Russian Revolution AOS2

Question 1

What was Sovnarkom

(Council of People’s Commissars)?

Answer 1

The government of Russia after 26 Oct 1917.

In theory, the Sovnarkom led the democratic soviets in Russia. In reality, Lenin claimed that it had the right to rule by decree in November 1917, and it became the basis of a Bolshevik-party dictatorship controlled by Lenin.

Question 2

What were the ‘Decrees on Peace and Land’?

Answer 2

The first decrees of the Soviet government, passed on 26 Oct 1917. These helped gain early support for the regime.

Decree on Land authorised peasant seizure and redistribution of privately owned farmland. Decree on Peace announced Russia’s intent to begin peace negotiations with Germany.

Question 3

What were the results of the Constituent Assembly Elections?

Answer 3

National elections held in November 1917 for the Constituent Assembly.

Lenin allowed the elections to go ahead in order to avoid appearing undemocratic. The Bolsheviks won 28% of the vote, compared to the SRs’ 46%.

Question 4

What was the dismissal of the Constituent Assembly?

Answer 4

The Bolshevik dismissal of the Constituent Assembly by force on 5 Jan 1918.

After the SR-dominated assembly refused to recognise the authority of the Soviet government, Lenin ordered 5,000 troops to close the assembly by force.

Question 5

What were the impacts of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?

Answer 5

Peace treaty ending Russian involvement in WW1 signed on 3 March 1918.

The terms of the treaty favoured Germany, and were humiliating damaging to Russia. Russia lost: 1) Ukraine and Baltic States 2) 35% of the empire’s population 3) 40% of its grain production 4) 75% of coal and iron.

Question 6

What did the Soviet regime implement to win the Russian Civil War?

Answer 6

1918-20 war between pro-Bolshevik (Red) and anti-Bolshevik (White) armies.

The Soviet regime adopted brutal methods to win the war: 1) conscription of a massive Red Army, 2) state control of the economy through War Communism, 3) ruthless suppression of counter-revolutionaries through the Red Terror.

Question 7

Who were the White Armies?

Answer 7

Anti-Bolshevik armies which sought to overthrow the Soviet State 1918-20.

Composed from remnants of the old Tsarist army which refused to accept Soviet rule, the White Armies were unified only by their opposition to the Bolsheviks.

Question 8

What were the weaknesses of the White Armies?

Answer 8

1) Many Whites were monarchists.
2) White leaders returned land to the gentry.
3) White leaders, like Admiral Alexander Kolchak and General Anton Denikin, did not cooperate.
4) White armies operated in the borderlands, where there were fewer resources.

Question 9

Who were the Red Army?

Answer 9

Intended to be volunteer-based and democratic, the Red Army was initially a failure, raising just 360,000 men and suffering repeated defeats.

The Red Army was reorganised by Leon Trotsky in mid-1918. 5 million peasants were conscripted by 1920, and harsh discipline was introduced, boosting its size and reliability.

Question 10

What were the advantages of the Red Army?

Answer 10

1) Red Army had unified leadership (under Leon Trotsky) and was supported by strong government (under Lenin).
2) Red Army could easily conscript peasants and reached 5 million men by 1920.
3) Red Army defended central Russia, and was supported by the railways and factories.

Question 11

Why was Leon Trotsky important after the Revolution?

Answer 11

Influential Bolshevik Party Leader.

Served as Commissar for Foreign Affairs in 1917-18 and negotiated Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.

Served as Commissar for War and led the Red Army 1918-20, using the slogan “Everything for the front!” and relying on conscription and terror.

Question 12

What was meant by ‘Loot the looters’?

Answer 12

A slogan adopted by Lenin encouraging redistribution of wealth.

The slogan was used to justify nationalising factories, seizing farmland, and seizing the wealth and homes of the rich. It contributed to the rapid destruction of the Russian bourgeoisie and gentry.

Question 13

Why did Trotsky argue the murder of the Romanovs was necessary?

Answer 13

The murder of former Tsar Nicholas II and his family in June 1918.

Leon Trotsky later argued that the murder was “not only expedient but necessary,” as it both eliminated the possibility that the Whites would capture the Tsar and made clear that the Bolsheviks would not compromise.

Question 14

Who was Felix Dzerzhinsky?

Answer 14

Director of the Cheka

Dzerzhinsky’s zealous nature shaped the cruel nature of the Cheka. He believed the Cheka was an “army” fighting the “internal front” of the Civil War. He argued that “the Cheka must defend the revolution…even if its sword falls occasionally on the heads of the innocent”.

Question 15

Who were the Cheka?

Answer 15

The Bolshevik secret police, formed in Dec 1917.

Modelled on the old Tsarist Okhrana, the Cheka was charged with identifying and fighting ‘counter-revolutionaries’ who opposed the regime. It grew in power and scope during the Red Terror. It was abolished in 1922, after the Civil War ended and it was seen as unnecessary.

Question 16

What was the ‘Decree on Red Terror’?

Answer 16

Decree passed on 5 September 1918 which marked the start of the Red Terror.

The Cheka gained the power to: 1) carry out mass arrests without charge, 2) take hostages, 3) establish concentration camps, 4) carry out summary executions (without trial).

Question 17

What was the impact of the ‘Red Terror’?

Answer 17

A campaign of terror Sept 1918 to 1921.

When the Red Terror began in Sept 1918, it gained unlimited powers. The Cheka carried out 140,000 summary executions of suspected ‘counter-revolutionaries’ and established 84 concentration camps that held up to 50,000 political dissidents at a time.

Question 18

Why was the Red Terror launched?

Answer 18

Bolsheviks developed a ‘siege mentality’ and were paranoid about ‘internal enemies’ as:

1) Soviet state surrounded by White Armies from May 1918 onwards.
2) Left SR coup d’etat briefly seizes Moscow.
3) Lenin shot 3 times in attempted assassination by SR Fania Kaplan (30 Aug 1918).

Question 19

What was War Communism?

Answer 19

A series of harsh economic policies implemented May 1918 - March 1921 in order to feed the cities and supply the Red Army

The main policies of War Communism were:

1) Replacement of money with ration system.
2) Grain requisitioning from peasants.
3) Militarisation of the economy.

Question 20

What was the Decree on Food Supply?

Answer 20

May 1918 law authorising the requisitioning of ‘surplus’ grain from peasants.

Desperate to find food, requisitioning agents regularly took grain reserves or seed grain, leaving peasants to starve. Peasants responded by restoring to subsistence farming, hiding their grain, or attacking requisitioning agents.

Question 21

What were the Food Battalions?

Answer 21

Heavily armed grain requisitioning parties designed to overcome peasant resistance.

Between 1918-20, peasants murdered over 15,000 Bolshevik grain requisitioning agents. The Food Battalions were an attempt to combat this – comprised of 75 men carrying rifles and machine guns.

Question 22

How did the Bolsheviks view the Kulaks?

Answer 22

A Bolshevik term for rich peasants.

The Bolsheviks imagined the kulaks to be a ‘rural bourgeoisie’, selfishly hoarded grain to sell on the black market instead of giving it to grain requisitioning officials. In reality, those labelled kulaks were simply poor peasants who refused to hand over their grain.

Question 23

What were the Peasant uprisings of 1921?

Answer 23

A series of 1921 uprisings in response to the Bolshevik policy of grain requisitioning.

Over 50 major peasant uprisings occurred in 1921. The largest, the Tambov Revolt, involved an army of 50,000 rebel peasants and took 12 months and 100,000 Red Army soldiers to suppress.

Question 24

What was the impact of the 1921-22 famine?

Answer 24

A 1921-22 famine caused by a combination of severe drought in 1920 and grain requisitioning between 1918 and 1920.

5 million Russians died of starvation, and 2 million more in epidemics. The famine triggered widespread peasant rebellions, and contributed to the decision to end War Communism.

Question 25

What was the Decree on Abolition of Private Trade?

Answer 25

November 1918 law illegalising money and private trade, replacing it with a ration system.

Justified by Lenin’s slogan “He who does not work shall not eat!” this system was unpopular and ineffective at feeding cities, forcing workers to turn to the black market and bag trading.

Question 26

What was the Bag Trade?

Answer 26

The practice of industrial workers bartering manufactured goods with peasants for food.

Most workers were forced to turn to bag trading by 1920, as state-issued rations were insufficient for survival. The Bolsheviks attempted to combat this black market trade by posting Cheka patrols and armed guards in factories and around cities.

Question 27

What were the impacts of War Communism on Cities?

Answer 27

1) War Communism failed to resolve food shortages – critics said “Down with Lenin and Horsemeat, Give us the Tsar and Pork!”
2) 50% of workforce fled the cities by 1921.
3) Industrial production 🡫 75% from 1917-21.

Question 28

Why was there Workers’ Opposition to the Bolsheviks?

Answer 28

Bolshevik party faction led by Alexandra Koll-ontai which criticised War Communism in 1921

Claiming the Bolsheviks had had lost touch with the working class, they demanded: 1) an end to War Communism, 2) increased democratic debate within party, 3) a ban on non-workers joining the party.

Question 29

What was the Kronstadt Uprising?

Answer 29

A mutiny by 17,000 sailors against Bolshevik rule in March 1921.

The sailors demanded ‘Soviets without Communists’ and an end to the harsh measures of War Communism on 1 Mar 1921. The mutiny was suppressed by 50,000 Red Army soldiers led by Trotsky on 17 Mar 1921.

Question 30

What were the consequences of the 10th Party Congress?

Answer 30

Bolshevik Party Congress in March 1921 which introduced the NEP and banned factions.

The party approved of 2 of Lenin’s resolutions:

1) ‘On the Tax in Kind’: end to War Communism, introduction of a 10% tax of peasant grain.
2) ‘On Unity’: all Bolsheviks who disagree with Lenin’s party line to be purged.

Question 31

What was the New Economic Policy?

Answer 31

Capitalist economic policy introduced Mar 1921.

Grain requisitioning was replaced with a 10% ‘tax in kind’, with peasants permitted to sell their surplus grain. Rationing was replaced with cash wages and private trade. Succeeded in restarting the economy but created doubts among workers and Bolsheviks about the future of Communism.

Question 32

What were the outcomes of the New Economic Policy?

Answer 32

1) Grain production recovered to pre-WW1 levels by 1924 (37 million tonnes wheat in 1921 to 73 million tonnes in 1924).
2) Industrial production 🡩100% between 1921-24, but still below WW1 levels.
3) Wages remained low and prices remained high, so living standard barely improved.

Question 33

Who were the NEPmen?

Answer 33

A wealthy class of profiteers, managers and merchants created by the NEP.

Many NEPmen were simply black market merchants who began operating openly, or well-paid managers put in place to restart industrial production. The NEPmen were resented by workers and Bolsheviks as a ‘new bourgeoisie’.

Question 34

What was the purpose of ‘Communism is Soviet power plus electrification’?

Answer 34

Massive electrification campaign launched 1921.

Intended to prove that the Bolsheviks were still making progress towards Communism, the campaign was one of the few real successes of the Soviet regime. Factories and villages electrified, and power production 🡩400% between 1921-24.

Question 35

What were the Bolsheviks Women’s Rights Initiatives?

Answer 35

1) Oct 1918 Civil Family Law gives no-fault divorce to women, and bans discrimination in employment and education.
2) Nov 1920 Decree on Protection. of Women’s Health legalised abortion.
3) Anti-domestic abuse campaigns.
4) Communal crèches and kitchens were set up to support working women/single mothers.

Question 36

What were the Bolshevik Education Initiatives?

Answer 36

Literacy rose between 10-15% between 1917 and 1924, due to:

1) all Red Army soldiers given literacy classes.
2) compulsory primary education introduced and made free.
3) night classes made available to industrial workers, particularly women.

Question 37

What were the Anti-Church Campaigns?

Answer 37

The Bolsheviks were militant atheists who believed the Marxist dictum that ‘Religion is the opiate of the masses’.

In 1918, all Church assets except for places of worship were nationalised. In 1922, all church valuables were seized by the state and sold. 8,000 clergy were executed in 1922.