To What Extent was Lenin’s role the most important reason for the Success of the Russian Revolution?
...tors, (before Perestroika) are mere propaganda and as a result, are extremely biased. Hagiography was important to the leaders of the Soviet Union, especially Stalin who promoted this style of writing to present himself as the legitimate successor to Lenin. Even sixty years after Lenin’s death, books were still published describing Lenin as an infallible leader, whose genius alone brought about the revolution. Soviet authors like P.N Pospelov all argue that without Lenin, the revolution would not have been a success. This Soviet View even goes to the extent of suggesting Lenin and the Bolsheviks played an important part in the February Revolution. This view is contradicted by virtually all other schools of thought, most of them regarding this notion as nonsense. ‘No one seriously suggests that the overthrow of the Tsar was directly organised and led by Lenin….but there are differences in opinion as to whether the Bolsheviks contributed anything at all to the first (February Revolution)’ The official Soviet explanation was that the workers who revolted in the February revolution, had been driven to the point of desperation. But also suggests that this action was far from spontaneous and if it were not for long term overall influence and effectiveness of the Bolshevik strategy. The traditional Western response to that view would be that of absurdity. This view suggests that the causes of the February revolution were mainly to do with the Tsar’s disastrous failure in the war and suggest that the Rasputin fiasco destroyed all remaining political credibility. The traditional western view openly denounces the role that Lenin and the Bolsheviks played, instead they give more weight to the Social Revolutionaries and the Mensheviks for these two groups (among others, but not the Bolsheviks) that made up the Petrograd Soviet. The latest view is that of the revisionists, who claim (after a great deal of contemporary research) that the February revolution was remarkably well organised by different ‘strike committees’ and disillusioned soldier groups who together had a great deal of experience with revolutionary activity. This view gives no weight to any of the political revolutionary parties, including the Mensheviks, Social Revolutionaries and most importantly the Bolsheviks. It is clear from viewpoints of the traditionalists and the revisionists that Lenin and the Bolshevik party’s role in the February revolution was barely noticeable. Instead virtually all contemporary historians suggest that there was greater factor. One which haunted, and ultimately led to the downfall of both Tsardom, and later, the Provisional Government. The historians, J.N Westwood, Orlando Figes and E. Acton would all agree with the revisionist viewpoint suggesting that the Bolshevik role in the February revolution was minimal and that there were no leaders at all orchestrating the Revolution at all. There is another school of thought, championed by the Russian philosopher and historian, G. Katkov who dismisses the contribution of the Bolsheviks to the February Revolution, arguing that Germany played a more important part. Katkov suggests that the Bolsheviks had poor leadership and organisation, and the Revolution would have been dealt a serious blow if it were not for the German funds, financing the strikes. Germany would once again play another important role in transporting Lenin back to Russia two months later. E. Acton in his book ‘Re-thinking the Russian Revolution’ claims that the ‘Bolshevik ascendancy over other parties in terms of size and coherence was less than clear cut, their internal divisions greater, Lenin’s authority weaker and their overall influence slighter than Soviet historiography claims.’ The view that Trotsky held on the February revolution is similar to that of the Soviet viewpoint. He believed that the revolution was not spontaneous and was brought about by experienced Leninist revolutionaries who did not hesitate (like many other historians suggest) but knew when to act. In his book ‘The History of the Russian Revolution’ Trotsky states that the people who led the revolution were ‘intellectually aware and politically experienced workers educating primarily by the party of Lenin.’This viewpoint is to be expected from Trotsky, ...