How did World War One allow Lenin and the Bolshevik party to come into power, and from there popularize Marxism?
The October Revolution was carried out at the end of World War I by citizens who were frustrated with the current government. Had WWI not happened, the anger and low moral people associated with the Russian Tsars would not have been prevalent enough to cause widespread discontent. Therefore, Lenin would not have been able to take advantage of the weak, newly formed government. Afterward, he had the support of many poor citizens who had recently entered cities, which allowed him to hinder the progress of previous leaders in their attempt to regain power. In power, Lenin used many techniques in order to make "Marxism" successful. He created a dictatorship, employed secret police, and murdered all those who issued words of dissent. This model gave future communist leaders ideas for maintaining their power, and created a model of communism which is feared by western countries today.