Petrograd, Russia
October 1917
Lenin returned to Petrograd in October just as Mozger was released from prison. “I’m able to feel it in the air, to breathe it, comrades! The revolution is imminent!” Lenin proclaimed with glee. The Bolsheviks assembled in their version of the Duma, the Smolny Institute. This former girls’ school had become their refuge ever since they had been forced out of Tauride Palace after the attempted July coup. On October 10, Lenin proposed the immediate overthrow of the Provisional Government. Not all of the Bolshevik Central Committee stood in agreement with him.
“Comrade Lenin,” commented Zinoviev, “we’re just not sure if the masses will rise up at this time. We know that the momentum is growing, but I fear that now may not be the time. Besides, the All-Russian Soviet Congress is meeting later this month on October 25. Would it not be better to further stoke the flames of rebellion during the conference to bolster our support?”
“You’ve missed the point entirely!” shot back Lenin. “The government must be ours to hand over to the All-Russian Soviet Congress when it meets! Do you not see the historic importance of this? Do you not see the historical necessity?”
“No, we do not,” countered Comrade Kamenev. A rancorous fight followed, but the pit bull-like Lenin prevailed. The resolution that passed, however, had been toned down, calling only for the rebellion to occur in the “immediate future.” Lenin manipulated the situation to his advantage by going public and denouncing the committee members who opposed him. Suddenly, all of Petrograd knew of the Bolsheviks' intentions.
“You see, comrades,” said Lenin with delight, “the idiot Kerensky continues to play directly into our hands. Now, he has decided to send the Petrograd Garrison, his praetorian guard, to the front. That leaves him totally naked.”
“You missed the bigger picture, Comrade Lenin,” grinned Mozger. “It is a moot point. I’ve just learned that the Petrograd Garrison has mutinied. They are with us now!”
“Then that’s it! Russia will be ours shortly!” proclaimed Vladimir Lenin.
On October 23, the revolution began. Lenin unleashed the people and the Red Guard troops throughout the city. The situation developed largely into a bloodless coup, with many of the people eagerly joining them. All of the increasing street protests occurred while delegates for the All-Russian Soviet Congress arrived in Petrograd. Seemingly without effort, the Bolsheviks took over most of the government buildings, and in short order, much of the city fell under soviet control. The perimeter of the city around the Winter Palace where the Provisional Government was in session was all that remained. Irritated, Lenin again insisted that the coup d’état must be completed before the All-Russian Soviet Congress could meet the following day. The delays for the final assault on the Winter Palace served to agitate him. Because of poor planning, the Bolsheviks failed to check the artillery pieces at the Peter and Paul Fortress that they needed for the final assault and bombardment of the Winter Palace. As a result, the plan became delayed for hours.
Several days earlier, the cruiser Aurora had gotten underway from Kronstadt. The ship would play a vital role in the October Revolution. Aboard was their legendary naval hero, the man known as Moryak. Earlier that week, he had received instructions from Lenin and Stalin and conveyed them to the naval command at Kronstadt. The ship would steam to Petrograd and enter the Neva River. It would dock at the English Embankment and prepare to fire on the Winter Palace. All of the ship’s activities would be under the authority of Moryak. On his order, the ship would fire a blank shell at the Winter Palace. This would serve as the signal for the Red Guard troops to begin their final assault on the palace.
Morrison stood on the bridge of the Aurora and looked out over the city. Through the darkness of the hour, he could see several fires blazing at different points throughout the city. In addition, he heard occasional gunfire that crackled like fireworks. The commander of the ship, a fanatical Bolshevik named Korzatsky, stood next to him when the petty officer from the communications shack approached them. “Comrade Moryak, I have an urgent radiogram for you.”
Morrison thanked him, and after reading it, he handed it over to Korzatsky. Looking up, Korzatsky said, “So, this is it, comrade!”
Morrison looked at his watch. It was just past 9:30 in the evening. “Yes, this is the moment. Captain, instruct your gunners to execute the plan. One blank round with a double powder charge aimed toward the Winter Palace.” The six-inch gun crew had been manning their station for several hours and would no doubt welcome the order to execute their mission. Korzatsky summoned a runner to deliver the order, but then turned to Morrison. “Comrade Moryak, I’ve been thinking. I’ve got a suggestion to make.”
“What is it?” asked Morrison, miffed at this last minute annoyance.
“Well, why not fire a live round at the Winter Palace? Would that not make a much greater point? Wouldn’t that be more inspirational than just a blank round?”
“And wouldn’t it make a hell of a lot more sense if you just followed your orders?” snapped Morrison. “Are you second guessing our leaders, or do you just want a greater piece of glory? Captain, when the runner arrives in a few seconds, your order to him better be to have the forward gun fire the blank round just as I have instructed, or you had better be willing to suffer the consequences of your insubordination. Have I made myself clear?”
The captain looked at Moryak and saw the savage fury in his eyes. He became genuinely frightened. “I, eh, of course, comrade. It will be a blank round, double powder primer charge. Just as you ordered. Please, accept my apology.” Just then, the runner arrived, and the captain conveyed Morrison’s exact instructions to him. At 9:40 P.M., a thunderous boom erupted from the forward gun of the Aurora. The purpose of the double charge was to make it an extremely loud explosion, but the intensity of the sound actually surprised Morrison.
The deafening sound of the blast from the Aurora’s gun caused all of the ministers in the Winter Palace to dive immediately to the floor, paralyzed with fear. In the silence that followed, many of the ministers promptly left the building, realizing that their position was hopeless. Several minutes later, the second order was given and live shells erupted from both the Aurora and the Peter and Paul Fortress. While the bombardment ensued, the delegates of the All-Russian Soviet Congress had begun their meeting at the Smolny Institute. Lenin was in his usual uncompromising mood. The power struggle continued between the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks who were allied with the Social Revolutionaries.
No consensus arose among the revolutionary delegates, and many of them finally walked out. “The fools,” Lenin said to Stalin and Mozger, “those glorious, ignorant fools! They’ve handed it to us on a silver platter. No need to compromise now.”
Shortly after 2:00 A.M., the Bolshevik-loyal Red Guards entered the Winter Palace. The remaining ministers realized that the end was near. In a few minutes, a Red Guard leader, accompanied by Lenin, entered the room and placed all of the remaining ministers of the Provisional Government under arrest. It had ended. Lenin and his Bolsheviks had seized control of the government of Russia.
* * *
Their control over Russia was very tenuous. By the following week, Lenin realized that they needed a strategic plan if they were going to survive. At the Winter Palace, he convened a meeting of his brain trust to outline his vision. Present were Stalin, Mozger, Trotsky, and Zinoviev. After some sharing of thoughts, Lenin began to expound on his vision. “Terror,” he began, “is the key. No compromise, no mercy. Already counterrevolutionary forces loyal to the central government, even to that worthless bastard Tsar Nicholas, are fomenting problems and are actively agitating against us. Our most immediate problem is in the Lower Volga and the southern approach to the capital.” Turning to Stalin, he said, “Comrade Stalin, I’m sending you there to crush the resistance. You are now commissar for that region. Use any means necessary! Mercy is a word I want you to expunge from your vocabulary!”
Stalin puffed on his pipe and calmly replied, “I don’t know what that word means. I never have, comrade.”
“Excellent! Our second major issue is the war. We have to sue for a separate peace with Germany. This will not be easy. They will not bargain easily, for they will be negotiating from strength. Comrades Trotsky and Mozger, you will be the ones to go to Brest-Litovsk to negotiate with the Germans. You are the two most eloquent intellects of us all. You have free rein to bend over backward to accommodate the Germans. Just get us out of this war! There will be a civil war shortly, and we need to dedicate all of our resources toward it.”
Turning to Zinoviev, he said, “Comrade, you will stay here with me to head up the Petrograd Soviet.” Zinoviev nodded in assent.
As the meeting was drawing to a close, Trotsky asked, “What about Comrade Moryak?”
“Ah, yes, Moryak!” smiled Lenin. “I’m bringing him back from Kronstadt next week. He will be in charge of security for me, and for the party. There is a great need around here for a man of his intellect and ruthlessness.”
After the meeting, Mozger took Stalin aside and asked him if they could talk in private.
Choosing a dark tavern to assure privacy, they ordered vodka as Mozger began to confide his concerns to Stalin. “You know, Comrade Lenin is our leader and inspiration, but I fear at times he is blind to the dangers around him.”
Sensing where the conversation appeared to be heading, Stalin replied, “You mean Trotsky?”
“Yes, I do. The man is vainglorious. He believes that his oratory skills and his organizing talents have pre-selected him to be Lenin’s heir apparent. I never trust a man who has that much confidence in himself. Not only do I distrust him, but also I am starting to despise him. He is dangerous, Joseph, and I have a feeling that you and I had better prepare for the future. He and all of the other Jews in our party are a bit too ambitious for my taste!”
“You know, I’ve come to the same conclusions,” acknowledged Stalin as he stared into his glass. “Comrade Lenin is too trusting of the Jews, especially that yid Trotsky. It is his main weakness.” Smiling, he looked up at Mozger and said, “This is where we come in, my friend. We will prevent Trotsky or any of those damned Jews from assuming the mantle of leadership. Believe me, I have already given this much thought.” With that, he raised his glass and said, “To the revolution and to the party! Our work now begins in earnest, comrade.”
After their meeting, Mozger returned to the small apartment where he lived by himself. The sparsely furnished room with books scattered all over provided the basic necessities that suited Mozger’s needs perfectly. He had never married and never had any serious relationships with women since totally dedicating himself to the party years ago. In his solitary hours, he continued doing party work. He continually read all revolutionary literature and constantly wrote revolutionary tracts for publication. He lived and breathed the revolution.
He had no regrets about his life. He had cast aside his prior life of privilege to join the Bolsheviks, and he had never looked back. He had become the living embodiment of Rakhmetev, the main character of Chernyshevsky’s book, What Is To Be Done? He led a life of denial of pleasures and riches to devote himself totally to the revolution. It gave him much inner pride. Many of his fellow Bolsheviks and other revolutionaries claimed to be followers of Chernyshevsky, but they only gave lip service to his ideals. He, Mozger, actually lived the life of a man dedicated only to the party. It steeled him and made him stronger. Unlike Lenin, he would never turn a blind eye to the weakness and treachery of others, especially Jews like Trotsky.
He liked and admired Stalin. He considered him a dedicated party man whose ruthlessness and talent existed in equal measures. He believed that it would be Stalin, not Trotsky, who would be Lenin’s successor.
He would keep a close watch on Trotsky and keep him in line. His energies now would be focused into making that succession a reality. Focus — he liked that word. His life had become focused on Bolshevism. Nothing would ever interfere with that focus.
* * *
The message arrived the next day at Kronstadt. It was Raskolnikov who insisted on a banquet in Moryak’s honor before he departed for Petrograd. The farewell reception, attended by hundreds of Kronstadt sailors who wished to show their respect and reverence for their inspiring leader, evolved into a gala celebration. It turned into a night of continuous toasting. Consequently, Morrison was drunk by the time Raskolnikov called him to the podium, where he praised Moryak for his inspiration and leadership, and invited him to say a few words. Thunderous applause erupted at that suggestion. Morrison staggered to the podium and waited until the applause and the screaming had died down. He began speaking, uttering a few inspirational clichés, peppered with an occasional joke and humorous anecdote. The crowd loved it and frequently applauded.
Finally, he knew he should close. He was drunk and began to fear he would slip up and say something inappropriate. “Comrades,” he exclaimed, “I must close now. The hour is late. Allow me to tell you that I never dreamed I would be here, addressing such a fine group of sailors as yourselves.” The crowd roared its approval. “When I spent all those years in the Tsar’s prison camp, I never forgot my mission, my destiny! Mission and destiny, my friends! It is what drives me and must drive you all. I swear to all of you assembled here, I swear to our Bolshevik leadership — I will fulfill my mission and destiny, or I WILL DIE ATTEMPTING TO DO SO!”
The crowd erupted in a frenzy when Morrison finished with those inspirational words. “Moryak! Moryak!” the crowd began chanting. Sailors ran up, grabbed Morrison, and lifted him in the air on their shoulders. The entire crowd paraded after them for at least an hour. Before the impromptu parade had dissipated, Morrison had passed out from all the alcohol.