RUSSIA - the bolshevik power 1917-24: 2 Flashcards
the early decree on peace
- all countries should seek peace
- peace should be achieved without land seized or large fines
the early decree on land
- land taken from wealthy landowners now went to peasants
- in December, church land was nationalised too
the early decree on workers rights
- work - 8 hours a day
- unemployment insurance for those unable to work
- worker committees ran their own factories
the early decree on nationalities
- all ppl of the old Russian empire could have their own governments but they remained under bolshevik control
the abolition of the constituent assembly
- lenin promised to hold an election for the CA but the SRs got 53% and the bolsheviks got 24%
- bolsheviks said that a return to parliamentary democracy was a step back bc Russia already had soviets
- the first meeting of the CA and refused the decrees or any power to the soviets
- lenin ordered red guards to shut it down and then all political parties accept for bolsheviks were stopped.
the Cheka
- lenin set up
- the Bolshevik Secret Police,
- hunted down and arrested anyone who was suspected of hostility towards the Bolsheviks.
- lenin thought revolution was under threat from the bourgeoisie - upper class
- the Cheka would arrest these people
the need for peace with Germany
- many bolshevik supporters were sailors and soldiers who needed an end to war
- lenin said end war would mean the Bolsheviks could concentrate on wiping out other political opponents in Russia
- lenin and torsk were certain there would soon be a revolution in Europe and any treaty with Germany wouldn’t have an effect.
the treaty of brest- litovsk
- lenin told totsky to negotiate a treaty w Germany because bolsheviks promised to take Russia out of the war
- trotsky demanded a peace treaty with no loss to germans
- but the germans advanced into Russia and almost captured petrograd
- to stop this lenin demanded a peace deal at any price.
- the treaty was signed 3rd march 1918
significance of the treaty of brest- litovsk
in exchange for peace Russia lost lots of its west territories
- 75% of coal and iron mines
- 50% of industry
- 25% railways
- 25% of farmland
- 25% of population (62 mill)
reactions to the treaty of brest- litovsk
pros
- soldiers pleased end to war
- thought germans wouldn’t like treaty and therefore join revolution to rise up against
cons
- SRs walked out gov in protest and assasinated German ambassador
- conservative horrified at loss to Russia and began to form ‘white army’ and ‘red army’ to fight the Bolsheviks
what was the civil war
the Bolsheviks formed the RED ARMY to oppose the WHITES which was a group of anti-bolsheviks
reasons for the civil war
- whites angry with huge loss from the treaty of brest- litovsk
- monarchists wanted to re-instate the tsar
- conservatives and nationalists had everything to lose with the plans for the peasants and workers .
effects of the civil war
- Cheka, once they captured an enemy area they would execute any suspected opponents
- if someone from red army retreated, one in ten would be shot
- reds won which strengthened their belief in the revolutions
bolsheviks strengths in the civil war
- war communism to tackle economic crisis
- control of centra Russia - shorter distances supplys and most of population
- control of industries and railways
- effective propaganda
role of Trotsky in civil war
commissar for war 1918 - more influential then lenin
- organised the mobilisation of reds
- strickt dicipline
- all soldiers had to swear the Socialist Military Oath for loyalty
weaknesses of the whites in the civil war
- geographical - very spread out
- much less whites than reds
- no decisive leader
- not all whites had the same aim
- whites not popular with peasants and workers
- not control of many industries
what an SR
Russian socialist
what was the red terror
a period of executions and arrests between sept 1918 and feb 1919.
made by lenin to get rid of any opposing to bolsheviks
about the red terror
- Introduced by lenin after serving an assassination attempt by Fanya Kaplan (SR)
- soliders had to report anyone suspicious and they would be sent to prison camps as ‘class enemies’
- grew after the civil war bc anyone who supported the whites would be taken or killed
- Cheka also shot deserters they recaptured
the Kronstadt munity
- Kronstadt naval base guarded Petrograd
- the sailors didn’t like the bolsheviks red terror for communism
- trosky sent 50k reds to take their base
- fierce fighting and then 500 executed by cheka
features of war communism
- peasants couldn’t sell crops, the Cheka took them and lowered the prices and left peasants with small amounts - this made peasants hide their grains
- industries nationalised and given production targets - targets for military needs, consumer needs was not priority
- strikes banned
reasons for war communism
- transport problems - industries couldn’t get what they needed
- peasants stopped growing crops to sell in cities
- after oct rev, banks stopped lending the gov money
- the treaty of brest- litovsk - loss of lots of industries
consequences of war communism
- 1920, farm production fell to 37%
- ppl working in factories and stuff produced halved
- famine - cannibalism
- industries produced barley any consumer goods
political crisis from war communism
- factory workers organised strikes for their lack of food - the Kronstadt munity helped
- peasant uprisings
reasons for the NEP
- awful economic consequences of war communism
- the new political opposition caused by war communism
features of the NEP
- peasants could sell and produce and chose their prices
- state stopped taking grain but peasants had to pay tax
- workers were paid wages
- state controlled big factories but smaller ones could be privately run
economic effects of the NEP
- agriculture production increased - peasants produced more.
- industry growth increased but more slowly
- inequalities bc wealthier peasants in surplus were better off
for and against the NEP
for
- popular with peasants bc they preferred the freedom to sell what they wanted at their own prices
against
- communist party members bc it was a step backwards and brought capitalism back to USSR giving peasants what they wanted at the workers expense.
impact of bolsheviks policies on WOMEN
1917 - women decalared EQUAL to men ‘post-card divorce’ made marriage easier and non religious marriages introduced
1919 - Zhenotdel - a woman’s organisation for freedom, equality and influence of women
1920 - abortion made legal. woman’s literacy increased from civil war Campaigns
communism education policies benefits
- boys and girls taught together (no discrimination)
- major literacy drive in Red Army
- peasants encouraged to read and write
- by 1926 - 58% of pop was literate
communist cultural policies
used art, literature, film and music to promote communist ideas and show the USSR communist future.
controlling communist art
censorship to insure that all types of art and culture promoted communism as propaganda in a very positive way - called ‘ socialist realism’
key events of civil war
- white army nearly captured petrograd but got defeated
- red army defeated green army made of peasants who wanted freedom from govenment control
- whites got closed to moscow but forced to retreat
