REASONS FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE REVOLUTION(S)

1. It was a mass movement that was supported by a great majority of the Russians. The revolution was spearheaded by intellectuals and supported by peasants and workers. The peasants and workers greatly participated in strikes and demonstrations that climaxed into the revolution making its success a reality.
2. The high level of unity amongst the Russian revolutionaries also accounts for their success. They were united under the Bolsheviks party with a firm belief in the establishment of a socialist government. The confidence which they had in socialism made them determined to sacrifice their lives and property to uproot the Tsarist government and establish a socialist government.
3. The anti-revolutionaries' attempt to suppress the revolution using foreign troops favoured the success of the revolution. The Bolsheviks condemned it as a move by the opponents of the revolution to impose foreign rule on the Russians. This made even those who had been reluctant to join the revolution hence contributing to its success.
4. Paradoxically, the revolutionaries were supported by foreign powers like Finland, Sweden and
Switzerland. The revolutionary leaders like Stalin, Trotsky and Kerensky mobilized funds, manpower and arms through such friendly countries. In some instances, foreign power gave direct assistance to the revolution. For example, Germany supported the revolution to cause chaos in Russia so that she (Russia) withdraws from participating in the war against her. This is why Germany smuggled Lenin into Russia in a disguised train. Germany wanted Lenin to over throw the provisional government and end the war which he did in November 1917, hence the success of the revolution.
5. The personal weaknesses of Tsar Nicholas II greatly contributed to the success of the revolution. By 1917, Nicholas was too unpopular amongst the peasants, workers and his ministers. Even his own soldiers never rescued him since they were fed up with war. When the revolution began, he was too confused that he abdicated the throne in favour of his brother Duke Michael oh 15th March 1917. The Duke refused his will and the revolutionaries; established a provisional Republican government.
6. The sufferings and destructions caused by World War I also accounts for the success of the revolution.
By 1917, everybody especially soldiers wanted unconditional end of the war yet the provisional government was determined to continue with the war. This earned Lenin-who promised to end the war massive support in the November revolution. The war also preoccupied European powers like France and Britain, who never wanted the communist revolution to succeed and made it impossible for them to intervene in the early stages of the revolution. Their intervention through the Russian civil war from 1919 was too late to overthrow the communist revolutionary government because it had already been consolidated.
7. The success of the revolution was also due to genuine grievances. By 1917, Russia was infested with all sorts of problems. There was inflation, unemployment, nepotism, famine, natural calamities and soldiers had lost the battle against Germany. The inability of the provisional government to address these problems made the Russians to give overwhelming support to the revolution and that's why it attracted massive support from the Russians.
8. The unpopular war policy of the Provisional government greatly contributed to the success of the Bolshevik revolution of November 1917. The Provisional government that was established after the first revolution in March continued with the Tsarist policy of fighting Germany and her allies in World War I.
The Russians had suffered a lot due to the war and expected the Provisional government to withdraw Russia from the war. They were surprised to learn that Milyakov (minister of foreign affairs) had sent a letter to the allied powers that reaffirmed Russia's commitment to fight Germany and her allies. This made the Bolsheviks whose top agenda was to withdraw Russia's participation in the war to be very popular. It's this situation that was used by the Bolsheviks to mobilize a mass demonstration that forced Milyakov, Kerensky and Prince Lvov to resign, hence the success of the revolution.
9. The timing of the revolution was strategic and this made it to succeed. The revolution was staged in 1917 at a time when the First World War had worsened the problems of inflation, unemployment, poverty, famine, starvation, anarchy and lawlessness. Besides, the army and royal troops were too demoralized by heavy military losses that they were also in a revolutionary mood. Trotsky, Lenin and Stalin noted this popular discontent and decided to mobilize for a revolution in 1917 before the war could end. One should note that if they had mobilized for a revolution before 1914 they could not have received a mass support since Tsardom was still popular to the majority of the Russians.
10. Besides, the influence of the communists over the army after the 1st Menshevik revolution in March greatly contributed to the success of the Bolshevik revolution in November. The communists dominated the leadership of the Petrograd Soviets who had control over the army and security in the city. This explains why they easily influenced the army commander Kornilov to stage a coup in October that forced the provisional government to release political prisoners and communist leaders such as Stalin. Although the coup was eventually suppressed, they nevertheless re-organized and used the army in a well coordinated revolutionary movement that succeeded in Nov.1917.
11. The release of political prisoners and the return of exiled communist leaders, i.e. Lenin and Stalin made the success of the November revolution inevitable. The Kornilov coup of October 1917 forced the provisional government to release imprisoned political leaders and allow Lenin and Stalin to return from exile. It strengthened the Bolsheviks party and reactivated opposition against the provisional government.
Lenin, Stalin and released political prisoners greatly participated in the revolutionary committee that mobilized the Russians for the success of the revolution of November 1917.
12. The inability of the Provisional government to control freedom of association, speech and press made the success of the revolution inevitable. The socialists used such freedom to mobilize workers through strikes and demonstrations against the Tsarist and later Provisional government for their failure to address the side effects of industrial revolutions e.g. unemployment, poor working condition and exploitation by capitalists. Russian journalists, intellectuals and revolutionary leaders like Lenin and Stalin also utilized such freedom to popularize the Bolsheviks manifesto that emphasized land redistribution, provision of bread (food) and peace. All these destroyed the support of the Tsarist regime and later the Provisional government and accounted for the success of the Bolsheviks revolutions of 1917.
13. The role of revolutionary leaders like Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin and Kerensky were very influential in the success of the revolution. They were men filled with revolutionary zeal who mobilized the workers, peasants and soldiers through their moving speeches. For instance, Lenin's promise of peace, bread and Land was a solution to the immediate problems the Russians were facing. This gained him mass support and made the revolution a success.
14. Lastly, the revolution succeeded because it was supported by the army. The only survival instrument for the unpopular Tsar Nicholas was the army, which unfortunately had suffered a lot from the First World War. This made them to mutiny and fraternize with the revolutionaries leaving Tsar Nicholas II defenseless. The army also maintained law and order, arrested, imprisoned and murdered the collaborators of the old regime. The Cheka (secret police) under the leadership of Felix Dzerzhinsky was established to terrorize and eliminate those who were opposed to the revolution. These measures left the revolution intact hence its success.