October Revolution: In Tallinn, Estonia, Communist leader Jaan Anvelt leads revolutionaries in overthrowing the Provisional Government (As Estonia and Russia are still using the Julian calendar, subsequent period references show an October 23 date).
Jaan Anvelt (also known by the pseudonyms Eessaare Aadu, Jaan Holm, Jaan Hulmu, Kaarel Maatamees, Onkel Kaak; in Russian or . ; 18 April 1884 11 December 1937), was an Estonian Bolshevik revolutionary and writer. He served the Russian SFSR, was a leader of the Communist Party of Estonia, the first premier of the Soviet Executive Committee of Estonia, and the chairman of the Council of The Commune of the Working People of Estonia (Estonian Eesti Trahva Kommuun). Imprisoned during Joseph Stalin's Great Purge in 1937, he died from the injuries sustained during a beating by Aleksandr Langfang while in NKVD custody.
The October Revolution, officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution under the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was instrumental in the larger Russian Revolution of 1917–1923. It was the second revolutionary change of government in Russia in 1917. It took place through an armed insurrection in Petrograd (now Saint Petersburg) on 7 November 1917 [O.S. 25 October]. It was the precipitating event of the Russian Civil War.
The October Revolution followed and capitalized on the February Revolution earlier in the year. The February Revolution had overthrown the Tsarist autocracy, resulting in a provisional government. The provisional government had taken power after being proclaimed by Grand Duke Michael, Tsar Nicholas II's younger brother, who declined to take power after the Tsar stepped down. During this time, urban workers began to organize into councils (soviets) wherein revolutionaries criticized the provisional government and its actions. The provisional government's popularity imploded largely due to their decision to remain in World War I. To prevent further insurrections the Provisional Government began ruling with an iron fist throughout the summer which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of protesters in the July Days.
The July Days coupled with widespread anti-war sentiment contributed to the Bolsheviks' rising popularity. Using this popularity, the Bolsheviks pressured the Directorate, led by the left-wing Socialist Revolutionary Party, to give into their demands. When this approach failed, the Bolsheviks began spreading calls for a military uprising. On 10 October 1917 (O.S.; 23 October, N.S.), the Petrograd Soviet, led by Trotsky, voted to back a military uprising. On 24 October (O.S.; 6 November, N.S.) the government shut down numerous newspapers and closed the city of Petrograd in an attempt to forestall the revolution; minor armed skirmishes broke out. The next day a full scale uprising erupted, as a fleet of Bolshevik sailors entered the harbor and tens of thousands of soldiers rose up in support of the Bolsheviks. Bolshevik Red Guards forces under the Military-Revolutionary Committee began the occupation of government buildings on 25 October (O.S.; 7 November, N.S.), 1917. The following day, the Winter Palace (the seat of the Provisional government located in Petrograd, then capital of Russia) was captured.
As the Revolution was not universally recognized, the country descended into civil war, which would last until 1923. The Bolsheviks having won the civil war, reconstituted the former Russian Empire into the Soviet Union in late 1922. Historiographical descriptions of the event have been widely varied since 1917. The victorious Bolsheviks viewed it as a validation of their ideology, and the triumph of the worker over capitalism. On the other hand, the Western powers saw it as a coup, where the Bolsheviks replaced the democratically controlled workers' Soviets with a totalitarian dictatorship.
During Soviet times, revolution day was made a national holiday, marking its importance in the country's founding story. The event inspired many cultural works, and ignited communist movements across Europe and globally. Many Marxist–Leninist parties around the world still celebrate revolution day. Contemporary Russia distanced itself from its Soviet past by removing the October Revolution as a national holiday.