Lenin - Ideology + Change Flashcards
Why were issues of ideology sidelined when B’viks took power?
-in excitement + optimism that accompanied October Revolution
-whether manner of taking power conformed to Marxist ideals a side issue
What was the pressing need when Lenin came into power?
-to maintain + consolidate control - B’viks acted first to ‘justify’ later
What did Lenin + Trotsky assumed would happen following the October rev?
-B’vik seizure of power would spark similar revs in Europe
-hoped Germany would as was ripe for rev by criteria out forward by Marx
Why were the B’viks split on Germany having a rev?
-B’viks ideologically committed to rousing workers + soldiers against imperial gov
-all wanted peace with imperial gov despite knowing peace would strengthen imperial gov they wished destroy
When and how did this contradiction become acute?
-before armistice Nov 1918 Trotsky began leave negotiations dec 1917
-Ger gov demanded Rus territory but this split B’viks with Bukharin leading ‘rev war group’
Why did the B’viks split?
-some wanted pursue the war as believed it necessary to defend socialism + Russia itself
-but this wouldn’t been a betrays of promised B’viks made when seized power
What was Trotsky’s solution to demands from Germany compared to Lenins’
-Trotsky solution was ‘neither leave nor war’ - wait for rev in west
-Lenin more pragmatic — argued acceptance of Ger terms
What happened following the long debate over the issue?
-Treaty Best-Litovsk signed 3rd march 1918
-but only after Lenin threatened to resign twice
What did the treaty do?
-set precedent for further action by establishing ‘socialism at home’ take priority over spread of international rev
What happened to Russia under the treaty of Brest-Litovsk?
-Bessarabia given to Romania - ger ally
-semi-independent gov in Georgie, the Ukraine + Belarus
-Rus lost 1/6 of population - 62 million + lost 2million sq km land incl area produced almost 1/e Russia agri produce
-26+ railway lines + 24% iron ore + coal supplies taken
What form of government did Lenin support/write about before taking power? ‘Ideology + one party gov’
-suggested conventional Marxist view gov in hands of the people
-used slogan ‘all power to the people’
-wrote in ‘state + rev’ before Oct rev ‘the people’ see that B’vik gov ruled in their interests
How was this belief/theorising reflected in his early rev period?
-land decree - abolished priv land + legitimised peasant seizures without compensation
-workers decree - workers right ‘supervise management’ + TU control production
What was the limiting factor to these decrees?
-didn’t help create conditions Russia needed for socialism but were Marxist
-peasants already seizing land + workers taking control
How did Russia become a one party state?
-Petrograd soviet shared power with prov gov 1917
-contained non B’vik socialists
-Lenin sidelined this + formed B’vik only Sovnarkom
What were Lenin’s intentions by doing this?
-showed no intention sharing power with other socialists
-Mensheviks + SRs despite shared Marxist beliefs
