C - Nature of Government (new)

Question 1

What are the main themes in a NOG question?

Answer 1

Ideology, Local government, Central government, Role of leader

Question 2

Alexander II - Ideology

Answer 2

• pillars of tsarism: Orthodoxy, Autocracy, Nationality - tsars as the representation of God on Earth
  -> similar to other tsarist rulers, as well as Stalin’s cult of personality
• Fundamental Laws of 1832 - “autocrat and unlimited monarch”
  -> similar to other tsarist rulers, different to Democratic Centralism

Question 3

Alexander II - Central gov

Answer 3

• Committee of Ministers (1861), but only administrative powers
  -> different to Duma

Question 4

Alexander II - Local gov

Answer 4

• Zemtsvo act (1864), elected local government, 40% peasantry
  -> compared with the 1890 Zemtsva act which reduced peasant representation
  -> similar to Congress of Soviets 1917-1936, elected the members of the Sovnarkom. an organ for the dictatorship of the proletariat

Question 5

Alexander II - Role of leader

Answer 5

• Fundamental Laws of 1832 - “autocrat and unlimited monarch”: legitimation of authority
  -> overall desire to maintain autocracy through any means, similar to all other tsars
  -> different to the Dual Power of 1917 as the Prov. Gov had a dependance on the Soviet but similar to Stalin’s cult of personality and emphasis on him as a “god-like figure”

Question 6

Alexander III - Ideology

Answer 6

• pillars of tsarism: Orthodoxy, Autocracy, Nationality - tsars as the representation of God on Earth
  -> similar to other tsarist rulers, as well as Stalin’s cult of personality
• Fundamental Laws of 1832 - “autocrat and unlimited monarch”
  -> similar to other tsarist rulers, different to Democratic Centralism

Question 7

Alexander III - Central gov

Answer 7

• Statue of State security 1881: granted the gov repressive ‘emergency powers’ rigid system of oppression for a centralised government
  -> different to October Manifesto + creation of Duma which was elected and legislative
  but similar to Stalin’s highly centralised power over party and government

Question 8

Alexander III - Local gov

Answer 8

• Land captains: enforced local laws, power away from local gov
• As well as 1890 Zemtsva act which reduced peasant representation
  -> Compared to Alexander II’s Zemtsva, and later governments focusing on peasants

Question 9

Alexander III - Role of the leader

Answer 9

• 1881 defeat of proposals for constitutional reform = preservation of autocracy
  -> compared to all tsars
• Fundamental Laws of 1832 - “autocrat and unlimited monarch”: legitimation of authority
  -> overall desire to maintain autocracy through any means, similar to all other tsars
  -> different to the Dual Power of 1917 as the Prov. Gov had a dependance on the Soviet but similar to Stalin’s cult of personality and emphasis on him as a “god-like figure”

Question 10

Nicholas II - Ideology

Answer 10

• pillars of tsarism: Orthodoxy, Autocracy, Nationality - tsars as the representation of God on Earth
  -> similar to other tsarist rulers, as well as Stalin’s cult of personality
• Fundamental Laws of 1832 - “autocrat and unlimited monarch”
  -> similar to other tsarist rulers, different to Democratic Centralism

Question 11

Nicholas II - Central gov

Answer 11

• Creation of the Duma - a federal legislative and elected system as a result of the October Manifesto (but after 1907 electoral law it was more restricted)
  -> in the short term it was very different from previous tsarist systems
  it was similar to Democratic Centralism

Question 12

Nicholas II - Local gov

Answer 12

Duma passed an act to change Land Captains back to Justices of Peace
-> Directly different to Alexander’s Land Captains

Question 13

Nicholas II - Role of the Leader

Answer 13

• Fundamental Laws of 1832 - “autocrat and unlimited monarch”: legitimation of authority
  -> overall desire to maintain autocracy through any means, similar to all other tsars
  -> different to the Dual Power of 1917 as the Prov. Gov had a dependance on the Soviet but similar to Stalin’s cult of personality and emphasis on him as a “god-like figure”
  -> but different to other tsars due to his lessening control over the people of Russia as a result of social tensions
• Fundamental Laws 1906: legitimation of autocracy on the basis of divine right to rule, reiteration of autocracy and unlimited nature of tsars powers
  -> significantly reduced the power of the Duma, along with 1907 electoral law

Question 14

Provisional government - Ideology

Answer 14

• built on the eight principles including free speech
• first step towards Western Liberalist structure
  -> Both contrast with pillars of tsarism and Communist ideologies as its a mid-point between the two

Question 15

Provisional government - Central gov

Answer 15

• Dual power: a partnership between the Soviet and the gov, had to coexist
  -> was more legitimal than both tsarist and communist governments, mirrors early Leninist government of the Sovnarkom in the sense of a group-based government

Question 16

Provisional government - Local gov

Answer 16

• lack of control outside of capital
  -> similar to tsarist powers, due to the growing unrest

Question 17

Provisional government - Role of Leader

Answer 17

• Dual power: a partnership between the Soviet and the gov, had to coexist, legitimised government and also de-centralised its power
  -> different to the consolidated and centralised power of Stalin, Lenin and tsars

Question 18

Lenin - Ideology

Answer 18

• dictatorship of the Proletariat
  -> in theory different to tsars’ autocracy, but in practice it’s really similar, especially given the degree of power and influence

Question 19

Lenin - Central gov

Answer 19

• All Russian Congress of Soviets + Sovnarkom - democratic centralism
  -> larger n of people in power, so very different structure to tsars
  -> similar to Stalin as the groups still had power, but a difference is that Stalin had a personal dictatorship
• Sovnarkom => Politburo: Sovnarkom lost precedence in decision making, increasing Bolshevik controls over soviets and soviet elections
  Sovnarkom as an unelected cabinet of communists and Politburo as increased centralisation and increased oversight by the state
• the Civil War meant that the gov became increasingly centralised, reliance of the Politburo (smaller and more loyal), this is similar to Nicholas II who didn’t incorporate Duma into government during WW1

Question 20

Lenin - Local gov

Answer 20

• Party congress
  ->

Question 21

Lenin - Role of Leader

Answer 21

• ‘Ban on fanctions’ - due to opposition to his policies
  -> reflects the tsarist ban of other political parties, differences in opinion weren’t allowed, as well as 1907 electoral law
• Constituent Assembly -> July 1918 constitution, Supreme power resided in the Congress of Soviets - ‘elected’ in theory but in reality chosen by Bolsheviks
  -> different to Khrushchev’s anti-bureaucracy campaign and Dual Power of Prov. Gov, similar to tsars

Question 22

Stalin - Ideology

Answer 22

• ideological orthodoxy, socialism in one country -> legitimisation of CPSU dictatorship on the basis of the need to establish socialism
  -> similar to tsarist ideas of the Fundamental Laws

Question 23

Stalin - Central gov

Answer 23

• Stalin as the head of the Sovnarkom, GKO, Politburo, total power
  -> similar to tsarist structures of power, where the tsar had the most power
• Got rid of opponents
  -> similar to 1907 electoral laws and Lenin’s ban on factions
• 1936 Constitution: introduced Supreme Soviet as the key legislative and representative institution - in control of all decision making. But also increased rights and re-designed the government (also the merge of bodies above was due to this)
  -> similar to tsars, completely different to Khrushchev and de-Stalinisation

Question 24

Stalin - Local gov

Answer 24

• highly centralised control fromMoscow over the party and government
  -> also similar to tsarist rulers due to centralised control, different to provisional government tho as they worked with a collection of the local Soviets

Question 25

Stalin - Role of Leader

Answer 25

• cult of personality
  -> similar to the Three Pillars - Orthodoxy
  but different to Khrushchev’s de-stalinisation, as he rejected the cult of personality

Question 26

Khrushchev - Ideology

Answer 26

• belief in communism as an ideology -> the Secret Speech (critiqued Stalin’s dictatorship)
  -> very different to both tsarist and Russian leaders, elements of Leninism through his return to it
• key role as a mechanism of ‘socialist transformation’
  -> similar to both Lenin and Stalin

Question 27

Khrushchev - Central gov

Answer 27

• anti-bureaucracy campaign, devolving of power and thus reducing it from the central state - Politburo and Central Committee have regular meetings
  -> different to previous communists and tsars, but similar to Duma before 1907
• de-Stalinisation, back to Leninism: Legitimisation of CSPU dictatorship on the basis of building socialism: de-centralisation of power from the ministries to the republics

Question 28

Khrushchev - Local gov

Answer 28

• Central committee revived and members came from local organisations and non-Russian republics
  -> similar to the creation/existence of local Soviets

Question 29

Khrushchev - Role of Leader

Answer 29

• de-Stalinisation and thus rejection of the cult of personality
  -> different to Stalin’s cult of personality, and the Orthodoxy pillar of tsarist
• authority shifted back to the party