Lenin's decrees and action to December (4) Flashcards
What did Lenin issue a lot of at the end of 1917?
A large number of decrees.
What period is this sometimes known as?
The “utopian phase” of Bolshevik rule.
What were his main decrees in October 1917? (5)
1) Workers decree- established a maximum 8 hour day.
2) Social insurance decree- Provided old age, health, and unemployment benefits.
3) Press decree- Banned the opposition press.
4) Decree on Peace- Promised an end to war without annexation and indemnities.
5) Decree on land- Abolished private ownership of land and legitimised peasant seizures without compensation to landlords.
What were his main decrees in November 1917? (5)
1) Rights of the people of Russia decree- Abolished titles and class ranks.
2) Nationality- promised self-determination to the peoples of the former Russian Empire.
3) Decree on Workers Control of Factories- Gave workers the right to “supervise management”.
4) Judicial Decree- Established a new legal system of elected people’s courts.
5) Decree to outlaw sex discrimination- gave women equality with men and the right to own property.
What were his main decrees in December 1917? (6)
1) Decree to establish the “All-Russian Commission for the Suppression of Counter-Revolution’ created a secret police force, known as the Cheka.
2) Bank decree- Nationalised banks and ended the private flow of capital.
3) Military decree- Removed class ranks, saluting and military decorations from the army and placed the army under the control of soldiers soviets, which would elect officers.
6) Decrees on the Church- Nationalised Church land, removed marriage, and divorce from Church control and gave women the right to initiate divorce.
What was established in December 1917 to supervise and control economic development?
Veshenka (the Council of the National Economy).
What did Lenin picture about transitioning?
He seemed to envisage a long transition during which the first stage would be a form of “state capitalism”, throughout which there would be a degree of state control over economic affairs but private markets would remain as an important feature of economic life.
How did the Bolsheviks combat opposition in the early months? (5)
1) A propaganda campaigns.
2) Anit-Bolshevik newspapers were closed down.
3) There was a purge of the civil service.
4) The Cheka was established as a secret police body in December.
5) Leading Kadets, right-wing Social Revolutionaries and Mensheviks were rounded up and imprisoned in December.
What did Lenin emphasise about the Bolshevik policies?
They were not simply intended to intimidate enemies but to transform society.
