Chapter five - The Consolidation of the Communist Dictatorship Flashcards
What was the election at the Constituent assembly?
November 1917 - 41 million votes
SRs received 53% of the vote
Bolsheviks received 24% of the vote
What happened to the Constituent Assembly?
Assembly met 5 January 1918 when the Kadets had already been outlawed. The right wing SR majority chose Victor Chernov to chair the meeting.
Constituent assembly was forcibly closed and never met again
What was the public reaction to the closing of the Constituent Assembly?
Civilians demonstrated against this action. They were fired upon and twelve were killed.
How were the bourgeoisie treated?
This included employers, priests, anyone they regarded as middle class and anyone who was untrustworthy. They lost their right to vote in July 1918.
How was life made more difficult for the Mensheviks and SRs?
Decree on press in October 1917 curbed their ability to publish their own newspapers.
When were all political parties banned?
1921
What was the difference in opinion between Lenin and Trotsky about Germany?
Bolsheviks promised peace, but Germany was demanding major concessions as the price of the ceasefire. Trotsky baulked at the idea of a peace with harsh terms for Russia but Lenin was less concerned.
Why was Lenin less concerned about a harsh peace for Germany?
Lenin was convinced that the revolution would soon engulf Germany, so a peace agreement would only be temporary.
Lenin knew that the Russian army could not stop the Germans, so a compromise with the enemy was a price worth paying
Why were the peace talks with Germany so long?
An armistice with the Germans was negotiated in December 1917. Bukharin believed that Russia should fight on, but this was seen as a betrayal of the promises of the Bolsheviks.
Trotsky dragged proceedings out, calling his approach neither peace nor war. This angered the German negotiators since the Bolsheviks were using propaganda to stir up a mutiny in the German army.
When was the treaty with Germany?
Treaty of Brest Litovsk was signed on 3 March 1918
What were the terms of the treaty with Germany?
Russia lost Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Bessarabia, Georgia, Belarus and Ukraine
They lost a sixth of Russia’s population (62 million people) and 2 million square kilometres of land
Lost 26% of railway lines, 74% of its iron ore and coal supplies
Had to pay 3 million roubles in war reparations to Germany
What was the reaction to the treaty with Germany?
Lenin agreed that it was a robber peace, but he only got his way after he threatened to resign.
The left wing SRs walked out the Sovnarkom in protest of the treaty. The Bolsheviks adopt the title of the Communist party and governed alone
What happened to the red guards and red army?
Red guards were were demobilised and a new Red Army of workers and peasants were formed to protect the regime. Trotsky was placed as head of this army in March 1918.
What happened with religion?
Church and State were separated and the government no longer supported the Orthodox church. Separation decree removed the church’s judicial powers and its right to own property, and many of its assets were seized. Religious printing presses were closed down.
What was the 1918 Constitution?
July 1918. This stated that supreme power rested with the All-Russian Congress of Soviets. This was also made responsible for electing the Sovnarkom.
