communist government in the USSR Flashcards
what were Lenin’s aims of socialism/communism
the government would represent the workers and improve the living and working conditions of the people
what was Lenin’s view of how a communist state would be established?
a party would seize power from the Bourgeoisie. the party would act as a dictatorship to establish communism, and eventually would whither away in favour of communism.
how did Lenin adapt Marxist ideology?
Marx believed that history progressed in a series of stafes what would inevitbly lead to communism. Lenin believed that where possible the change should be accerlerated
When was the provisional government set up and what did it aim to do?
The provisional government was set up following the February Revolution to replace the Tsar. The Provisional Government promoted liberal ideologies such as freedom of speech and religion and democratic elections.
Why was the Provisional Government a failure?
It continued to fight in WW1, causing economic problems in Russia to grow.
What problems were prevalent when the Tsar still had power?
the majority of the people were impoverished and had no political rights. The economy was also weak and there was very little modern industry. By 1913 only 2.4 million Russians worked in large factories. Economic chaos, military defeat, and political mismanagement lead to the February Revolution.
What was the October Revolution?
an uprising which resulted in the Bolsheviks gaining power. Propaganda was used to present this as a heroic storming of the Winter Palace with mass support, when in reality the gates were opened for them and the Bolsheviks were still a small party.
Why did the Bolsheviks face difficulties in securing their power?
They were a relatively small group and did not have enough support to lead a proper revolution. they had also seized power by force. Russia is a very large country.
Which groups opposed the Bolsheviks?
other left wing groups such as the Socialist Revolutionaries (SRs) and the Mensheviks.
Groups on the right and liberal groups who represented the middle class.
national groups within the Russian empire, such as Ukrainians, Poles, and Finns, who saw the collapse of the Tsarist regime as an opportunity for independence.
How were other left-wing groups dealt with?
Any calls for sharing of power were rejected by Lenin. Some SRs did join the Bolshevik government in the beginning but this did not last long. The SRs emerged as the largest party in 1918 elections with 410 seats and 21 million votes, compared to 175 Bolshevik seats. Lenin dissolved the Assembly and established the All-Russian Congress of Soviets, a body where the Bolsheviks had more influence.
How were other political parties dealt with?
- the bourgeois classes were not allowed to vote
- the Mensheviks and SRs found it difficult to publish newspapers due to Bolshevik restrictions.
- in March 1918 the Bolsheviks renamed themselves the Communist Party, by 1921 all other parties were effectively banned.
- During the first three months of 1921, 500 Mensheviks were arrested.
What did the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk do?
took Russia out of WW1 but at a great cost, losing control of many Baltic states. This was an embarrassment for conservatives. A leading factor in the start of the civil war.
What decrees were passed by Lenin’s first government?
- the decree on land which gave peasants the right to seize land from the church and nobility
- Worker’s decree - established a minimum wage and maximum working day of 8 hours
- decree on peace - pulled Russia out of the first world war
Who were the different sides fighting in the civil war?
- the whites - loose collection of anti-red forces
- nationalist forces - fighting to gain independence from Russia
- the Greens - SRs
- the Reds - the Bolshevik forces under the leadership of Trotsky
- the Germans - fighting to defend gains made during WW1
- foreign interventions -troops sent to fight along side the whites
Why was the position of the Reds bad at the beginning of the civil war?
The area occupied by the Bolsheviks was small and surrounded on all sides by White forces.
What was the main weakness of the Whites?
They were a bunch of small groups who rarely co-operated. The foreign help they received was used inefficiently.
What strengths did the Bolsheviks have which allowed them to win the civil war?
- had a more coherent strategy than the Whites
- strong leadership from Leon Trotsky
- conscription meant they had over 5 million soldiers by the end of the war.
- used their power to get food from peasants and large-scale nationalization of industry
- support from workers
What were the key results of the Russian civil war?
- the bolshevik state became highly centralised.
- Power was firmly held by the government (Sovnarkom) and party leadership (politburo) in moscow
- set the tone of the use of terror against opponents
- experience reinforced militaristic values in the population
How did the party grow between 1917 and 1921?
from 300,000 in 1917 to 730,000 by 1921
what was the measure, known as ‘On Party Union’, put forward by Lenin at the congress of 1921, for?
it was an attempt to impose the view of the leadership on the Party. It banned the formation of factions within the Party.
What was the penalty for those breaking the rule of ‘On Party Union’?
expulsion from the party
What was the Kronstadt Mutiny in 1921?
a revolt by sailors previously loyal to the Bolsheviks. The mutiny was brutally crushed by the Red Army.
What was the 1921 Tambov Rising?
a major peasant uprising caused by the requisition of grain for use in cities. it took over 50,000 Bolshevik troops to put down.
What was Sovnarkom?
a group of representatives elected to form a small committee, responsible for making key decisions and giving government orders. there were about 20 members in total, which were elected by the central executive committee
theoretically this initial system of government was democratic, in what way was the reality different?
During the civil war, the Bolsheviks used their control over positions in the Sovnarkom to issue orders that were basically imposed on the country and only rubber-stamped by the Congress of Soviets.
by the early 1920s, where had the real power shifted to?
the Party itself
what lay at the top of the Party apparatus?
the Politburo. 7-9 leading members of the party who were chosen by the Central Committee. They essentially ran the party.
Besides Lenin, who were leading members of the politburo?
Zinoviev, Kamenev, Trotsky and Stalin
What did the Bolsheviks claim their government system was?
Democratic Centralism. Soviets represented the workers at a local level, and their wishes could be expressed through a system of representative organizations.
What was the reality of how democratic the state was?
The system of ruling by decree meant that the soviets were not involved in decision making. the soviets were dominated by Bolsheviks, meaning they were no longer responsive to the workers.
how did power move and stay at the top?
to allow for rapid decision making during the civil war power was transferred towards the politburo. after the civil war those with power were reluctant to give it up
