Government and control in wartime

Question 1

Why was increased centralisation accepted so readily?

Answer 1

Centralisation was already embedded in Bolshevik thought, and Lenin’s natural inclination was to rule from the centre

Question 2

What did Orlando Figes say?

Answer 2

That the totalitarian state had its origins in the Civil War

Question 3

Why and when was the capital moved from Petrograd to Moscow?

Answer 3

March, 1918
Moscow was more central
It was further away from the borders
It was symbolic: open vs. closed

Question 4

How was the Party structure not democratic?

Answer 4

Policy was controlled by the Central Committee
The Politburo was created in 1919, and it assumed increasing control of state affairs
500,000 Party members served in the Civil War and became used to obeying orders

Question 5

By what ratio did officials outnumber workers? And to what did this lead government being called?

Answer 5

2:1

The Dictatorship of the Bureaucracy

Question 6

Why did the state become associated with repression and terror?

Answer 6

There was an increased demand for obedience to the Party

Terror was used to enforce measures and eradicate opposition

Question 7

What feature developed in the Civil War and would constantly be reflected in future governance?

Answer 7

A ‘Siege Mentality’

Question 8

When was the USSR formally established?

Answer 8

1922

Question 9

Which republics were allowed to remain separate?

Answer 9

Ukraine, Belorussia and Georgia

Question 10

What disagreement arose between Lenin and Stalin in regards to the non-Russian republics?

Answer 10

Stalin believed that they should be subservient to Russia

Lenin wanted a federation of Soviet republics

Question 11

When was Poland granted self-rule?

Answer 11

1921 in the Treaty of Riga