Bolshevik consolidation

Question 1

What was the Sovnarkom?

Answer 1

The Council of People’s Commissars.

Question 1

What term did ‘Commissars’ replace and why?

Answer 1

It replaced ministers. This was so it sounded less Bourgeoisie

Question 2

Which party had the support of the peasants in 1917?

Answer 2

The SRs

Question 3

Who commanded the MRC and the Petrograd Garrison?

Answer 3

Trotsky

Question 4

When did Lenin hold elections for Constituent Assembly?

Answer 4

November 1917

Question 5

How many seats did the Bolsheviks win at the Constituent Assembly elections in 1917?

Answer 5

175

Question 6

How many seats at the Constituent Assembly election did the SRs win in 1917?

Answer 6

370

Question 7

How did Lenin get out of having to use the Constituent Assembly?

Answer 7

He claimed that his form of Government represented a higher form of democracy

Question 8

How many times were the 1917 elected assembly allowed to meet, and when did they meet?

Answer 8

They were allowed to meet once on the 5th January 1918 before being told to go home

Question 9

What was Lenin’s first move regarding the press and when did he make this decision?

Answer 9

He banned all opposition newspapers in October 1917. Later he also banned the other socialist forms of press.

Question 10

Which other party was banned immediately?

Answer 10

The Kadets

Question 11

What happened to many leaders of other parties?

Answer 11

The leaders of the Mensheviks, Kadets and SRs all ended up in prison by the end of 1917. Two Kadet leaders were killed by Bolshevik sailors

Question 12

Which unions threatened to cut off Bolshevik communications if they did not cooperate with other parties?

Answer 12

The Railwaymen’s Union, supported by the post and telegraph unions

Question 13

Name two Bolsheviks who were in favour of a coalition with other socialist parties

Answer 13

Zinoviev and Kamenev

Question 14

What did Lenin do to include other Socialist parties and why did he see this as beneficial?

Answer 14

He brought in some left SRs as junior partners in the Sovnarkom. He saw this as useful because he could gain some peasant support

Question 15

What were the potential problems with handing the peasants land immediately?

Answer 15

It could cause violence, an economic crisis and lawlessness in the countryside

Question 16

What and when was the Decree on Land?

Answer 16

October 1917- this gave the peasants the right to take over the estates of the gentry without compensation, and to decide amongst themselves the best way to divide it up. Land could no longer be bought, sold or rented because it belonged to the people

Question 17

What was the Decree on Peace?

Answer 17

It stated that Russia would make peace with Germany

Question 18

What was the ‘Rights of the People of Russia’ decree and why was it only kind of helpful?

Answer 18

It gave national minorities the right to self-determination. This was only really a paper measure because the Bolsheviks had no real influence in these areas anyway

Question 19

What and when was the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?

Answer 19

March 1918- this secured Russia out of WW1.

Question 20

What did Russia lose as a result of Brest-Litovsk?

Answer 20

They lost a quarter of their farmland, three quarters of their iron and coal reserves, as well as 62 million people within their population

Question 21

What did the decrees on work do?

Answer 21

They introduced a 8 hour maximum day, set up rules for overtime and holidays, and set up worker’s committees to control factories

Question 22

What did the decrees on marriage do?

Answer 22

They made divorce easier, and marriages could be done without a Priest

Question 23

What was the name of the secret police?

Answer 23

The Cheka

Question 24

What were the decrees on industry?

Answer 24

Bolsheviks now had control over the banks, foreign trade, large industries and railways

Question 25

What were the decrees on education?

Answer 25

A network of schools offering free education to all were established to wipe out illiteracy

Question 26

What were the decrees on Benefits?

Answer 26

A system of social insurance would be introduced with unemployment, maternity, sickness, and old age benefits

Question 27

What were the decrees on equality?

Answer 27

All ranks and grades in the army were abolished along with all aristocratic titles

Question 28

How many new laws did the Sovnarkom introduce when the Bolsheviks took over?

Answer 28

193

Question 29

What kind of people were absent from the Sovnarkom?

Answer 29

People who were more on the right wing side of the left, such as the SRs, Mensheviks, and Zinoviev/Kamenev

Question 30

How many votes were (fairly according to Lenin) cast in November 1917?

Answer 30

Over 40 million

Question 31

What strategy did Trotsky use when negotiating the end of the war, and what did this become known as?

Answer 31

He dragged it out in hope that Germany would lose the war or revolution would engulf Europe. He spent ages talking about Communism in order to do this. This became known as ‘neither peace nor war’

Question 32

Why did Germany need to reach peace with Russia?

Answer 32

They needed troops to fight the West, but the Ukrainian nationalists were putting up a fight in occupied territory

Question 33

When did Germany give Russia an ultimatum and what was this?

Answer 33

1st March 1918. They advanced forward and gave Russia two days to sign the treaty

Question 34

What did the Bolsheviks change their name to after the signing of Brest Litovsk?

Answer 34

The Communist Party

Question 35

What happened to the Red Guard after Brest-Litovsk?

Answer 35

They were demobilised and replaced by the Red Army, which Trotsky headed

Question 36

What happened after the signing of Brest-Litovsk?

Answer 36

The capital was moved to Moscow, the left-wing SRs who opposed the Treaty walked out of the Sovnarkom, religious assets were seized and large congregations prohibited. The party focused on ‘socialism at home’ rather than a Communist revolution