Lenins Russia Flashcards
What were the early decrees of the Bolsheviks?
Decree on Peace - guaranteed immediate end to the war and a peace without ‘annexation and indemnities’
Decree on land - abolished private ownership, legitimised ‘land grabbing’; no compensation for landowners as land belonged to the people. Recognising peasant ownership was a contradictory but pragmatic move - reduced peasant support for SRs
Decree on Workers - promised 8-hour working day and social insurance schemes; workers take over of factories was legitimised.
Decree on Army - class ranks removed from army; officers elected by soviet - needed support of the army to establish control, by end of 1917 Bolsheviks had all major towns but countryside still outside of their control
Self determination - promised self determination to previous Russian States, encouraged separatist movement of Finland - tried to win support of the people
Legal decree - old legal system abolished - system of elected peoples courts; new government outlawed sexual discrimination, gave women right to own property
Decrees on Church - nationalised church land and removing marriage and divorce from control of church
Nationalised banks - ended flow of private capital
How did Lenin consolidate his new state?
Eradication of newly formed constituent assembly
New government -Sovnarkov (completely Bolshevik), assumed power as party in Congress of Soviets ((Mensheviks, and right wing SRs walked out)
Fear - Red terror and Cheka (threatened state bank to hand over reserves)
Implementation of Soviets in All Russian cities
Early Decrees
Suppression of opposition
Brest-Litvosk Treaty
How did the Bolsheviks suppress opposition?
Anti-Bolshevik newspapers shut down
Propaganda campaign against political enemies
Class system abolished
Non-loyal bureaucrats were purged
Allowed some left wing SRs to join Sovnarkom - railway and communications worker went on strike.
Cheka established - imprisoned leading Kadets, Mensheviks and right wing SRs
Shut down constituent assembly (majority SRs) by force
What was the impact of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty.
Trotsky negotiated terms
Russia lost a sixth of its population, one third of agricultural produce, 26% of its railway lines, 74% of iron ore and coal supplies.
Anger united Russians across the class divide; cause further splits in the party.
What was War Communism?
A reaction to wartime conditions justified in ideological terms.
Industry bought under state control, internal passports introduced to stop workers migrating to countryside
Grain was requisitioned - violence used where necessary, peasants hid grain, led to famine
Rationing introduced which reflected Bolshevik priorities
Why did civil war break out?
Country divided after October revolution
Brest-Litovsk treaty - further anger
Former tsarist officers, moderate liberals, Kadets, left and right wing SRs, landowners and anarchists were all opposed to Bolshevik government.
Peasants unsure of Bolsheviks, wanted to assert ownership of land and protect it
Why did the Whites lose the Civil War?
Armies were geographically divided Differing motives - no clear aim, lack of trust (peasants didn't trust nobles) Lack of commitment and conscription Foreign intervention - lost support Politically diverse
Why did the Reds win the Civil war?
Controlled Russian heartland - access to industry, railways and high conscription rates
Trotsky - propaganda against whites, increased effectiveness of army, armoured train
Control of the railway
What was NEP?
New Economic programme (1921)
Reinstated a money economy; intended to create interaction between town and countryside
Private enterprise restored in factories
Grain requisitioning abolished - replaced with a gradual tax, surplus grain could be sold for profit
Private profit made legal
Retreat away from communism - mixed economy
WHat was the impact of war communism?
Famine - peasant violence
Industrial output had fallen to 20% of its prewar level
Food prices escalated
Peasants farming less (grain requisitioning)
Kronstadt rebellion (demanded free elections, free speech, freedom of press, ending of one party rule). Lenin ordered an assault - Red terror and Cheka. 10000 left dead. Rebels sent to prison camps.
Bolshevik heartland uprising against Lenin - led to NEP
What was the reaction to NEP?
Caused unrest
New class - NEPmen, who made a profit selling surplus grain
Trotsky opposed it - exploited peasants
Scissors crisis - industry takes longer to recover than agriculture, peasants may lose incentive to produce - can’t buy anything - but eventually scissors begin to close as industry recovers
What was Bolshevik foreign policy?
Wanted to spread communism around Europe p, set up a committee in Moscow - little success, Western powers resisted
Accepted peaceful coexistence with western powers, made trading links with Germany - developed trade relationships, cooperate secretly, cancelled debts (treaty of rapallo)
Gradually obtained diplomatic recognition (first with Britain in 1924)
Wanted to keep capitalist countries divided to stop them uniting against Russia
How did the Bolsheviks rely on terror and coercion?
Cheka - root out political enemies, established a prison in Moscow, exiled enemies to Siberia
Dzerzhinsky was head of Cheka - ruthless
Most provinces had own branch of Cheka
After attempted assassination of Lenin, red terror extended throughout country, SRs and Mesheviks branded traitors and shot
Sovnarkom gave permission for the Cheka to find, question, arrest and destroy the families of any suspected traitors
Confessions obtained under torture
Terror was hard to control - Cheka acted of their own free will
Class enemies shot and discriminated against
Cheka enforced grain requisitioning and showed no mercy, executed kulaks and sent them to labour camps
Censorship of press was increased
Coercion seemed more important than democracy
Independence movements denounced counter-revolutionary - demands crushed
