October Revolution

In November 1917 the Bolsheviks under Lenin seized power in Petrograd, launching the first communist state in history.

Overview

Lenin returned from exile in April 1917 with his April Theses demanding all power to the soviets and rejection of the war. After the failed July Days and the Kornilov affair that discredited the Provisional Government and the army command alike, the Bolsheviks won majorities in the Petrograd and Moscow soviets. On the night of 24 to 25 October old style, Red Guards, sailors, and loyal regiments seized the bridges, telegraph, stations, and finally the Winter Palace, and the Second Congress of Soviets ratified the transfer of power. Decrees on peace and land followed. The Bolsheviks held power through civil war and invasion, founded the Soviet Union in 1922, and created a world communist movement.