Soviet Russia

In the summer of 1917, there were in effect two competing governments in Russia. This is known as dual power. At this time, the charismatic leader Lenin returned from exile. Upon his arrival in the capital city of Petrograd, he announced that the workers' revolution should take place at that moment. With the slogan "All power to the Soviets!" he asked people across the country to join local councils, to support the central council, and to boycott the provisional government's elections. In response to the provisional government's plan to hold an election, he advocated immediate action, with the slogan of "Peace, Land, Bread Now!" This meant bringing home the soldiers from the bloody front lines, redistributing land to the poor peasants, and providing bread to the starving workers in the cities immediately not waiting for a constitution or an election. Since peasants, workers and soldiers had already been taking action and forming councils on their own, his slogans were well received. Although the Bolsheviks had been a tiny movement, they had skillfully made themselves into the most popular political group in the country.