Bolshevik Consolidation, 1918-24 Flashcards
1
Q
Removal of Constituent assembly:
A
- SRs won 53% of votes for Constituent assembly
- Lenin declared that elections ‘prove nothing’ and assembly was subsequently closed
- Lenin justified this by saying Russia was now governed by a ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’
2
Q
Reasons for ending involvement in the First World War:
A
- much of Bolshevik support came from soldiers who were tiring of the war
- lenin was convinced that Germany was about to have it’s own revolution. Any negative peace deal terms would be temporary
- Lenin knew that the Russian army could not stop a German invasion of Russia
- Lenin believed that national boundaries were less important than the proletariat’s shared common values
3
Q
Ending Russia’s involvement in the war was challenging:
A
- Germany was already occupying large swathes of Russian territory and demanded major concessions as the price of a ceasefire
- Lenin and Trotsky did not agree on their negotiating stance. Trotsky opposed agreeing to a peace deal that would involve harsh terms for Russia
- Bukharin led the ‘revolutionary war group’ which argued against peace with Germans at all
- left wing SRs walked out of Sovnarkom in protest over Treaty
4
Q
Terms of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk:
A
Loss of:
- 62m people
- 2m square kilometres of land, responsible for 1/3 of Russia’s agricultural production
- 1/4 of Russia’s railway lines
- 3/4 of Russia’s iron and coal supplies
-3b roubles for war preparations
5
Q
Consolidation of the one-party state:
A
- workers were put in charge of the railways
- government support for Church ended and Russia became a secular state
- industries were nationalised and land ownership abolished. Now only the state owned land and made it available to those who would farm it for the good of the community
6
Q
1918 constitution:
A
- Sovnarkom ruled Russia when Congress was not meeting
- Sovnarkom consisted solely of Bolsheviks after the left-wing SRs walked out in protest
- in July 1918, members of the former ‘exploiting classes’ were banned from voting or holding office
7
Q
Features of foreign intervention:
A
- in the north, British forces attacked at Murmansk and the British navy also blockaded trade to Russia through the Baltic sea
- in the Far East, 11,000 US troops landed at Vladivostok and Japanese troops invaded eastern Siberia
- in the south, Baku was occupied by the British and British and French navies blocked trade through the Black Sea and the Caspians
8
Q
Reasons for foreign intervention:
A
- at first, Britain, France and the USA wanted to help the Whites to win so Russia could be kept in the war
- allies had sent huge amounts of ammunition and weapons to Russia, which they did not want the Bolsheviks getting control over
- After the armistice, the reasons for allied intervention changed to combatting Bolshevism
9
Q
Impact of foreign intervention:
A
- most foreign intervention was too small scale to have an impact
- major intervention, like the Japanese invasion of eastern Siberia, was in the Far East and did not threaten Bolshevik control of Russia
- however, foreign support for the Whites at the start of the war did help them achieve initial advances
10
Q
The Rapallo Treaty:
A
- both Bolshevik Russia and Weimar Germany had been excluded from the league of Nations
- Chicherin and representatives from Weimar Germany then held talks in nearby Rapallo, leading to the Rapallo Treaty in April 1922
- Russia and Germany agreed to waive any claims for compensation
- formal diplomatic relations reopened
- ‘mutual goodwill’ was stressed in commercial and economic relations
11
Q
Role of Trotsky in Civil War (part 1):
A
- he travelled around different fonts, meeting commanders and troops. The train carried food, equipment and cigarettes for the troops and also had a propaganda unit - all of which was important for Red Army morale
- his ruthless approach meant the Red army had good (by requisitioning grain from the peasants) and weapons
- he turned the red Army into a professional military force, reintroducing traditional ranks and practices. Soviet soldiers no longer elected their officers
12
Q
Role of Trotsky during civil war (part 2):
A
- he recruited 50,000 former tsarist officers to train new troops. Political commissars watched the tsarist officers for any sign of disloyalty
- he insisted on strict discipline. If a unit retreated without being ordered to, the first to be shot was the political commissar and then the unit commander. Deserters were also shot by the Cheka
13
Q
Reason for the Red Victory:
A
- reds commanded the hub of communications, armament factories and most densely populated regions
- they were united in their ideology
- red Army became a well disciplined fighting force under Trotsky’s leadership
- generally the Red’s land policy was more popular to peasants than traditional tsarist policies
14
Q
Government and control in war time:
A
- half a million party members thought for the Red army. They became used to obeying orders and acting with whatever force was necessary
- policies were created in the centre and carried out without question at a local level
15
Q
Examples of state control under state capitalism:
A
- nationalisation of banks (1917) and railways (1918)
- establishment of Vesenkha, which was set up in 1917 to start managing Russia’s economy
- establishment of GOELRO, which was formed in 1920 to organise the production and distribution of electricity across Russia
