Lenin's return and his April thesis Flashcards
how did Lenin’s attitudes towards the PG and other socialist groups differ from other leading Bolsheviks
rejected Kamenev’s view completely that the country was experiencing a ‘bourgeois revolution’
upon Lenin’s arrival, what did he insist about the Bolsheviks and what did he call for
- Bolsheviks should launch a bid for power within a matter of months
- Lenin called for the outright opposition to the PG and dismissed the idea of collaboration with the Mensheviks
- he had a willingness to disregard the Marxist theory
how did Lenin win the argument within the Bolshevik party
- much to the force of his personality
- due to the support from new entrants into the Bolshevik party, new bolsheviks were radical in outlook and mostly working class in origin and so preferred Lenin
by how much did Bolshevik membership increase between February and April
rose from 25,000 in the February revolution to 75,000 in April
how did Lenin aim to attract more support
through a series of policies designed to exploit the frustrations within the army, the peasantry and the industrial working class
what were the main three elements of Lenin’s April thesis
- all power to the soviets
- all land to the peasantry
- peace
what was the basis of ‘all power to the soviets’
Lenin believed that the soviets should become the basis of government in post-revolutionary Russia
how was ‘all power to the soviets’ tactical thinking
- demand for soviet power appealed to the workers and soldiers who elected the Petrograd Soviet
- Lenin knew that the Bolsheviks had no real chance of winning a majority in nation-wide free elections, but the Petrograd and other soviets methods of election offered the bolsheviks the opportunity of winning control within a short space of time
what was the basis of ‘all land to the peasantry’ and why were the peasants hungry for land
- population explosion in late 19th century
- only 1/3 of Russia’s arable land was transferred to the peasantry (land settlement) while the remainder remained in the hands of the church, nobility and the state
what was the population increase between 1861-1917
by 180%
why did the PG refuse to sanction land seizures and how did this differ from the Bolsheviks
- PG believed that land reform was a matter for the constituent assembly
- Bolsheviks encouraged land seizures with their policy of ‘all land to the peasantry’
how did the policy of ‘all land to the peasantry’ help the Bolsheviks
helped them win support in Petrograd as the soldiers of the Petrograd Garrison were mostly of peasant origin and Petrograd factory workers retained close links with their home villages
what was the basis of ‘peace’
- Lenin called for separate peace, negotiated directly with the central powers without the involvement of Russia’s allies
- Lenin aligned the Bolsheviks with the trend of opinions in Petrograd
why did Lenin include ‘peace’ in his thesis
- strong current in 1917 Russia was the desire for peace
- anti-war feeling was strong in Petrograd which was badly hit by inflation
- peace was strong at the front lines with the soldiers wanting peace to go home and take land
- although ‘revolutionary defencism’ gave hope to the civilians, the other European powers were in no hurry to negotiate