Chapter 3 - Developments between the revolutions of 1917 Flashcards
What were Lenin’s 4 demands?
- All power to the soviets
- Peace
- The war should be brought to an immediate end
- Bread
- Food shortages should end
- Land
- All land should be taken over by the state and allocated to the peasants
How many members did the Bolshevik Party have in Feb/March 1917?
23,000 (relatively small)
How many Bolsheviks were there in the PS in Feb/March 1917?
40
What was the policy of the PS and who agreed?
To give support to the PG while protecting worker’s rights
the Bolsheviks agreed
How did Lenin travel back to Russia?
Travelled from Switzerland to Russia on a sealed train without passport checks, with help from the German government
The German government hoped Lenin and the Bolsheviks could further destabilise Russia, possibly even pulling them out of the war
The train was sealed to prevent him from causing trouble among Germany’s Marxists on his way through the country
Marxist theory and the PS:
“A socialist revolution could only happen after a bourgeois revolution”
What did Lenin belive?
The Russian middle classes were too weak to carry through a revolution; the workers, backed by the peasants, needed to do it
Marxist theory and the PS:
“The Russian proletariat was still developing. There was still a long wait, maybe decades, before a socialist revolution could happen”
What did Lenin belive?
Russia was different: the soviets were a ready-made socialist government, and Russia was primed for a socialist revolution
Marxist theory and the PS:
“There was no quick way to socialism; Marx had identified natural laws that had to be followed”
What did Lenin belive?
The rest of Europe seemed close to socialist revolution; Russia would surely be supported by socialist neighbours
Why did Lenin’s proposals not immediately recieve full support?
Some argued that the Bolsheviks were not yet powerful enough to oppose the PG
Others feared that his radical proposals would do more harm than good
How did Lenin gain support?
- Through a mixture of persuasion, compromise, threats of resignation and appeals to the rank and file
- He abandoned his call for immediate overthrow of the PG, helping him to convince those afraid of a civil war
- He sought out supporters at Party and factory meetings
- He claimed credit for social changes already happening (e.g peasant land seizures), helped him appear in control of events
What was Lenin’s situation at the end of April?
He’d won over most of the Party’s Central Committee but was still struggling to gain wider support
What happened on the 3rd of June?
PS passed a vote of confidence in the PG
What were the July Days?
An armed demonstration organised by the sailors from the Kronstadt naval based that spread to the centre of Petrograd, with workers and soldiers joining them
Rising prices & unemployment contributed to the unrest
Who was blamed when the July Days demonstrations turned violent?
the Bolsheviks
How did the July Days end?
the PG brought in troops to crush the demonstrations
the Mensheviks and SRs of the PS supported the PG
What happened as a result of the July Days?
- Bolshevik newspapers shut down
- Lenin and Stalin fled (Lenin to Finland)
- Other Bolshevik leaders (e.g Trotsky) were arrested and imprisoned
What happened during the summer and autumn of 1917?
The Bolsheviks became more powerful
What was there an increase in in June 1917?
Desertations (following heavy war losses)
When did the Kornilov coup take place?
August 1917
How did the Kornilov coup unfold?
- Kornilov orders troops to march on Petrograd, presumably in an attempt to establish a military dictatorship
- Kerensky panics and allows the Bolsheviks to arm workers
- Kornilov’s march is stopped and coup leaders are arrested
How did landowners and businessmen react to Kornilov’s appointment?
Saw him as saving them from socialism
How did the PS react to Kornilov’s appointment?
PS critcised his army discipline and right-wing views.
Why did Kerensky appoint Kornilov?
To bring back discipline
What was the Bolshevik situation in September?
Had majorities in both the Petrograd and Moscow soviets
Trotsky became Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Petrograd Soviet on 26th Sept
How did membership of the Bolshevik Party change Feb-October?
Feb: 23,000
October: 200,000
Why did Bolshevik Party membership increase?
Their policies appeased the soldiers, the workers and the peasants, something which the PG failed to do
How did the Kornilov coup lead to an increase of support for the Bolsheviks?
- Showed that the revolution was under threat from the Right, just as the Bolsheviks had warned
- able to play on this and led the PS to allow Trotsky to create the MRC to protect Petrograd
- Bolsheviks could portray themselves as the saviours of the revolution
- had an armed wing of 10,000 Red Guards as a result
- Kerensky weakened by coup (had appointed him himself and relied on Bolsheviks to deal with him)
How did land redistribution lead to an increase of support for the Bolsheviks?
- the PG had pushed back land redistribution until a Constituent Assembly could be elected
- Bolsheviks promised land for the peasants
How did WW1 lead to an increase of support for the Bolsheviks?
- the war was still continuing and the June Offensive had failed
- Bolsheviks promised an immediate end to the war
How did food supplies lead to an increase in support for the Bolsheviks?
- the PG failed to improve food supplies to cities and prices far higher than wages
- Bolsheviks promised to end food shortages
What position did Kamenev and Zinoviev hold?
they were leading members of the Bolshevik Central Committee
What did Kamenev and Zinoviev think of Lenin’s demands that the Bolsheviks get ready to seize power?
they disagreed with him
They feared Russia was not economically ready for a revolution and didn’t want to act until after a Constituent Assembly had been called
What did Trotsky think of Lenin’s demands that the Bolsheviks get ready to seize power?
Agreed with Kamenev and Zinoviev
Believed an armed uprising could be avoided if the Bolsheviks became the leading socialist party at the Congress of Soviets which was planned for the 26th of October
Why did Lenin return to Russia?
He was frustrated by the resistance to his plans
When did Lenin return to Russia?
October 1917
What did Lenin do when he returned to Russia?
Eventually convinced the Central Committee that ‘an armed uprising is the order of the day’
How did Kamenev and Zinoviev respond to Lenin’s return?
They still refused to support his plan
Why did Lenin put Trotsky in charge of organising the seizure of power?
His strong organisational skills
How did Trotsky organise the seizure of power?
He gathered the Red Guard militias at Bolshevik headquarters and sent Commissars to get the loyalty of Petrograd’s garrisons
When was the MRC established?
16th October
How many people did the MRC control?
- 200,000 Red Guards
- 60,000 Baltic sailors
- 150,000 soldiers of the remaining Petrograd garrison units
Why was Lenin’s return a turning point for the Party?
His April Theses gave the Party a new focus that made it more popular
How did grain prices in Petrograd change?
Doubled Feb-June
Factories and jobs
Shortages of fuel and raw materials forced the closure of 586 factories and the loss of 100,000 jobs
