Russia 1917: Countdown to Revolution Page #3

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The crowd love it.

Those in power just laugh.

A lot of liberal politicians were

saying, "Forget it, don't worry,

"Lenin is a busted flush, he's lost

his mind, basically an anarchist,

"we don't need to worry about him."

Scant months later, this is the most

powerful single person in Russia.

Sailors, comrades...

we have to fight

for a socialist revolution.

Fight to the end!

Long live the worldwide

socialist revolution!

CHEERING:

'People would recognise Lenin as a

very modern political phenomenon.'

He believed totally that the ends

justify the means.

That winning is all, that power

is all that really matters.

APPLAUSE:

There was still huge disagreement

about Lenin's motives.

Power on its own for him

was nothing.

He really wasn't interested in that.

It was power to make big changes

in society.

'He is motivated by a vision

of an alternative world.'

The end of a society dominated

by profit.

What motivates Lenin is power.

Power is all that matters

in a revolution.

That is how Lenin understands

revolution.

You have to have power

before you can do anything.

So principle goes out the window

in the struggle for power,

as far as Lenin is concerned.

Spring turns to summer,

but the provisional government

is unable to solve

the country's problems.

Yet most Russians still have faith

in this man -

Minister of War Alexander Kerensky.

'Alexander Kerensky was really

the first love of the revolution.'

The intelligentsia adored him.

I don't care, General.

The men will manage.

'What became known as

the Kerensky cult'

becomes absolutely out of control.

So you have pamphlet after pamphlet

describing him literally

as a divine figure.

Immediately.

'He is convinced of his own

historical mission'

and part of his historical mission

is to turn the war around.

Despite the popular opposition

to the war,

Kerensky orders a new offensive.

So the offensive is launched

on the 16th of June.

It goes forward for a couple of

days, the Germans counterattack,

the Russians run back.

There's chaos.

They lost hundreds of thousands

of men within a week

and this played totally

into the hands of Lenin.

Lenin, who'd been saying

that war is a bad thing,

that he would provide instant peace,

suddenly became incredibly popular.

And so did the Bolshevik Party.

When Kerensky orders more soldiers

to leave Petrograd for the front,

they refuse to obey.

Their determined resistance

spreads to front-line troops.

By July the 4th,

thousands of deserters join

anti-government demonstrations

in Petrograd.

It looks like Lenin's second

revolution has arrived.

But are Lenin and the Bolsheviks

ready to take power?

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