Constitution and Government Flashcards
Explain “democratic centralism”
Party leadership (Politburo/Central Committee) would discuss ideas and policies freely, but once a decision was taken everyone (at every level of the party) had to follow it - people would agree to be led by a “cadre” (group of politicians)
Give three examples of organisations that could have provided proletarian opposition, but were sidelined under the rule of the Bolsheviks
The soviets
Trade unions
Factory committees
Who were the Nomenklatura in Lenin’s Russia?
Approved Party employees suitable for certain jobs, based on their socio-economic background and commitment to the Party cause
Why did people want to join the Bolshevik Party as a member?
A way to become more socially mobile and enjoy privileges
Who were the apparatchiki in Lenin’s Russia?
Full-time, paid party organisers - mainly educated members of society who served as party secretaries
What was the aim of the Lenin Enrolment (1923-25)? What impact did it have?
To enrol more members of the proletariat into the Party and make them active in party affairs
500,000 new members joined - workers and peasants
How did national minorities fare under the Soviet Union’s constitutions?
Allowed republics with their own government and national flags - but those governments were still answerable to Moscow
What did Lenin declare about the Mensheviks and SRs in April 1921?
“The place for the Mensheviks and the SRs is in prison”
Why was Sovnarkom essentially a dictatorship of the Bolshevik Party?
It was accountable to the Congress of Soviets (which approved all laws), which was dominated by the Bolsheviks, when the Mensheviks and SRs were expelled from its Executive Committee in the summer of 1918
What was the Politburo?
The highest policy-making authority within the Communist Party
How many members of the Politburo were there, and who appointed them?
7-9 members
Chosen by the Central Committee
Why was the Politburo needed?
The Central Committee had expanded to 30-40 members, which proved unmanageable when making important decisions
How important was the Politburo to Lenin?
Very - it met every day, and became more important than Sovnarkom
What was the Orgburo?
The Organisational Bureau - made important decisions about organisational work in Russia
What powers did the Orgburo have?
Oversaw the work of local Party committees, and selected and placed Party members in positions as it saw fit
