Badrul Alam
7 November 2025, Dhaka
Introduction: The Dawn of the 20th Century and Russia’s Socio-Economic Context
The course of world history turned in October 1917. That revolution was not merely a change of government—it altered the very direction of human civilization. Known to history as the Great October Socialist Revolution, it was the first time the working class seized state power, breaking the chains of private ownership and paving the way for a socialist society. At its center stood Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, and one of the chief architects of its strategic organization and execution was Leon Trotsky.
Tsarist Russia was a land of exploitation, inequality, and famine. The peasants were weary of servitude under landlords; workers toiled 12 to 14 hours a day in factories but could barely afford bread. The imperialist war (World War I) destroyed Russia’s economy. Millions of soldiers were killed, and those who returned found the rulers still indulging in luxury while the people starved for bread and peace. This was the soil in which the seeds of revolution were sown.
Tsarism, Imperialism, and the Rise of the Working Class
By the late 19th century, capitalism in Russia was developing rapidly. Huge factories, railways, mines, and industrial centers emerged—especially in Petrograd (formerly St. Petersburg), Moscow, and the Urals. Yet this growth depended heavily on foreign capital—French, British, and German investors turned Russia into a semi-colony. As a result, the working class became increasingly concentrated, while poverty and class antagonism intensified.
The revolution of 1905 was Russia’s first great political awakening. That year, workers marched for “bread, peace, and freedom.” On “Bloody Sunday,” Tsar Nicholas II’s troops fired upon unarmed workers. Though the revolution failed, Lenin later called it a “rehearsal” for the revolution to come. During 1905, for the first time, the “Soviets”—workers’ councils—were formed, which later became the embryo of the new state power in October 1917.
The February Revolution and the Birth of Dual Power
In February 1917, the Tsarist autocracy collapsed. Women marched for bread, workers went on strike, and soldiers mutinied. Thus emerged the “Provisional Government,” led by bourgeois liberals. Simultaneously, the Petrograd Soviet of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies arose—creating a new center of power. Hence began a period of “dual power”: on one side the bourgeois Provisional Government, on the other, the workers’ Soviets.
The Provisional Government promised peace, land, and bread—but continued the war, protected the landlords, and ignored workers’ demands. Revolutionary conditions ripened; what was needed was decisive leadership to push the struggle to its conclusion.
The Bolshevik Party, Lenin’s April Theses, and the Revolutionary Direction
Returning from exile in April 1917, Lenin electrified the Petrograd masses with his call: “All power to the Soviets!” His April Theses marked a turning point in Bolshevik strategy. He demanded:
1.Immediate peace and withdrawal from the imperialist war;
2.Land to the peasants;
3.Nationalization of banks and industry;
4.Replacement of the bourgeois parliament with a Soviet state system.
Lenin recognized that the Provisional Government served bourgeois interests. But he also knew that revolutions do not succeed through will alone—they require a clear political direction, organization, and tactics. At this juncture, Trotsky’s role became historically decisive.
Trotsky’s Political and Organizational Role
Leon Trotsky (1879–1940) was a Marxist theorist, revolutionary strategist, and later founder of the Red Army. As chairman of the Petrograd Soviet in the 1905 Revolution, he had already advanced the theory of Permanent Revolution—arguing that in semi-feudal societies, bourgeois revolutions would remain incomplete until the working class seized power and transformed society along socialist lines.
That theory became reality in 1917. The February Revolution was bourgeois in nature, but its instability opened a new horizon for the workers. Trotsky asserted, “The revolution does not halt—it advances uninterrupted until all forms of oppression and exploitation are abolished.”
Returning to Russia in May 1917, Trotsky soon joined the Bolsheviks. By July he was elected chairman of the Petrograd Soviet. His oratory and organizational ability were remarkable. As head of the Military Revolutionary Committee, he masterminded the armed uprising that executed the October Revolution.
The October Revolution: The Insurrection and Its Course
On the night of October 25 (November 7, New Style), 1917, history reached its decisive hour. Bolshevik-led Red Guards in Petrograd seized one institution after another—the telegraph office, banks, bridges, railway stations, and government buildings. The Provisional Government was isolated and powerless. Under Trotsky’s command, the Military Revolutionary Committee conducted the operation with precision and discipline.
Lenin, then in hiding, arrived at the Smolny Institute that night and declared:
“The workers’ and peasants’ revolution has been accomplished!”
For the first time in history, a government of workers, peasants, and soldiers took power. The new Soviet Government immediately decreed:
Land to the peasants,
An end to the imperialist war,
An eight-hour workday,
A Soviet democratic state.
The October Revolution proved that socialist revolution was not utopia—it was the logical outcome of history.
The Soviet State and Its First Steps
Under Lenin’s leadership, the Council of People’s Commissars was established, with Trotsky as Commissar for Foreign Affairs. Through his diplomatic brilliance, Trotsky concluded the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (1918), ending Russia’s participation in the imperialist war. Though the treaty was harsh, it preserved the revolution and allowed reconstruction.
The Bolshevik government nationalized industry, redistributed land, reformed education and healthcare, and advanced women’s emancipation and social welfare. For the first time, workers directly participated in governing the state—transforming it from an instrument of oppression into one of emancipation.
Civil War, the Red Army, and Trotsky’s Leadership
Immediately after the revolution, Russia plunged into civil war. The “White Armies”—monarchists, bourgeois forces, and foreign interventionists—sought to destroy the revolution. The survival of the Soviet Republic depended on organized military strength.
Trotsky became the founder and supreme organizer of the Red Army. Combining military genius with iron discipline and revolutionary morale, he traversed battlefronts by armored train, rallying the troops. He declared:
“He who does not know how to defend the workers’ state will never know how to defend socialism.”
By 1920, under Trotsky’s leadership, the Red Army defeated the Whites and foreign invaders. Lenin called him “the sword of the revolution.”
International Reaction and Global Impact of the Revolution
The October Revolution transcended Russia’s borders. It became a beacon of hope for the oppressed and exploited across the world. Marx’s theory was proven in practice: the working class could indeed seize and hold state power. Revolutionary movements arose in Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Poland; anti-colonial struggles in Asia, Africa, and Latin America drew inspiration from it.
Even in Bengal and across the Indian subcontinent, news of the revolution stirred new dreams of liberation.
Under Lenin and Trotsky, the Communist International (Comintern) was established—an organization of world revolution. Communist parties were founded worldwide, and October 1917 became the symbol of international proletarian solidarity.
Lenin–Trotsky Relations and Later Controversies
During the revolution, Lenin and Trotsky shared profound political unity, though earlier they had disagreed on organizational matters. Lenin favored strict centralization; Trotsky had initially criticized it. But in 1917, historical necessity united them. Lenin said, “Trotsky has understood that without the Bolshevik Party there can be no revolution.”
After Lenin’s death (1924), however, power struggles erupted. Stalin consolidated bureaucratic control and exiled Trotsky. Yet from a historical perspective, Trotsky remained one of the revolution’s greatest organizers, theorists, and military strategists. His concept of Permanent Revolution would later echo in the Chinese, Cuban, and Vietnamese revolutions.
Before his assassination in 1940 in Mexico, Trotsky wrote, “Socialism in Russia has been distorted, but the ideal of the revolution is immortal.” His death was a dark chapter, but his ideas live on.
Historical Lessons and Legacy of the Revolution
The October Revolution teaches us:
1.Without seizing state power, liberation is impossible.
2.The unity and political organization of the working class are essential for revolution.
3.Revolution cannot remain confined to one nation—it is inherently international.
4.After seizing power, defending and reconstructing the workers’ state is a continuous part of class struggle.
In today’s world—marked by capitalist crisis, global inequality, wars, and ecological destruction—the lessons of October are more relevant than ever. Trotsky showed that revolution is not a slogan; it is the fusion of science, organization, and sacrifice.
Conclusion
The Great October Socialist Revolution was a radiant sunrise in human history. It proved that the working class does not merely produce—it can rule, and build a new civilization. Lenin was the mind of the revolution; Trotsky was its heart and sword.
The legacy of October still lives—its echo resounds in Cuba, Vietnam, Latin America, Africa, and even within Bangladesh’s peasant movements.
As Trotsky once declared:
“You may kill me, but you cannot kill history. The light of October will spread to every corner of the earth.”
That light continues to illuminate humanity’s path to freedom.
The October Revolution is not merely the past—it is the promise of the future.
