7. Marxism-Leninism & The Bolsheviks seize control of the state

Question 1

What did the Bolsheviks change their name to once in power?

Answer 1

Communist Party

Question 2

Marx has believed that the working class created by capitalism would eventually overthrow the system themselves. But Lenin argued…..

Answer 2

That political revolution needed to come first, led by a well-organized working class party.

Question 3

Although Marx had believed there would be no need for s government once communism was established, this did not happen in Russia. Lenin believed…..

Answer 3

That the party needed to keep control of the state after the revolution, in order to bring state bring about and protect communism.

Question 4

Society Russia became a _____ one party state with a hugely powerful leader.

Answer 4

Totalitarian

Question 5

Who planned for election which the Bolshevik government went ahead with?

Answer 5

The provisional government

Question 6

What were the results for the elections?

Answer 6

They were disappointing for the Bolsheviks who won less than a quarter of the seats.

Question 7

What did the elections show?

Answer 7

The Bolshevik position was not secure.

Question 8

Who met in January 1918 for the first and only time?

Answer 8

The constituent assembly

Question 9

Why did the constituent assembly meet?

Answer 9

To criticize Bolshevik policies

Question 10

What did Lenin do the day after the constituent assembly met?

Answer 10

Sent troops to close it down permanently. The red guards used force to stop demonstrations in support of the parliament and over a hundred people were killed or wounded.

Question 11

What was made clear by the Bolsheviks?

Answer 11

They were prepared to use force to stay in power.

Question 12

True or false

The soldiers at the naval base at Kronstadt were strong supporters of the communist dream.

Answer 12

True

Question 13

Lenin always believed that a disciplined group of full-time ______ organized into a single _____ Party such as the Bolsheviks should lead the mass of the people to a revolution.

Answer 13

Revolutionaries

Political

Question 14

What did Lenin describe the party as when he believed they should lead the people to the revolution?

Answer 14

He described the party as being the ‘vanguard of the proletariat’.

Question 15

What is a vanguard?

Answer 15

A small organized group which takes the lead

Question 16

Lenin believe that since the communists were in power they should continue the role as the ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’. What did this mean?

Answer 16

Meaning that a small group of committed leaders would rule on behalf of the people.

Question 17

What did they ban?(3)

Answer 17

• opposition parties
• newspapers
• no freedom of debate

Question 18

What was name of the ruthless secret police set up?

Answer 18

The CHEKA

Question 19

What reforms did the party set up?(4)

Answer 19

• Peace with Germany
• Land Reforms
• Working conditions
• Education

Question 20

What did Russia sign with Germany?

Answer 20

A peace treaty . The peace terms by the German terms were very harsh and Russia lots of land and resources in Western areas.

Question 21

What did the government ‘confiscate’?

Answer 21

Large areas of land from estates of tsar, the church, the nobles and landlords.

Question 22

How did the government improve working conditions?

Answer 22

Established an eight hour day and forty hour week and introduced a system of insurance to protect workers against injury,illness and unemployment.

Question 23

How did the government improve education?

Answer 23

Free education for all and launched an adult literacy campaign.