Bolshevik Consolidation of power 1918-1924

Question 1

in what ways did the peasantry contribute of the outbreak of civil war in Russia?

Answer 1

Red guards seized food to take to cities,
3000 food requisitioning detachments
peasants didn’t like food procurement

Question 2

in what ways did the workers, soldiers and sailors contribute to the outbreak of civil war in russia?

Answer 2

Bolshevik rule was different than they expected, they expected self-rule, and more control of their own lives under the Bolsheviks
bread ration was low

Question 3

how did nationalities contribute to outbreak of civil war in russia?

Answer 3

Ukrainians and Georgians wanted complete independence from Russia, but the Bolsheviks would give out ‘bourgeious nationalism’
caused Green Armies

Question 4

how did Britain and France contribute to civil war in russia?

Answer 4

viewed Bolsheviks with suspicion after advocating a ‘world revolution’
French, British and American troops in Russia to protect against german advances, Lenin and Trotsky thought that they were trying to overthrow the Bolshevik regime

Question 5

how did former tsarist generals contribute to civil war in Russia?

Answer 5

built up white army
General Yudenich was a threat as he was very successful and had never lost a battle
Finnish white Army overthrew Finnish Red Army, and then controlled whole country
threat towards Petrograd?

Question 6

how did the group of leading SRs contribute to revolution in Russia?

Answer 6

created Committee of Members of Constituent Assembly (komuch), claiming that it was the legal government of Russia
seemed likely that the country would rally behind them

Question 7

how did terror contribute to Lenin securing a one party state? x3

Answer 7

-Bolsheviks imprisoned Kadets for demonstrating outside Tauride Palace
-6 ministers of PG transferred Peter+Paul Fortress
-Death Penalty introduced for counter-revolutionists and bourgouis who reisisted complusory labour

Question 8

how did constituent assembly polling and results contribute to Lenin securing a one party state?

Answer 8

-Bolsheviks only got 10 million votes, under 1/4
-unprecedented result as women had just got the vote, and support had been seemingly increasing
-SRs got majority 38%
-Bolsheviks demanded re-election
-arrested 3 of the electoral commissioners, who were replaced by Bolshevik, Uritsky
} Bolsheviks intervention

Question 9

how did Bolsheviks preparation for sabotage contribute to Lenin securing a one party state?

Answer 9

-Intended to sabotage constituent Assembly during election
-Cheka established
-All Russia Extraordinary Commission for Combatting Counter-Revolution, Profiteering and Sabotage, was established

Question 10

how did the Bolshevik response to the opening of the constituent assembly contribute to Lenin securing a one party state?

Answer 10

Red Guard and sailors blocked any demonstrations in support of CA
Sverdlov demanded that Assembly recognises All Russia Soviet as supreme power

Question 11

how did the bolshevik removal of the constituent assembly contribute to the establishment of one party control?

Answer 11

by the time the assembly met in 1918, Lenin had outlawed the Kadets and forcible closed the assembly when he found out Chernov (right SR) was the chair

decree on press meant that mensheviks and SRs couldn’t exist openly as they couldn’t publish propaganda

bourgeouis were denied voting rights in the soviet structure established in 1918

all other parties banned by 1921

Question 12

how did ending russian involvement in WW1 contribute to establishing a one party state?

Answer 12

germany was occupying large areas of Russian land but the bolsheviks promised “peace, bread and land”

lenin wanted immediate peace where trotsky and bukharin wanted slow negotiations hoping that germany would agree to “neither peace nor war”

german frustration with trotskys slow policy led to the treaty of brest litovsk which lenin called a “robber peace”

left wing SRs walked out of the Spvnarkom in protest of the treaty and confirmed Russia as a one party state

bolsheviks adopted the title of the communist party and governed alone

Question 13

what were the consequences of the treaty of brest litovsk for russia?

Answer 13

lost 62 million people
lost baltics, georgia, poland, ukraine
lost 1/3 of agricultural produce
lost 74% of iron ore
lost 26% of railway network

Question 14

when was the treaty of brest litovsk?

Answer 14

3 march 1918

Question 15

how did the introduction of the 1918 constitution help establish the one party control?

Answer 15

supreme power rested with the all-russian congress of Soviets made up of deputies elected from local soviets all around russia

congress elected sovanrkom to administer state affairs - was chosen by bolshevik central committee

political structure became centralised

Question 16

how did the consolidation of the one party state help establish one party control?

Answer 16

red guards demobilised and red army of workers and peasants formed to protect the regime - led by trotsky

russia was declared a secular state with the gov giving no support to the orthodox church

adopted gregorian calendar to bring Russia in line with the rest of Europe and to make a statement against traditional religious practise

abolished private land ownership “socialism of the land” stopped appeal of the SRs

cheka established to spread terror

Question 17

what did Lenin’s decree on peace imply?

Answer 17

calling for a worldwide socialist revolution
“just peace”

Question 18

what was the split within the bolshevik party over in early 1918?

Answer 18

“just peace”
or
“neither war nor peace”

Question 19

what were the consequences of the treaty of brest litovsk for the bolsheviks?

Answer 19

lenin seemed weak
lost support
farmers unhappy
pro-bolshevik nationalists lost as they were cut from Russia
Left SR uprising

Question 20

how did the attacks on opposition help the bolsheviks stay in power pre CW?

Answer 20

anything that could threaten the party was attacked

Question 21

how did the weak opposition help the bolsheviks stay in power pre CW?

Answer 21

Left SRs dissolved
power of Soviet declined but there was no serious contender

Question 22

how did distractions help the bolsheviks stay in power pre CW?

Answer 22

declining living conditions and disillusion about revolution workers and peasants weren’t fussed about central government

Question 23

how did the collapse of the army help the bolsheviks stay in power pre CW?

Answer 23

officers and conservatives couldn’t count on troops to attack Bolsheviks

Question 24

how did class warfare help the bolsheviks stay in power pre CW?

Answer 24

bourgeouis attacked by lower class
deflected antagonism
support from workers

Question 25

how did concessions help the bolsheviks stay in power pre CW?

Answer 25

lenin gave the workers what they wanted 8-hour working days socialism of the land

Question 26

how did political misjudgements help the bolsheviks stay in power pre CW?

Answer 26

mensheviks walked out of soviet assembly thought that the bolsheviks were weaker and believed in the constituent assembly underestimated

Question 27

junker mutiny

Answer 27

oct 1917 right SRs central petrograd siezed telephone exchange and were going to hold Astona hotel until Kerensky arrived

Question 28

moscow uprising

Answer 28

oct 1917 detachment of young junkers supported the PG universoty students built trenches and started shooting inflicted more damage than during WW2 to moscow

Question 29

villagers of novoderiche

Answer 29

spring 1919 against grain requisitions requisition brigade has seized more than required neighbouring villages joined uprising cheka dispatched 13,000 soldiers which were defeated peasants arrested, executed and sent to concentration camps

Question 30

czech and slavic uprising

Answer 30

1917-1918 czechs wanted independence anti bolsheviks joined and Samara was liberated

Question 31

who was part of the red allegience?

Answer 31

communist leaders bolshevik officials moscow workers petrograd workers cheka red army

Question 32

who was part of the white allegience?

Answer 32

tsarist officers - denikin, kolchak former members of constituent assembly allied forced right SRs kulaks

Question 33

who was part of the green allegience?

Answer 33

nationalities

Question 34

how did peasant opposition contribute to causing civil war?

Answer 34

committees of poor peasants pursued resistance serious and violent opposition to grain requisitions use of cheka and red army in food procurement

Question 35

how did the old order contribute to causing civil war?

Answer 35

white armies established to oppose bolsheviks > denekin and kolchak SRs gained support in Volga region and established the Komuch

Question 36

how did foreign intervention contribute to causing civil war?

Answer 36

british and french intervention was greeted with suspicion by the bolsheviks whites saw as increased support to overthrow government international community deeply concerned by 'world revolution'

Question 37

how did the czech legion contribute to causing civil war?

Answer 37

siezed trans-siberian railway initiating a broader call for action

Question 38

how did the working class contribute to causing civil war?

Answer 38

soviet rule and self rule had not been realised. workers resented bolshevik rule self management of factories not achieved food shortages in urban areas forced disolution of local soviets by commission, red guard and cheka resulted in anger as no political voice

Question 39

how did nationalism contribute to causing civil war?

Answer 39

resistance to bolshevik rule among gerogians, ukraines, finns red councils chased out of government in provinces by anti-bolshevik forces due to brest litovsk nationalsist armies emerged

Question 40

how did the october revolution contribute to causing civil war?

Answer 40

argued that the coup was caused by Russian on Russian hostility led to hostility in Ukraine and assaults on cossacks

Question 41

why were the whites anti-bolshevik?

Answer 41

said that the bolsheviks had no legitimacy criticised them for not submitting to democratic elections criticised marginalisation of the local soviets liked monarch

Question 42

why did the bolsheviks kill the romanovs?

Answer 42

if the whites did it it could be used as propaganda coup or to restore the monarchy

Question 43

what was the treaty of riga?

Answer 43

russians accepted that their attempt to control Poland had failed allowed poland to self-rule

Question 44

what happened to kolchak?

Answer 44

after he declared himself supreme ruler of russia the bosheviks killed him

Question 45

what were the five main features of war communism?

Answer 45

grain requisitioning industry nationalized labour discipline private trade banned rationing

Question 46

what were the success of grain requisitioning?

Answer 46

set up to feed cities so industries could produce munitions to supply red army able to continue class warfare by blaming kulaks

Question 47

what were the failures of grain requisitioning?

Answer 47

wealthy peasants seen as class enemies > stores and flocks stolen Black army formed in Ukraine reduced incentive to work leading to famine 33% of agricultural land abadoned caused Tambov revolt 118 uprising in Feb 1921

Question 48

what was the tambov revolt?

Answer 48

1920 70,000 men using guerilla warfare ungovernable until 1922

Question 49

what were the successes of industry being nationalised?

Answer 49

Lenin's decision to nationalise industry please Bosheviks industrial focus remained on heavy industry all industry under state control and single managers had to report to soviets

Question 50

what were the failures of industry being nationalised?

Answer 50

light and consumer goods industry suffered because of limited resources, fuel and manpower 70% of locomotives needed repair coal production decreased from 27.5 million tonnes to 7 million

Question 51

what were the successes of labour discipline?

Answer 51

discipline and fines made incentive to work internal passports introduced to stop people leaving the cities - 58% left in 1914 workbooks needed to obtains rations

Question 52

what were the failures of labour discipline?

Answer 52

strikes forbidden- workers lost freedom working hours extended beyond 8 hours a day - against decree of workers workers opposition group created

Question 53

what were the successes of private trade being banned?

Answer 53

kept money circulating in economy

Question 54

what were the failures of banning private trade?

Answer 54

made state organisation chaotic not able to produce enough value of rouble collapsed bartering is the only way to survive black market developed traders raided trains and markets illegal trade tolerated

Question 55

what were the successes of rationing?

Answer 55

food replaced wages to create more incentive workers and soldiers given priority class warfare

Question 56

what were the failures of rationing?

Answer 56

unequal society class enemies given least priority looks like dictatorial and centralised control rations weren't enough

Question 57

what was Trotskys role in the Civil War?

Answer 57

Lenin let him mould the army into a capable fighting force directed war from his train and convered over 65000km2, visited commanders visits created a morale boost pragmatic and recruited 50,000 former tsarist officers to train new recruits appointed political commissars to army units to shoot deserters or enforce discipline traditional ranks and practices reintroduced alongside conscription used mass terror to recruit bourgeouis

Question 58

how did the bolsheviks use social reform to consolidate their power 1918-1924?

Answer 58

stopped illegal seizure of land - less rebellion - decree on land 1917 reduced likelihood of rebellion which was important as the peasants were 85% of population

Question 59

how did the bolsheviks use economic reform to consolidate their power 1918-1924?

Answer 59

NEP introduced free market ended grain reqs, peasants just gave 10%, which increased harvests by 23% and output by 200%

Question 60

how did the bolsheviks use government to consolidate their power 1918-1924?

Answer 60

divison within constitunent assembly Left SRs liked Bolsheviks and the other SRs wanted to demonstrate against them closure of CA and est Sovnarkom Lenin as chairman

Question 61

how did the bolsheviks use military to consolidate their power 1918-1924?

Answer 61

key to propaganda , peace, land and bread Lenin used CW to force people and opposition to choose whether they wanted old order or communism victory in civil war due to military tacttics prevented white allies from replacing their leadership

Question 62

how did the bolsheviks use repression to consolidate their power 1918-1924?

Answer 62

GPU and cheka used to seize grain dec 1917 Cheka killed tsar in July 1917 to remove focus for opposition banned other parties with Ban on Factions 1921 pravda camps censorship arrested and closed newspapers of other parties Red troops shut down rebellions and cheka hunted rebels who tried to escape meant that any potential oppostion was shut down and anyone who wanted to try and oppose was too scared

Question 63

when was state capitalism used by the USSR?

Answer 63

1917-1918

Question 64

successes of state capitalism

Answer 64

helped with gradual transition to socialism decree on land ensured peasants had incentive to produce grain - land was not fully nationalised decree on workers control acknowledged that many factories had been taken over by workers and did not seek full nationalisation nationalisation of banks and railways allowed for greater state control of key infrastructure GOELRO was first Soviet plan for national economic recovery and to distribute electricity across Russia - successful vesenkha set up in 1917

Question 65

failures of state capitalism

Answer 65

many bolsheviks disagreed with old capitalist system in urban areas workers could not organise factories and output shrank some workers helped themselves to wage increases, stock and equipment to sell on black market

Question 66

what was state capitalism?

Answer 66

halfway between capitalism, based on private wealth and free market and socialism

Question 67

what was war communism?

Answer 67

political and economic system adopted during the CW to keep the towns and Red Army provided with food and weapons

Question 68

successes of war communism

Answer 68

ensured that the Red army were supplied with munition and food treated economy as single enterprise based on survival - making the most of Russia's productivity without worrying about individual concerns some workers welcomed changes brought in by large scale nationalisation as it provided ongoing employment Bolsheviks could centralise economy regime could prioritise victory Bs could fight class enemies terror justified prisoners in camps after red terror allowed forced labour

Question 69

failures of war communism

Answer 69

industrial production fell as workers fighting high inflation peasants with surplus food did not want to sell it in the city many reverted to subsistence farming blockade of trade and loss of ukraine caused bread rationing and black market emphasis on heavy industry meant that other sections of economy were starved for labour and resources grain requisitioned to feed cities minority of peasants complied with co-operative farming cheka would seize more grain than was required and gave vouchers instead of money kulaks had whole stock seized peasants attacked requisitioning squads strikes forbidden and working hours extended internal passports rationing organised on class basis 1921, output fallen to 20% of pre war levels urban depopulation - petrograd decreased by 58% 1921 famine peasant uprisings 155 in feb 1921 alone workers oppositon created

Question 70

when was war communism used in Russia?

Answer 70

1918-1921

Question 71

what was NEP?

Answer 71

relaxation of harsh controls of war communism

Question 72

when was NEP?

Answer 72

1921-1924

Question 73

successes of NEP

Answer 73

ended grain reqs peasants still had to provide a quote for the state but could sell surplus demarcation made between heavy industry owned by state and small enterprise rationing ended private businesses reopened led by NEPMEN who openly flaunted wealth agricultural production recovered quickly 1926 production = 1913 levels "one step backwards, two steps forwards" - Lenin said to justify NEP introduced ban on factions cheka renamed GPU and became more powerful

Question 74

failures of NEP

Answer 74

scissor crisis nepmen hated by bolsheviks nep did not solve underlying problems of economy + backwardness union of militant godless attacked church nomenklatura system established for filling government posts

Question 75

foreign relations post CW

Answer 75

Stalin wanted direct control of all areas conquered by Red Army from Moscow but Lenin wanted federation of republics on equal footing Lenin won

Question 76

foreign intervention in CW

Answer 76

USSR isolated after treaty of Brest Litovsk West wanted to support white armies

Question 77

why was the foreign intervention in the CW limited?

Answer 77

geography, allied troops miles apart British backlash - 'hands off Russia' campaign. government could not afford major conflict so adopted policy of minimal interference confusion - didn't know what was happening on the ground failed peace - USA sent diplomat to discuss peace with Lenin but Britain and France hostile to any agreement red army - Trotsky and Tukachevsky effectivly targeted white troops so put off conflict trade- Britian wanted to resurrect trading relationship with Russia

Question 78

cominterm

Answer 78

founded 1919 zinoviev chairman although lenin had significant influence promoted marxism and permanent revolution internationally

Question 79

outcomes of treaty of riga

Answer 79

long term distrust between russia and poland recongised polish independence

Question 80

what war was the treaty of riga?

Answer 80

russo-polish war

Question 81

pro isolation arguments

Answer 81

russia had been excluded from joining League of nations russia separated from Europe by ideology Lenin accepted that global revolution would be postponed zinoviev letter caused suspicion

Question 82

anti-isolation arguments

Answer 82

both sides recognised that russias isolated would be impractical in the long term trade contacts began in 1920 between Britain, Germany and Russia Chicherin (foriegn affairs) invited to important global economic conference treaty of rapallo = closer integration of germany and USSR