Why were the Bolsheviks able to overthrow the Provisional Government so easily?

• The collapse of Tsarism created a power vacuum filled only by anarchy

• The expectations of peasantry and workers were unrealistic

• The Provisional Government continued with the war

• And delayed decisive action until a Constituent Assembly was elected

• The Provisional Government lacked legitimacy

• And lacked inspirational leadership

• It was also was undermined by the Petrograd Soviet

• People didn’t think it was worth fighting to save

• Whilst the coercive/repressive apparatus of Tsarism collapsed with the Tsarist regime

• Lenin and the Bolsheviks took advantage

• Lenin provided vision and direction