The Bolsheviks' Lack of Planning During the July Days

In the July 1917 riots, armed demonstrators gathered in hopes of forcing the leaders of the Soviet to comply with their demands. When the leaders didn't give in, the crowd dispersed. But the machine gunners and Kronstad sailors were still on board, the Bolshevik leaders reluctantly endorsed the armed demonstrations, and the morning edition of Pravda had to be hastily altered to remove an editorial urging restraint. The Bolsheviks' response seems more like vacillating improvisation than a carefully planned coup.