It was a revolution that would change the world by bringing about the global transition from capitalism to communism in a single generation—or so its supporters believed. Vladimir Lenin and the Bolshevik Party hoped to carry humanity into a new day of equality, justice, and freedom. Toward this end, they brought down the Russian tsarist government in October 1917 and began a vast political experiment that ended more than 70 years later in a way neither Lenin nor his followers would have ever anticipated. The Bolshevik Revolution not only marked the end of Old Russia, but it also set in motion a chain of events that would create a rivalry between the East and West that defined the second half of the 20th century. In The Bolshevik Revolution, learn about the key players and events of this tumultuous time in Russian history.