Lenin Returns to Petrograd: Revolution Ignites
Vladimir Lenin arrived at Petrograd's Finland Station on April 16, 1917, having crossed Germany in a sealed train car provided by the German government, which hoped he would destabilize Russia and knock it out of the war. The strategy worked beyond their wildest expectations. Lenin immediately published his April Theses, demanding an end to the war, transfer of power to workers' soviets, and nationalization of all land. These positions shocked even fellow Bolsheviks, who considered them dangerously radical. Within six months, Lenin had organized the October Revolution, overthrown the Provisional Government, and pulled Russia out of World War I. The Bolshevik seizure of power led to the Russian Civil War, the creation of the Soviet Union, and the reshaping of global politics for the rest of the century.
April 16, 1917
109 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Finland
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Switzerland
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Saint Petersburg
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Vladimir Lenin
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Petrograd
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Russia
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Russian Revolution
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Vladimir Lenin
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Saint Petersburg
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Russian Provisional Government
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Russia
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February Revolution
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Russian history
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Reise Lenins im plombierten Wagen
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Supreme Army Command
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Communist Party of the Soviet Union
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Nicholas II
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