lenin was a decisive leader who was prepared to make tough, decisions against the Provisional Government. Following July Days, he supported a new programme of Peace, Bread and Land. Peace referred the Bolshevik opposition to the war as Bolsheviks was the only party that continually opposed the war. Bread stated the need for food in times of food crisis caused the war and famines. Land referred to the Bolsheviks supporting land seizures by the peasantry and particularly they promised the peasants what they wanted by offering them land. These radical policies were popular and in tune with the peoples demands. As a result, they drew considerable support to Bolsheviks from both industrial workers and poor peasants, extending the Bolsheviks membership to 200 000 by September, 1917. Lenin also played an important role in developing tactics to grasp the right timing for the Bolsheviks.
