Lenin arrived in Petrograd late in the evening on April 3, 1917.
23 hours and 10 minutes the train stopped at the platform of the Finland station, which by that time had gathered Petrograd workers. A guard of honor was lined up on the platform. Lenin, climbing on an armored car, made a speech, which ended with a call: "Long live the socialist revolution!"
In an armored car, surrounded by people, Lenin went to the mansion, which in 1917 housed the Central and Petrograd committees of the Bolshevik party. Military organization of the Bolsheviks and other organizations. From the balcony of the mansion Lenin spoke several times that night before the workers, soldiers and sailors. Only in the morning he went with N. K. Krupskaya to the apartment of his sister A. I. Elizarova-Ulyanova and her husband M. T. Elizarov (Shirokaya street, 48/9, sq. 24, now Lenin street, A. 52).
Lenin lived in an apartment on Shirokaya street from April 4 to July 5, 1917. All this time he carried out a huge propaganda and organizational work to rally the revolutionary forces around the Soviets. He immediately led the party Central Committee and the editorial Board of the newspaper "Pravda".
The April theses formulated by Lenin in March 1917 and published in Pravda on 7 April 1917 as theses "on the tasks of the proletariat in this revolution" played a huge role in preparing the masses for the socialist revolution.
The April theses are a scientifically grounded plan of struggle for the transition from the bourgeois-democratic revolution, which gave power to the bourgeoisie, to the socialist revolution, which must transfer power into the hands of the working class and the poorest peasantry. Having set such a task, V. I. Lenin theoretically justified the meaning and essence of the Republic of Soviets as a political form of the dictatorship of the proletariat, a new, higher form of democracy.
In his theses Lenin considered the most burning question of those times - the attitude to the war, which on the part of Russia and under the Provisional government remained aggressive, predatory because of the bourgeois character, goals and policies of this government. Only that power could give the people peace, bread and freedom, which would turn the country on the path of socialism. Hence the Bolshevik slogans: "No support for the Provisional government!", "All power to the Soviets!"
In the April theses Lenin formulated the economic platform of the proletarian party: nationalization of all land in the country with confiscation of landed estates, that is, the elimination of private ownership of land and transfer it to the local Soviets of agricultural labourers 'and peasants' deputies and the immediate Union of all banks into a single national Bank and the establishment of control over it by the Soviet of workers 'deputies; the establishment of workers' control over production and distribution of goods.
Concerning internal party issues, Lenin proposed to convene a party Congress, to change the party's Program, where, in particular, to put forward the task of creating a Soviet Republic, to rename the party into a Communist party. As the practical task of all revolutionary Marxists, Lenin advanced the task of creating the third, the Communist international.
VII (April) all-Russian conference of the RSDLP (b), the first legal conference of the Bolsheviks in Russia, was held under the direct supervision of Lenin. He made reports on the current moment, on the agrarian question, on the revision of the party Program. In fact, the conference played the role of a Congress. She elected the Central Committee of the party headed by Lenin.
After the April conference, the task of the Bolshevik party was to merge into one mighty revolutionary stream the General democratic movement for peace, the peasant struggle for land, the national liberation movement of the oppressed peoples for national independence.
The Bolsheviks had to explain to the proletariat and all the workers their programme and slogans, the anti-people character of the Provisional government, and the conciliatory position of the Mensheviks and social revolutionaries.
12 (25) may 1917, V. I. Lenin spoke at a meeting of the workers of the Putilov plant. According to the memoirs of the participants of the meeting, Lenin spoke so simply and clearly that people disappeared all doubts and hesitations, there was a willingness to overcome any difficulties.
From the memoirs of an old worker of the Putilov A. P. Danilova: "... what Ilyich said was exciting and exciting. Gone was the fear, gone was the fatigue. And it seemed that not only Ilyich was speaking, but all forty thousand workers were speaking, sitting, standing, holding on to their weight, uttering their cherished thoughts. It seemed that everything that was in the worker spoke with one voice of Lenin. Everything that everyone thought, experienced to himself, but did not find the opportunity and words to fully and clearly explain to his friend - all this suddenly took shape and began to speak ... This meeting has given to the history of a colossal lot. He moved the Putilov mass, and the Putilov mass moved into the revolution."
At the 1st all-Russian Congress of Soviets of workers 'and soldiers' deputies, which met in early June 1917, Lenin made a speech about the attitude to the Provisional government. Declaring that the Bolshevik party was ready to take over the whole of power, Lenin explained the main slogans of the party: all power to the Soviets, bread to the workers, land to the peasants, peace to the peoples. In the newspaper "Pravda" of July 2, 1917 came the second speech of Lenin at the Congress - about the war.
Kiulu 1917 the party had at that time about 55 Newspapers and magazines, daily circulation of above 500,000 copies. Especially popular was "Pravda", which almost daily published articles by Lenin. From the moment of arrival to Russia and till July, 1917 he wrote in the newspaper over 170 materials.
On the morning of July 5, the Junkers destroyed the editorial office of Pravda, and on July 7, the Provisional government issued a decree on the arrest and trial of Lenin and other Bolsheviks. The Central Committee of the party decided to hide Lenin underground, in the vicinity of Petrograd. The village of Sestroretsk was chosen, where the workers of the arms factory lived mainly. There, near the railway station Razliv, in the house of the Bolshevik worker N. A. Emelyanov and settled Lenin.
The new situation after the July days demanded a revision of the party's tactics and slogans. On July 10 V. I. Lenin wrote theses "Political situation". "All hopes for the peaceful development of the Russian revolution," wrote Lenin, " have disappeared completely." Thus, in the post-July period, the question of developing new tactics and new methods of struggle arose sharply. It was necessary to convene a party Congress.
The VI Congress of the party was held in late July - early August 1917 in Petrograd, in a difficult situation, semi-legally. The overwhelming majority of the delegates to the Congress were revolutionaries, hardened in the struggle against tsardom and the bourgeoisie.
During preparation and carrying out Congress V. I. Lenin was in an underground. From there he maintained close contact with the Central Committee of the party. His works-theses "Political situation", pamphlet" To the slogans", article" Lessons of the revolution " and others - formed the basis of the decisions of the VI Congress of the Bolshevik party.
The following resolutions were put forward at the Congress: "on the economic situation", "Tasks of the professional movement", "on youth unions", "on propaganda", as well as the Charter of the party with the amendments adopted at the Congress.
VI Congress of the RSDLP (b) elected the Central Committee of the party headed by Lenin.
The Manifesto of the Central Committee of the RSDLP(b), issued after the Congress and exhibited in the hall, called on the workers', soldiers 'and peasants' masses to prepare for decisive battles with the bourgeoisie. It said in part:"our party is going into this fight with banners unfurled."