Bolshevik Consolidation Of Power 1918-24 Flashcards
What ideology drove Lenin’s justification for strong action against counter-revolutionaries?
Marxist ideology
Lenin argued that revolutionary morality justified strong actions to achieve the goals of socialism.
What did Lenin believe was necessary for the establishment of a dictatorship of the proletariat?
Active repression of counter-revolutionary elements
This was seen as the first step toward achieving true socialism.
How did Lenin view the concept of democracy in relation to Western liberal democracies?
Alien concept
Lenin believed competing for votes and allowing different views belonged to a class-ridden world.
What was the outcome of the November 1917 election for the Constituent Assembly?
Bolsheviks received 10 million votes and 175 seats
The Socialist Revolutionaries received the majority with 21.8 million votes and 410 seats.
What percentage of the vote did the Bolsheviks receive in the election for the Constituent Assembly?
24%
The Bolsheviks’ performance was significantly overshadowed by the Socialist Revolutionaries.
True or False: Lenin initially attacked Kerensky for postponing elections for a Constituent Assembly.
True
Lenin criticized Kerensky for delaying the elections but later allowed them to proceed.
Fill in the blank: Lenin believed that the authority he needed came from acting in the interests of the _______.
working class
He believed his actions were justified as they aligned with the needs of the proletariat.
What was the total number of votes cast in the election for the Constituent Assembly?
Over 41 million votes
The election was conducted in a crisis atmosphere soon after the revolution.
What was one possible reason suggested for Lenin’s decision to dissolve the Constituent Assembly?
Risk of being shackled by arguments in an elected assembly
This decision might have been influenced by the Bolsheviks’ minority status in the assembly.
What was the total number of seats won by the Socialist Revolutionaries in the Constituent Assembly?
410 seats
This included 40 left-wing seats, indicating their dominant position.
What were the total votes received by the Kadets in the election for the Constituent Assembly?
1.4 million votes
The Kadets were one of the minor parties participating in the election.
What was the time period of Bolshevik consolidation?
1918-1924
What did Lenin declare regarding the election figures?
‘we must not be deceived by the election figures’
What happened to the Kadets by January 5, 1918?
They had already been outlawed
Who chaired the meeting of the Constituent Assembly on January 5, 1918?
Viktor Chernov
What was the outcome of the Constituent Assembly meeting?
The Assembly was forcibly closed and never met again
What was the consequence of the demonstration against the closure of the Assembly?
Demonstrators were fired on and 12 were killed
According to Marxist principles, what does the action of closing the Assembly contradict?
Power to the people
What did Lenin write about in ‘State and Revolution’?
The need for a strong party to provide for ‘the dictatorship of the proletariat’
What did Lenin say in 1919 about the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly?
‘The dissolution of the Constituent Assembly means the complete and open repudiation of democracy in favour of dictatorship’
Fill in the blank: The Bolsheviks proposed that the meeting be chaired by _______.
Maria Spiridovna
True or False: The Bolsheviks accepted the results of the Constituent Assembly elections.
False
What did Lenin claim about his government?
It represented the people and a higher form of democracy.
Some Bolsheviks and foreign socialists expressed concern at Lenin’s actions.
How did the Bolsheviks demonstrate their understanding of a government based on the dictatorship of the proletariat?
By showing contempt for other political parties, such as through the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly.
This included making it difficult for groups like the Mensheviks and Social Revolutionaries to exist.
What was the purpose of the decree on the press issued in October 1917?
To curb the ability of Mensheviks and Social Revolutionaries to publish their own newspapers.
This limited their communication and influence.
Who lost their right to vote in the new Soviet government structure in July 1918?
The ‘bourgeoisie’, which included employers, priests, and anyone regarded as ‘middle class’.
In practice, this included anyone the Bolsheviks deemed untrustworthy.
What significant political action took place in 1921 regarding other political parties?
All other political parties were banned.
This marked a consolidation of Bolshevik power.
Fill in the blank: The contempt shown for other political parties was exemplified by the dissolution of the __________.
Constituent Assembly.
True or False: The Bolsheviks allowed the Mensheviks to freely publish their newspapers after the October 1917 decree.
False.
The decree limited their ability to publish.
What was a key characteristic of the Bolsheviks’ government actions post-revolution?
Increasingly difficult for opposition groups to exist.
This included both legal and extralegal measures.
List three groups that were affected by the Bolshevik policies.
- Mensheviks
- Social Revolutionaries
- Bourgeoisie
