Ten Days That Shook the World · Chapter
Two Proclamations explained
Lenin issues a proclamation to the people of Russia, declaring the victory of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolution in Petrograd and Moscow, urging workers, soldiers, and peasants to take local power into their own hands, establish strict c
What happens
Lenin issues a proclamation to the people of Russia, declaring the victory of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolution in Petrograd and Moscow, urging workers, soldiers, and peasants to take local power into their own hands, establish strict control over production and distribution, and crush counterrevolutionary resistance, while promising nationalization of banks and financial syndicates and assuring that no worker will lose property without due law.
Themes in this chapter
Workers' Control and Economic Transformation
Lenin calls for workers to take control of production, establish strict accounting, and prepare for nationalization of banks and syndicates.
Counterrevolution and Civil War
Lenin warns of sabotage and resistance from capitalists and Kornilovists, urging pitiless suppression of counterrevolutionary acts.
Proletarian Revolution and Dictatorship
The proclamation declares the victory of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolution and asserts that the Soviets are now the organs of governmental power.
Characters to notice
- Vladimir Lenin
Issues the proclamation 'To the People of Russia' calling for revolutionary control and organization.
Key passages
“Comrades workers, soldiers, peasants—all toilers! The Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolution has won at Petrograd, at Moscow.”
Lenin announces that the revolution has triumphed in the two major cities.
Opening of the proclamation asserting Bolshevik victory.
“Your Soviets are now the organs of governmental power. … Strengthen them, establish a severe revolutionary control, pitilessly crush the attempts at anarchy on the part of drunkards, brigands, counterrevolutionary yunkers and Kornilovists.”
Lenin instructs workers to empower the Soviets and suppress all forms of counterrevolution and disorder.
Call for revolutionary discipline and consolidation of Soviet authority.
“Take immediately all local power into your hands. … Little by little, with the consent of the majority of peasants, we shall march firmly and unhesitatingly toward the victory of Socialism.”
Lenin urges local seizure of power and gradual progress toward socialism with peasant support.
Emphasis on local initiative and gradual socialist transformation.