Bolshevik seizure of power + Lenin in charge 1917-28 Flashcards
Who officially ran Russia after the fall of the Tsar?
Provisional Government
What comprised the Provisional Government?
Leading liberals and zemstva members - Kadets strongest group
As well as the Provisional Government, what other organisation ran things in Russia after the Tsar’s fall?
Petrograd Soviet, made up of workers and socialists (mainly Menshevik) - soon had over 3,000 members
What were the key conditions of the Soviet Order No1?
Provisional Government couldn’t act without agreement of Soviet, soldiers committees had control of all weapons
What was ‘dual power’?
Provisional Government was the popularly accepted leadership however the Soviet had the real power, controlling Petrograd soldiers, factories, railways, power supplies and telegraph network
Why did the leaders of the Soviet allow the Provisional Government to run?
Had little idea how to actually run a government, Soviet leaders were Menshevik so believed a bourgeois revolution had to happen first in line with Marxist Stage Theory
What were the Provisional Government’s first measures?
Tsarist ministers/officials arrested and imprisoned, secret police disbanded, universal suffrage, secret ballots, freedom of speech+press, religious prisoners freed, death penalty abolished
What reform did the Provisional Government enact for workers?
8-hour working day, right to form trade unions and strike
What was the situation in Russia by the summer of 1917?
Most radical liberal democracy in Europe - Lenin remarked it was “the freest country in the world”
What was Trotsky’s quote regarding the lack of support for the revival of the monarchy?
“The country had so radically vomited up the monarchy that it could never crawl down the people’s throat again”
What was Alexander Kerensky’s role in dual power?
Simultaneously vice-president of Petrograd Soviet and Minister of Justice in Provisional Government - communication link between the two
What impact did the February revolution have on the peasants?
Set up committees to voice opinions and demands
What was the Provisional Government’s approach to the war?
Many such as the Kadets and moderate socialists wanted to continue the war as long as it was only to defend Russian territory
Why was the war deeply unpopular in society by April/May 1917?
Huge strain on economy, prevented the Provisional Government from tackling domestic issues
Why was the Provisional Government divided over land distribution?
Land redistribution was demanded however many liberals came from propertied classes and didn’t want to lose land/wanted landowner compensation
What was the peasant response to Provisional Government unwillingness to redistribute land?
Seized land without government sanction - 237 cases of this reported in July
Why was the Provisional Government divided over national minority policy?
National minorities demanded concessions (or in Finland/Poland’s case independence) - Kadets were determined to maintain integrity of empire while socialists believed minorities should have more self-government
What are some examples of extreme inflation between August 1914 and August 1917?
500% increase in cost for bread, 770% pork, 471% milk, 1100% firewood, 1500% gasoline, 1800% soap
What did shortage in fuel and raw materials in 1917 lead to?
568 factories in Petrograd closed with 100,000 jobs subsequently lost
Why were there grain shortages in the summer of 1917 and what did this lead to?
Peasants were reluctant to bring grain to cities, grain prices doubled between Feb-June 1917
What did Lenin call for in his April Theses?
Worldwide socialist revolution, immediate end to war, end to Soviet co-operation with Provisional Government, Soviet taking control, land to be given to peasants
What were the Bolsheviks key slogans in 1917?
“Bread, Peace and Land!” and “All Power to the Soviets!”
What were the July Days?
Failed summer offensive in war, costing lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, led to several days of uncontrolled rioting
Why did the July 1917 uprising fail?
Lack of clear leadership or purpose
What was the Kornilov Affair?
General Kornilov, appointed by Kerensky, attempted to establish military control in Petrograd - Kerensky turned to Bolsheviks to defend the city
What were the consequences of the Kornilov Affair?
Kerensky’s reputation irreparably damaged, Bolsheviks seen as saviours of city and defenders of revolution, Mensheviks/SRs discredited through association with Kerensky, soldiers killed hundreds of army officers
How much did Bolshevik party membership increase between February and October 1917?
From 10,000 to 250,000
What issues politicised workers by October 1917?
Food shortages, wages couldn’t keep pace with inflation, unemployment rising, strikes frequent and militant
How much did Bolshevik vote share increase in Moscow between July and October 1917?
From 11% to 51%
How much did bread rations decrease between March and October 1917?
From 675g for manual workers and 450g for everyone else to 110g for everyone
Why did Lenin decide October 1917 was a good time for the Bolsheviks to seize power?
Had control of Petrograd and Moscow soviets, popularity at all-time high, Provisional Government and liberals unpopular and discredited
When and how did the Bolsheviks finally seize power?
The Winter Palace was stormed on 25-26 October by Bolshevik soldiers who arrested the remainder of the Provisional Government
What was the Sovnarkom?
Council of the People’s Commissars - top Bolshevik governing body set up after power seizure
What happened to the Soviets after the Bolsheviks took power?
Became increasingly irrelevant as Lenin had no desire to consult other socialists
What were some key roles in the Sovnarkom?
Lenin - chairman, Trotsky first Foreign Affairs then War Commissar, Stalin Commissar for nationalities
Why was the Bolshevik government initially very weak?
Civil servants protested, State Bank refused to hand over money, opposition to one-party rule, control in countryside was nonexistent
What were the Bolsheviks’ first decrees?
Decree on peace - immediate end to war, decree on land - gave peasants right to land and took it into public ownership, decree on workers control - factory committees could control production/finance and ‘supervise’ management, decree on the rights of the people of Russia - gave national minorities self-determination
How did the Bolsheviks initially deal with threats and opposition?
Closed down opposition press, denounced opposing political parties, set up Cheka (Bolshevik secret police), civil service purged
How did the Bolsheviks use class warfare upon coming to power?
Licensed the people to loot anyone they considered bourgeois (could mean employers, officers, landowners, priests, Jews or anyone seen as well-off)
How did the Bolsheviks fare in the free elections held in November 1917?
Won only 175 seats (24% vote share) compared to the SRs who won 410 seats (53% vote share)
How was the treaty of Brest-Litovsk received in Russia?
‘Shameful peace’ - no other party agreed with the terms and no leading Bolshevik wanted to be associated with it
What were the non-territorial consequences of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?
Loss of 62 million people, 27% of farmland (including the best areas), 26% of railway lines and 74% of iron ore/coal reserves
What were the territorial consequences of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?
Full loss of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland while semi-independent governments were set up in Belarus, Georgia and Ukraine
What was Comintern?
Body set up by Bolsheviks to guide, co-ordinate and promote worldwide Communist parties
What was Lenin’s quote regarding a civil war?
“The world history of all revolutions leads not accidentally but inevitably into civil war”
Who were the Reds in the Civil War?
The Bolsheviks
Who were the Whites in the Civil War?
Collection of divided anti-Bolshevik groups - included senior Tsarists, liberals, SRs and other moderate socialists
Who were the Greens in the Civil War?
Peasant armies concerned with protecting their own land - no particular political affiliation
Why were the Whites weak in the Civil War?
Deeply divided and had no ideology/specific purpose, weak individual leaders, sought to largely return to Tsarist status quo, scattered around Russia
Why were the Reds strong in the Civil War?
Held central areas including Petrograd/Moscow, outnumbered Whites, effective propaganda, had peasant support, unified command structure
What were the main elements of War Communism?
Grain requisitioning (forcibly done from peasants), labour discipline (fines for lateness/absenteeism, internal passports), nationalisation of industry, class-based rationing (Red army and labour force prioritised while bourgeois starved), banning of private trade
How large was the Cheka by 1921?
30,000 ‘frontline agents’ and 150,000 employees
What proportion of their total income did an average urban worker spend on food?
3/4
What was the economic situation in Russia by May 1918?
In economic collapse - raw material shortage meant industrial output shrank, extreme inflation + rouble value collapsed, peasants wouldn’t supply food to cities as there was nothing to exchange it for, food shortages worsened meaning workers fled cities in search of food
What sparked the Red Terror?
Assassination attempt on Lenin in August 1918
What did the Red Terror consist of?
500,000 deaths at hands of Cheka, Tsar and his family killed, SRs arrested
How many uprisings were there in February 1921 alone?
118
What were the urban workers main concerns in 1921?
Food shortages, state controlled unions, cruelty in factories where you could be imprisoned or shot if targets not met
How were the factories described in 1921?
‘Worse than a tsarist prison camp’
What did the Kronstadt sailors demand in their mutiny in March 1921?
End to terror, dictatorship, one party rule and grain requisitioning
What was the significance of the Kronstadt sailors mutiny?
They were the ones who fought for the revolution in 1917 - previously described by Trotsky as “the pride and glory of the Russian revolution”
What sparked the abandonment of War Communism and the implementation of the NEP?
Lenin believed that the regime couldn’t survive without concessions to peasants and some degree of economic liberalisation
What were the key elements of the NEP?
Grain requisitioning abolished and peasants could sell surplus on open market, small businesses reopened, ban on private trade removed, state retained control of heavy industry like coal, steel and oil
When was the NEP introduced?
March 1921
What was Bukharin’s quote regarding the introduction of the NEP?
“We are making economic concessions to avoid political concessions”
What was the ‘ban on factions’?
Meant that once party policy had been agreed by the Central Committee, everyone had to accept it and not lobby against it
How many members of the Communist Party were kicked out in 1921?
220,000
What was the Politburo?
Inner ruling group of 5-7 people at the top of the Communist Party - where the true concentration of power was held
How would Lenin’s leadership of the USSR be described?
Lenin’s authoritarian and centralised regime
Was Lenin seen as a ruthless dictator?
Nowhere near to the degree as Stalin, however he actively encouraged terror and class warfare
How much did cereal production increase between 1920-23?
23%
Did the NEP recover the economy by 1922?
Better results than expected - food and trade were revived
What was the difference between Tsarist grain exportation levels and NEP grain exportation levels?
In 1913 Russia exported 12 million tons of grain, while NEP Russia never exceeded 3 million tons
Why was grain exportation during the NEP so low?
Agriculture processes still very backwards, peasant landholdings were smaller than pre-1917, grain prices were low whilst manufactured goods prices were high, govt-peasant relationship deteriorated by late 1920s
What was the ‘Scissors Crisis’?
So much food flooded the market that food prices dropped significantly, while industrial production was low which meant that industrial goods prices remained high
What effects did the NEP have on urban workers?
Unemployment rose steeply (over 14% which was higher than pre-war), real wages didn’t surpass pre-war levels until 1928, most still lived in overcrowded and poor quality housing
What did Stalin do in attempt to solve the grain crisis in 1927-28?
Personally visited the Urals and Western Siberia on a requisitioning campaign - got more grain but peasant-govt relationship deteriorated further
What were the main reasons that Stalin won the power struggle to succeed Lenin?
Stalin seemed competent/safe, believed in War Communist ideology, had significant power base and control of party apparatus, was underestimated by rivals, was excellent strategically
What were the key stages and alliances made in the power struggle to replace Lenin?
First Stalin, Zinoviev and Kamenev allied to denounce Trotsky. Then Stalin allied with Bukharin, Rykov and Tomsky against Zinoviev and Kamenev. After this Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev formed the ‘United Opposition’ and were expelled from the Politburo in 1926 and finally Stalin denounced Bukharin, Rykov and Tomsky as the ‘right opposition’
How did women’s lives change during Lenin’s time in power?
Soviet Russia had highest divorce rate in Europe (25x higher than Britain’s), women forced from skilled to unskilled work through NEP, women had 8 hour working days combined with 5 hours of domestic chores, 9 million orphans in the 1920s mostly under the age of 13
What laws did the Communists pass to do with women?
Laws immediately passed to make divorce easier and allow abortion on demand
What was Soviet impact on education?
Indoctrination, poor teaching standard as they were poorly paid, schools didn’t have proper resources
How did the number of pupils change due to the NEP?
Total students halved between 1921-23
What was the Komsomol?
Organisation for 15-20 year olds to indoctrinate them and set them up to become future Communist Party members
What impact did the Bolsheviks have on religion?
Bolsheviks were atheist and issued decrees declaring Church couldn’t own property, in 1922 began fierce attack where churches were stripped of precious assets and in clashes related to this over 8000 were killed
How did the Bolsheviks use the arts?
Artists and film makers persuaded to make Bolshevik propaganda
What was the Urals-Siberian method?
Grain requisitioning backed up by ‘emergency methods’ which meant peasants could be arrested or have property confiscated if they were suspected of withholding grain
