What Did Lenin Do in the Russian Revolution?
Russian political leader Vladimir Lenin led the Bolshevik party, condemned the provisional government hastily established after the fall of the Russian monarchy and promoted an ideology of universal socialism. According to About.com expert Jennifer Rosenberg, Lenin was the driving force behind the violent uprising that began in October 1917 and resulted in the eventual formation of the Soviet Union.
The first acts of Lenin’s Bolshevik Revolution included seizure of rail lines, banks, post offices and strategically advantageous bridges. The Bolsheviks also commandeered telegraph offices and equipment. By the end of the second day, the minimally violent coup ended with the Bolsheviks in control of Russia.
Lenin promised that Bolshevik leadership would provide plentiful food, shelter and money for all Russians, but this did not occur. Soldiers returning from the First World War learned that private land had been seized, jobs were non-existent and farmers were growing just enough food to feed their families. Unrest and frustration quickly boiled over, and civil war erupted in the summer of 1918.
Two months into the Civil War, Lenin launched the Red Terror. This initiative included terrorist tactics such as dissenter abductions, assassinations of purportedly disloyal government officials and other actions designed to quash disobedience and rebellion. United Press International reveals that the victims of the Red Terror were often buried in large, unmarked mass graves.
