Lenin Flashcards
1
Q
how did lenin establish control
A
- local soviets
- sovnarkom
- decrees
- civil war (cheka, red army, politburo)
2
Q
what was the cheka (L)
A
a political police force to defend the revolution
3
Q
what was the role of the cheka (L)
A
rape, torture, kill, imprison anyone the communists saw as a threat
4
Q
what did lenin change the All-Russian Congress of Soviets into and why
A
into Sovnarkom because so many people in congress
5
Q
what did Sovnarkom enable lenin to do and why
A
take charge of the Government - he was Chairman and had 13 Commissars
6
Q
did lenin have initial support and why
A
small bit of support - still lacked control of most of Russia but the decrees and withdrawal from WWI (to rebuild economy) made him popular
7
Q
which four decrees did lenin pass
A
on land
of peace
worker’s decree
of worker’s control
8
Q
what was the decree on land (L)
A
peasants gained the right to seize land from the nobility and church (it removed all previous property rights from landowners)
9
Q
what was the decree of peace (L)
A
russia would withdraw from WWI
10
Q
what was the worker’s decree (L) november
A
established an 8 hour working day, maximum and minimum wage, 48 hour working week
11
Q
what was the decree of worker’s control (L)
A
allowed workers to elect committees to run factories
12
Q
in which ways was lenin’s goverment democratic
A
- multi party gov (Sovnarkom included rival parties)
- democratic elections as local soviets were elected into the All-Russian Congress of Soviets = Sovnarkom
13
Q
in which ways was lenin’s government not democratic
A
- commissars were chosen by the party, not elected
- closed constituent assembly
- refused to recognise election results
14
Q
what was the constituent assembly
A
an elected body to agree on a new constitution
15
Q
how many people voted in the constituent assembly elections (L)
A
36 million
16
Q
what proportion of people voted for the Bolsheviks in the constituent assembly elections (L)
A
<25%
17
Q
how did people get into the all russian congress of soviets (L)
A
elected from the local soviets
18
Q
what was the result of the constituent assembly elections (L)
A
Lenin closed it by force 1 day after it first met because ‘it posed a threat to power of the soviets’
19
Q
give one reason why the Bolsheviks did so poorly in the constituent assembly elections (L)
A
the unpopularity of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
20
Q
what was the treaty of Brest-Litovsk (L)
A
gave Russian territory to Central Powers (germany, bulgaria, ottoman empire etc) to end their involvement in WWI
21
Q
why was the treaty of Brest-Litovsk unpopular (L)
A
it gave away a huge amount of Russian territory (almost 1/4) meaning money couldn’t be made from it
22
Q
what financial difficulty did the Bolsheviks suffer when trying to establish control (L)
A
The State Bank and Treasury went on strike - denying them crucial funds
23
Q
where had the revolution occured (L)
A
Petrograd
24
Q
what was the geographical significance of the revolution (L)
A
only happened in Petrograd - rural cities were not under control
25
how did the constituent assembly result in Lenin being seen as less democratic (L)
mensheviks and socialist revolutionaries were expelled from the soviets
26
how did the civil war allow the bolsheviks to gain more power (L)
cheka
red army
politburo
nomenklatura
27
what was the nickname for the bolsheviks in the civil war (L)
the reds
28
what were the bolsheviks fighting for in the civil war (L)
communism
29
what was the nickname for the opponents of the bolsheviks in the civil war (L)
the whites
30
who formed the whites in the civil war (L)
political opponents (mensheviks, nationalists), middle and upper class, anarchists, USA, UK, France
31
what were the whites fighting for in the civil war (L)
removal of the bolsheviks
32
which party had won the constituent assembly elections (L)
socialist revolutionaries (got 40% of vote)
33
when can be said to the date at which Lenin's one party dictatorship was established (L)
july 1918
34
what happened at the 10th party congress 1921 (L)
resolution 'on party unity'
35
what was the resolution on party unity (L)
ordered the immediate dssolution of all factions and groups which tended to weaken the party's unity - centralisation of power
36
what was the political purpose of war communism (L)
to help feed the red army in the civil war - cheka used to force peasants to hand over their food
37
when was the first Soviet Constitution passed (L)
july 1918
38
what were some features of the 1918 soviet constitution (L)
- freedom of speech
- obligation to work
- obligation to serve in the military
- gave the vote to all (but enemies of state)
39
what did the 1924 soviet constitution replace (L)
the 1918 soviet constitution
40
what happened to russia under the 1924 soviet constitution (L)
it became the USSR - union of soviet socialist republics
41
what happened to government under the 1924 soviet constitution (L)
each republic had its own communist gov, moscow controlled foreign and defence policy entirely
- centralisation of power
- tightened authority of communist party
42
how did lenin manage to hold onto power
military success
repression and terror
winning support
43
how did war communism contribute to the reds winning the civil war (L)
nationalised key industries (power)
rationed food
make strikes illegal so war production not interrupted
(overall the army stayed well supplied)
44
what were the strengths of the red army in the civil war (L)
assassination of the Tsar and family
murdered whites ruthlessly
trotsky was a very strong military leader
45
what were the weaknesses of the whites in the civil war (L)
shared no values (lots of different groups)
foreign powers joined late because of WWI
military failures lead to a loss of control
46
how was economic centralisation in government achieved (L)
war communism
47
how was political centralisation achieved (L)
terror, establishment of sovnarkom, politburo and communist party
48
did lenin rely on the politburo or sovnarkom more
politburo
49
how many members of the politburo were there (L)
5-7
50
why was the fact the politburo was small an advantage (L)
quicker decisions could be made, contained extremely loyal supporters
51
how did trotsky make the red army more authoritarian (L)
abolished democracy
increased the discipline
experts were in charge
52
why were the tambov peasants upset (L)
rebelled against grain requisitioning and cheka brutality
53
when did the tambov peasant rebel (L)
1920
54
why did the konstadt sailors rebel (L)
previously bolshevik supporters but became increasingly dissatisfied at economic problems and food shortages
55
how did lenin deal with the tambov peasants
deported 100,000 to labour camps, attacked villages with poisoned gas
56
how did lenin deal with opposition from factions in the bolshevik party
resolution on party unity
57
how did lenin deal with the destroyed economy following the civil war
ended war communism, introduced the new economic policy
58
how did lenin deal with strikes in petrograd
red army opened fire on unarmed workers
59
how did lenin deal with the konstadt sailors
crushed the rebellion with force
60
how did lenin deal with opposition from other political parties
created a one party state and used the cheka to destroy opposition (imprisonment)
61
when was the red terror(L)
1917-1921
62
what was the red terror (L)
campaign of political repression
63
how many people died in the red terror (L)
200,000
64
when were the Tsar and family killed (L)
july 1918
65
what is the difference between sovnarkom and the politburo (L)
politburo - communist party group
sovnarkom - the entire government
66
what was the nomenklatura (L)
the central planning committee
67
when was the content of lenin's political testament revealed
may 1924 - 13th party congress
68
who were the five individuals in lenin's power struggle
trotsky, stalin, bukharin, zinoviev, kamenev
69
when lenin died how did they plan to keep ruling the government
the politburo agreed to rule in collective leadership (rykov, tomsky, kamenev, zinoviev, trotsky, stalin)
70
what was trotskys revolutionary record (L)
leading figure, mastermind behind it all
71
what was stalins revolutionary record (L)
presence as a committee member gave him high position
72
what was bukharin's revolutionary record (L)
inspired others to join the seizure of power in moscow
73
what was zinoviev's revolutionary record (L)
opposed the coup so very poor
74
what was kamenev's revolutionary record (L)
very cautious, not revolutionary
75
what was trotskys relationship with lenin
strong ally of lenin since 1917
76
what was stalins relationship with lenin
faithful, strong ally, but as lenin became ill stalin began to oppose him - caused arguments
77
what was bukharins relationship with lenin
strong but bukharin was a left communist
78
what was zinovievs relationship with lenin
disagreed with communist seuizure of power but ally
79
what was kamenevs relationship with lenin
close friend
80
what did lenins testament say about trotsky
most able man in the central committee
should be the one to lead
81
what did lenins testament say about stalin
highly critical of him, too much power, advised others to replace him with someone more loyal
82
what did lenins testament say about bukharin
golden boy of party but , not fit to rule - not fully aligned with lenin’s views
83
what did lenins testament say about zinoviev
disloyal
84
what did lenins testament say about kamenev
disloyal
85
what was trotskys party appeal (L)
support of young communists but not typical so had enemies for being western
86
what is the geographical reason why russia was hard to govern (L)
high population, large country meant communication was difficult
poor land quality meant less food in harvests
87
what communication reason was there that made russia hard to govern (L)
44.1% population spoke russian - language barriers as well as different beliefs and cultures
88
what type of society was the ussr before lenin
autocratic - tsar had all the power there was no government
89
what about society meant russia was difficult to govern (L)
poverty, disease, famine, drunkenness = 60%
90
what was the impact of WWI on the russian government (L)
lack of adequate food and weapons
Tsar was an incompetent wartime leader
lead to feb revolution
91
what was the feb revolution (L)
Petrograd overthrew the Tsar and set up a provisional government
92
what did the provisional gov promise (L)
democracy and basic freedoms
93
why did the provisional gov lose popularity (L)
continued to fight in WWI worsening economy
94
how did lenin take over from the provisional gov (L)
demanded “peace land and bread” - popularity increased
october had enough support to overthrow provisional gov
95
who were the soviets (L)
small democratic councils in every town
96
what was sovnarkom (L)
a cabinet of revolutionaries
97
what was the result of ignoring the consistuent assembly (L)
left just the bolsheviks in power
98
how did Lenin control the economy and politics
econ - war communism
politics - nomenklatura
99
list lenin’s problems in 1921
weak econ (civil war)
rebellions
strikes against bolsheviks (Petrograd)
factions within the party
100
explain the change of the soviet state into the party state during the civil war (L)
now relied on politburo - less power to sovnarkom and more to communist party
101
when was the red terror (L)
december 1917
102
what was trotsky’a party power base (L)
red army
103
what was trotskys gov power base (L)
sovnarkom, head of red army
104
what was stalins party appeal (L)
had the power to advance careers
voice of modernisation and national pride
105
what was stalins party power base (L)
head of central control commission - power to discipline obedience in party
106
what was stalins government power base (L)
commissar for nationalities - oversaw affairs in USSR
had the power to expel members of the party
107
what was bukharins party appeal (L)
representative for honesty, fair and not corrupt
108
what was bukharins party power base (L)
politburo, editor of Pravda
109
what was more important the nomenklatura or the soviets (L)
nomenklatura
110
what was bukharins government power base (L)
not in sovnarkom
111
what was zinovievs party appeal (L)
least appealing but good speaker, ambitious
112
what was zinovievs party power base (L)
head of petrograd and moscow branch of USSR local party group
113
what was zinovievs government power base (L)
not in sovnarkom
114
what was kamenevs party appeal (L)
little personal ambition, not a speaker
115
what was kamenevs party power base (L)
chairman of central committee, head moscow USSR local branch
116
what is kamenevs gov power base (L)
acted as chair of sovnarkom when lenin was ill
117
what were the four key debates (L)
-interpretations of leninism
-great industrialisation
-future of the revolution
-world revolution
118
what was the left wing view on rival interpretations of leninism (L)
- rejection of NEP
- wanted immediate industrialisation
- permanent revolution
119
who was in the left wing (pragmatic) (L)
after 1925 - trotsky, kamenev, zinoviev
120
who was in the right wing (idealistic) (L)
before 1925 - bukharin, kamenev, zinoviev
after 1925 - bukharin, stalin
121
why did lenin's testament being kept secret mean stalin became ruler (L)
if it had been spread he wouldn't have been allowed to rule because the criticisms were so harsh
122
what was resolution on party unity (L)
a ban on internal factions in the communist party
123
what impact did the ban on factions have on stalin becoming leader
allowed him to expel people from the party who disagreed with him
124
when did the politburo recieve lenin's testament
may 1924
125
what happened at the 13th party congress (L)
triumvirate established
126
when was the 13th party congress (L)
1924
127
what was the triumvirate (L)
collaboration of Z, S and K to rule the party - kept trotsky away from power
128
when was the new opposition formed (L)
1926
129
who was in the new opposition (L)
trotsky, kamenev, zinoviev
130
what happened to the new opposition (L)
stalin denounced them as traitors and they were expelled from the party
131
why was the new opposition formed (L)
because stalin broke away from the triumvirate by joining the right after 'socialism in one country'
132
what happened to bukharin during the power struggle (L)
1926 - s sided with b
s promised the NEP would be kept for 20 years
1927 - s backstabbed b, saying NEP should be abandoned
b called s a tyrant, s expelled him from party
133
what was the alliance between stalin and bukharin called (L)
duumvirate
134
when was the duumvirate established (L)
1925
135
what was the right wing view on interpretations of leninism (L)
- focus on education
- gradual change
- ideological acceptance of NEP
- industrialism in future
136
what was stalin's views on interpretations of leninism (L)
central
- commitment to NEP
- commitment to industrialism in near future
137
what was the left wing view on the industrialism debate (L)
- drive for rapid industrialism
- dictatorship over industry
- NEP wrong because favoured peasants
138
what was the right wing view on the industrialism debate (L)
- socialism at 'snails pace'
- economic stability over rapid industrialisation
- NEP should stay for 20 years so economy improves
139
what was the left wing view on world revolution (L)
- no socialist country could exist alone
- hoped for a revolution in western powers who could then provide resources for russia to build socialism
140
what was the right wing view on world revolution (L)
- 'socialism in one country' = russian rev would be successful because of alliance between workers and peasants making russia self sufficient
141
why was socialism in one country popular (L)
played on russian nationalism
142
what was the left wing view on the future of the revolution (L)
- bureaucratic degeneration = fears of employees prioritising jobs over rev spirit
- solution = more openness and democracy
143
how did the lenin enrolment impact the theory of bureaucratic degeneration
showed poorly educated workers prioritising having a job were allowed into the party
144
what was the right wing view on the future of the revolution (L)
bonapartism
- feared trotsky would use his military power base to become a military dictator
145
how were stalin's fears around bonapartism confirmed (L)
1927 - trotsky said he would assume position of dictator if russia attacked by foreign power
