1.1a How did the Bolsheviks establish a one party state between 1917-1924? Flashcards
What did nationalist groups from countries such as Kazakhstan want for Russia?
Independence from Russia
Who were right wing groups that opposed the Bolsheviks?
Tsarist supporters who represented the middle class
Why did Social Revolutionaries oppose the Bolsheviks?
They denied them a share of power
Why did other left groups oppose the Bolsheviks?
They had refused to give them any power
Define constituent assembly
‘parliament elected by the people’
Why did Lenin dissolve the Constituent assembly?
Because the Social Revolutionaries gained many more votes than the Bolsheviks
How did Lenin excuse dissolving the constituent assembly?
Labelled it a tool of the Bourgeoisie
Who did Lenin take the vote away from?
The Bourgeoisie class
How did Lenin remove all power from the Social Revolutionaries?
They walked out in protest and he didn’t allow them back in
How else did Lenin stop SRs spreading their message?
Put restrictions on them publishing newspapers
During the first 3 months, how many SRs were arrested?
5000
What had been done by 1921 to stop all opposition to the Bolsheviks?
Banned all other political parties
When was the treaty of Brest-Litovsk?
1918
What was the treaty of Brest-Litovsk?
Took Russia out of WW1
Who wanted the Russians to sign the treaty of Brest-Litovsk?
Germans
Give 3 reasons the Bolsheviks opposed war
Capitalist Motives
High Costs
Destructive economic impact
How much land did the Bolsheviks lose from the treaty of Brest-Litovsk?
1 million square miles
What proportion of their population did they lose from the Treaty of Brest Litovsk?
1/3
Which 5 countries did they lose control of as a result of the Treaty of Brest Litovsk?
Lithuania Estonia Latvia Finland Ukraine
How was the national humiliation of the Treaty of Brest Litovsk best shown by military officers?
When military officers tried to overthrow the Bolsheviks
Who were ‘the whites’?
A group of different groups who opposed the Bolsheviks and the treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Who did ‘the whites’ receive aid from & why?
The allies because they didn’t want them to pull out of the war
Why were ‘the whites’ largely ineffective?
Disorganisation due to consisting of many different groups
Why was the allies help for ‘the whites’ futile?
It was wasted through corruption
By 1920, what had ‘the whites’ lost completely?
All of their strongholds
How were the Bolsheviks organised in dealing with ‘the whites’?
They nationalised industry
How many men did Trotsky conscript?
5 million
Give the 2 main results of the civil war
Set the tone with the use of terror
the state became highly centralised
Why did the 10th party congress happen?
Because the civil was over and they had to deal with party divisions
What key policy was agreed at 10th party congress? (give definition also)
‘on party unity’ – a ban on factionalism
What made the Bolsheviks nervous during 10th party congress?
Because of the Kronsdadt Mutiny and the Tambov Rising
Due to 10th party congress, Bolshevik membership grew from ___ to ____?
300,000 to 730,000
Define democratic centralism
People having a say in government but it being centralised
Did democratic centralism happen in reality?
No
What did the 1924 Soviet constitution do?
Made the USSR a federal state
What was the nomenklatura system?
A list of approved employees for certain jobs due to loyalty to the party
By 1924, how many members did the nomenklatura system have?
1 million
What years were the red terror?
1921-22
By 1923, how many executions had the Cheka carried out?
200,000
Under Lenin, what fraction of the party were purged?
1/3
How was Lenin’s person power shown during debate?
During debate, he could threaten to resign to get his way
What position did Lenin hold?
Chair of the Sovnarkom
Give 3 limits to the centralisation of power
Russia was so big that not everyone could be supervised / local mafia and black marketers defied Lenin / the NEP led to factions
During the 1917 October Revolution, how many members did the Bolsheviks have?
Just 300,000
What was the Kronstadt Mutiny and why was it so significant?
An uprising of sailors against the Bolsheviks in protest to the Treaty of Brest Litovsk who previously supported the Bolsheviks
What was the Tambov Uprising?
Peasants attacking grain requisitions, requiring 50,000 Red Army soldiers to deal with them
