19 - Lenin's Russia: Ideology And Change Flashcards
What book did Lenin write in 1917? What did he explain in it?
State and Revolution
Ideology
What was Lenin concerned about the transition of when the Bolsheviks achieved power?
Socialism
What determined early Bolshevik rule over Lenin’s ideology? What State did this develop?
Circumstances
Soviet state
What Marxist view did Lenin follow? What did Lenin hope for?
Government should be in the hands of “the people”
Democracy
What did most Russians, along with Lenin, believe a revolution was all about?
Ending all social privileges
What did the peasants do to nobles’ land?
Distributed it out
What did workers take control of in the cities? What call of Lenin’s did they respond well to?
Factories
“The looting of the looters”
What did workers confiscate from the bourgeoisie? What happened to it?
Property
It was shared
What were the wealthy forced to do under the workers?
Manual labour
What did Lenin and Trotsky believe would create a socialist society? What event did they hope this would emerge from?
World revolution
Great War
During WW1, what 2 groups did socialists take on in a civil war? Why was this important?
Employers and government
It strengthened Marxism
What Marxist idea was based on societies such as those in Germany and Britain?
“Dictatorship of the Proletariat”
What would “dictatorship of the proletariat” mean for urban workers? How much of the Russian population were peasants during WW1?
They were a “majority”, not one
80%
What military advance continued during WW1?
German military advance
What did the Bolsheviks promise to Russians? What were they forced to sign?
Peace An armistice (cease-fire)
Who played for time in German treaty negotiations? What was he hoping for in the West?
Trotsky
Revolution
What did Lenin insist that Russia accepts? What did some not like about it?
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
It was humiliating for Russia
What did Lenin believe was more important than an international revolution? What foundation did this create for Stalin?
Russian revolution
“Socialism in One Country”
Who did Lenin believe should exercise the “dictatorship of the proletariat” movement?
Bolsheviks
Who did Lenin have no interest in sharing power with? What did he close to show this?
Other socialists
He closed the Constituent Assembly
What Soviet did Lenin increasingly bypass to show no enthusiasm in socialists?
Petrograd Soviet
How was Sovnarkom run after March 1918? Who left Sovnarkom at this time?
Bolshevik-only Sovnarkom
Remaining SRs
What party did the Bolsheviks become in March 1918?
Communist Party
What War had a huge impact on the development of the Communist Party? What became more centralised as a result?
Civil War
Government
What did the Communist Party resort to in order to enforce laws?
Terror
What could a highly centralised government be portrayed as in the Communist Party?
Fulfilling socialist goals
What policy did “War Communism” allow? What did this policy allow?
New Economic Policy (NEP)
More capitalist practices
What ban did Lenin inflict on the Party for tight unity? Who later used this to defeat their rivals?
“Ban on factions”
Stalin
What location was persecuted under Lenin?
Church
Whose powers were extended under Lenin?
Secret police
What trials were used to condemn SRs?
“Show trials”
What 2 organisations shaped policy under Lenin?
Central Committee
Politburo
How many members were in the Politburo? Which 3 key figures did this include?
7
Stalin, Lenin and Trotsky
What new post was created in order to co-ordinate Party work? Who filled this post?
General Secretary
Stalin
What does Historian D. Volkogonov argue the Bolshevik system embodied?
“The Bolshevik system embodied Lenin’s own personality”
