The 1917 Revolutions

You wait a lifetime for a revolution and then two come along at once! Such was 1917 in Russia. As the world seemed in chaos and Russia and the Russian people began to collapse, Lenin and the Bolsheviks saw their opportunity and overthrew the government to create the first communist leadership. Through a series of events that shouldn’t have worked Lenin achieved his lifetime dream – but could he hold on to it?

Dr Lara Douds (Northumbria University) takes us through the February Revolution, Lenin's return to Russia, the 'April Thesis' and his intense campaign against the Provisional Government that built to the October Revolution. Dr Douds examines how the Bolsheviks grew from a tiny obscure sect with just a few thousand members to a party that had enough support to take control of Russia.