lenin's rule Flashcards
How and when was tsar nicky dos overthrown
March 1917
By the provisional government draw from members of the Duma (parliament)
Who overthrew the Provisional Government?
Lenin and his political party the Bolsheviks
What would communism in Russia mean?
- abolition of private property
- government control of agriculture and industry
- a one-party dictatorship
How did Lenin hold onto power after taking over the country?
- allowed peasants to take over private land
- abolished the Assembly (parliament), thus democracy
- set up the Cheka (sp) to arrest those thought opposed to Lenin + bolsheviks(now communists)
- took Russia out of WW1 by making peace with Germany (treaty of brest-litovsk)
What years was the Russian civil war
1818-21
What did Lenin focus on with reds vs what did Trotsky focus on?
Lenin: economic + political problems
Trotsky: military
What was the 1918-21 civil war?
The whites opposed Lenin etc.
Examples of groups part of the whites
- social revolutionaries
- former tsarists who wanted tsar restored
- supporters of provisional government
- landlords
- industrialists
- national minorities (e.g. Cossacks) who wanted independence from Russia
- helped by allied powers as wanted Russia to keep fighting in WW1
Problem with the white army
WASNT really united as made up of different groups with different aims
What did the red army control at beginning of war
Only centre of Russia - included main cities Moscow + Petrograd (sp), main industrial areas, best farming land
Who was the red army attacked by and where from during civil war
How’d they fare?
All sides by white armies, but defeated each in turn
Specifics: east by Siberian army of general kolchak - def feb 1920
- south by general deniken (from crimea Ukraine etc) - come within 200 miles of Moscow but defeated in apr 1920
- north west by general yudenich (from Baltic states) - reached suburbs of Petrograd in 1919, but defeated bc stubbornness (Trotsky presence)
Allied intervention in civil war (1918-21)
When bolsheviks (comms) pulled Russia out of WWI allied troops landed in north, south, and east - wanted to bring Russia back into war, but ended in nov 1918 so no longer interested and gradually withdrew help
What was the Russian civil war complicated by?
The Russo-polish war, 1920-21
Pilsudki (polish leader) took advantage of chaos in Russia - poles defeated reds just east of city in BATTLE OF WARSAW
poles then danced into Russia but peace talks soon started, concluded in MARCH 1921 with TREATY OF RIGA (in this Poland gained lots of territory from Russia)
Final battle before victorious reds
Wrangel took over denikin in south, early success but defeated by large red forces, retreated to the Crimea - TURKEY!? (150,000 civs!) in 1920
What did Russia lose in Brest-litovsk
25% land 26% pop 33% farming land 80% coalmines 33% manufacturing industry
