Lenin

Question 1

What early reforms to mass media helped to establish control?

Answer 1

• Decree on the press (November 1917) - emergency power for government to close any newspapers which supported counter revolution.
• Creating a state monopoly of advertising in November 1917, which ensured only the government could publish ads.
• Nationalising the Petrrograd Telegraph Agency in November 1917 which gove the new government control of electric means of communication.
• Revolutionary Tribunal of the press (January 1918) which gave power to censor the press.
• All Russian telegraph agency were responsible for distributing the news.

Question 2

How did Lenin use the media?

Answer 2

• GPU was put in charge of policing every publication available in the Soviet Union.
• New professional censors were employed.
• All books were investigated for anti-Communist bias.
• The GPU compiled a list of banned books.
• Soviet libraries purged of politically dangerous books. New special holding libraries, or “book gulags” were set up to house the banned books. Access was resistricted to senior Party Members.

Question 3

What did Lenin believe about personality cults?

Answer 3

Lenin disapproved of a personality cult and propaganda.

Question 4

How was Lenin portrayed?

Answer 4

• Described in religious terms. His survived assassination attempt was described as ‘miraculous’.
• In 1919 to 20 Lenin was shown as humane, a man of the people, refused luxury
• Approachable and down to earth.

Question 5

What legal reforms did Lenin introduce that attacked the church?

Answer 5

• 1918 Decree on Land
  This gave Peasants the right to seize land from the church.
• 1918 Decree concerning separation of church and state.
  The Church lost its privileged position in society. Church land, buildings and property were nationalised, state subsidies for the Church ended. Religious education was banned in school.
• 1922 Soviet constitution
  Guaranteed religious freedom.

Question 6

What was the Living Church?

Answer 6

• Reformed version of the Orthodox Church in which ordinary people had power.
• Archbishop Vedenskii publicly debated with Lunacharksy about religion and science.
• Caused the end in public debates with the church as Vendenskii gained support for him and his argument.

Question 7

What else did Lenin do to the church?

Answer 7

• Lenin was convinced the Church was an enemy of the revolution.
• The politburo issued a secret order in 1918 for the Cheka to have mass execution of priests.
• Within 2 years, most of the popular Orthodox church priests were executed.
• New government used propaganda against the church and seized church property.
• Soviet authorities seized Church assets to fund famine relief and blamed priests who resisted sabotaging relief efforts.
• Catholics were treated differently because they had been a persecuted minority under the Tsar, so were initially just deported but during the civil war, they were executed.

Question 8

What did Lenin do about Islam?

Answer 8

• During the 1920s initiated campaigns against Islamic groups.
• Claimed that Islam encouraged ‘crimes based on custom’ particularly those infringing women’s rights.
• Recognised that Islamic organisations had the loyalty of the Caucasus and Central Asia and wanted to destroy the religion to extend power.
• Closed mosques and turned them into sports clubs or storage.
• Discouraged pilgrimages
• Attacked Islamic shrines
• Started campaigns against women wearing chador.
• Open anti-Islamic museums in the midst of recognised holy places.

Question 9

How did Lenin use the secret police to repress opposition?

Answer 9

• Closed opposition newspapers and imprisoned, tortured and executed socialist opponents.
• Used violence on enemies of the party. Exmaples: priests were crucified, members of the white army frozen to death and turned into ice statues, others were scalped or buried alive.
• Stopped private trading.
• Ran concentration camps.

Question 10

How did Lenin’s use of the secret police change over his rule?

Answer 10

• End of the civil war: attacks on government’s opponents.
• Monitored the press
• Set up political trials for socialist opponents.
• Policed the semi-capitalist marketplace.

Question 11

What was the avant-garde style used by Lenin?

Answer 11

Avant-garde style was a style using abstract shapes and was used to promote the civil war.

Question 12

Under Lenin, what were the Prolekult and agitprop?

Answer 12

Prolekult - proletariat culture

Agitpop - agitation and propaganda

Question 13

How did Lenin use cinema?

Answer 13

Lenin believed cinema was the best way to promote ideals