Chapter 13-New leaders and ideologies Flashcards
What did Lenin and Trotsky assume would happen after their seizure of power?
They thought that there would be similar revolutions elsewhere in Europe, especially in Germany.
Why was there a split in the Bolsheviks in December 1917?
Trotsky began peace negotiations and the German imperialist government demanded Russian territory. This split the Bolsheviks, with Bukharin leading the ‘revolutionary war group’. Some Bolsheviks wanted to pursue the war to defend socialism but Trotsky’s solution was neither peace nor war. Lenin accepted the German terms and the Treaty of Brest Litovsk was signed.
What happened to Russia in the Treaty of Brest Litovsk?
Most territory on the Russian border became independent and semi-independent governments were set up in Georgia, Belarus and Ukraine. Russia lost a sixth of its population and 2 million square kms of land. 26% of railway lines and 74% of coal were taken.
What were Lenin’s ideas before he came to power?
He used the conventional Marxist view of ‘All power to the soviets’. He also suggested in State and Revolution that people would see a government that ruled in their interest and would support it. He also spoke of an expansion in democracy with the people managing their own affairs.
What happened to the Petrograd Soviet?
Lenin formed the Bolshevik only Sovnarkom and so ignored the Soviet. This showed that he had non intention of sharing power with the other Socialists. The Sovnarkom ruled by decree and met once or twice a day but the Soviet met increasingly less frequently and its power was undermined.
Why did Kamenev and Zinoviev temporarily resign?
There were protests about the purely Bolshevik state but Lenin was very hostile about power sharing and so they resigned as they wanted a broad socialist government.
What happened in January 1918 when civilians demonstrated against Lenin?
He fired on them and killed 12. This seems to go against the principle of ‘power to the people’ but Lenin argued that he needed a strong party and so needed to crush bourgeoisie opposition.
What happened to the coalition with the Social revolutionaries?
The Social revolutionaries walked out of the Sovnarkom in protest at the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and the coalition government broke up. This left the Bolsheviks in charge and in March 1918 they became the Communist Party, from then on governing alone.
How did Lenin control Russia?
He created the Cheka and confirmed that he would repress counter-revolutionary enemies. The Communist state became more associated with terror and repression as the Bolsheviks fought against political enemies.
What affect did the Civil War have on the Communist Party?
The demand for obedience tightened and new controls were bought in to manage the economy and to deal with food shortages. Terror was used to enforce new measures and to get rid of opposition.
What new policies did Lenin introduce which were seen as socialist?
The government introduced state planning, nationalisation of industry and state control. These could be seen as socialist, but they could also be seen as a pragmatic response to crisis. Lenins readiness to reverse the policy after war suggested it was pragmatic as he changed to more Capitalist ideas.
What other ideologies did Lenin change his mind on?
Lenin argued for a ban on factions within the Communist Party in order to unite them under one idea. They also abandoned the earlier support for self-determination of ethnic minorities and all independence movements were branded as counter-revolutionary. Demands for independence for Georgia were crushed by Stalin, who was Georgian.
What were Lenin’s health struggles?
In 1918 he was shot in the neck, leading to him suffering a stroke. The second stroke in December 1922 left him unable to speak and partially paralysed. The third happened in March and left him both mute and bed-ridden. He died in January 1924.
What did Lenin leave when he died?
He left a letter to be read to congress and although he didn’t nominate a new leader, he critiqued other members of the politburo, especially Stalin. However, it was never read in public as intended and so this played into Stalin’s hands.
Who were the leadership candidates?
Trotsky-He organised the 1917 revolution and he was regarded by Lenin as the most capable man in the Committee.
Stalin-He was the General Secretary of the Communist Party from 1922 but was seen as rude by Lenin.
Bukharin-He was described by Lenin as the golden boy and had support in Moscow.
Zinoviev-He was a founder member of the Bolsheviks but he opposed the timing of the revolution along with Kamenev.
Kamenev-He was a close associate of Lenin but opposed the October Revolution timing.
