1917 Flashcards
To stay in power, what did Russia become?
A one-Party state. Lenin drove forwards the consolidation of Bolshevik power.
When did the Revolution occur?
24th-25th October
Who supported the revolution
Military Revolutionary Committee,
sailors and soldiers from Kronstadt,
Bolshevik Red Guards
What was set up on the 25th October
Sovnarkom
What’s the Sovnarkom
An executive committee made up of mostly Bolsheviks
What was held on the 26th October
2nd All-Russian Congress of Soviets met. They came from all over Russia
What criticism was met at the 2nd All-Russian Congress of Soviets?
Many criticised the Bolshevik coup including Kamenev and Zinoviev who both resigned for a while, believing in a broader socialist government.
Mensheviks and SRs were also angry that the Sovnarkom was made up of Bolsheviks.
What did the Sovnarkom reflect?
Lenin was hostile to power sharing
Through setting up the Sovnarkom, the Bolsheviks side-lined the Petrograd Soviet despite Lenin’s slogan, “All power to the Soviets”
The Sovnarkom met once or twice a day and ruled by decree; the Petrograd Soviet met less and less. (This reflected how Lenin was becoming a dictator)
Local Soviets remained key in the Bolshevik control of Russia but these were dominated by Bolsheviks.
What was Lenin
A realist
How was Lenin a realist?
He understood that to retain control he had to be cautious bringing in socialist policies as these would anger much of the population, the peasants in particular.
Thus, there was a clash between Marxist principles that power comes from the people and Lenin’s personal determination to stay in power.
What did his early decrees of October- November 1917 show?
They appeared to resemble the theory that power belonged to the people.
In reality, Lenin had little choice over these decrees as the peasants were already seizing land and workers were already taking over factories. HE COULDN’T STOP THIS.
Therefore he was pragmatic.
What were the 9 decrees from October -November 1917?
- Peace- armistice signed November
- Private ownership of land abolished and peasant seizures seen as legitimate without compensating the landlords
(Both 1 and 2 gave the Bolsheviks a breathing space and helped the Bolshevik consolidation of power.) - Workers had the right to supervise management (i.e. takeover factories)
- Nationalities promised self-government although the Bolsheviks did not control much of the empire
(In December Finland became independent.) - New Legal system- elected people’s courts were now in place.
(Tended to be violent) - Military decrees removed class-ranks, saluting, decorations. Officers to be elected by soldiers’ soviets.
- Sex discrimination outlawed- Women had the right to own property
- No more titles- everyone to be comrade
- Church laws were nationalised and marriage and divorce were removed from Church control.
How were the October-November decrees not meeting the conditions needed in a socialist state?
a) workers needed to be disciplined to increase industrial production.
=Giving workers control over factories meant that production instead fell.
b) large, state-owned farms were the socialist way forward.
= Decree on land meant small-scale agricultural holdings continued.
What was set up in December 1917
Veshenka.
=Department to plan the economy.
Many in the Party believed that this should signal the start of nationalisation of industry.
But Lenin remained cautious.
Who attempted counter-revolution? What happened?
Kerensky.
Lenin was prepared to defend Petrograd but in the meantime there was fierce fighting in Moscow.
However, Bolshevik agitators persuaded some of Kerensky’s troops to defect and Lenin agreed to discussions with other political parties.
There had been strikes in Moscow against the one-party government. Railway workers in particular were angry over 1 party government.
