Setting the Stage
The Emancipation of the Serfs

World War I
The Failure of the Provisional Government





     There were two revolutions that eventually brought the Bolsheviks to power. The first, in March of 1917, was successful in overthrowing the centuries old Romanov dynasty. The second, in October of the same year, established the Bolshevik regime. Three major element that contributed to the first revolution were the status of industry and peasantry, and the outbreak of World War I. None of these key factors can be seen as isolated from the others, for they worked in common to establish a revolutionary mood. Though it is impossible to determine what the outcome would have been if any one of these elements had been absent from the equation, it is possible that there would not have been a revolution.

     The Provisional Government was the authoritative body in the interim between revolts. The factors that led to its dissolve can help to answer why the Bolshevik regime was the one to replace it.


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