I was wondering if anyone had any illuminating primary sources that captured the essence or details of how Bolshevik power was consolidated between 1917-1924 (before Stalin came to power). For me it was easy to find information on Stalinist Russia but I'm finding it difficult to picture Russia under Lenin.
Check out Yashka by Maria Bochkareva. It only lightly deals with Lenin specifically, but does a great job describing a lot of the direct effects of the power shift.
Essentially, it’s about a woman who ends up getting permission from the tzar to join the Russian army after World War 1 starts. Once the spring revolution occurs, the way the soldiers react, and change their behavior is pretty crazy. It’s a pretty short book, but full of fascinating insight into the lives of soldiers in Russia during the period, even more so regarding being a woman in the army at the time.