Red October

 

One hundred years ago today, plus three, the October Revolution began in Petrograd. Readers of these posts will understand that, because Russia was then using the old-style Julian calendar, it was still October there. Today there will be one entry for several events of the Red October insurrection.

November 6 – October 24, 1917: The Revolution in Readiness. The Bolsheviks and the Red Guard were not entirely ready for their insurrection, but they were more ready than the officers of the Petrograd garrison, the ministers of Kerensky’s Provisional Government, or the right-socialist Central Executive Committee of the national soviets. Meanwhile the national Congress of Soviets was still assembling, and about to be met with a fait accompli.

Read about it here. Or read the whole chapter On the Brink here. Or read the whole story from the beginning by following this link.

November 7 – October 25, 1917: Petrograd Taken. The Prime Minister and his government having seriously underestimated the capabilities of the insurrectionary forces, and overestimated those of the (loyal part of the) garrison and the police, the Red Guard, with the support of left-socialist elements of the military, gained control of the capital in a day. Starting with the bridges over the Neva River, and continuing with the communications systems, power plants, banks, and other vital points of infrastructure, the insurrection took over, so far bloodlessly.

Read about it here. Or read the whole chapter Red October: The Insurrection here. Or read the whole story from the beginning by following this link.

November 7 – October 25, 1917: The Winter Palace Encircled. Meanwhile, the ministers of the Provisional Government were holed up in the Winter Palace of the Romanov Czars, from which Kerensky took an early opportunity to absent himself, saying he would  speed reinforcements on  their way. The Red Guards and their Bolshevik leaders had difficulty executing their plan of encirclement and “bombardment.” Infiltration proved finally to be the successful tactic; both sides took casualties, but not many. Meanwhile the Congress of Soviets went into session in another palace of the city, and wondered about the meaning of all the racket.

Read about it here. Or read the whole chapter Red October: The Winter Palace here. Or read the whole story from the beginning by following this link.

 

On the Brink of Red October

 

One hundred years ago this week, plus three, it was still October in Russia, because they were still using the old-style Julian calendar. Today there will be one entry for the whole eventful week that led up to Red October.

The Week beginning October 31 – October 18, 1917: “Vigorous Preparations.” With intensified Bolshevik agitation, led by Trotsky, in the background, forces aligned with that party vigorously gathered the political and physical resources that would be necessary for a successful insurrection, the date of which had not and could not yet be fixed. When Trotsky refused to answer a question in the Petrograd Soviet (where rumors were flying) about the date, Kamenev’s comment made it seem like the Bolsheviks thought an insurrection might not even be necessary. But this of course was not the case; it was Kamenev’s opinion. Kamenev well knew how the votes in the Bolshevik Central Committee had gone. Read about it here and here.

November 2 – October 20, 1917: Kamenev Resigns. Hearing of this, Lenin denounced it as a ”trick.” Accordingly Kamenev offered to resign from the Bolshevik Central Committee. The offer was accepted, and Kamenev was further admonished to remain silent on the issue. Under the pressure of events, cracks were appearing in the wall of party solidarity! Read about it here.

November 3 – October 21, 1917: Resolution of the Garrison Conference. The Garrison Conference accepted three proposals made by Trotsky: that the garrison would support the Military Revolutionary Committee, that the garrison would take part in the review of forces planned for the following day, and that the Congress of Soviets should “take the power in its hands.” Even the Cossack regiments agreed. These proposals were of course consistent with and essential to the overall plan of insurrection. Read about it here. 

November 4 – October 22, 1917: The Day of the Petrograd Soviet. As the delegates to the Congress of Soviets began to assemble, the Petrograd Soviet held a review of its revolutionary forces, now to include those of garrison who had agreed to take part the day before. There were meetings in the public halls and squares. One audience would assemble, listen to the speeches, then depart. Then another audience would file in. Read about it here.

November 5 – October 23, 1917: The Peter and Paul Comes Over. The Garrison Conference having definitely broken the chain of command that led back to the Coalition Government, the Bolsheviks began to appoint commissars who sought to fill the power vacuum thus created. When the commissar sent to the Peter and Paul fortress and prison in the middle of the Neva River was resisted by the officer in command, Trotsky went over to talk to the soldiers themselves. In the result, the fortress, its artillery, and 100,000 rifles for the Red Guards came over to the insurrection. Read about it here.

You can read the whole chapter on the Day of the Petrograd Soviet here. Or read the whole story from the beginning by following this link.

 

Red October

One hundred years ago today, plus two, Red October began. Lots of people know about the “Hunt for” Red October, fewer know Red October for what it really means, though many claim to know the event it refers to, only by another name. Fewer still, perhaps, know why it is “October” rather than November, even though it was 102 years ago today. 

The physical events leading up to the result began the day before with a struggle for the bridges over the River Neva in Petrograd. Read about it here.

Or read the whole story from the beginning by following this link.