Final answer:
Lenin's followers hoped to establish a communist state in Russia by redistributing land, ending Russia's participation in WWI, and addressing socio-economic issues. Their victory in the October Revolution and subsequent civil war led to the creation of the Soviet Union as a one-party state based on Marxist principles, albeit with modifications.
Step-by-step explanation:
When Vladimir Lenin returned to Russia after years in exile and became the leader of the Bolsheviks, his followers aimed to transform Russia into a communist state. The Bolsheviks' goals were encapsulated in the slogan "Peace, Land, Bread," signifying their intent to pull Russia out of World War I, redistribute land to the peasants, and address the food shortages and socio-economic crises facing the working class. After the October Revolution in 1917, Lenin's government began radical reforms including the end of the war with Germany, the distribution of land, and the establishment of a government led by the Soviets—councils of workers' and soldiers' deputies. This led to a civil war which, after the Bolshevik victory, resulted in Russia being reorganized into the Soviet Union.
As part of the Bolshevik ideology, they embraced the principles of Marxism, and Lenin led efforts to model the Soviet state according to Marxist principles albeit with his interpretations. This often put them at odds with other socialist groups who were more focused on democratic reform rather than revolution. The civil war between the Bolshevik's Red Army and the anti-communist White Army culminated in the establishment of the one-party Soviet state under Lenin's leadership, setting the foundation for future communist policies, even as this early version of the Soviet Union deviated from what Marx had predicted would be the first stages of a socialist society.