One of the main factors that sealed the new government's fate was its decision to continue in the war. Aside from angering the masses, the government's decision pushed the German government to deliver Lenin from Switzerland, where he spent the duration of the war in exile. While in Switzerland, Lenin had associated his name with Revolution through his continuos writings and direction of the Bolshevik party. Germany, recognizing both Lenin's status and the weakness of the Provisional Government, brought Lenin to back to Russia in hopes of ending Russia's participation in the war. On arrival, Lenin delivered his April Theses, and contributed in rekindling the country's revolutionary spark (McNeal, 29).
Though Lenin's return aided the Bolshevik victory, it did not ensure it. The Bolshevik success was achieved chiefly through the opposition's failures. May 3rd started a storm of protest in response to the publication of a note from Miliukov, he leader of the Provisional Government, written to the Allied Powers. The note affirmed that the government planned to uphold treaty commitments made by the tsarist regime. Miliukov resigned and Alexunder Kerensky
, the one theoretically socialist member of the government, took his place. In addition, a new cabinet made up of Constitutional Democrats, Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries replaced the old one. By taking cabinet positions, the socialist parties involved associated themselves with a government doomed to fail (McNeal 34).Kerensky's only real hope in establishing prestige in the Provisional Government was in winning a military victory before Lenin could exploit the unpopularity of the war. However, Kerensky proved unsuccessful in this venture and responded by accusing Lenin of treason, claiming he was an agent of the German government. Lenin fled to Finland and left the direction of the party to
Trotsky (McNeal 36). On October 6th, Trotsky was elected chairman of the Petrograd Soviet, where he prepared the it to seize power. However, it was still up to Lenin to convince the party that now was the time to act. He was afraid that if action was delayed any further, Kerensky would surrender Petrograd to the Germans. When Lenin threatened to resign if the Committee did not adhere, they asked him to return in order to resolve the issue. On October 29th, they agreed to seize power. When Kerensky tried to suppress the Bolsheviks on November 6th, Trotsky ordered the millitary units to occupy the city's strategic centers while the party press called for the overthrow of the Progressive Government. By November 7th (old-style October, hence the terms October Revolution) the city was in Soviet-Bolshevik hands.