Russian Revolution AOS2 Flashcards
What was Sovnarkom
(Council of People’s Commissars)?
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.
What were the ‘Decrees on Peace and Land’?
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.
What were the results of the Constituent Assembly Elections?
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%.
What was the dismissal of the Constituent Assembly?
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.
What were the impacts of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?
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.
What did the Soviet regime implement to win the Russian Civil War?
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.
Who were the White Armies?
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.
What were the weaknesses of the White Armies?
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.
Who were the Red Army?
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.
What were the advantages of the Red Army?
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.
Why was Leon Trotsky important after the Revolution?
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.
What was meant by ‘Loot the looters’?
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.
Why did Trotsky argue the murder of the Romanovs was necessary?
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.
Who was Felix Dzerzhinsky?
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”.
Who were the Cheka?
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.
What was the ‘Decree on Red Terror’?
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).
What was the impact of the ‘Red Terror’?
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.
Why was the Red Terror launched?
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).
What was War Communism?
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.
What was the Decree on Food Supply?
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.
What were the Food Battalions?
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.
How did the Bolsheviks view the Kulaks?
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.
What were the Peasant uprisings of 1921?
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.
What was the impact of the 1921-22 famine?
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.
