Changes Under The Bolsheviks, 1918-24 Flashcards
What was the cheka and who was the leader?
In december 1917 lenin used sovnarkom to set up cheka.
The head was felix Dzerzhinsky
What was the role of the cheka
It was used to deal with political oppposition to the bolsheviks and to shoot army deserters. Lenin gave it unlimited powers.
What was the red terror, give some statistics
Following an attempt on taking lenins life at the end of august 1918, dzerzhinsky began what is known as the red terror, in which those suspected of working against the revolution were arrested tortured and executed.
- victims included wokrers, peasants, princes, priests, judges, merchants, traders and children
- in petrograd aon there were 800 executions
- arrests were random, - could be taken or being an aquaintance of a suspect
- imprisoned in concentration camps and labour camps
By end of 1918 there were how many deaths from the cheka?
50,000 people
What were the effects of the cheka?
It increased fear within the peole and the government, so no one would turn against lenin
How may deaths and arrests by the end of the civil war?
200,000 killed 85,000 in prisons
What two moves were taken towards totalitarianism?
Red terror/cheka
Bolshevik centralisation
What is bolshevik centralisation?
Lenin being able to create a dictatorship of the communist party but this was also achieved through political centralisation - through the politburo
What was the role of the politburo?
It was the leading decision makig body of the communist party.
It was set up in 1919 and made all key decisions about control over government
They met on a daily basis and consisted of 5 members chosen by the bolshevik central commitee
All major decisions were increasingly made by the politburo under lenins control
What was lenins role for bolshevik centralisation
Lenin reliased the need for strong gov especially due to all the opposition and the civil war
He was tthe driving force behind early bolshevik decrees and increasing bolshevik centralisation in the desperate struggle for survival
He didnt believ in democracy but in the civil war was desperate need for quick decisions which was taken by politburo and lenin himself
Lenins death timeline
May 1922 - stroke 1 - partially paralysed on left side. Zinoviev, kamanev, aand stalin took control in summer of 22
Decemeber 1922 - stroke 2
9 march 1923 - stroke 3 - almost complete loss of speech and was confined to a wheelchair
Died january 1924
When was war communism intrduced?
1918
What was the purpose of war commmunism?
Controlling the economy in order to make sure every area of economic life was focused on supplying th needs of the red army and winning the civil war
What were the reasons for war communism?
Economic - peasants wanted to kep land given but were unwilling to give ther crops, lenin wanted to control supply of food for towns, prices had risen rapidly due to inflation.
Social - there was severe shortage of food and other basic neccesties
Political - policy folllowed communist idea and central control and direction of the economy
Military - bolsheviks had to guarantee supplies to the huge red army during the civil war against the whites
Features of war communism
Rationing of food
Privat trading banned - peassants could no longer sell food, lenin would sieze food
Factories with more than 10 workes were nationalised - meaning the state owned the factories, under control of versenkha
Rapid inflation led to money becoming valueless, ppl had to exchange goods instead of money.
