Chapter 14- The Communist Dictatorship Flashcards
What decrees were made in October 1917
Maximum eight hour days for workers
Social insurance for old age health and unemployment benefits
Ban on opposition press
Decree on peace
Decree on land
What did the decree on land do
Peasants seized the land of the nobility and churchmen
What decrees were issued in November 1917
Rights of the people of Russia decree
Abolition of title and class ranks
Abolition of old legal system
Women given equality with men and right to own property
What did the Rights of the people of Russia decree do
Gave self determination to minorities within the empire
What decrees were passed in December 1917
Cheka established
Banks nationalised
Army placed under control of army Soviet and soldiers committed
Ranks abolished in the army
Marriage and divorce taken out hands off the church
What decrees were passed in January 1918
Workers control of railways
Red army formed
Church and state separated
What decrees were passed in February 1918
Industry nationalised
What did the 1918 constitution involve
Power rested with the All-Russian Congress of Soviets
Vote was reserved for the ‘toiling masses’
In elections for the ARCS proletariat votes were worth 5 times more than that of the peasants
Sovnarkom appointed in practice by Bolshevik party central committee
Executed authority remained in the hands of the Sovnarkom
Real focus of power was the party
Who formed the ‘Whites’ in the civil war
Previous political opposition and people who disagreed with Brest-Litovsk treaty
When was the Russian civil war
1918-1920
Why did Britain, France and the USA support the whites
Against communism
Force Russia back into fighting Germany
Bolsheviks refused to pay back money they borrowed in tsarist times
What was formed in May 1918
Anti-Bolshevik volunteer army
What proved the Bolsheviks felt they were under threat
Moved HQ from Petrograd to Moscow
What mainly caused the civil war
Outburst by Czech legion in west Siberia in May
What did the poles defeating the red army lead to in March 1921
The treaty of Riga
What did the treaty of Riga do
Granted Poland, Galicia and Belorussia self rule
What other countries gained independence in 1921
Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania
What was the main impact of the civil war on the government
Greater centralisation and party control
What was formed in 1919 as a result of the civil war
Politburo
What did the Politburo do
Became the real centre for party policy
What was involved in the 1922 constitution
USSR formally established
Federation republics formed
Republics each given sovnarkom to oversee them
What changed about party Congress under Stalin
Met much less frequency
Between what years did the party congress not meet at all
1939-1952
What did stalin prefer over the politburo
Working with personally selected committees
What was the ’Lenin enrolment’
And attempt by Stalin to increase party membership using the death of Lenin as propaganda
What were the effects of the Lenin enrolment
Party membership doubled to nearly a million
How did party membership change during the 30’s
1.7 million by 1930
3.6 million by 1933
3.4 million by 1940 (purges)
What did Stalin say about the 1936 constitution
It was ‘the most democratic in the world’
What changes did the 1936 constitution make
USSR split into 11 soviet states not 7
All-Russian Congress of Soviets replaced by ‘Supreme Soviet’ which each state had
Promised local autonomy to ethnic groups
Promised 4 yearly elections that anyone over 18 could vote in
Freedom from arbitrary arrest and freedom of speech
What were the problems with the 1936 constitution
Ignored many of the democratic policies jt promised
What is an example of the policies in the 1936 constitution not being followed
Georgian party leaders purged in 1951 after allegedly planning a secession
Elections were not contested
Supreme soviet only met for a few days twice a year
What names were given to Stalin that show his popularity after the establishment of his cult
‘Stalin in the Lenin of today’
‘Mighty leader’
‘Father of the nation’
‘Universal genius’
‘Shining sun of humanity’
When did Stalin establish his cult
After his 50th birthday in December 1929
What was used as a result of Stalins cult as a historical textbook in schools
The history of the all union communist party
What did the history of the all union of the communist party teach
Stalin played a major part in the October revolution
Trotsky and others seen as ‘enemies of the people’
How many copies did the history of the all union communist party sell by 1948
34 million
