Initial Consolidation Flashcards
Why was government administration an issue for the Bolsheviks upon coming to power?
- Since the Bolsheviks lacked experience in administration to be able to effectively govern Russia
- The Civil Service was often unsupportive of the Bolsheviks and thus didn’t help with the administrative issues
What political issue split Bolshevik figures such as Zinoviev and Kamenev from Lenin?
The issue of whether to lead a socialist coalition of the Soviet or as a single party
Why was the Constituent Assembly an initial concern for the Bolshevik party?
Since elections for the CA were due to take place in November 1917 and it was clear the Bolsheviks were not going to win a majority in the elections. This would delegitimise their right to rule.
How many tonnes short of grain was Russia to supply its needs when the Bolsheviks came to power? The German takeover of which country exacerbated this?
13m tonnes short of grain.
The takeover of Ukraine exacerbated this issue.
Which groups went on strike/failed to cooperate in opposition to the Bolshevik takeover?
Banks, major ministries, railways, post and telegraph offices
What was the name of the organisation set up to govern Russia? What gave it an air of legitimacy?
Sovnarkom - it was created in the name of the All-Russian Congress of Soviets and its members were chosen by the central committee of the Congress of Soviets.
What type of democratic approach did Lenin adopt? What did he say to justify this?
Democratic Centralism
Lenin argued that the Bolsheviks were the only ones sufficiently educated in Marxism and revolution and that they knew the way to achieve a truly socialist society
How did Sovnarkom deal with the un-cooperative Civil Service?
The Senior Officers were arrested and Junior Officers were promoted in their places.
How did Sovnarkom deal with the initial opposition from the Banks?
Bolshevik troops forcefully overran the banks on the 17th November and removed the necessary funds from them
On what date was opposition press banned? How was this reinforced?
27th October 1917– the MRC sent troops to smash up opposition presses
What was the decree on land?
The decree on land was that private ownership of land was abolished – land was to be distributed by the local commune
When did Lenin announce plans to collectivise agriculture?
February 1918
What were the problems with Sovnarkom’s handling of the land issue?
- Peasants who received their allocated land from the commune often treated it in a private manner, instead of working as a collective
- The distribution of land broke up larger farms which had economies of scale
- Lenin’s announcement to collectivise agriculture and the forced requisitioning of grain prompted more subsistence farming
How many peasant uprisings were there in European Russia between July and November 1918?
100
What was the decree on worker’s control? Which approach contradicted this?
Transferred power of the running of factories to factory committees, instead of bourgeois managers.
The policy of state capitalism however acknowledged that the bourgeoisie would still be needed during the transition period to socialism due to their experience and skill
What was the aim of Lenin’s April 1918 article on the “Immediate Tasks of the Soviet Government?” What key measure did it introduce?
- To reinforce state capitalism
- To promote better behaviour from workers
It introduced a wage system that corresponded with output and hence undermined the socialist promise.
How much did industrial output fall between 1917 and 1918?
2/3
What did the Bolsheviks do to overcome the issue of the factory committees not always being dominated by Bolsheviks?
They got state commissars to run the directives for the factories instead of the workers committees
What was the name of the Supreme Council of the National Economy set up in December 1917? What did it take over and do?
Vesenkha
Took over control of heavy industries (oil, steel and cal) and banks. Nationalised the railways and cancelled all foreign debts. Provided more central control over key parts of the economy and reduced the chaos on the transport system.
What did State Capitalism mean in practice?
Recognising the importance of the bourgeoisie; accepting that salaries would continue to vary based on skill and position; accepting some business would remain in private hands and that the factory committees would have to have a more supervisory role
What was the daily bread ration in Petrograd by February 1918?
50g
