The Russian Revolution
Short History Of...
00:00
Lenin's Russia
October was effectively a low-key coup, a walk-in. Everything was falling apart economically in Russia. All it needed was a stronger group of any kind to take power. I mean, Tsarist could have snatched power back if they'd been organised. When the delayed Congress meets, several leaders walk out appalled at the illegal power grab. An election of the new constituent assembly is planned for November. For Lenin though, democracy is a bourgeois invention. And sure enough, when his party take under 25% of the 40 million votes, he refuses to recognise the result. He also bans political meetings of all kinds and outlaws the free press.
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