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Russia A-LEVEL History! Lenin to Yeltsin 1917-91 > Lenin GOVERNMENT > Flashcards

Lenin GOVERNMENT Flashcards

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1
Q

WHEN WAS BOLSHEVIK PARTY ESTABLISHED?

A

1903 - REVOLUTIONARY GROUP TO BRING ABOUT CHANGE IN RUSSIA

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2
Q

BOLSHEVIK PARTY TARGETS (4)

A
  • kick out TSAR (outdated, opressive, anti-proletariat regime)
  • eradicate MIDDLE/UPPER CLASSES
  • PRO-Proletartiat - dictatorship of the people to be established with people being represented by ‘workers councils’ = SOVIETS
  • Socialism and eventually COMMUNISM established
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3
Q

WHAT WOULD THE BOLSHEVIK PARTY ACT AS?

A

VANGAURD OF THE REVOLUTION
- highly centralised
- sieze govt on behalf of the proletariat

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4
Q

WHEN WOULD COMMUNISM BE ESTABLISHED?

A

If the highly centralised party could…

-destroy COUNTER-REVOLUTION
-ERADICATE bourgeoise
then…
the dictatorship of the proletariat would prevail

AND COMMUNISM COULD DEVELOP

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5
Q

Difference between Marxism and Leninism

A

MARXISM:
Believes that economic progression from Capitalism > Socialism > Communism is NATURAL and driven by CLASS STRUGGLE

LENINISM:
Believes that Cap. will progress to Soc. will progress to Comm. BUT that it can be helped out to speed up the comming of COMMUNIST UTOPIA

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6
Q

OCTOBER REVOLUTION

A

OCT. 1917

  • Provisional Govt forced out
  • Winter palace stormed with help of Kronstadt sailors
  • PROPAGANDA-ified to make Communist party’s Bolshevik roots more grand
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7
Q

October Revolution Propaganda

A
  • Bolsheviks @ time of revolution VERY SMALL (30000 members)
  • presented as MASS WORKERS UPRISING
  • heroic storming of the Winter Palace (in reality not much security and willingly let Bolsheviks in)
    => this justified the Bolshevik takeover! Very limited powerbase
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8
Q

WHEN WAS THE ONE PARTY STATE ESTABLISHED

A

1921

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9
Q

WHY DID BOLSHEVIKS STRUGGLE TO HOLD POWER

A

Still very small group - not widely supported (especially outside central Russia/Moscow)

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10
Q

OPPOSITION THE BOLSHEVIKS FACED (4)

A

-LEFT WING - SRs and Mensheviks
-RIGHT WING - Tsarists
-LIBERALS - middle class supporters (feared anti-capitalism on business)
-Nationalists - fall of tsarism chance to break off

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11
Q

DID OTHER LEFT WING GROUPS GET SHARE OF POWER

A

NO - not even fellow communist MENSHEVIKS

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12
Q

Which leading Bolshevik called for socialist coalition?

A

Lev Kamenev

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13
Q

What was the CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY

A

Calling of parliament in Jan 1918:

To democratically elect the Assembly.

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14
Q

What happened at the Constituent Assembly

A

JAN 1918

-SRs promising (huge peasant support)
- results of the election NOT IN BOLSHEVIK FAVOUR!!
- 9 million votes to the SRs 21 million votes!!

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15
Q

Why was constituent assembly DISSOLVED?

A

JAN 1918 -

  • Bolsheviks under Lenin did not win
    => dissolved the meeting the next day
    Claimed that assembly was ‘INSTRUMENT OF THE BOURGEOIS”
  • placed “All-Russian Congress of Soviets” as main instrument for support of Bolsheviks
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16
Q

HOW DID DISSOLVING CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY SUPPORT BOLSHEVIKS AS ONLY PARTY

A
  • Lenin dismisses calls for coalition
  • no forum for opposition
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17
Q

What did Lenin call the Constituent Assembly (Jan 1918) to justify its dissolution?

A

“An instrument of the bourgeois”
- against Bolshevik values as a proletariat centred party

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18
Q

Who did the Bolsheviks take the vote from?

A
  • ‘bourgeois classes’
  • employers
  • priests
    (Stripped other parties of their power bases)
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19
Q

Why couldn’t SRs and Mensheviks spread their party agenda?

A

Difficult to publish newspapers due to Bolshevik restrictions

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20
Q

Why did SRs lose credibility and influence

A

Some SRs given roles within govt in early Bolshevik reign

BUT walk out of govt in March 1918 to protest decision about pulling out of WW1

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21
Q

Changes to parties in MARCH 1918-21

A
  • Bolsheviks renamed COMMUNISTS in 1919 March
  • ALL other parties BANNED!! By 1921
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22
Q

Lenin (April 1912):
“The place for SRs and Mensheviks is in Prison”

A

Fallout:
- Jan - March 1921 = 5000 Mensheviks arrested
- plus further arrests of both SRs and Mensheviks til 1922
1922 don’t exist as parties anymore

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23
Q

Brest-Litovsk 1918

A

Lenin removes RUSSIA from WW1:

-OUTRAGE from Conservatives - HUMILIATION
-Russia loses Baltic states, Lithuania, Finland, Estonia etc…

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24
Q

HOW did Bolsheviks destroy other parties?

A
  • removed vote from bourgeois
  • newspaper restrictions for other parties
  • imprisoned opposition
  • banned organised parties by 1921

—> LEAD to CIVIL WAR!!

25
Q

When was Russian Civil WAR?

A

1918-1921

26
Q

Civil WAR groups

A

REDS - BOLSHEVIK forces
Whites - conservatives, nationalists, liberals, tsarists (supported by UK, USA, France and Japan to keep Russia in the War)
Greens - Peasant armies
Blacks - anarchists

27
Q

How did Bolsheviks win CIvil War (1918-21)

A

1) controlled central Russia so powers connected, whereas support/control of whites was spread out

2) controlled of industrial heartland, telephone wires - quick communication and able to reap benefits of LARGE SCALE NATIONALISATION

3) Reds united by Bolshevism, whites have no key aim/belief to unify them

4) STRONG LEADERSHIP by Trotsky! Commissar for war turned RED ARMY into effective army employed old-tsarist officials expertise + BETTER ORGANISATIOM

28
Q

RESULTS OF CIVIL WAR

A
  • HIGH CENTRALISATION -
    due to decisions need to be made quickly, Sovnarkom (made effectively redundant - only to stamp declarations) power given to 7 man Politburo, where Lenin had the MOST power and influence
  • EXTENSIVE TERROR NORMALISED -
    CHEKA established 1918 AND reinforced militaristic values of the population
    RED TERROR thereafter which set the tone for the Party

-BUREAUCRACY-
Emergence of the Nomenklatura (new elite), who did menial government office jobs, got better food and accommodation due to their PARTY MEMBER status. Claims the Bolsheviks ruled on behalf of the proletariat became increasingly shallow.

29
Q

Party membership in 1917 vs 1921

A

300,000 ————> 730,000

30
Q

Why was party expansion risky?

A

Aspects of non-conformity could arise

=> a firm line on dissent was taken

31
Q

Actions against Dissent within the early Communist party?

A

BAN ON FACTIONS

RESOLUTION ON PARTY UNITY

32
Q

Resolution on Part Unity (from 1921 10th Party Congress)

A

COMBAT FACTIONS FORMING within the Party

2 main factions are: Democratic Centralists and Workers Opposition

Penalty: Expulsion from the Party

33
Q

Kronstadt Mutiny 1912

A

Previously STRONG supporters of Bolshevism

  • soldiers were against the Brutality of the CHEKA and wanted a return to DEMOCRACY

‘Soviets without Bolsheviks’

34
Q

Tambov Rising (1920-21)

A

Peasant uprising in Tambov
Due to Grain Requisitioning

50,000 Bolshevik troops to quash the revolt! With violence!

35
Q

How did Lenin control Proletariat representation

A

SOVIETS/TradeUnions/Factory Committees brought under Bolshevik control then largely IGNORED

36
Q

SOVNARKOM

A

Council of People’s Commisars:

(In theory) TOP responsible for decision making, quickly
Elected by Central Committee

BUT in civil war - most power taken and delegated to POLITBURO (top party officials - to make decisions = SO MUCH CENTRALISED)

37
Q

Central Committee

A

Elected the SOVNARKOM and elected by the All-Russian COngress of Soviets

Oversaw government administration

38
Q

All-Russian Congress of Soviets

A

SUPREME LAW MAKING BODY - approved decisions made by SOVNARKOM

Made up of local party members

Rubber stampers!

39
Q

Politburo

A

7-9 leading Bolshevik party members.

Took over in civil war to make decisions more streamlined, gave the excuse as Reds won that this was effective and how government should work like this from now on

40
Q

How did party control decision making of the State?

A

Party organisations mirrored state organisations - disguise the decision makers, and make the state into organisation administrators to carry out decisions made by party

POLITBURO made head decision makers in CIVIL WAR to streamline quick decisions - this never went back to SOVNARKOM

Influential members of party eg: Lenin/Trotsky etc… leaders of both Politbuto AND Sovnarkom

1919 - secret police directly report to POLITBURO not Sovnarkom

41
Q

What was Democratic Centralism?

A

Bolsheviks claimed that government was based on DEMO-CENT.

Workers at local level’s wishes expressed via SOVIETS - concerns then brought to higher bodies of govt.

Those at the top would make decisions ‘in the interest of the people’ then pass down for regional implementation.

To make them look democratic but in actuality locals had no say in decision-making. Most organisations apart from those at top just rubber stamped decisions

42
Q

WHAT WAS THE PERSONAL POWER OF LENIN LIKE?

A

Chair of Sovnarkom and influential politburo member.

Liked COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP and dismissed calls for PERSONAL DICTATORSHIP in 1919.

But Lenin had HUGE personal authority and influence and was seen by many party members as an inspiration => if he threatened to resign he got his own way.

Post 1922 power limited due to illness

43
Q

Was Lenin a dictator?

A

FOR:
-continuous centralisation (civil war —> politburo)
-threaten to resign
-people after death saw him as god-like

AGAINST:
-power mostly confined to MOSCOW and central Russia, difficult to exercise power to far corners of Russia.
-Robert Service 1997 historian: local party members wanted greater direction from above! Wanted support so welcomed centralisation

44
Q

Problem with NOMENKLATURA

A

Nomenklatura - party members in government jobs, the NEW ELITE

-people joined communist party to improve life and career (not everyone was comitted)
-often those in party jobs were the middle/bourgeois under the TSAR so they got benefits and not the working class
-encouraged as it encouraged party loyalty
-tool for centralisation

45
Q

Party membership by 1924

A

1 MILLION

46
Q

When was the Soviet constitution established?

A

1924

47
Q

What did the Soviet Constitution of 1924 do?

A

Established USSR as a “federal state”

BUT in actuality tighter control from MOSCOW even in the republics.

Gave some representation to party members in the republics but RUSSIANS had advantage of numbers. (90% of land and 72% of population + 75% of Party members were Russian)

48
Q

What was the Cheka

A

December 1917:

Party Committee (first secret police)

Dealt with:
-counter-revolution
-sabotage
-speculation
-enemies within the party

49
Q

Cheka leader and location:

A

Felix Dzerzhinsky

Lubyanka building

50
Q

What did the Cheka do?

A

-planned arrests
-tortured prisoners
-executions without court trials

51
Q

RED TERROR 1921-22

A

Waves of arrests by the Cheka.

52
Q

OGPU 1922

A

Replacement for the Cheka

  • more discreet and bureaucratic
  • attacked the party more
  • large numbers of the party were purged - 1918 CHISTKA
53
Q

1918 and 1921 CHISTKA

A

Huge party purges by Cheka and later OGPU

1/3 of the party was purged under Lenin

54
Q

BIMBOM

A

Clown victim of the secret police.

  • made anti-Bolshevik jokes
55
Q

Lenin’s use of terror

A
  • shows Bolsheviks lacked confidence to hold onto power
  • increasingly inward towards the party once external threats eliminated
  • obsessive (multiple CHISTKAS)
  • execution of priests - showed Lenin’s personal agenda for terror
56
Q

Issues with control and centralisation

A

RUSSIA IS HUGE so power could not extend to remote areas

Government HUGE => chaotic and bureaucratic

Party factions

57
Q

When was Stalin made GENERAL SECRETARY

A

1922

58
Q

Role of GENERAL SECRETARY

A
  • look out for opposition within the party
  • appoint people to jobs (able to build support and loyalty)

Russia A-LEVEL History! Lenin to Yeltsin 1917-91 (19 decks)

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