chapter thirteen

Question 1

mandate

Answer 1

the authority to carry out a policy; this is usually given by the electorate to a party or candidate that wins the election

Question 2

why was ideology not a big priority right at the start of bolshevik rule

Answer 2

due to optimism and instability at the success of the revolution, the bolsheviks were more focussed on pragmatism and stability than sticking to strict marxist ideology

Question 3

armistice

Answer 3

a cease-fire

Question 4

pragmatic

Answer 4

dealing with matters realistically in a way that is based on practicality rather than theoretical considerations

Question 5

what was bolshevik expectations on revolutions in the rest of europe

Answer 5

lenin and trotsky both assumed other european countries would have their own revolutions following russia, especially germany which seemed ripe for revolution

Question 6

why didnt bolsheviks spark revolution in germany

Answer 6

despite having the economic, social, and political criteria perfect for communist revolution according to marx, russia was committed to pursuing peace with the german government, which stunted their ability to rousing german workers into revolution

Question 7

when did trotsky start peace negotiations for world war one

Answer 7

december 1917

Question 8

when was the world war one armistice

Answer 8

november 11 1917

Question 9

what issues did the end of world war one cause within the bolshevik party

Answer 9

caused a split between those who wanted to end the war (represented by lenin) and the revolutionary war group (led by bukharin)

Question 10

who led the revolutionary war group and why

Answer 10

burkharin; argued that ideologically they needed the war to continue to spark the spread of communsim/world revolution

Question 11

why did lenin oppose the revolutionary war group

Answer 11

it went against the promise of ‘peace, land and bread’ and also was not pragmatic, wouldve sparked more revolution in the country against the bolsheviks and was not economically viable

Question 12

what was the treaty of brest-litovsk and when was it signed

Answer 12

3 march 1918

russias official resignation of world war one and russias acceptance of the loss of land in ukraine, finland and polish territories

Question 13

what was the consequence of russias lost land from the brest-litovsk treaty

Answer 13

ukraine was a major grain source, lead to a worsening of the eventual famine
lost control of 62million people
lost the area that produced 1/3 of russias agricultural produce
lost twnety six percent of russias railway lines
lost 74 percent of its iron ore and coal supplies

Question 14

what did russias peace treaty represent about lenins ideology

Answer 14

that he prioritised socialism at home over international revolution

Question 15

when was the land decree

Answer 15

october 1917

Question 16

when was the factory-workers decree

Answer 16

november 1917

Question 17

why does the land and factory workers decrees not actually prove anything about lenins commitment to marxism

Answer 17

peasants were already seizing land and workers had already taken over factories; the decrees could have been done with marxist intent or out of pragmatism to try and gain support from the people

Question 18

what happened to the provisional government under lenin

Answer 18

lenin sidelined it due to it having non-bolshevik socialists

Question 19

what did lenin replace provisional government with

Answer 19

sovnarkom

Question 20

what did sovnarkom show about lenins leadership

Answer 20

that he was unwilling to share power, especially with any non-bolsheviks

Question 21

when did lenin let social revolutionaries into sovnarkom and why

Answer 21

november 1917 due to protests about the establishment of a purely bolshevik state

Question 22

what happened to the constituent assembly after their first meeting and when

Answer 22

they were dissolved january 1918

Question 23

what happened to civilian protests against the dissolvement of the constituent assembly

Answer 23

they were fired at and 12 were killed

Question 24

when did russia become essentially a one party state

Answer 24

around march 1918 after the social revolutionaries allowed into the sovnarkom left in outrage at the peace treaty and for being lowkey ignored for months

Question 25

when was cheka created

Answer 25

december 1917

Question 26

what did the civil war cause the bolsheviks to be associated with

Answer 26

terror and repression (through use of cheka + revolution morality)

Question 27

how did the war affect the developemnt of the party and the state

Answer 27

increased demand for obedience of the state
new central controls to manage economy (war communism)
grain requisition and terror to deal with food shortages

Question 28

how did the bolsheviks justify war communism

Answer 28

it could be argued as attempts at socialist policies, which were being sabotaged by the whites and opposition

Question 29

the whites

Answer 29

anyone that was against the revolution (started as those fighting against it but became more broad)

Question 30

why was the revolt of kronstadt sailors significant

Answer 30

they had previously revolted, which had become one of the first revolts that sparked the 1917 revolution in favour of the bolsheviks; also showed growing discontent from the working class

Question 31

factions

Answer 31

a group within a party with similar ideas (which lenin banned in the resolution on party unity 1921)

Question 32

how did bolshevik views on national minorities change throughout the 1920s

Answer 32

whilst they originally supported national self determination, this was abandoned and all independence movements were labelled as counter revolutionary

Question 33

how many mensheviks were arrested

Answer 33

5000, destroying the groups political force