Which action contributed to the success of Lenin's communist revolution in Russia?

Which action contributed to the success of Lenin's communist revolution in Russia?

• A. Peasants were promised political liberties
• B. Peasants were promised to be taxed less
• C. Peasants were promised to elect representatives
• D. Peasants were promised land reform

Answer: (D)

Promising land reform tapped into what peasants cared about most: ownership of the land they worked and relief from landlord control. In 1917 Russia’s rural population was the vast majority, and land hunger was a defining grievance. By pledging to transfer land to the peasants, Lenin and the Bolsheviks won crucial rural support, which helped them legitimize the revolution and organize the power they seized in October. The actual Decree on Land soon redistributed land from landlords to peasants, undermining the old order and eroding support for the Provisional Government. While other promises like political liberties or lighter taxes sounded appealing, they didn’t offer the immediate, tangible payoff that land ownership did for peasants, making land reform the decisive factor in garnering key backing for Lenin’s regime.

Promising land reform tapped into what peasants cared about most: ownership of the land they worked and relief from landlord control. In 1917 Russia’s rural population was the vast majority, and land hunger was a defining grievance. By pledging to transfer land to the peasants, Lenin and the Bolsheviks won crucial rural support, which helped them legitimize the revolution and organize the power they seized in October. The actual Decree on Land soon redistributed land from landlords to peasants, undermining the old order and eroding support for the Provisional Government. While other promises like political liberties or lighter taxes sounded appealing, they didn’t offer the immediate, tangible payoff that land ownership did for peasants, making land reform the decisive factor in garnering key backing for Lenin’s regime.