When the Bolsheviks came to power in October 1917, the metanarrative for the new regime remained unformed. Many of the elements for the creation of it were present, but they were not yet moulded into a coherent and consistent message. This was principally because of the environment from which the Bolsheviks emerged. The history of the pre-1917 revolutionary movement was one of continual bitter internecine feuding, of conflict and contestation embracing all aspects of the revolutionary process. The conflict was not only between the Bolsheviks and other groups of revolutionaries like the Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries, but also within Bolshevik ranks. And while a key weapon in such conflict was organisational manipulation, also central was the clash of ideas. Minor points of political theory and praxis were a continuing focus of vigorous debate. One consequence of this factious nature of the party is that there was no single, coherent and consistent line upon which all agreed. The transformation of this ideological cacophony into a metanarrative was achieved through elite conflict in the dozen years following the seizure of power.

The creation of a metanarrative was not the primary aim of Russia's new rulers. This was to stabilise and consolidate their power, a task which involved, inter alia, establishing effective lines of communication between themselves and two primary groups: regime officials and the ordinary populace.