The radical Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, took advantage of the absence of the czar and the unrest to spread their communist, anti-war political message. Many soldiers deserted the army to join the Bolsheviks, adding to the army's difficulties. A revolution in March 1917 forced Nicholas to abdicate the throne in favor of a provisional government that promised the Russian people a more democratic political system, but aimed to continue the war. **TRY REWORDING THIS** I kinda copied and pasted XD