What were the reasons the communist took over in Russia?

Answer 1

When the communists came into power they did many things. In no particular order they:

• Arrested members of the democratically elected legislative body, the Duma
• Dissolved the democratically elected Constitutional Assembly
• Abolished the private ownership of property
• Broke their promise of a participatory government by outlawing all other political parties, especially the other revolutionary ones
• Broke their promise to give land to the peasant class by dispossessing owners of property and taking it in the name of the state and keeping it there
• Attempted to negotiate Russia out of World War 1 on favorable terms, failed, began a defensive war against Germany and ultimately signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk ending Russia's part in the war but on much worse terms than Germany had offered to begin with
• Touched off the Russian Civil War
• Confiscated grain from peasant farmers leaving many to starve (both Lenin and Trotsky believed in using famine as a weapon to control the populace)
• Created a secret police force known as the Cheka, which was more repressive and terrorizing than the Tsar's Okrhana had ever been
• In general, they instituted a government that was more oppressive and cruel than the Tsarist governments had ever been

Answer 2

Even after the Czar had abdicated, an a democratic government had been formed, Lenin and the Bolsheviks continued to undermine the unstable new government, leading to further instability until the people overthrew the new government. The Bolsheviks then seized power, but had to fight a bloody civil war before consolidating control.