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
What concessions did Lenin make regarding the Sovnarkom?
-ruled by decree with no soviet approval
-peace talks began without ref to soviet
-met once to twice daily + soviet met less frequently
What was the Sovnarkom’s impact on the soviet?
-soviet power undermined
-local Soviet’s did retain some importance but brought into new b’vik communist power structure
How was Lenin lenient with the influence of other socialists?
-allowed some left wing SRs join Sovnarkom Nov following protests about est purely B’vik state
-but hostile to further suggestions power sharing
What was the reaction from some officials?
-Kaminev + Zinovuev had favoured broad socialist gov but temp resigned
-clash between Marxist principle power sprang from people + Lenin determination retain control with one party state
-numbers in Lenin’s party favoured broad socialist gov
What was the reaction from the rest of Russia?
-petitions from factories + army demanded broad socialist gov
-railway strike Nov wanted ‘Dem gov’
-Kronstadt naval base uprising - were loyal supporters of Oct rev
What highlights Lenin’s determination to rule as a one party gov?
-dispersal of C.A Jan 1918
-but civilians opposed this + protested but were fired in + 12 killed
-this action contradicts Marxism of ‘power to the people’
How did Lenin try to justify this?
-claimed B’vik coalition with SRs
-but coalition gov broke up when SRs walked out of sovnarkom of TBL
-B’vik government alone + labelled other groups ‘enemies’
When was the Cheka created + what did it do? ‘Ideology + preservation of one party state’
-created Dec 1917
-confirmed Lenin’s conviction ‘dictatorship of proletariat’ required active repression of counter revolutionary enemies
-direct replacement of Okhrana controlled directly by state + not answerable to police
