The key event during the Russian Revolution in October 1917 was the Bolshevik seizure of power, commonly referred to as the October Revolution. Led by Vladimir Lenin, the Bolsheviks overthrew the Provisional Government, which had been established after the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II earlier that year. This dramatic political shift aimed to establish a socialist state and resulted in the creation of the Soviet Union. The revolution marked a profound transformation in Russian society and had lasting global implications, influencing communist movements and ideologies worldwide.