1.1 - establishing communist party control 1917-1924

Question 1

how did Bolsheviks establish a one party state between 1917-1924

Answer 1

• creation of a one part state and party congress of 1921
• nature of government under Lenin
• the growing centralisation of power

Question 2

What did the creation of a one party state entail?

Answer 2

• Bolsheviks dealing with left wing groups
• destruction of political parties
• treaty of Brest-Litovsk
• Russian civil war
• How the Bolsheviks won the war
  The results of the war
• The tenth party congress 1921

Question 3

what did the nature of government under Lenin entail?

Answer 3

• the apparatus of government
• party control over the state
• democratic centralism

Question 4

what did the growing centralisation of power entail?

Answer 4

• the personal power of Lenin
• the growth of party bureaucracy and the nomenklatura system
• the soviet constitution of 1924
• the use of terror
• degree of centralisation

Question 5

How did the Bolsheviks deal with other left wing groups?

Answer 5

• SR’s and Mensheviks hoped they would get a share in power
• Lenin made it clear no sharing of power would be happening
• socialist coalition government was rejected.
• constituent assembly in January 1918 was dissolved after 1 meeting and condemned

Question 6

explain the destruction of other political parties

Answer 6

• removal of vote from ‘bourgeoise classes’ like employers, priests
• Mensheviks and SR’s struggled to publish their newspapers because of restrictions put in place
• Left wing SR’s who had been given a place in gov walked out in March 1918 and subsequently lost all influence.
• March 1918 Bolshevik party renamed itself communist party and all other parties were banned.
• first 3 months of 1921, 50,000 Mensheviks were arrested
• wave of arrests of SR and Menshevik supporters in 1921&22

Question 7

Explain the treaty of Brest Litovsk

when was it

Answer 7

-1918
- when Lenin put an end to the Russian involvement and pulled out of WW1.
- was a great cost to the war
- Russia lost control of the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, Finland and Ukraine and part of the Caucasus regions.
- national humiliation
- spur to those who wished to fight against the Bolsheviks (whites) bc it offerd a promise of foreign help. Allied powers wanted Russia to rejoin the fight.

Question 8

explain the Russian civil war 1918-1921

Answer 8

Bolsheviks = reds
opposition=whites
- those who liked the Tsar, liberals, military leaders, national minorities seeking independence

After Brest Litovsk opposition mounted

It wasn’t till end of 1920 the reds had defeated the whites and secured communist rule over the country.

Question 9

How did the Bolsheviks win the civil war

Answer 9

RED STRENGTHS
- better organisation military, economically and politically
- military strategy more coherent e.g. Trotsky
- conscription introduced to increase number of soldiers - 5 million by end of war
- economic policies like war communism to make sure economy was geared towards the war.
- large scale nationalisation of industry ensured adequate supply for red army
- grain requisitioning from peasants gave more food to keep the army going.
- authoritarian and centrally controlled system.

WHITE WEAKNESSES
- amalgam of different groups only wanting to get rid of the Bolsheviks.
- division reflected in military strategy
- co-operation was limited
- failed to put help from former Russian allies to good use.
- by end of 1920 all strongholds had been defeated.

Question 10

what were the key results of the Russian civil war

Answer 10

• Bolshevik state became highly centralised
• extensive use of terror on their political opponents
• reinforced military values in the population. People did not buckle under pressure anymore.

Question 11

explain the 10th party congress 1921

Answer 11

-march
- ban on the formation of factions
- tightened the power of the party leadership- membership to party had grown rapidly during the civil war and Lenin was scared.

Kronstadt mutiny- revolt of sailors previosly loyal to Bolsheviks

Tambov rising
- from peasants

Question 12

nature of gov under lenin- explain the apparatus of government

Answer 12

• trade unions and factory comittees were brought ubder bolshevik control
• sovnarkon- top government ministers. Key decision makers about 20 in total. elected by central committee
• central executive committee- elected by congress of soviets, larger froup. oversee workn of gov and administration
• all-russian congree of soviets- supreme law making body of USSR

Question 13

nature of gov under lenin- explain the party control over the state

Answer 13

• Politburo- 7-9 leading members of party. Made key decisions. Met daily under Lenin.
• central committee- 30-40 members. superficiory role as theyre supposed to make decisions on policy but the politburo basically do that.
• party congress- representitives from local parties
• local level branches

Question 14

nature of gov under Lenin- explain democratic centralism

Answer 14

• soviets represented the workers.
• decisions made of ‘interests of the people’
• fake democratic nature

Question 15

the growing centralisation of power- explain the personal power of Lenin

Answer 15

• looked up to him and saw him as an inspiration

Question 16

the growing centralisation of power - the growth of party bureaucracy and the nomenklatura system

Answer 16

bureacuracy to aid party growth

nomeklatura system- drawing up lists of approved party members suitible for certain jobs. It encouraged loyalty. To not be loyal meant you lost your place on the list

Question 17

explain the soviet constitution of 1924

Answer 17

• creation of the USSR across all of Russia and neighbouring places.

Question 18

the use of terror

Answer 18

• implemented by the cheka
• dealt with counter revolution
• operated outside the law
• dealt with enemies of the party
• arrests planned and prisoners tortured
• carried out executions without using official courts
• waves of arrests occurred in 1921 and 1922 known as the red terror
• cheka was responsible for up to 200,000 people
• secret police grew enormously from 40,000 in December in 1918 to 250,000 by 1921.
• 1922 after civil war cheka was replaced by OGPU- terror was more discreet and bureratic and inward looking. Chistka (cleansing) occurred when attention was turned to the party in 1918 and another during the early 1920’s
• under Lenin, about 1/3 of the part were purged.
• intimidation and purges were needed to maintain discipline
• lack of confidence from party bc it was continued after the civil war

Question 19

explain the degree of centralisation

Answer 19

• Lenin found it hard to keep control of the whole of Russia- local mafia made with black marketeers so there were some limits
• wrong to say all dispute in the party were stifled

EXAMPLES:
-, Kamenev and Zinoviev opposed Lenin’s decision to launch the revolution
- fierce debate on whether to accept treaty of Brest-Litovsk
- role of trade unions was a big debate.