Leninism, Principles expounded by Vladimir Ilich Lenin to guide the transition of society

from capitalism to communism. The tenets of Marxism, which Lenin embraced, provided no
concrete guidelines for the transition. Lenin believed that a small, disciplined, professional group
of revolutionaries was needed to violently overthrow the capitalist system and that a
“dictatorship of the proletariat” must guide society until the day when the state would wither
away. Leninism in practice meant control of all aspects of life by the Communist Party and the
creation of the first modern totalitarian state. Russian Revolution of 1917, Revolution that
overthrew the imperial government and placed the Bolsheviks in power. Increasing governmental
corruption, the reactionary policies of Tsar Nicholas II, and catastrophic Russian losses in World
War I contributed to widespread dissatisfaction and economic hardship. In February 1917 riots
over food scarcity broke out in Petrograd (St. Petersburg). When the army joined the rebels,
Nicholas was forced to abdicate. A provisional government, headed by Georgy Lvov, was
appointed in March and tried to continue Russia’s participation in World War I, but it was
opposed by the powerful Petrograd workers’ soviet, which favoured Russian withdrawal from the
war. Other soviets were formed in major cities and towns, choosing members from factories and
military units. The soviet movement was dominated by the Socialist Revolutionary Party,
followed by the Mensheviks and the Bolsheviks. Between March and October, the provisional
government was reorganized four times; Aleksandr Kerensky became its head in July; he
survived a coup attempt by Lavr Kornilov but was unable to halt Russia’s slide into political and
military chaos. By September the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, had achieved majorities in
the Petrograd and Moscow soviets and won increasing support among the hungry urban workers
and soldiers. In October they staged a nearly bloodless coup (the “October Revolution”),
occupying government buildings and strategic points. Kerensky tried unsuccessfully to organize
resistance, then fled the country. The congress of soviets approved the formation of a new
government composed mainly of Bolsheviks.