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French Revolution Vs Russian Revolution Essay

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France during the revolution and Russia during communism were quite similar, but have some key differences. Not only were the nations themselves similar, but the circumstances that lead to their major revolutions and political shifts are also alike. However, the key difference in the two is that Russia became a communist country, while France had widely differing political leadership and philosophy throughout its revolution. Major shifts in power and political philosophy often are the result of civil unrest and economic turmoil within the nation; France and Russia were no exception. In addition, the French revolution directly influenced the subsequent Russian revolution.
The Russian revolution began in 1917 with the Bolsheviks and Lenin. The …show more content…

The fight for communism began “in the early evening of October 24, [the Military Revolutionary Committee] used small bands of troops loyal to their cause or the Red Guards… to take control of the railway station, telephone exchange, electricity plants, post offices, the state bank, and key bridges” (Gellately 37). Although there were a small amount of revolutionaries, the Russian government was without proper defense and they quickly took control of key areas in the state (Gellately 37). Lenin had to convince his Bolshevik constituents that a quick revolution was the proper course of action, he was met with much resistance at first, but his persistence convinced his comrades. Through his leadership a small revolutionary army was able to secure the majority of Russia. Subsequent to the revolution, an election was held in which Lenin and his Bolshevik party “managed only 24 percent of the vote” while the social revolutionaries won the election with “40 percent of the ballots” (Gellately 39). However, Lenin had expected an electoral defeat and “had no intention of letting the Constituent Assembly meet”(Gellately 39). Despite his previous promises, Lenin believed that he was the one who would lead Russia to prosperity through Marxism and “In December 1917, Lenin made the case for forcing through a vanguard dictatorship, in full defiance of the

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