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Assess the role of Lenin in the Bolshevik seizure of power and consolidation of power in 1917. In any account of history, it is difficult to determine whether individuals or historical forces beyond the control of the individual played the important roles. There is the argument that the actions of great individuals created the turning points in world history. Aligned with this is the historical argument that it was the activities of Lenin in October 1917, which …

…which time the opposing political forces were so precariously balanced that political action by a small-determined group could have immense political consequences. This opportunity was not something that an individual such as Lenin could have control over, but it nevertheless took very great personal qualities of nerve, political perceptiveness and insight to not only see, but also take advantage of the opportunities thrown up by Russian circumstance. In this sense, Lenin's role was immensely important.