russia_20240606112451 Flashcards
Who was the Tsar in 1917?
Tsar Nicholas II
Since when had the Romanovs ruled Russia?
1613
Why was Nicholas considered a bad leader personality-wise?
He was Stubborn, overly-cautious and shy/awkward
When was the Duma established?
1906
Why did the Royal family trust Rasputin?
Because he was able to prevent Aleksei’s symptoms of hemophilia
Why was St Petersberg’s name changed - What to?
Changed to Petrograd - to sound less German
What happened at the battle of Tannenberg 1914?
Aug - 300,000 dead or wounded russian soldiers
How many troops did Russia have between 1914-1917?
12 million
What stat shows the state of the Russian army by 1914?
2 rifles for every 3 soldiers - munitions crisis
How many shells was the artillery limited to in 1915?
2-3 shells a day
How many desertions happened in the army by the end of 1915?
1.5 million
Who regarded the government as insensitive to the war
the Zemstva
What was the ‘Progressive Bloc’ - what did they want?
Political parties in the duma - demanded the Tsar change ministers and establish a constitutional monarchy.
When did Nicholas decide to be the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army?
September 1915
Who was Mikhail Rodzianko?
The President of the 4th Duma
When was Rasputin murdered?
1916
What was the percentage rise in the cost of living?
300%
How many workers were on strike in Jan 1917?
30,000 - Moscow, 145,000 - Petrograd
When did Prince Lvov ask the Tsar’s uncle for the throne?
Jan 1917
Why was there less of a challenge for the Tsar in Jan 1917 from the left?
Most Leftists in exile
How many followers did Lenin have in Jan 1917?
10,000
How many workers were on strike on 14th Feb?
100,000
When was bread rationing announced?
14 Feb - to start March 1
When was International Women’s day?
23 Feb
How many were on the streets on Saturday 25th?
250,000
Who was in charge of the Mounted police?
Shalfeev - killed on 25th February
When did Rodzianko, the Duma President, send the telegram warning Nicholas of the situation in Petrograd?
26th Feb
How did Nicholas react to the warning from Rodzianko?
ordered for the dissolving of the Duma the next day
How many soldiers mutinied on the 27th Feb?
66,000
When was the Provisional Government established?
27th Feb - same day as Petrograd Soviet
When did Nicholas II offer to share power?
28th Feb - too late “There is no return” - Rodzianko
Where was Lenin at the time of the Feb revolution?
Zurich - Switzerland
What was Order No. 1?
The first act from Petrograd Soviet on 1 March.
What did Order No. 1 Promise?
Unites to elect deputy to PS,
Military Commission of Duma obeyed if Soviet agrees
All weapons controlled by soldiers’ committees
Soldiers enjoy citizens right when off duty
No honorific titles - difference in class
How many members did the Petrograd Soviet have on March 10?
3,000
When did the Tsar abdicate?
2 March
Who controlled the Provisional Government?
Prince Lvov
Why was the PG considered temporary?
In place until proper constitution would be formed
Where was the new PG set up?
Right wing of Tauride Palace
Why was the Provisional Government considered legitimate?
Had Mikhail’s blessing - Tsars uncle.
Where was the PS headquarters?
Left wing of Tauride Palace
Who was involved in the PS?
Socialist intellectuals, Menshiviks and SRs (as well as Bolsheviks)
Who was the only member of the PS and PG?
Kerensky
What did the PS accept promises of?
Amnesty for political prisoners,
Civil liberties,
Abolition on legal differences in class, religion and nationality,
Freedom for trade unions,
What replaced the tsarist police force in 1917?
The ‘people’s militia’
How did the Dual Authority disagree on deserters and order in the countryside?
Soviet encouraged peasants and workers to defy authority and assert ‘rights’.
Which arm of the Dual Authority wanted to end the war.
The PSW
Who replaced Prince Lvov as Chairman in July 1917?
Kerensky
Who announced in April 1917 that the government would continue fighting until a ‘Just peace’ was won?
Milyukov
Why did the PG feel bound by the war?
Alliance with Britain and France - relied on French loans.
When did Lenin return to Russia?
April 3 1917
How many members did the Bolsheviks have in Feb/March 1917?
23,000
What was the Bolshevik newspaper called?
Pravda (The Truth)
Why did the Germans agree to send Lenin back to Russia?
Took advantage of him stirring up trouble.
How many Bolsheviks were in the Petrograd soviet?
40
Who were the first to return to Petrograd?
Kamenev and Stalin
How did the April Thesis differ from Marxist Theory?
The middle class was too weak - workers had to do it
Soviets = ready-made government
Lenin could cause a domino effect across Europe
When were the April Thesis published?
7 April 1917
What was the Motto of the April Thesis?
‘Peace, Land, Bread’
‘All power to the Soviets!’
How did Lenin initially gain support in Bolshevik party?
Persuasion, threats of resignation
What started the July days?
A demonstration starting from Kronstadt naval base
Who was blamed for the July Days Violence?
Bolsheviks
What happened to the Bolsheviks after the July days?
Newspapers shut down, Lenin and Stalin fled. - Others imprisonedWho
Who was replaced after the July Days?
Prince Lvov replaced with Kerensky
Who was appointed as Commander in Chief of the army to establish discipline?
General Lavr Kornilov
When did Kornilov order troops to march on Petrograd?
August 1917W
What was Kornilovs aims?
to establish a military dictatorship.
Who did kerensky turn to to halt Kornilov?
Turned to the Bolsheviks.
Who was released from prison to aid in the Kornilov coup?
Bolsheviks in prison - also given weapons
How did the Bolsheviks use the victory over the Kornilov coup?
Portrayed themselves as heroes,
Able to play on fears of further right wing attacks.
Who established the Military Revolutionary Committee?
Trotsky
How many Red Gusrds did the Bolsheviks have after the Kornilov coup?
10,000
From when did Lenin demand the Bolsheviks to seize power?
Mid-september 1917
From when did Lenin demand the Bolsheviks to seize power?
Mid-september 1917
Who disagreed with Lenin over the 1917 revolution?
Kamenev and Zinoviev
Who thought a military coup could be avoided- opting for becoming the head of the Congress of Soviets.
Trotsky
When did Lenin hold a meeting to discuss an armed uprising?
10 October
Who was put in charge of the Red Guard?
Trotsky
How many soldiers did the Bolsheviks have in the Oct revolution?
200,000 Red Guards
60,000 baltic sailors
150,000 from garrison units in petrograd
410,000 overall
Why was the time right for a revolution?
Bolsheviks dominated Petrograd and Moscow Soviets,
PG was weak,
Bolsheviks had red guards
When was the MRC established?
16 October
How many petrograd garrisons declared allegiance to the MRC
15/18
How many petrograd garrisons declared allegiance to the MRC
15/18
What happened on 23 October 1917?
Kerensky attempted to limit the power of MRC by cutting Bolshevik troops off and closing newspapers
When did the Red Guards initially capture key positions in Petrograd?
24th October
What happened on the 25th October?
Red Guards enter Winter Palace
Second Congress of Soviets meeting - Mensheviks and SRs protest against seizure of power
When did the Congress of Soviets vote to take power?
26th October
What is the first thing the Congress votes on?
Lenin’s decree of Peace
What is the Sovnarkom?
A Central Committee - members of Bolsheviks and left-wing SRs
When was the Sovnarkom established?
27th October
How many people were involved with the Revolution?
25-35,000
How many were present at the storming of the Winter Palace?
10-15,000
How many deaths were involved?
estimated around 5 - very little fighting
What did Soviet historians think about Lenin’s involvement in the Oct Revolution?
idealised Lenin and downplayed Trotsky’s role in organising Red Guard
What would critics of Lenin argue about 1917?
He was absent for most of it - weakness in PG rather than Lenin’s strength
What would Western Historians claim about the October Revolutions compared to revisionists?
Tended to claim a coup d’etat, however modern historians argue it was a popular rebellion exploited by Bolsheviks
What did the October/November revolution transfer the power to?
the All-Russian Congress of Soviets
Who walked out of the executive committee after the Bolsheviks won the majority?
The Mensheviks and Right0-wing SRs
Who was the Chairman of the Sovnarkom?
Lenin
Who initially refused to work for the Bolshevik government?
Civil servants - banks took 10 days to hand over state funds under armed threat
Why was the Bolsheviks’ military force weakened after the revolution?
Soldiers went back to homes in the countryside
When was the army cadet rising against the Bolsheviks?
29 October
When was Kerensky’s opposition defeated?
2 November
What did Lenin announce on the 5th November?
That the Revolution has succeeded
Why did Kamenev, Zinoviev and Rykov leave the Bolshevik party on 3rd November?
Lenin’s ultimatum to end division.
What was the 4 early Lenin decrees?
Decree on Peace
Decree on Workers Rights
Decree on Land
Decree to establish Cheka
Social Decrees
What was the Decree on Peace?
Promised to end war
What was the Decree to establish the Cheka?
Created the state secret police - Cheka
What abolished private land ownership?
Lenin’s Decree on Land - as well as legalised land seizures
What was the Workers decree?
Workers had a maximum 8 Hour day
What banned the opposition press?
the Press decree
What was the Decree to Outlaw sex discrimination?
gave equal rights for women
What was the Decrees on the Church?
removed marriage and divorce from church control
What allowed workers to ‘supervise’ managers?
The Decree on Workers Control
Who led the Cheka in 1917?
Felix Dzerzhinsky
What did Lenin establish in December 1917?
the Vesenkha - Supreme Soviet of the National Economy
Gained control over economy
What were the Congress of Soviets expecting from the overthrowing of PG?
A coalition government, similar to PS
Why didn’t Lenin want to share power?
Believed Bolsheviks were acting in interests of working class
What was the Constituent Assembly election?
organised elections by PG
Who won the Majority of seats in Constituent Assembly Nov 1917?
the SRs with 53%
Bolsheviks had 24%
Mensheviks and others had 23%
What happened after the Bolsheviks lost the election?
Lenin said ‘Elections prove nothing’ and closed the Constituent assembly with troops
How did Lenin justify closing the Constituent Assembly?
Russia now governed by a ‘Dictatorship of the Proletariat’
How many civilians were killed after a demonstration following the Constituent Assembly closure?
12
Who lost the right to vote in July 1918?
the ‘bourgeoisie’
What were the main reasons for Lenin ending Russian involvement in WW1?
Bolshevik promised peace,
Germany could invade
Everyone would rebel against capitalism anyways - German revolution
When was an Armistice with Germany signed?
Dec 1917
Who led the ‘Revolutionary war group’ that believed Russians should fight on?
Bukharin
Why did Trotsky drag the Peace Treaty proceedings out?
Thought that Germany would have own revolution
What was Trotsky’s approach to the Armastice?
‘No peace, no war.’ - Germany took advantageL
What was signed on the 3 March 1918?
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Who opposed the Brest-Litovsk treaty?
SRs - walked out in protest
Lenin threatened to resign to get the treaty through - majority of one
How many people had Russia lost due to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?
62 million people
How much land had Russia lost due to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?
2 million km squared - 1/3 of agriculture
3/4 iron and coal supplies
Brest-Litovsk summary terms?
people
land
produce
agriculure
money
Who became the head of the Red Army in March 1918/
Trotsky - Red Guard disbanded
Where was the capital moved to?
Moscow - to be more central to the country
When was the first Soviet constitution proclaimed?
July 1918
Who was at the top of the 1918 constitution power structure
the Sovnarkom - (Lenin as chairman)
appointed by congress + ran country while congress not in session
Who were banned from voting or holding office?
the former ‘exploiting classes’
What was the difference between workers and peasants?
Workers’ votes = 5 peasant votes
Was there free choice of candidates for Congress of Soviets?
Nope - all were Bolshevik
Why was Lenin’s peace with Germany resented?
The harsh terms he agreed to
Why had the left had turned against Bolsheviks?
Kadets and SRs kciekd out of government
Constituent assembly closing
Bolsheviks didn’t include soviets and imposed one-party dictatorship
Who were alienated by Bolshevik ideology?
Aristocrats and Bourgeoisie, those with land, money and businesses started to lose what they had
Who predominatnly wanted the old tsarist regime?
Army officers - objected peace with Germany
Who were the Reds?
the Bolshevik red army - led by Trotsky
Who were the Whites?
Various armies and groups of Bolshevik enemies - led by former tsarist officers
Who were the Greens?
a largely peassant army fighting for independence.
Mostly in Ukraine - swapped sides depending on who’d help
What started the Civil War?
The Czech Legion seizing trans-siberian railway
Who made rapid advances in August 1918?
General Denikin - SW and Kolchak - E
Who declared himself ‘Supreme Ruler’ of Russia in Nov 1918?
Kolchak - Whites seemed to be successful however Red Counter-attacks prevented them linking up
How many miles to Moskow did Denikin’s army get to?
200 miles
Who’s army advanced to outskirts of Petrograd with 15,000 men in Oct 1919
Yudenich
When was Kolchak captured and shot?
Feb 1920
Who retreated to the Crimea in March 1920
Denikin’s army
When did the Russo-Polish War begin?
May 1920
Who took over after Denikin in the Crimea?
Baron Wrangel - defeated by Green army
When was the Treaty of Riga signed?
March 1921
What was the Treaty of Riga?
Granted independence to Poland, Estonia, Latvia and other states.
How did Trotsky travel around the war fronts?
On a special train, meeting commanders and troops
What was in Trotsky’s special train?
Food, equipment and Propaganda - boosting morale
How did the Red Army have enough food?
Requisitioning grain from peasants
How many former tsarist officers were recruited to train troops?
50,000
What did Trotsky insist on in the Red Army?
Strict discipline - units retreating without orders would be have commissars shot
What was reintroduced into the army to make it a professional force?
Traditional ranks and practices, no longer elected officers
When was the Tsar Murdered?
July 1918
Where was the Tsar Murdered?
Yekaterinburg
How could Geography be seen as a reason for Red Victory?
Reds commanded cummications, armaments factories
densely populated areas in central russia
How were the Reds United?
united in ideological aim - whites fought for independent objectives
How was the Leadership of the Red Army better than the whites?
The Red army was well-disciplined under Trotsky,
Whites had few competent and were ill disciplined
How was peasant support a positive for the Red Army/
they generally agreed with the Red’s land policies - Whites association with Tsarist regime
How did foreign involvement help the Reds?
Didn’t help the Whites that much - propaganda platform for Reds
What happened to Government during wartime?
Increased centralisation of government
How many party members fought for the army?
500,000
How did the Soviet Bureaucracy grow?
more Bureaucrats than workers
How did the way in which orders were given change?
quicker from the centre outward
What was formed in 1919 that overrode the government?
The Politburo
What could be said about eh Bolsheviks mentality?
adopted a seige mentality - defence rather than attack
What was officially established at the end of 1922?
USSR - Soviet Union
What was state capitalism known as?
a ‘halfway house’ between capitalism and socialism
When and what was the Decree on Land?
November 1917 - abolished private land ownership
When and what was the Decree on workers control?
November 1917 - gave workers greater control over running factories
When were the banks nationalised?
December 1917
When was state capitalism implemented?
1917-18
When and what was the Decree on Land?
February 1917 - Abolished private ownership on land
When and what was the Decree on Workers control?
November 1917 - Gave workers greater control over factories
When was the Nationalisation of the banks?
Dec 1917
When was War communism implemented?
June 1918-21
When did the Red Terror intensify?
September 1918
When did Compulsory grain requisitioning start?
Jan 1919
When was the Tambov Revolt?
August 1920
When did Industrial production decrease to 20%
December 1920
When was the NEP established?
1921 onwards
When was the Kronstadt rising?
March 1921
When was the final defeat of the Tambov revolt?
June 1921
What were some examples of state control?
nationalisation of Russia’s banks,
establishment of Vesenkha,
The establishment of GOELRO
What were the three main problems with state capitalism?
Many Bolsheviks didn’t want a ‘halfway house,’
Sharp drops in production after workers in control,
Peasants had control over grain price - state-controlled industries needed cheaper grain
What were the four main problems with conditions?
Falling industry production,
Fighting in countryside
Food shortages in cities
Disease and starvation
Why were factory supplies disrupted?
Workers left to join Red Army,
By how much did the urban proletariat population decline?
from 3.6 million to 1.4 million