In November 1917 there was a successful revolution in Russia. In March 1917 there had also been an attempt at a revolution, which had failed. There are many reasons why the November revolution had been a success.
During the March revolution Russia was in a mess. People were becoming fed up with the war, there were food shortages in the cities and strikes brought industry to a standstill. The Duma's Provisional Committee took control of the government. People thought that this Provisional Government, lead by Kerensky, would solve problems in Russia, but they didn't solve anything. This explains the revolution because people were fed up with the current government.
During the time of the Provisional Government there were another group of people trying to get control of Russia, The Soviets; they were made up of Bolsheviks, Social Revolutionaries, Mensheviks and other Soviet parties. This is called dual power.
The Provisional Government had three main problems: What to do about the war, how to distribute land to the peasants, and how to get food to the people who were starving in the cities. They didn't solve any of these problems, the war carried on, the peasants were taking land, and people were still staving in the cities. Most people were fed up with the provisional government. The Bolshevik party gave the people an alternative, promising the people "Peace, Land and Bread." Bolshevik support increased greatly. The Bolsheviks offered the three things that the people of Russia wanted,
The First World War had been a big problem for Russia. The Russian army was unprofessional; it was mostly made up of peasant conscripts who were against the war in the first place. Lenin, the leader of the Bolsheviks knew that this was the time for a revolution; he promised the people that he would end the war if he got control of Russia. This got more people supporting the Bolsheviks; they now had more backing for a revolution.
Because of all the failures in the, there was mutiny and desertions in the Russian army. The army was against the Provisional Government. General Kornilov marched his army to Moscow to overthrow Kerensky and the Provisional Government. Kerensky asked the Bolsheviks for help, who created the Red Guard, lead by Leon Trotsky. Kerensky gave the Red Guard weapons and supplies so they could fight Kornilov. However, Kornilov's army refused to fight the Red Guard as they were fellow soviets. This is a big factor as to why the revolution broke out. The Bolsheviks now had a loyal and well-equip army, with which they could take control of Russia.
In November 1917 the Bolsheviks successfully took control of Russia. The main factor that made the revolution a success was the Provisional Government's inability to resolve the problems they faced. This gave the Bolsheviks the perfect opportunity to take control; most people wanted the Provisional Government out of power. The Bolsheviks also had an army with which they could overthrow the Provisional Government. Put two and two together and you have a revolution.
