Chapter 14 Flashcards
The Communist dictatorship
How did the Bolsheviks survive their first few months in power?
They overcame the strikes and protests from the working classes and prevented other political groups from having influence (such as dissolving the Constituent Assembly)
What legislation took place in January 1918?
The workers’ control of railways was introduced, the Red Army was created and the Church and State was separated
What legislation took place in February 1918?
There was nationalisation of industry and socialisation of land
What did the 1918 Constitution claim?
Supreme power rested with the All-Russian Congress of Soviets; the central executive committee was the ‘supreme organ of power’; congress was also responsible for electing the Sovnarkom
What were some of the limitations of the 1918 Constitution?
The vote was reserved for the ‘toiling masses’ and was restricted for the former ‘exploiting classes’ and the workers’ vote was weighted five-to-one to the peasants
How did the 1918 Constitution reassert the Party’s power?
The Sovnarkom was in reality appointed by the Bolshevik Central Committee and the congress only met at internals - structure was centralised around the Party
What was the catalyst for opposition and the Russian Civil War?
Anger at the concessions of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk merged with existing party opposition
Why did Russia’s wartime allies (Britain, France, and the USA) support the Whites?
They opposed the doctrine of capitalism, they wanted to force Russia back into war with Germany and they wanted to defend their own interests in Russia
When did Bolsheviks believe that the conflict would begin and when did it actually?
They believed it would start with the creation of the anti-Bolshevik Volunteer Army but instead began with the Czech Legion
How many Czech Nationalists formed the Czech legion?
45,000
Why did the Bolsheviks prevail over the Whites?
The Reds controlled the hubs of communication, they had a unified structure, they had a strong leader under Trotsky, Red land policies influenced support, strong propaganda
In what way did the Russian Civil War turn into a nationalist struggle?
The Poles tried to invade Western Ukraine, but was deterred by counter-offensive under Tukhachevsky
What was the impact of the Treaty of Riga 1921?
It granted Poland self-rule along with some of Belorussia. It also confirmed the independence of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
Why did the Sovnarkam meet less frequently from the 1920s?
The Politburo consisted on key government officials (such as Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin) from 1919 so became a centre for party policy
In what way was Stalin’s position unique in 1922?
He was acting General Secretary, a member of the Secretariat and was a member of both the Politburo and the Orgburo
What was the nomenklatura?
It was a category of people (introduced from 1923) who hold key administrative positions in areas such government, industry, agriculture and education
How did the government try to reassert its nationalist identity after the Civil War?
They abandoned their earlier support for national self-determination and denounced independent movements as ‘counter-revolutionary’
When was the USSR formally established?
December 1922
How did Stalin maintain Lenin’s domination of state structures?
Control was ensured through the use of parallel structures and dual membership was held by trusted members of the nomenklatura
What was the apparat?
The Party ‘apparatus’ or administrative system
What was the ‘Lenin enrollment’?
A membership drive that took place in 1924-25 in commemoration of Lenin’s death which doubled membership to one million
How effective were subsequent membership drives by 1930 and 1933?
There were 1.6 million members by 1930 and 3.5 million members by 1933
Why were new members drawn to the Party more so than any other group?
They were less interested in ideological debate and more concerned with their own careers and were attracted to Stalin’s ‘nationalist’, brutal policies
What did Stalin claim the 1936 Constitution to be?
‘The most democratic in the world’
What was the All-Russian Congress of Soviets replaced by?
A new ‘Supreme Soviet’ made up of the Soviet of the Union and the Soviet of Nationalities
What did the 1936 Constitution promise?
Local autonomy to ethnic groups and support for national cultures, four-yearly elections with the right to vote for all over eighteen (even those who had been previously deprived of voting rights)
How was the 1936 largely ineffective?
The promised rights were largely ignored, central control was exercised and elections were not contested
How did Stalin present himself as a successor to Lenin?
He was portrayed as Lenin’s true disciple with slogans such as ‘Stalin is the Lenin of today’ and portraits with Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin
What textbook was used as the main historical textbook for all educational institutions from 1938?
The History of the All-Union Communist Party (The Short Course)
What key example shows that Stalin was not an invincible figure?
Stalin was outvoted in replacing Nikolay Yezhov with Georgii Malenkov as head of the NKVD in 1937
