Consolidation of power Flashcards
Consolidation BP1:
Political
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (1918) and Party Division: Lenin’s decision to sue for peace after the October coup, through the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, caused divisions within the party. Bukharin and the Left Communists opposed Lenin, arguing it deviated from Marxist “world revolution” ideals. This decision showcased Lenin’s control but also set the stage for a power struggle after his death in 1924.
Decree on Party Unity (1921): Lenin’s 1921 ‘Decree on Party Unity’ banned factions, consolidating his authority. Stalin later used it to prevent rivals like Trotsky, Kamenev, and Zinoviev from forming a coalition, helping him rise to power and establish a personal dictatorship.
Red Purges: Lenin’s Red Purges, aimed at removing “Menshevik values,” further solidified party control through repression. These purges helped establish a party dictatorship, aligning with Lenin’s goals of rapid communist reforms.
Formation of the USSR (1922): To maintain control over rebellious rural regions post-civil war, Lenin established the USSR in 1922, consolidating Bolshevik power over rural areas.
Rise of Bureaucracy and Stalin: Lenin’s NEP created divisions between Trotsky, who criticized its deviation from Marxism, and Stalin, who used the growing bureaucracy to his advantage. Stalin exploited his role as General Secretary after Lenin’s death, misleading Trotsky about Lenin’s funeral, which helped him consolidate power.
Consolidation BP2:
Economic
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (1918): The treaty saw the loss of key territories like Poland, Finland, and Ukraine, which weakened Soviet industry and led to later efforts to reclaim them.
Bolshevik Economic Policies: War Communism and NEP: The Bolsheviks implemented War Communism during the Civil War (1917-1922), which involved state control of industry and forced grain requisitioning. This helped consolidate power but caused agricultural and industrial declines, with output falling by 20%. Afterward, Lenin’s NEP (1921) restored small-scale capitalism, boosting agriculture but creating inequality and slow industrial growth.
—->Debate: Trotsky’s Permanent Revolution vs. Socialism-in-One-Country: The NEP’s uneven success fueled a debate between Trotsky’s “Permanent Revolution” and Stalin-Bukharin’s “Socialism-in-One-Country,” with the latter winning out, focusing on building socialism domestically.
—>Collectivization and Kulak Liquidation (1928): Stalin’s Socialism-in-One-Country policy led to forced collectivization, which dispossessed 6 million Kulaks, causing widespread famine and rural terror, known as the “Terror in the Countryside.”
Consolidation BP3: Social
War Communism and Red Terror: During War Communism, grain requisitioning by the Red Army led to famine in the Volga region, killing 6-7 million people. This caused mass migration and social instability, culminating in the Kronstadt Rebellion (March 1921), where sailors protested against food shortages and poor conditions.
Kronstadt Rebellion and NEP: The uprising revealed the need for change, prompting Lenin to introduce the New Economic Policy (NEP) in March 1921, diverging from earlier Bolshevik principles to address the social and economic crises.
Cult of Lenin: The Bolsheviks crafted a mythologized state narrative around Lenin, using propaganda like “peace, land, and bread” to build a cult of personality. This boosted public support for the Bolsheviks, evident during Lenin’s funeral.
Stalin’s Adaptation: Lenin’s cult of personality became a model for Stalin, who later used it to consolidate his own power and establish a personal dictatorship.
