Lenin - methods of control Flashcards

1
Q

MEDIA - what was Lenin’s view on the use of media?

A

Lenin saw media as vital to advancing the revolution and keeping the communists in power

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2
Q

MEDIA - what was the Nov 1917 decree on press?

A

It looked the government to close down newspapers and control the press

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3
Q

MEDIA - what was the Jan 1918 tribunal of the press?

A

It was created to censor press and ROSTA was to provide all news

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4
Q

MEDIA - how many papers had been closed by 1921

A

2000

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5
Q

MEDIA - what did war communism allow?

A

It allowed the government to control papers

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6
Q

MEDIA - what was Pravda and when did it become popular?

A

The soviet news paper and it became popular in the 1920’s

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7
Q

MEDIA - what did Lenin believe about cinema?

A

Lenin believed that it was important in pleasing the people and promoting the government. He commissioned films such as Battleship Potemkin, glorifying soviet heroes

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8
Q

MEDIA - what was Glavlit?

A

Introduced in 1922 it involved the GPU censoring books, art and purging libraries

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9
Q

MEDIA - Why were Avante-guarde artists supported by Lenin?

A

They rebelled against the Bourgeoise culture of fine art and wanted the everyday man to be able to be included in the art culture celebrated technology and machinery. They also shared Lenins goal of communicating with the masses.

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10
Q

PROPEGANDA - when did they begin to use images of Lenin?

A

The first photo of Lenin was published in 1918 and from then on his face was used in propeganda

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11
Q

PROPEGANDA - what boosted Lenin’s cult of personality in 1918?

A

Lenin survived an assassination attempt. His survival was seen as miraculous and it intensified his personality cult.

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12
Q

PROPEGANDA - what did Lenin think of his personality cult?

A

He disliked it. He said it went against Marxist ideology as Marx said that no individual should be glorified to such an extent above others as it went against the goal of communism.

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13
Q

PROPEGANDA - why did Lenin allow his personality cult to continue?

A

He saw the need for a face of communism and the revolution. Other communist leaders stressed the importance of a kind and generous leader.

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14
Q

PROPEGANDA - how did the government collaborate with Avante-guarde artists?

A

They made propeganda posters and photomontages featuring Lenin

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15
Q

PROPEGANDA - what was agite-prop?

A

Introduced by Lenin and Trotsky in 1920 it involved trains travelling around the country performing plays featuring a forceful political message

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16
Q

RELIGION - what did Marx believe about religion?

A

He said it was the opium of the people and that communism would remove the delusions of religion

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17
Q

RELIGION - why was Lenin critical of the Russian Orthodox Church?

A

It had been closely linked to the Tsar and he saw it as an ally of Tsarism

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18
Q

RELIGION - why was communism suspicious of religion?

A
  1. It sometimes had values that went against those of communism
  2. Religious groups were independent of the communist party and so harder to control
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19
Q

RELIGION - what was the Oct 1917 land decree?

A

It allowed peasants to take over church owned land

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20
Q

RELIGION - what was the 1918 decree concerning the separation of state and church, and schools and church?

A

The church lost its privileged position in society, including its subsidies, religious education etc.

21
Q

RELIGION - what was declared in the 1922 soviet constitution?

A

Guaranteed freedom of conscience for all soviet people

22
Q

RELIGION - what did the politburo issue a secret order to the Cheka about?

A

They issued a secret order to the Cheka sanctioning the execution of Orthodox priests

23
Q

RELIGION - what terror was used on Catholic priests?

A

Initially they were not killed, just deported as they were a minority group and not linked to the tsar. However during the civil war they were killed.

24
Q

RELIGION - what role did the church and terror play in the 1921 famine?

A

The government seized church property and blamed the church for causing the famine

25
Q

RELIGION - why was Islam not persecuted?

A
  1. There was no official link between Tsarism and Islam

2. The Wafqs continued to fund local schools and communities

26
Q

RELIGION - how did the communist approach to religion change in the 1920’s?

A

The use of terror stopped and they attempted more subtle techniques such as the living church, designed to divide and conquer

27
Q

RELIGION - what was the living church?

A

An attempt by the government to divide and conquer the church.
It claimed to be a new version of the Orthodox Church. Controlled by the people, decentralised and less corrupt

28
Q

RELIGION - what was the issue with public debates with the church?

A

The debates were popular but the church ended up bringing up arguments against communism so they were stopped in 1925

29
Q

RELIGION - to what extent was the living church a success?

A

It did work, except that it did not diminish church growth or faith in the 1920’s

30
Q

RELIGION - why did the communists oppose Islam in the 1920’s?

A
  1. It went against the rights and equality of women

2. It controlled a lot of people in the outermost regions of Russia which the communists were keen to control themselves

31
Q

RELIGION - how did soviet authorities attack Islam?

A
  • closed mosques
  • discouraged pilgrims
  • attacked Islamic shrines
  • discouraged women from wearing the veil
  • opened anti-Islamic museums
32
Q

CULTURE - what was Proletkult?

A

The proletarian culture movement that gave people access to studios and art supplies etc.

33
Q

CULTURE - what did Lunacharsky do?

A

He pioneered Protekult as a movement and promoted the creation of proletarian art. He was appointed the people’s commissar of enlightenment in the aftermath of the October Revolution.

34
Q

CULTURE - how many members did Proletkult have by 1920?

A

84,000 members in 300 studios. It published a monthly magazine of proletarian artists.

35
Q

CULTURE - what did Bukharin do for Proletkult?

A

Proletkult was free from communist party control and Bukharin used his position as editor of Pravda to support the organisation.

36
Q

CULTURE - what did Lenin feel about Proletkult?

A

He believed that art shouldn’t highlight one area of society but should be universal. For this reason he disliked the Proletkult and wanted people to learn form bourgeoise art that had created a universal culture.

37
Q

CULTURE - what happened to the Proletkult in 1920?

A

Lenin believed it was a danger to the revolution and so insisted that it merged with the commissariat of education. This was votes on but dissenting artists were criticised by the soviet press. Funding was then diverted to more traditional arts such as ballet.

38
Q

TERROR - what were Lenin’s initial feelings on terror?

A

Lenin was always willing to use terror as a temporary measure to ensure the duration of the revolution. He took this ideology from both Marx and the French Revolution

39
Q

TERROR - when was the Cheka set up and why?

A

In December 1917 and it was designed to seek out counter revolutionaries

40
Q

TERROR - who was head of the Cheka under Lenin?

A

Felix Dzerzhinsky served as its head from 1917 to 1926

41
Q

TERROR - what was the responsibility of the Cheka during the civil war?

A

Maintaining communist rule in areas already held by the communists

42
Q

TERROR - what did the Cheka do to the Constituent Assembly?

A

Along with the red army they closed it down in 1918 - an example of the Cheka attacking socialists as well as capitalists

43
Q

TERROR - what was the Cheka’s relationship with the law?

A

They did not enforce the law and they were not bound by it

44
Q

TERROR - what were some of the Cheka’s roles in the civil war?

A
  • helped to requisition grain
  • closed down opposition newspapers
  • imprisoned and tortured people
  • used extreme violence against enemies of communism
  • ran concentration camps
  • stopped private trading
45
Q

TERROR - what happened to the use of terror under the NEP?

A

It was reduced to a much lower level but was still present

46
Q

TERROR - what did the Cheka do in terms of surveillance?

A
  • monitored the press
  • carried out surveillance on ex tsarist officers in the red army
  • supervised the deportation of academics
  • supervise general public opinion
  • intercept mail
  • surveillance reports were sent directly to the central committee
47
Q

TERROR - why did Lenin order political trials in 1922?

A

He was insecure about the future of communism with the failures of the NEP

48
Q

TERROR - what happened in the political trials of 1922?

A

Socialist Revolutionary leaders were put on trial and accused of sabotage and treason. All were found guilty and sentenced to death. They were imprisoned and not executed until the great terror under Stalin

49
Q

TERROR - who did the GPU unofficially target under the NEP?

A
  • it imprisoned those who had become too rich
  • it harassed women dressed in western styles
  • it persecuted young people who listened to jazz music
    It persecuted priests