Opposition (Nature of Goverment)

Question 1

Which political parties weren’t a threat during tsarist rule in Russia and why?

Answer 1

Liberalists, Kadets and Octobrists all didn’t challenge the tsar, with the Kadets and Octobrists supporting the October Manifesto.

Question 2

What happened to the Narodniks/Populists during tsarist rule?

Answer 2

They were unsuccessful and broke down into the Socialist Revolutionaries (SRs) split into the left (violent workers) and the right (peasants)

Question 3

What happened to the Social Democrats (SDs) in 1905? Did they find success in overthrowing the tsar?

Answer 3

Split into the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks. Bothe were absent from the February Revolution that overthrew the tsar therefore find no success under the tsars,

Question 4

How were the Petrograd Soviet opposition to the Provisional Government?

Answer 4

Elected unlike the Provisional Government, therefore more legitimate.

Had military power e.g. Soviet Order No.1.

Political power as they could block Provisional Government laws.

Question 5

Did the Bolsheviks find success in opposing the Provisional Government? Why?

Answer 5

Yes, overthrowing the Provisional Government in the 1917 October Revolution.

The Bolsheviks were able to gain more support due to the Provisional Government relaxing use of repression. They relaxed censorship, allowing the publication of Lenin’s April Theses “Peace, land and bread”. They allowed Lenin and Stalin back under their policy of releasing political prisoners.

Question 6

Why was their little political opposition to Lenin’s regime?

Answer 6

From 1921 Russia was a Bolshevik one-party state. Other political parties e.g. SRs were banned.

Question 7

Was there any political opposition to Stalin?

Answer 7

No threat because Lenin banned other political parties in 1921.

However, Stalin did get rid of factions within the Bolsheviks and purged anyone within the party that disagreed with him.

Question 8

What was the only real internal opposition to the tsars?

Answer 8

The Progressive Bloc

Question 9

What was the aim of the Progressive Bloc?

Answer 9

Russian democracy, wanted reform rather than revolution e.g. constitutional monarchy.

Question 10

Was the Progressive Bloc successful in achieving their aims?

Answer 10

They were certainly impactful however failed to achieve their aims.

A constitutional monarchy was never created.

As part of the 4th Duma, they put pressure on the tsar to abdicate and became the Provisional Government.

However due to WW1 they didn’t achieve democracy and were overthrown by the Bolsheviks.

Question 11

How much did Trotsky oppose Lenin?

Answer 11

Not much, only really opposed the Brest-Litovsk Treaty and NEP

Question 12

Was there any successful internal opposition under Lenin?

Answer 12

Yes.

Bolsheviks spoke out against war communism and were successful as Lenin removed the policy and introduced NEP to stop Bolshevik unrest.

Question 13

Who opposed Trotsky during the power struggle following the death of Lenin?

Answer 13

The Troika, made up of Stalin, Zinoviev and Kamenev. Zinoviev and Kamenev were removed when Stalin was successful

Question 14

Was Trotsky successful in opposing Stalin?

Answer 14

No.

Representing the left of the party and wanting a worldwide revolution, he was unsuccessful as he lost the leadership bid to Stalin, was exiled and killed.

He was also a part of the United Opposition Group with Zinoviev and Kamenev, wanting free speech and to remove NEP. The group failed to combat Stalin’s control, with all members being removed from the party.

Question 15

How did Bukharin oppose Stalin?

Answer 15

Bukharin, popular with the right of the Bolsheviks, wanted electoral reforms and to end collectivisation. He was given a show trial and executed as although he never directly opposed Stalin, the dictator feared he was becoming too popular within the party.

Question 16

Did People’s Will succeed in opposing a tsarist regime?

Answer 16

Yes in the short-term: assassinated Alexander II.

No in the long-term: Didn’t overthrow the tsarist regime. Additionally, Alexander III was more brutal in his policies as a result e.g. hanged 5 People’s Will members.

Question 17

How did the military oppose the Provisional Government. What were the long-term consequences?

Answer 17

Kornilov, the head of the military, tried to overthrow the Provisional Government, but failed in August.

However did inadvertently aid the Bolsheviks. Given guns by the Provisional Government and gained hero status. Often called the “dress rehearsal for October”

Question 18

How effective were the White Army at opposing Lenin during the Civil War? Why?

Answer 18

They weren’t effective and were poor opposition due to no unity, as some wanted the tsar back but others did not. Lost the war.

Question 19

How did the Kronstadt Naval Base oppose Lenin? How successful were they?

Answer 19

Naval mutiny against the Bolsheviks as they disliked the lack of democracy and thought the Bolsheviks should have less power.

Lack of armed uprising led to the rebels being killed or exiled to Siberia.

However, the rebellion did find some success as Lenin was less harsh after this and introduced NEP.

Question 20

Was there any opposition from organisations under Stalin’s rule?

Answer 20

Not really.

The military were perceived as a threat by Stalin. In 1937 he purged half of military generals because of this. However, it is likely that this is a case of Stalin imagining opposition.

Question 21

Did the tsars face any opposition from peasants?

Answer 21

Not anything meaningful due to them being unorganised and lacking a leader.

Question 22

Did the workers find any success in opposing the tsars?

Answer 22

Yes but it was mostly short-term.

Workers found some short-term success in Bloody Sunday as it led to the October Manifesto.

It also led to the introduction of Dumas however these were largely ineffective long-term due to the tsar retaining the last say on the law (1st and 2nd Dumas dissolved)

Question 23

Were the peasants a threat to the Provisional Government?

Answer 23

No due to being unorganised and ineffective.

However there was some violence threatening individual landowners with the “War on the Manor”

Question 24

Did the workers find success in opposing the Provisional Government through the Petrograd Soviet?

Answer 24

To a degree. The Soviet succeeded from a Bolshevik point of view as members infiltrated and overthrew the Provisional Government in October.

However in reality worker’s lives were just as bad under the Bolsheviks.

Question 25

Did Lenin experience opposition from peasants?

Answer 25

Yes.

The Green Army during the Civil War were peasants that opposed war communism.

They were successful as they got Lenin to reverse policies such as war communism.

Question 26

Did the workers oppose Lenin?

Answer 26

There was little opposition from workers due to the Bolsheviks making promises to them.

The workers that did oppose Lenin lacked unity.

Many died during the civil war, with NEP appeasing workers in the 1920s and 30s.

Question 27

Was peasant opposition to Stalin successful?

Answer 27

No.

Peasants hated collectivisation and dekulakisation. These policies involved the taking of grain which led to 4 million deaths.

In response, peasants burnt their farms and slaughtered their animals.

However, this didn’t prevent Stalin’s policies as by 1937, 3/4 of farms were owned by the state for collectivisation.

Question 28

Was there any opposition to Stalin from workers?

Answer 28

Little to no worker opposition.

Trade Union agitators removed.

Workers described as “ill educated, ill informed and not interested in politics”.