Rick Spence

So good that by the early 20th century, in the years preceding the Russian Revolution in 1917, they had effectively infiltrated every radical party, Bolsheviks, Mensheviks, SRs, great and small, and placed people in positions of influence and leadership. to the point that arguably, that is, you can debate this, but I think in the whole, they could largely dictate what those parties did.

Nothing was discussed at any central committee meeting of any revolutionary group that the O'Connor wasn't immediately aware of. And they often had people in positions to influence what those decisions were.

Nothing was discussed at any central committee meeting of any revolutionary group that the O'Connor wasn't immediately aware of. And they often had people in positions to influence what those decisions were.

Nothing was discussed at any central committee meeting of any revolutionary group that the O'Connor wasn't immediately aware of. And they often had people in positions to influence what those decisions were.

Of course, that raises an interesting question, is that if they were that good and they had infiltrated and effectively controlled most of the opposition, then how did the regime get overthrown by revolutionaries? The answer to that is that it wasn't overthrown by revolutionaries. It was overthrown by politicians. That would then take us into a detour into Russian history.

Of course, that raises an interesting question, is that if they were that good and they had infiltrated and effectively controlled most of the opposition, then how did the regime get overthrown by revolutionaries? The answer to that is that it wasn't overthrown by revolutionaries. It was overthrown by politicians. That would then take us into a detour into Russian history.

Of course, that raises an interesting question, is that if they were that good and they had infiltrated and effectively controlled most of the opposition, then how did the regime get overthrown by revolutionaries? The answer to that is that it wasn't overthrown by revolutionaries. It was overthrown by politicians. That would then take us into a detour into Russian history.

But I'll just leave it with this. If you look at 1917 and you look closely, this is one of the things I would always tell my students is, is that there are two Russian revolutions in 1917. There's the first one in March or February, depending on your calendar, that overthrows Nicholas II. Revolutionaries are really not involved with that. Bolsheviks are nowhere to be seen.

But I'll just leave it with this. If you look at 1917 and you look closely, this is one of the things I would always tell my students is, is that there are two Russian revolutions in 1917. There's the first one in March or February, depending on your calendar, that overthrows Nicholas II. Revolutionaries are really not involved with that. Bolsheviks are nowhere to be seen.

But I'll just leave it with this. If you look at 1917 and you look closely, this is one of the things I would always tell my students is, is that there are two Russian revolutions in 1917. There's the first one in March or February, depending on your calendar, that overthrows Nicholas II. Revolutionaries are really not involved with that. Bolsheviks are nowhere to be seen.

Trotsky and Lenin are nowhere to be seen. They have nothing to do with that. That has to do effectively with a political conspiracy within the Russian parliament, the Duma, to unseat an emperor they thought was bungling the war and was essentially a loser to begin with. And it was a coup d'etat, a parliamentary coup d'etat.

Trotsky and Lenin are nowhere to be seen. They have nothing to do with that. That has to do effectively with a political conspiracy within the Russian parliament, the Duma, to unseat an emperor they thought was bungling the war and was essentially a loser to begin with. And it was a coup d'etat, a parliamentary coup d'etat.

Trotsky and Lenin are nowhere to be seen. They have nothing to do with that. That has to do effectively with a political conspiracy within the Russian parliament, the Duma, to unseat an emperor they thought was bungling the war and was essentially a loser to begin with. And it was a coup d'etat, a parliamentary coup d'etat.

The temporary or provisional government that that revolution put in power was the one overthrown by Lenin eight months later. And that government was essentially one dominated by moderate socialists. It was a government that very quickly sort of turned to the left. The guy we associate with that is Alexander Kerensky. Alexander Kerensky was a Russian socialist, a politician.

The temporary or provisional government that that revolution put in power was the one overthrown by Lenin eight months later. And that government was essentially one dominated by moderate socialists. It was a government that very quickly sort of turned to the left. The guy we associate with that is Alexander Kerensky. Alexander Kerensky was a Russian socialist, a politician.

The temporary or provisional government that that revolution put in power was the one overthrown by Lenin eight months later. And that government was essentially one dominated by moderate socialists. It was a government that very quickly sort of turned to the left. The guy we associate with that is Alexander Kerensky. Alexander Kerensky was a Russian socialist, a politician.

He was the quasi-dictator of that regime. He's the person, not the czar, who's overthrown by Lenin. So the revolutionaries, they did not prove to be the fatal threat to the czarist regime. It was the czarist political system itself that did that. What then transpired was that the Okhrana and its method and many of its agents then immediately segued over into the new Soviet security service.

He was the quasi-dictator of that regime. He's the person, not the czar, who's overthrown by Lenin. So the revolutionaries, they did not prove to be the fatal threat to the czarist regime. It was the czarist political system itself that did that. What then transpired was that the Okhrana and its method and many of its agents then immediately segued over into the new Soviet security service.

He was the quasi-dictator of that regime. He's the person, not the czar, who's overthrown by Lenin. So the revolutionaries, they did not prove to be the fatal threat to the czarist regime. It was the czarist political system itself that did that. What then transpired was that the Okhrana and its method and many of its agents then immediately segued over into the new Soviet security service.

So one of the first things that Lenin did in December of 1917, within a month of seizing power, since the hold on power was tenuous at best, was that, well, you were going to need some kind of organization to Infiltrate and suppress those pesky counter-revolutionaries and foreign imperialists and all of the other enemies that we have.