ABSTRACT
On the eve of the October Revolution, Stalin was leading a secretive life, intently watching the rapidly unfolding events and fearing that he might get caught on the losing side. Lenin, from his hideout in Finland, demanded that the Bolsheviks stage an armed uprising against the Provisional Government. The commander in chief of the Russian army General Kornilov accused the Provisional Government of acting under the pressure of the Bolshevik majority of the Soviets who were in full agreement with the German General Staff.1 Suspecting that Kornilov wanted to replace him as prime minister, Kerensky ordered his dismissal and appointed himself commander in chief; Kornilov, however, refused to relinquish his position.
