New Russia Key Topics 1 and 2 Download Flashcards
1
Q
Who were the Bolsheviks?
A
A dedicated group of communist revolutionaries led by Lenin. They believed Russia was ready for revolution.
2
Q
How did the Tsar maintain power?
A
He had a large army and a secret police force called the Okhrana.
3
Q
What impact did WWI have on the military?
A
Large areas of the Russian empire in the west were lost. The German overran all of Russian Poland and Lithuania and most of Latvia.
4
Q
What impact did WWI have on the economy?
A
The war was expensive for Russia, forcing them to print too much money (leading to inflation), the government borrowed huge amounts of money from other countries, therefore falling into debt. Also taxes went up which hit ordinary people hard.
5
Q
What impact did WWI have on society?
A
There was a huge decline in food production and food shortages grew worse.
6
Q
What were the political effects of WWI?
A
In 1915 military defeats and criticism of the government forced the Tsar to allow the Duma to meet again after dissolving them in 1914. The Tsar refused to meet the Duma’s demands and by 1917 the Duma became a centre of opposition to his government.
7
Q
Why did the Tsar’s advisers not want him to become commander in chief in September 1915?
A
He had no practical experience of warfare or of commanding armies in combat.
8
Q
Why was the Tsar becoming commander in chief a mistake?
A
His new role meant he was usually at army headquaters and rarely in the capital so when things started to go wrong in Petrograd, in February 1917, he was not there to take charge. Also the army was poorly trained and poorly led by its generals.
9
Q
What effect did the war have on the Tsar’s rule?
A
It severely weakened it and lost him the respect and support of many. When the revolt of early 1917 came there was nobody ready to come to his assistance.
10
Q
January-February 1917
A
Mass protests in Petrograd
11
Q
What happened on 23/02/2017?
A
International Women’s Day Protests
12
Q
What happened on 27/02/2017?
A
Army mutinies, Duma Committee set up
13
Q
What happened on 02/03/2017?
A
Tsar Nicholas abdicates; Duma Committee establishes Provisional Government
14
Q
What were the triggers for revolt in February 1917?
A
Over the winter of 1916-17, food shortages and unrest among workers caused tensions to increase in the two great cities of Russia: the capital Petrograd and the second city, Moscow.
15
Q
What were the short term triggers for revolt February 1917?
A
The final event, or ‘trigger’, for revolution was International Women’s Day, on 23 February. Shortage of bread was causing hunger and desperation in many families. Bread shortages were made worse by strikes in some city bakeries, and also by peasants holding onto their grain in the hope of getting better prices for it. It was this shortage of food that brought thousands of women out onto the streets of Petrograd. The demonstration combined with short-term causes to spark revolution.
16
Q
Short term causes of revolution Feb 1917
A
The ‘trigger event’ of 23 February 1917 had such a dramatic effect because it accelerated problems that were already occurring. Looking back at the events of that month, we can see that the sequence of events led to the fall of the Tsar: strikes, demonstrations, the Tsar’s absence from the army and mutiny in the army.
17
Q
Features of the strikes in February 1917.
A
During the winter, there had been a number of strikes protesting at the declining living standards of workers. This was nothing new: Russia had a history of industrial protests, which often led to clashes with police and soldiers sent by the government to end the strikes. The difference this time is that the strikes occurred at a time when more people than ever were dissatisfied with the government of the Tsar.
18
Q
When did the Putilov steelworks get involved and what did they do?
A
On 18 February 1917, another strike, demanding higher wages, started in the huge Putilov Steelworks. The mood of the strikers grew even more challenging when the owners of the steelworks declared a lockout. This meant that they recused to let workers into their place of work and stopped paying them.
19
Q
January 1917 Demonstration
A
On 9th January 1917, 150,000 workers had marched in memory of Bloody Sunday (1905) when the Tsar’s soldiers had opened fire on a peaceful demonstration and had killed many.
20
Q
What happened on 14 Feb 1917?
A
Another large demonstration numbering about 80,000 took to the streets on 14 Feb 1917 in support of the Duma and demanding that it influences the Tsar.
21
Q
What announcement on the 19th February made matters worse?
A
The mood on the streets was getting more dangerous as it was on the 19th February that the government announced that bread would soon be rationed.
22
Q
How did the weather act as a cause of the February Revolution by increasing the suffering of the Russian people?
A
The demonstrations also increased in size because there was an unexpected improvement in the weather. The winter of 1916 to 17 had been very cold which had caused a lot of suffering to a civilian population that was already short of food and fuel as a result of the war. January and early February had been particularly cold with heavy snow. Railway traffic had been disrupted and Petrograd began to run out of flour for bread and fuel. .
23
Q
How did a change in the weather act as a trigger for revolution?
A
Then in late February the temperature rose in an unseasonal way. The mild weather encouraged more people to come out onto the streets of Petrograd to protest.
24
Q
What were the number of protesters?
A
Nobody had planned this combination of events - but the large numbers of protesters soon became too much for the police to control. Over the course of two days (23 to 25 Feb) the size of the crowds rose to about 240,000 and there were clashes with the mounted police.
25
How did the Tsar's absence from Petrograd contribute towards the February Revolution?
The Tsar's government was beginning to lose control of the capital city but the Tsar was miles away. Ever since he had taken over command of the military, he had spent most of his time at army headquarters. This was at Mogilev, which was around 780km away from Petrograd.
26
What did the Tsar do on 22 February?
Unaware of the crisis that was building in Petrograd, Tsar Nicholas II left the city on February 22nd to go to Mogilev. It was there that he finally received reports that the crowds were taking over the streets in his capital city.
27
What did the Tsar issue at Mogilev?
From Mogilev, the Tsar issued orders to his police and army in Petrograd that the unrest in the city was to be stopped immediately. It was the evening of 25 February and although the Tsar did not know it, this order was about to cost him his throne.
28
When did mutiny in the army become a cause of the February Revolution?
On the afternoon of 26 Feb, soldiers opened fire on protesters and killed 40 of them. This caused soldiers in other regiments to begin questioning their orders. That evening, some soldiers of the Pavlovsky Guards Regiment refused to obey commands from their officers.
29
What did the regiment do on 27 February?
The mutiny of the army was quickly put down, but on the next day things suddenly spiralled out of control. On 27th February, the same regiment that had shot the 40 demonstrators decided that it would no longer obey orders to use force against the crowds.
30
What did other regiments do?
Other regiments soon joined them. They refused to obey orders, and began to give weapons to the crowds on the streets. Many of the soldiers involved were young conscripts, who had recently been called up to join the army, along with more experienced soldiers who were due to be sent back to the front and who were tired of the war.
31
What did the polce do?
Faced with the crowds of demonstrators on the streets, the police stopped trying to keep order. Worse than this, other soldiers sent into the city from the Petrograd garrison were refusing to fire on the crowd too, and were beginning to mix with the demonstrators.
32
What happened by the evening of 28 February?
By the evening of 28 Feb, the military commander of Petrograd reported to the Tsar, by telegraph, that revolutionary crowds were taking over all of the railway stations in the city and had seized all artillery supplies to the garrison. He couldn't use the telephone as control of the telephone exchange (from which land-lines were run) had been lost to the crowds. At this stage, the commander had few soldiers left who would obey the soldiers given to them by their officers.
33
What were the Duma's actions?
As things began to fall apart in Petrograd, the members of the duma sent a petition to the Tsar. This asked him to create a cabinet that reflected the different parties represented in the Duma. It also asked him to let the Duma stay in session, as its time of meeting was about to come to an end. Despite all the problems that he was facing, the Tsar refused both of these requests. The Duma had thrown him a life line, but he had refused to take hold of it.
34
What about the Kadet Party?
One group of Duma members refused to stop meeting; these were members of the Kadet Party and other liberals who hoped to reform Russia. They formed a group called the Duma Committee. Faced with this, the ministers of the Tsar's government held one last meeting which decided nothing and then many of them left Petrograd.
35
Military commanders withdraw support for the Tsar
Although the Tsar seemed incapable of decisive action, there were those in the Army High Command who knew that something had to be done in response to the chaos in Petrograd. They had two options.
36
What were the 2 options?
Option one was a military solution: send in more soldiers and hope they could crush the growing revolt. Option two was a political solution: try to do a deal with the members of the duma and hope that they could put a stop to the disorder.
37
Which option was picked?
Since they feared that soldiers could no longer be trusted, they decided on option two.
38
How did the abdication of the Tsar occur?
Tsar Nicholas II was on his way back to Petrograd from Mogilev when he learned that the route to the city was blocked by mutinous troops. Instead, he was diverted to the city of Pskov, where he was met by high ranking army officers and members of the duma. They suggested that, in order to save Russia, the Tsar should abdicate. There was a short discussion and the Tsar agreed. It was an astonishing anti-climax, and reveals how rapidly power had slipped out of the Tsar's hands.
39
What happened to the Russian monarchy?
At first Nicholas considered handing over power to his son, the Tsarevich Alexsei. Due to Alexei being a haemophiliac (rare blood disorder), Nicholas instead offered to hand over power to his own brother, Grand Duke Michael. He declined and Russia became a republic. Hundreds of years of Tsarist rule had collapsed in a matter of days. This had not been planned by those who had persuaded the Tsar to abdicate. As with so much in the February Revolution, things just ran out of control and in directions that few could have predicted.
40
What did the Duma do?
The members of the duma formed themselves into a Provisional Government, which would govern Russia until a general election had taken place and a new government could be formed.
41
What was the goal of the general election?
Once this election had been held, the people's representatives, forming a "Constituent Assembly" would then decide what kind of government Russia should have.
42
Finally, what happened to the Tsar in February?
The Tsar was finally sent to join his family outside Petrograd while the Provisional Government decided what to do with him.
43
The role of the revolutionary parties in the February Revolution
The surprising thing about the February Revolution is that it owed little to the revolutionary political groups, were caught by surprise by the sudden collapse of the rule of the Tsar. It was a revolution made on the streets, and the revolutionary parties had to run to catch up. Some of the leaders were in prison, some were in exile in Siberia, others in exile abroad. From his exile in Switzerland, Lenin could only follow the events back in Russia in the newspapers - with increasing frustration.
44
Petrograd and revolutionary parties in February
In Petrograd, it was only as things started to get out of control that some members of the revolutionary political groups helped organise protests - encouraging demonstrators and soldiers to rise up against the government of the Tsar and overthrow it.
45
Why was the Provisional Government set up?
After the Tsar had abdicated, the Pro Go acted as a temporary form of goverment until the next Constiuent Assembly.
46
What were the Pro Go's first acts?
Release political and religous prisoners, promise full democratic elections, take over land belonging to the Tsar.
47
Why did the Pro Go carry on the war?
They needed the support of their western allies and they should fight on to achieve victory.
48
What was the ''dual control"
When there were in fact two goverment in Russia the Pro Go and the Petrograd Soviet where they competed for power and stay in control.
49
How did the Petrograd Soviet interfere with the Pro Go.
The Petrograd controlled the railway system postal and telegraph services. These were key areas out of the PG's control. Also through order number 1 which prevented full military control.
50
What was order number 1?
It is said that the army and the navy would only obey orders from the PG if the Petrograde Soviet approved.
51
Who was Kerensky?
Kerensky was in charge of the PG (along with Prince Lvov) until it was overthrown by the Bolsheviks.
52
What problems did the PG face?
They lacked legitmacy, the war crippled the economy and the dual power undermined their authority, failure to hold an election led to distrust.
53
How did order number one affect the PG ability to govern?
It meant that they could not impose their own rule or law without acceptance from the Petrograd Soviet and that they would have final say on all military matters.
54
What was the June offensive?
This was a huge failure for the PG and a failure for kKrensky and blow to Russian morale where there were over 200,000 Russian casualities and the Russian army driven backwards by the German forces.
55
What was the Kornilov revolt?
A point were Kornilov attempted to sieze power by invading Petrograd with brute force to restore discipline by destroying the Petrograd Soviet.
56
What were the efects of the Kornilov revolt?
Inceased popularity and influence of the Bolsheviks and people saw the Red Guard as protecting the revolution. Kerensky panicked and gave the Red Guard guns, Kerensky also released some important Bolshevik prisoners. Finally, many unhappy soldiers joined the Bolsheviks. The revolt and Kerensky's reaction had given the Bolsheviks an army.
57
Why did the Kornilov Revolt fail?
Soliders were persuaded to desert and were no longer following orders, Petrograd workers defended the Petrograd Soviet. Railway workers disrupted the trains carrying soldiers to prevent Kornilov reaching the city.
58
What were the July days?
It was a protest againest the PG due to the June Offensive. On 3rd July, army units refusing to go to the front, supported by Petrograd factory workers and Kronstadt sailors marched on the Tauride Palace and demanded that the Petrograd Soviet take charge.
59
What was the Duma committee?
Tsar had ordered the duma to cease meeting and not re assemble until April. However, they ignored him and formed the Duma committee to work for political change and had formally established the PG after the abdication.
60
What is a soviet?
A committee of elected members representing workers, soldiers and peasants. They took charge of barracks, factories and farms.
61
How did the formation of soviets interfere with the PG?
Across the city, factory workers and mutinous army and naval untis elected reps to the new petrograd soviet and was becoming choatic.As the PG and petrograd
62
How did the petrograd soviet spread its ideas?
They had their own newspaper to do this called the "Izvestya"
63
When did Kerensky become in charge of the PG?
In 1917 after the failure of the June offensive in place of Prince Lvov.
64
What were the consequences of failing to hold an election?
Allowed to people to say that the PG lacked popular support and made it seem so they wanted to hold onto power creating distrust.
65
How did the PG fail to meet the peasants demands?
All the peasants wanted was more land and the PG failing to do so led to peasants siezing land by force and resented soldier sent by the PG to stop them. This also happened in July, 1917 and thousands of landowners were attacked and killed as peasants seized land across Russia.
66
Why did the PG not want to give land?
1. It should wait for after a general election to make huge changes. 2. If land was redistributed soldiers would return from the front lines to get some. 3. The PG was afraid of Russia falling apart in violence and disorder.
67
Who was General Kornilov and what were his aims?
Kornilov had been made commander in chief with orders to restore discipline. He wanted to create a strong government and deafeat the revolutionary Petrograd Soviet.
68
What excuse did the Bolsheviks mention when seizing power from the PG?
When they seized power from the Provisional government in October 1917, they calimed they were doing so on behalf of the workers, peasant and soldiers of Russia.
69
Why did they condemn the Provisional Government?
For failing to reform Russia and take them out of war, which the bolsheviks were determined to do to show the people that they were capable of bringng these changes.
70
What was the Decree on Peace, November 1917?
The first decree passed by the All-Russian Congress of Soviets after the Bolsheviks had seized power.
71
What was the aim of the Decree on Peace?
It as called for all countries involved in the war to immediately begin peace negotiations and to create peace "without annextion and indemnities" (no country's land to be seized by another or punish each other with huge fines).
72
Did the Decree on Peace increase support for the Bolsheviks?
Yes
73
What did the Bolsheviks hope that the decree on peace would do?
It might encourage German soldiers to begin their own Bolshevik style revolution and pread it across the country
74
Was the bolsheviks hope a success?
No, it did not happen
75
What was the Decree on Land, November 1917?
Distributing the land of ealthy landowners to the peasants.
76
How did the decree on land benefit the peasants?
Many peasants had this land already - but the decree gave this the force of law and indicated that the new Bolshevik government approved of the land seizures.
77
What did the Bolsheviks fail to do before the decree of land was passed?
Land distribution, which lost them a lot of peasant support
78
What further action did the Bolsheviks do?
They nationalised church land on December and at the same time, many Russian churches were shut or damaged.
79
What was the Decree on Workers rights?
It was done to improve the lives of workers in towns or cities.
80
What was the Decree on Work?
eight hour working day, 48 hour week: to give workers less demanding hours
81
What was the decree on unemployment?
Brought unemployment insurance - to support workers who are injured, ill or unemployed
82
What was the decree on workers control?
Allowed workers committees to run their own factories
83
What was the Decree on nationalities, December 1917?
Promised all the different peoples of the old tsarist Russian Empire that they would have their own government. Russian rule/ language would not be forced on them
84
Why was the decree on nationalities introduced and what benefit did it give?
To stop the different nations breaking away and becomming inedependant. It seemed as though it would give the groups more right but it only made them more tightly controllled under bolshevik rule
85
What was the soviets response to the decrees?
The Bolsheviks gained increased support from across the sovet system. It seemed that a new kind of Russia was emerging- one in which those who were unhappy with "old Russia" would finally find things changing in ways that benefitted them.
86
Why were the Bolsheviks reluctant to organise elections?
They did not intend to set up a parliamentary democracy and their real intention was to work through the soviets that they controlled.
87
Why did lenin agree to put up election?
There were great expectations that a general election should be held
88
How many people voted?
41.7 million people
89
What were the reults like to the Bolsheviks?
It was a dissapointment as they only won 168 seats but the Socialist Revolutionaries gained 370.
90
What were the consequences of the elections?
Some SRs (the lefs SRs) actually supported the Bolsheviks but nevertheless, the Bolsheviks list majority.
91
What happened to the remaining votes?
They were split between other parties such as Mansheviks and the Kadets. Those elected were expected to sit in a new parliamentary body called the Constituent Assembly.
92
When the Constituent Assembly first meet?
In January 1918
93
Why and how was the assembly broken?
The Bosheviks had no intention of giving up the power by letting the assembly go on so it was broken up by the Bolsheviks and the Red Guards fom the Baltic Fleet at Kronstadt.
94
What did lenins governments (sovarkom) include?
It included the left Soviet Revolutionaries (SR) and Bolsheviks.
95
When did the alliance break down?
The alliance lasted until March 1917 and broke down when left SRs refused to acept the Bolshevik decision to sign Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany, in order to get Russia out of war
96
What happened after Tsar Nicholas II was abdicated?
He and his family were cosely guarded and were moved of Petrograd to prevent any rescue attempts
97
Where were the Tsar and his family taken to?
Finally, they were taken to the Zapetiv House in Yekaterinburg in the Ural mountains.
98
How was the Tsar betrayed by his alliances?
He hoped he and his family would be allowed to leave Russia but Neither France or Britain allowed him. France saw him as an embarassment and as someone who "ruled as an autocrat"
99
What did the Bolsheviks do with the Tsar at first?
After the Bolsheviks overthrew the PG, they became in complete control of the Tsar and the local Ural soviets became in charge in guarding them.
100
what did the Bolsheviks fear when Civil War broke out 1918?
They feared that one of the anti-Bolshevik armies advancing through Ural area might free the Tsar
101
What did the Bolsheviks finally decide to do to the Tsar?
They murdered the Tsar and his family on the orders of Lenins government in Moscow.
102
Who was given the job of negotiating the end of fighting in the war?
To Trotsky as Commissor for war. The Bolsheviks promised to end Russia's involvement with the war.
103
What troubles did Trotsky face?
Germans kept advancing, and Petrograd seemed in danger of being captured. The capital was moved to Moscow.
104
What were Lenins colleagues opinion of the war?
The so called "left Communists" wanted to continue the war but Lenin persuaded his colleagues to agree to German terms.
105
What were the consequences of agreeing to the German terms?
Left SRs walked out in protest so it only left the Bolsheviks.
106
When was Brest- Litovsk signed?
On March 1918.
107
What ere the main outcomes of the treaty?
Russia lost all its western lands, Russia lost 62 million people/26 percent of its population, Russia lost 27percent of farmland/26percent of railways/74percent iron and coal and Rusia had to pay Germany 300 million gold roubles.
108
What were the main reasons for Brest-Litovsk?
They needed a breathing space - a chance to get their rule organised without being overwhelmed by the military and economic problems caused by continuing to fight the war.
109
What were the reactions to the treaty in Russia?
The left SRs assassinated German ambasador in hope of starting war again.
110
What were the positive effects of the treaty?
- It saved the Bolshevik government- they couldn't continue with the war - soldiers were relieved that the fighting seemed to be over.
111
What were the negative effects of the treaty?
- It was a crushing blow to Russia and encouraged the Bolsheviks' enemies to try and overthrow their government and restore Russian greatness
112
Who did the Reds in the Civil War consist of?
The Reds consisted of the Bolsheviks
113
Who did the Whites in the Civil War consist of?
The Whites consisted of the Russian Nationalists and monarchists
114
Who did the Greens in the Civil War consist of?
The Greens consisted of armed peasants and anarchists who used to fight for the Reds and the Whites
115
Define Monarchists
Monarchists are those who believe the country should be run by a king or queen
116
Why were nationalists and conservatives determined to overthrow the Bolsheviks?
They were opposed to the Bolsheviks sighning the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and opposed their plans for social change and workers' influence as well as peasant siezure of land from landlords
117
What was the main fear of middle-class Russians?
They feared losing their wealth and influence
118
Why did left-wing groups like the Mensheviks resent the Bolsheviks?
They resented them because the Bolsheviks abolished the Constituent Assembly
119
What was the Czech Legion?
The Czech Legion was about 40,000 Czech soldiers from the Austrian Hungarian army who were captured in WW1.
120
What did the Czech Legion do?
The Czech Legion switched sides to fight with the Russians in the hopes of becoming a independent state
121
What did the Bolsheviks try and do to the Czechs?
The Bolsheviks tried to take their weapons away as they did not trust them.
122
What happened when the Czechs fought back against the Bolsheviks?
The Czechs now controlled the Trans-Siberian Railway and many other non Bolsheviks joined them
123
Where were the three main White armies?
The Ural mountains and Siberia, southern Russia and Estonia
124
What happened to the White army in the Ural mountains and Siberia?
The army had some successes against the Reds but in the summer of 1919 a counter attack broke its power
125
What happened to the White army in southern Russia?
The army was very succesful as it had advanced within 240km within Moscow. However the Reds fought it off and the General Denikin resigned
126
What happened to the White army in Estonia?
The army was veery close to capturing Petrograd but was defeated in October 1919 by the Red Army which was led by Trotsky
127
Which countries were successful in breaking away from Russia?
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
128
What was the Red Army presented as?
The Red Army became noted for its discipline and its unity. The leader Trotsky was also shown as effective
129
What things did the Red Army control and how did this help them?
They controlled most of Russias industry as well as all the railways connected to Moscow. This allowed them to produce and move weapons
130
How did the Reds use propaganda to win supporters?
They presented themselves as the only force that would improve the lives of regular Russians
131
Which group spread the Reds' propaganda?
A group called Agitpprop spread the messages through films, plays and posters
132
How did the Reds manipulate their enemies to ensure they were not fighting all of them at the same time?
They made and broke alliances with the Greens and the anarchists
133
What were the strengths of the Bolsheviks?
They controlled central Russia, They formed their own powerful fighting force (Red Army) and the Trotsky as the leader
134
What was Trotsky like as commander of the Red Army?
Trotsky organised the mass organisation of workers and peasants in 1918. He had a lot of energy and enthusiasm
135
How did Trotsky improve the effectiveness of the Red Army?
Trotsky employed ex-Tsarist officers and made sure of their loyalty by holding their families hostage
136
How did Trotsky introduce discipline in the Red Army?
Trotsky made sure that all deserters were shot and if any unit retreated one in ten men were shot (decimated). He also introduced education
137
What were the weaknesses of the Whites?
They were geographically too spread out, they cntrolled few insdustrial areas, they were outnumbered, there was no one leader and they had no plan for Russia
138
Why did the Whites receive foreign help?
The Whites were helped by western countries who encouraged the Whites and tried to prevent donated weapons and ammo from getting into Bolshevik hands
139
What were the effects of the civil war?
It made the Bolsheviks sure that their view of the world was right, and they now relied more on force and terror to gain control, Cheka members were now in every Red controlled area and they shot anyone who was considered a enemy. It made the Bolsheviks more organised
140
What were the negative effects of the war?
It exhausted Russian, the economy was bad, there were protests due to the brutal behaviour of the Bolsheviks
141
What did the Bolsheviks do soon after taking power?
They restricted freedom to secure control and shut down any opposition
142
Who did the Bolsheviks ban in December 1917?
The Kadet party. They also arrested their leaders
143
What other opposition did the Bolsheviks shut down from 1918?
The SRs and Mensheviks were arrested; anarchists were arrested in 1919 and in 1921, other political parties were banned
144
When was the Cheka set up?
It was Decmber 1917
145
What did the Cheka do?
They executed people regarded as enemies of the revolution and were responsible for running political prisons which later became prisons and labour camps (Gulags)
146
When and what is "The Socialist Fatherland is in Danger" decree?
February 1918 - the decree allowed the Bolsheviks to force anyone into forced labour and were allowed to shoot anyone who resisted
147
What is the Red Terror and when did it occur?
The Red Terror was a time of arrests and executions between September 1918 and February 1919
148
How many people died during this period?
Between 50,000 and 140,000
149
Why did the Red Terror occur?
Opposition was growing to the new government and the Civil War was starting. Lenin was also reacting to an assassination attempt by Fanya Kaplan (SR) in August 1918
150
What happened after the Red Terror?
Executions and arrests still occured and thus accompanied the setting up a dictatorship
151
When and what is the Kronstadt Mutiny?
March 1921 - sailors from the naval base at Kronstadt mutinied against the brutal ruel of the Bolsheviks. They saw it as a response to "War Communism"
152
Was this a shock to Lenin?
Yes - the sailors helped create the revolution in 1917
153
What did the sailors demand from Lenin?
New elections to soviets by secret ballot, freedom of speech and freedom of press for all left-wing socialist parties, free trade-unions and peasant organisations, an end to commissars in the navy and army, an end to grain requisition squads seizing grain from peasants and government restrictions on trade to be lifted
154
How did Lenin react?
Lenin called the sailors "Whites" and "counter-revolutionaries" which wasn't true
155
What was the sailor's real intentions?
They wanted to discuss changes and not overthrow the revolution
156
What was the outcome of the mutiny?
The Red Army crushed them under the command of Trotsky while also being accompanied by the Cheka
157
Did the sailors survive?
Mainly no. Most were killed when fought back and some fled to Finland and the sailors that were captured were sent to concentration camps
158
How did the Bolsheviks centralise power?
The Bolsheviks officially changed their name to " Russian Communist Party (of Bolsheviks)"
159
What did the Bolsheviks believe?
They believed that their policies were building a socialist state and that Russia would be the first fully communsist country in the world but they became a brutal dictatorship instead
160
What was the role of Lenin?
Lenin played a major role in organising the government. He was the leading member of the Communsit Party and the chairman of the Council of People's Commissars (Sovnarkom) and was able to unite the party and government. He was able to keep political rivals under control and out of power
161
What did the Bolsheviks claim after their successful revolution?
They claimed that they were doing it on behalf of the soviets and especially the All-Russian Congress of Soviets which was meeting in Petrograd as they seized power
162
What was the reality?
Power was held by the Communist Party (Bolsheviks)
163
What was 'State Capitalism'?
The communists nationalised the biggest industries - along with banks and railways - and gave them targets for what they should be achieving. Middle class managers and technicians were allowed to stay on in their old jobs to make sure the newly nationalised businesses were run efficiently.
164
Why was 'War Communism' introduced?
When the economy continued to fall apart, a new and tougher approach was adopted - this would later be described as 'War Communism'.
165
What was the main reason for the implementation of 'War Communism'?
Russia was drifiting into Civil War; and if the communists did not get control of the industry and the food supply, they would lose. Workers had to carry on producing goods - and the Red Army needed food.
166
How did the government end all links to capitalism?
They abolished money, the free market and getting rid of social classes - though the distinction between workers and peasants would remain.
167
How did the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk affect grain production?
Russia lost important grain-producing areas in Ukraine because of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Other agricultural areas were controlled by White armies. Less and less food was reaching the cities. Consequently, the population in the cities collapsed as thousands went to live with their relatives in the countryside, where it was easier to get hold of food.
168
What was labour conscription and its consequences?
People were forced to work as directed by the government. There was strict discipline for workers and this meant that workers' rights were reduced. Strikes became illegal and strikers could be shot. Trade unions were taken over by the Communist Party.
169
What effect did free public transport have on workers?
They could get to work more easily.
170
What were the consequences of food rationing?
How much people recieved depended on what job they did. People in jobs that were central to winning the war had the best rations.
171
What was the result of housing redistribution?
Living space became more equal, and the government had more control over it. Communist Party officials decided who would get a home. These were often spaces in a barracks or a shared flat.
172
Why were the Cheka sent to the countryside to requistion?
After the governenment announced that a fixed price would be paid for grain to keep costs down, this angered the peasants who didnt want to sell at the lower price, so they hung onto their grain and waited for the price to improve. The Cheka, and groups of workers, were sent to the countryside to requisition grain from the peasants. Peasants thought to be hoarding grain were shot.
173
What were the effects of industries becoming nationalised?
There was an increase of government control and workers' factory committees were abolished. Bourgeois specialists' were employed as managers. They did not have to be communists as long as they followed governement order.
174
What substititued money after its abolishment?
The government paid people in kind however money continued to be used in areas that the communist did not fully control. In places like these, inflation ran out of control and prices leapt up.
175
Why had 'War Communism' failed?
By 1921, Russia was facing ecomomic collapse: Peasants were destroying their crops, rather than see them being seized by the communists. There were widespread shortages of food and consumer goods and in many country areas there was famine.
176
What political crisis did 'War Communism' lead to?
In Tambov Province there was a huge peasant uprising from 1920-1921.
177
Why were the Communist Party shocked by the Kronstadt Mutiny?
The Kronstadt naval base had guarded Petrograd and its sailors fought in the February Revolution, the July Days and the October Revolution so it was a shock, therefore, to senior Bolsheviks when the Kronstadt sailors rebelled against the soviet government.
178
What were factory workers particularly unhappy about?
They felt the Communist Party did not represent them or take into consideration the falling living standard so these factory workers organised protests and strikes. In response the Communist Party arrested protestors but also increased food rations, to try to stop further protests.
179
What was the purpose of the New Economic Policy?
The New Economic Policy worked to reverse the socialist features War Communism introduced and resolve the economic disasters it brought.
180
What were the main reasons for the implementation of NEP?
1) the disastrous economic consequences of War Communism. 2) the political opposition caused by War Communism.
181
How did the NEP reverse things financially?
The free market was reintroduced so now peasants could sell their produce and decide what price to sell at it. Money was also reintroduced so workers were paid wages again. And the state stopped requisitoning grain and other crops from the peasants so peasants paid tax on what they sold.
182
What were the economic effects of NEP?
Agricultural production increased as peasants began to produce more. Industrial growth increased but more slowly.
183
What was 'scissors crisis'?
It was when the shortage of industrial products kept them expensive while food became cheaper. It meant peasants stopped producing so much food, leading to fears of famine. The government cut prices for industrial products.
184
Who reacted positively to NEP?
It was popular with peasants and traders as they preferred the freedom to sell what they wanted rather than see the state requisition almost everything they produced.
185
Who reacted negatively to NEP?
Many Communist Party members did not like NEP as it was a backwards step that seemed to bring capitalism back to the USSR. It also gave the peasants what they wanted at the expense of the workers.
186
What impact did Bolshevik policies have on women?
1917: Women declared equal to men. 'Post-card divorces' made divorce easier. Non-religious marriage introduced. 1919: Zhenotdel, a women's organisation was set up to increase freedom, equality and influence of women. 1920: Abortion made legal. Women's literacy increased with Civil War literacy campaigns.
187
How did the Communist Party use propaganda to their advantage?
The Agritrop was the Agitation and Propaganda Section of the Central Committee Secretariat of the Communist Party: the party's propaganda wing. It used art, literature, film and music to promote communist ideas and portray the USSR's communist future.
188
How did literacy rates increase?
There was a major literacy drive in the Red Army and peasants were encouraged to learn to read and write. By 1926, about 58% of the population was literate, a big increase from before the revolution.
