ABSTRACT
The Bolshevik regime, set up in October 1917, occupied less than onesixth of the total area of Russia. It was outflanked to the east by Socialist Revolutionary regimes and surrounded by White military offensives. Yet this widespread opposition and apparently vulnerable position both worked in the favour of the Bolsheviks, making it possible for them to secure eventual victory. What made this certain was the effectiveness of their own diplomacy, organisation and military strategy. Although the Bolsheviks benefited from external or objective circumstances, they also made their own luck at crucial moments. It is rare for success to result without a combination of the two.
