Consolidation of Power

Question 1

What were the Cheka?

Answer 1

Secret police established by the Sovnarkom in December 1917

Question 2

How did the Cheka help the Bolsheviks consolidate power?

Answer 2

Executed the royal family
Rounded up remaining SRs, Mensheviks, Anarchists and any other threats
Used behind lines to shoot deserters

Question 3

How many people did the Cheka execute in 1918 alone?

Answer 3

50,000

Question 4

How many people were executed between 1918-1920?

Answer 4

500,000

Question 5

What were Gulags?

Answer 5

System of concentration + labour camps set up by Bolsheviks

Question 6

Who was targeted within class warfare?

Answer 6

Bourgeoise, kulaks, writers, judges, lawyers, priests, religious groups

Question 7

How harsh was discipline?

Answer 7

Extremely harsh - any sign of disloyalty resulted in the death penalty

Question 8

How did Bolsheviks consolidate their power in 1918 - 1921?

Answer 8

Establishment of one-party state
Cheka (Red Terror)
Removal of Constituent Assembly
Ending of WW1
Decrees
Civil War victory

Question 9

How did victory in the civil war consolidate Bolshevik power?

Answer 9

Led to greater governmental centralisation and increased Party control

Question 10

What was the result of the 1917 Constituent Assembly elections?

Answer 10

Over 41 million votes cast.
Social Revolutionaries: 53%
Bolsheviks: 24%
Kadets: 5%

Question 11

What was Lenin’s response to the Constituent Assembly elections?

Answer 11

‘We must not be deceived by the election figures. Elections prove nothing’
Kadets outlawed by the time the Assembly met on 5th January 1918
Forcible closed the CA and it never met again

Question 12

What happened when civilians demonstrated against the closing of the Constituent Assembly?

Answer 12

They were fired upon and 12 were killed

Question 13

When were all other political parties banned?

Answer 13

1921

Question 14

Why did the Bolsheviks end WW1?

Answer 14

It was unpopular (lots of Russians wanted an end to it).
Lenin believed it was essential to the survival of the new government and could provide a chance for the economy to recover.
Civil war looked inevitable and Russia’s military was exhausted.

Question 15

When was the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk signed?

Answer 15

Signed by Trotsky on 3rd March 1918

Question 16

What were the terms of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?

Answer 16

Lost 2 million square km of land including Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Belarus and Ukraine.
Lost 1/6 of its population (62 million).
Lost 25% of its railway system.
Lost 33% of its factories.
Lost 75% of its coal and iron supplies.
Had to pay 3 billion roubles in reparations to Germany.

Question 17

Who opposed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?

Answer 17

Many Bolsheviks - Bukharin wanted to fight a revolutionary war to spread the revolution to Austria and Germany

Question 18

What were the consequences of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?

Answer 18

Extremely unpopular due to loss of land
Left SRs who had supported government and participated in Sovnarkom resigned in protest.
Led to a decline in support.
Support for SRs and Mensheviks increased.

Question 19

What Decrees was released before 1918 and what did they do?

Answer 19

Workers’ decree - October 1917. Very popular, established maximum 8 hour working day.
Decree to outlaw sex discrimination - November 1917. Gave women equality with men and right to own property
Press Decree - banned the opposition press
Bank Decree - December 1917. Nationalised banks and ended the private flow of capital.

Question 20

What was the first Soviet Constitution for the ‘Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic’?

Answer 20

Proclaimed July 1918.
Stated that power rested with the All-Russian Congress of Soviets, which was made up of deputies from elected local soviets.
Looked democratic but the Congress was only to meet in intervals - executive authority remained in the hands of the Sovnarkom.
Structure of the new constitution was centralised and the real focus of power was the Party.

Question 21

What was the Sovnarkom?

Answer 21

The council of the Peoples Comissars that was at the top of the new constitution
Replaced the Cabinet