The Civil War and Lenin

Question 1

how legitimate was the Bolsheviks seizure of power the constituent assembly:

Answer 1

Lenin was determined not to hold elections but the Bolshevik revolution was too late to prevent elections. The Bolsheviks were beaten 2-to-1 by the SR’s and the Bolsheviks had only won 24% of the total vote so it appeared that the Bolsheviks did not have popular support and thus did not appear to be a legitimate government leading to claims that the revolution was a coup d’etat.

Lenin could’ve tried to work with a newly elected constituent assembly but he was not a Democrat and did not believe in compromise, he was instead a revolutionary and believed in crushing the opposition so after one day’s session Lenin used the red guards to dissolve the constituent assembly at gunpoint.

Question 2

Why did Lenin dissolve the constituent assembly at gunpoint

Answer 2

Lenin argued that the constituent assembly was superfluous as the people’s will had been expressed in the second revolution. He also argued that the elections had been rigged by the SR’s and kadets so the results did not truly reflect the wishes of the Russian people.

Question 3

Who are the opponents to the Bolsheviks

Answer 3

SR’s
Mensheviks
other provisional government members
those still loyal to the Czar
nationalities
and they were just their enemies inside of Russia World War I was still ongoing and not to mention that the Russian army and okhrana had crumbled

Russia had no national police force and the Bolsheviks were against the church

Question 4

what was the red Terror

Answer 4

Partially rearranging the class system through blood, and getting rid of the people who he didn’t see fit

Question 5

describe the cheka

Answer 5

The Bolshevik secret police modelled on the Czars okhrana

The cheka was created November 1917 and its aim was to destroy counterrevolution and sabotage. This was vague so they could cover a range of activities the Bolsheviks disapproved of. They were only answerable to Lenin and they were granted unlimited powers of arrest, detention and torture

Question 6

Describe the labour camps

Answer 6

Labour camps were set up to house the “enemies of the revolution”, White prisoners of war, uncooperative peasants, political prisoners et cetera.

By 1924 there were 315 camps and they all had very harsh conditions for example there was little food and regular beatings

Question 7

what was the red Army

Answer 7

building up the ability to respond to counterrevolutionary threats

Trotsky was war commissar.

and the red Army not only helped the Bolsheviks win the Civil War but were also used by the Bolsheviks to impose their authority on the Russian population

Question 8

what was the organisation of the red Army

Answer 8

Trotsky had total control of the red Army.

He created a formidable army of 3 million. He enlisted ex tsarist officers to train the soldiers and he attached political commissars to the army who accompanied the officers and reported back on their political correctness and had to countersign any military order.

Trotsky tolerated no opposition: death sentence was used for desertion or disloyalty and he reinstated strict discipline. Trosky had a special heavily armoured train which was his military headquarters

Question 9

What was conscription

Answer 9

conscription was introduced in all areas under Bolshevik control, if deemed socially and politically acceptable then they thought, if not then they were sent to labour battalions eg digging trenches. Most of the peasants conscripted were not seen as reliable in a crisis

Question 10

describe the trade unions

Answer 10

in 1920 the workers were brought under military discipline on the same terms as soldiers, this meant a total ban was placed on questioning of orders and instructions, rates of pay and conditions were no longer negotiable and severe penalties were introduced for poor work or not meeting production targets

Question 11

Results of the red Terror

Answer 11

There is no consensus on how many people died as a result of the labour camps, executions, forced conscription, conditions in the red Army et cetera although some historians have suggested around 100,000 people died as a result of Lenin’s thirst for control

Question 12

Why were lenin’s decrees passed

Answer 12

Lenin was aware that the change from a boudoir to a proletarian economy could not be achieved overnight and instead the Bolsheviks will need to use the existing structures until the transition had been completed and a fully fledged socialist system could be adopted. The transitional stage was state capitalism.

The war against Germany had brought many problems: a shortage of raw materials, inflation, fractured transport system, and food shortages and therefore decrees on peace, land and workers control and nationalism were passed to tackle these problems

Question 13

What was the decree on peace in October 19 17

Answer 13

an appeal to the warring nations to enter talks for a “a democratic peace without annexations “ (wants to end World War I and have democratic peace) and Lenin needed to deliver a peace that didn’t cause knock on affect problems

Question 14

What was Lenin’s view on continuing on with ww1

Answer 14

Lenin Felt that Russia’s military exhaustion meant that it was impossible to fight on successfully.

If Germany eventually won they would retain all Russian territory that it now possessed, and if lost against western allies, Russia would regain occupied lands.

Germany had financed lenin and the Bolsheviks, in the lead up to the revolution and continue to do so after revolution and the armistice of December 1917

Question 15

what was trotsky’s view on continuing the war

Answer 15

Trotsky shared the view that Bolshevik Russia had no realistic chance of successfully continue in the war.

But he hoped that in a short time the German armies would collapse on the Western front and that there would be a revolution in Germany as he was an international revolutionary.

So he wanted to draw out the peace talks to give Bolshevik agitators time to exploit mutinies in the Austra German armies. “Neither peace, nor war”.

Trotsky wanted to confuse and infuriate the German delegation. He regularly showed his contempt for “ bourgeois propriety” by yawning loudly and holding private conversations rather than listening to discussions. Hindenburg complains that Lenin and Trotsky behaved more like “victors then vanquished”. When Germany considered marching to Petrograd to overthrow Lenin‘s government, the Soviet delegation signed a devastating peace treaty. The Soviet representative sokonikiv declared the treaty a diktat

Question 16

what were the terms of the Treaty of brest-litovsk

Answer 16

One third of European Russia was lost including Ukraine which is the primary grain source

loss of 386,000 mi.² and 45 million people

A reparation bill of 3 billion rubles

Question 17

why did Lennon sign the Treaty of brest-litovsk

Answer 17

Lenin thought that Russia can offer no physical resistance because she is materially exhausted by three years of war. “The Russian Revolution must sign the peace to obtain a breathing space to recuperate for the struggle”

he claims that those willing to continue to fight were romanticists who did not understand the situation. He also believed that Russia would soon be in a position to reclaim its lost territories

Lenin also believed that a new struggle would emerge between the capitalist powers and that there would follow further revolutions in Europe. As a result he saw the crippling terms of the treaty as a small price to pay as it would trigger a further revolution and Trotsky blamed on Kerensky

Question 18

How did the treaty cause problems within the Bolshevik party

Answer 18

The left communists of the Bolsheviks condemned the treaty and they only continued to support lenin because he insisted on party loyalty in a crisis.

However what saved lenin was the collapse of the German army on the Western front in August 1918 and Germany’s withdrawal from Russia.

This showed that Lenin’s gamble had paid off as the treaty would soon be meaningless. And as a result Lenin was able to strengthen his hold over the party and he was able to expel the left Communists from the government and outlaw then politically

Question 19

What were the lasting impact of the treaty

Answer 19

After Germany signed the armistice on the 11th of November 1918 with the United Kingdom USA and France, there are me also retreated from the land it had gained from Russia in the Treaty of brest litovsk.

while this may have looked like a victory for lenin, it created further complications as the red Army then re-invaded some of these territories, but it led to long and bloody wars with National minorities eg the poles as part of the wider Russian Civil War, to reinstate these territories into the Russian Empire.

Question 20

What was state capitalism

Answer 20

from November 19 17 to 1918

lenin was aware that the change from the bourgeois to proletarian economy could not be achieved overnight and instead the Bolsheviks would need to use the existing structures until the transition had been completed and a fully fledged social system could be adopted therefore the transitional stage was state capitalism.

State capitalism was not ideologically aligned to Bolshevik views eg it supported private ownership so needed to be replaced.

The Bolsheviks required even more control over labour and the economy if they were going to defeat their enemies/the Civil War. Lenin’s decrees bridge The gap between state capitalism and what came next (war communism)

Question 21

what was war communism

Answer 21

war communism was from 1918 to 1921 and it was a move away from state capitalism that had harshly restrictive economic measures

Key features were that: banning private trade, nationalisation of business, grain requisitioning, food rationing, labour discipline, and the elimination of money

Question 22

what was the short-term response to Civil War

Answer 22

in early 1918 economic meltdown e.g. (industrial production had fallen as workers went to the countryside to seize land, World War I had laced great strain and limited goods being produced which meant peasants had no motivation to produce surplus, rampant inflation, poor harvests of 1917 and 1918 etc) meant that Civil War necessitated increase to feed the red Army and industrial workers.

It was not a worldwide revolution so there was no external help, it was not planned and after the introduction of the NEP, Soviet historians argue that war communism was temporary and allowed them to explain the policy and when it was ended without admitting it failed.

In 1921 Lenin stated that he wished to introduce the NEP in 1918 but the Civil War necessitated war communism, that it was a part of a wider ideological drive by Bolsheviks to impose ruthless control and arbitrary government on the Russian people

Question 23

how did lenin attack the Orthodox church

Answer 23

He ordered the cheka to shoot priests, the church had wealth and he wanted to take it

Question 24

did bukharin want war communism to continue

Answer 24

He urged for war communism to be continued as the permanent economic strategy of the Bolsheviks

. He saw it as true socialism as there was a centralised industry, it ended private ownership and controlled and attacked peasants.

And war communism was continued after the end of the Civil War and it did allow lenin to achieve his aims but created oppositions for example there were 120 uprisings

Question 25

describe the tambov rising

Answer 25

The tambov rising consisted of a 20,000 strong peasant army in one part of Russia.

It was led by a leader called antonov .

They were extremely angry at the requisition squads for terrorising the countryside, and taking their grain by force, leaving 5 million people to starve to death (1 in 5)

So they attacked the requisition squads by executing them, branding them with a hot iron, and even mutating their bodies. Although this does seem quite threatening to the bolsheviks, it actually wasn’t as the peasants were easily suppressed and crushed, not to mention that antonov was also located and killed in June 1922 .

To officially suppress the peasants, lenin sent out the red Army (2 million) to re-establish government control. and they very quickly began to conduct mass arrests, executions and even took families hostage. Therefore the tambov rising was not the greater threat to lenin in the Bolsheviks compared to the kronstadt rising, as the peasants were able to be easily crushed and they weren’t threatening to the entire party itself (like the kronstadt rising was) they just threatened the requisition squads

Question 26

describe the kronstadt rising

Answer 26

The Kronstadt rising was the bigger threat (compared to the tambov rising) to lenin and the Bolsheviks due to the fact that the opposition of this rising were the workers and sailors (who were the key supporters of the party itself) and that they created a manifesto eg wanting greater freedom like freedom of speech, that lenin would never agree to.

The Kronstadt rising began when the workers of Petrograd joined the workers opposition strike and were also joined by the sailors in the Kronstadt naval base, wanting the greater freedom as stated previously.

Although Lenin was not threatened by their manifesto, he was threatened by the fact that the workers and sailors joining this uprising were not only from within the Bolshevik party itself but also it’s key supporters.

Therefore lenin realised he had to soften war communism otherwise he’d lose key support and therefore he introduced the new economic policy, which did not coincide with Lenin’s far left views but was seen as a necessity to regain support as “the kronstadt rebellion lit up reality like lightning “.

Therefore the Kronstadt rising was the biggest threat compared to the tambov rising, to lenin and the Bolsheviks, as it actually resulted in lenin changing his ideas and was opposition from the Bolshevik party its self

Question 27

what happened after Trotsky‘s ultimatum

Answer 27

The ultimatum was rejected so the red Army and cheka attacked. 60,000 troops stormed the base. The sailors and workers resisted but were finally defeated.

The ringleaders, who survived, were condemned as white reactionaries and were shot. The cheka hunted down and executed any who had escaped from Kronstadt.

lenin realised it was time to soften war communism and at the 10th party conference in March 1921, he declared the Kronstadt rebellion had lit up reality like a lightning flash and issues the NEP

Question 28

What was the new economic policy

Answer 28

The NEP was intended to meet Russia’s urgent need for food. lenin judged that if the peasants couldn’t be forced they would need to be persuaded. and There was unanimous support for lenin’s proposals .

1921 a decree made the NEP an official government policy.

The NEP restored mixed economy- capitalism with socialism. Lots of Bolsheviks were uneasy with this and lenin therefore stressed that it was a temporary measure. He emphasised that the government still controlled large-scale industry, banking and foreign trade.

Question 29

was there Bolshevik opposition to the new economic policy

Answer 29

many opposed the fact that it meant that political theory was taking second place to economic necessity.

Trotsky opposed as he saw war communism as the proper revolutionary strategy. he also believed that they should be controlling not appeasing the peasants.

Trotsky stated that the new economic policy was the first sign of the degeneration of Bolshevism.

and objected that the reintroduction of private trading was creating a new class of profiteers: nepmen

Question 30

lenin’s ban on factionalism

Answer 30

The new economic policy became so contentious that lenin took steps to stop the party being torn apart over it.

At the 10th party Congress in 1921 he introduced the one party unity resolution, he also condemned the workers opposition that had opposed the brutality of war communism and been involved in the Kronstadt rising. He also made all socialist parties other than the Bolsheviks now outlawed

Question 31

when, why, what, impact/consequences of:

STATE CAPITALISM

Answer 31

when: November 19 17 to 1918
why: it was the transition phase between the provisional government and lenin putting his ideas into practice- they couldn’t put all their economic policies upfront straight away
what: using the existing economic structure, until they could come up with their own

impact/consequences: this is Lenin treading water- buying time before he can impose his plans. Starting off, but lenin knowing he will change it. steadying the ship but preparing the pathway forwards.

Question 32

when, why, what, impact/consequences of:

WAR COMMUNISM

Answer 32

when: 1918 to 1921
why: it was introduced by lenin to combat the economic problems brought on by the Civil War in Russia. He believed workers would work better if they believed that they were working for a cause, as opposed to a system that made some rich but many poor. lenin needed a system for Russia to be able to live/ work on its own. Soviet historians said it was only introduced because of the situation lenin was in and was temporary but western historians believe that it was introduced to be controlling, and harsh. that lenin wanted all power to the state, no power to the individuals and lenin was hungry for control and that mattered more to him then rights to the individual
what: nationalisation of land e.g. banks and shipping foreign trade to be a state monopoly. June 28, 1918 a decree passed that ended all forms of private capitalism for example large factories were taken over by the state. It had six principles for example people are divided into four categories and food distributed on a 4: 3:2 :1 ratio. war communism attempted to abolish money as a means of exchange too but the key features were banning private trade, nationalisation of business, grain requisitioning, food rationing and labour discipline. in terms of agriculture it was to tighten government control over the peasants, but peasants were resistant to centralisation. grain was requisitioned (stolen from the peasants). 75 men with two or three machine guns forcefully took it. Requisition squads systematically terrorised the countryside, and so grain production drops but government still takes it which = mass starvation

impact / consequence: it made Civil War worse, by the end of 1920 the rouble had dropped to 1% of its 1917 value. Coal production reduced by 2/3, and steel production dropped by 96%. Populations of Moscow and Petrograd halved because there was a shortage of manpower due to conscription or escaping the Bolsheviks, so there was no economic growth. also in terms of impacts of agriculture requisitioning, grain harvests in 1920 and 1921 produced less than half of that gathered in 1913. pravda the Russian newspaper admitted 1 in 5 was starving but blamed the kulaks and Bolsheviks did admit that there was a famine and accepted foreign aid but blamed the kulaks and the whites and so 5 million starved to death. lenin also used famine to attack the power of the church as he shot orthodox priests. Also there were 120 uprisings against war communism including the tambov rising in summer of 1920 and the kronstadt rising. lenin was faced with the issue that people in his own party began opposing him in the workers opposition movement and from this uproar from war communism, the new economic policy was created

Question 33

when, why, what, impact/consequences of:

NEP

Answer 33

when: 1921- onwards
why: Policy of war communism had to be replaced with a new policy because lenin was losing his initial support. too many people were uprising ( 120 uprisings )and even in his own party in the workers opposition movement. and too many people were dying: 5 million starved to death and there was no economic growth for example steel production reduced by 96%
what: it was lenin‘s way of realising that if the peasants couldn’t be forced by grain requisitioning, that they would need to be persuaded. Not forcing to produce, but giving them encouragement to, for example if you make more grain you earn more. And this reintroduced what he swore to eradicate forever (capitalism) but lenin said that the workers regime was in no danger. the NEP was a restored mixed economy of capitalism with socialism and lots of Bolsheviks were un easy with it and Lenin therefore stressed that it was a temporary measure and he also emphasised that the government still controlled large-scale industry, banking and foreign trade. it’s main features were that central economic control would be relaxed, requisitions of grain should be abandoned and replaced by tax, peasants allowed to keep their food surpluses and sell them for a profit, public markets to be restored and money to be re-introduced as a means of trading

impact / consequences: Many opposed the fact that the new economic policy meant that political theory was taking second place to economic necessity. Trotsky opposed the nep as he saw war communalism as the proper revolutionary strategy. He believed that they should be controlling the peasants not appeasing them and he believed that the peasants were dark masses. Trotsky stated that the NEP was the first sign of the degeneration of Bolshevism and he objected that the reintroduction of private trading was creating a new class of profiteers the nepmen. Also it led to the 1921 one partyunity where lenin banned factionalism: where he made all socialist parties other than the Bolsheviks outlawed and this made it difficult for anyone to openly criticise the new economic policy. it was now illegal to criticise decrees and lenin’s ideas = dictatorship. The ban on factionalism worked: bukharin’s role. He abandoned criticism of the new economic policy and became one of the most enthusiastic supporters “enrich yourselves under the NEP” he believed that the extra income the peasants would have from selling surplus grain would stimulate industry. From the nep, grain harvest grew by 20 million tonnes from 1921 to 1923 and the average wages doubled from 1921 to 1924. 75% of factories were now owned privately, 15% controlled by state, and 10% cooperative. The nepmen made huge profits from the NEP but the stat itself did not necessarily benefit. the new economic policy does improve production and rebuild industry and gets investment going, but it doesn’t necessarily deliver millions of rubles in tax for the government at the expense of Lenin changing his ideologies

Question 34

which was a greater threat to lenin in November 1917

problem: HOW TO GOVERN RUSSIA (inc the results of the constituent assembly elections)

Answer 34

WHY WAS IT THREATENING TO LENIN AND THE BOLSHEVIKS: while lenin and the Bolsheviks had seized power from the provisional government in October 1917, they had no blueprint for how to govern, as they were the first Communist State to exist. The provisional government had also held constituent assembly elections ( voting happened before the October revolution but the results came after ). The SRs won 2/3 more votes than the Bolsheviks, making the Bolshevik government not look popular or legitimate.

WHAT DID LENIN DO TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM: lenin had the cheka shut down the constituent assembly at gunpoint so that they could not claim to be a legitimate government. Members were arrested. lenin set ups of SOVNARKOM to design a system of government for the Bolsheviks and bring the regional Soviets together to form a national government. I.e. lenin did not want to work with others, or the newly elected constituent assembly, so wanted to crush opposition and his solution was to use the red guard to dissolve the constituent assembly at gunpoint and lenin rules by decree

HOW SUCCESSFULLY DID LENIN SOLVE THIS PROBLEM: lenin successfully dealt with the challenge of the constituent assembly and began construction of a system of government that centralised control. This meant that rather than all power to the Soviets, instead all power was in the hands of the Bolshevik central committee and thus lenin -a system of government that very much aligned with lenin’s aims but maybe did not deliver the proletarian government that the workers had been promised. Lenin’s ban of factionalism in 1921 made opposing his policies almost illegal and gave him an iron grip on government. It unites opposition against lenin and the Bolsheviks, leading to the Civil War to forcibly remove them from power and leads to opposition of the left wing but he did stop the constituent assembly.

RANKING: therefore it was a 7 out of 10 threat as people still opposed him and his policies despite it being illegal and they didn’t win the majority

Question 35

which was a greater threat to lenin in November 1917

problem: OPPOSITION TO THE BOLSHEVIKS AND KEEPING CONTROL OF RUSSIA

Answer 35

WHY WAS IT THREATENING TO LENIN AND THE BOLSHEVIKS: opposition to the Bolsheviks could have undermined their role, or at worst removed them from power. Their grip on power in the early years was fragile due to the Civil War and they needed to establish themselves as a government. some examples of opposition were the internal opponents like the SR’s who the Bolsheviks stole their power from, the Mensheviks, other PG members, those still loyal to the Czar as the tsar still alive and nationalities wanting autonomy.

WHAT DID LENIN DO TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM: lenin set up the cheka as a secret police and used it to monitor opponents. This led to many members of rival political parties like the SR’s and kadets being sent to over 300 prison camps by 1924. the tsar and his family were executed in July 1918 to prevent them from becoming a focal point for the whites. In addition strict control over labour, agriculture and the red Army was imposed via war communism, resulting in no freedom of speech and no freedom of the press, so it became harder to speak out about the Bolsheviks. The Bolsheviks use the red Army to crush over 120 uprisings against war communism, including the tambov rising and the kronstadt rising as war communism hadn’t shown improvement to their lives that had been promised. Also Trotsky’s tactical genius and growth of the red Army, combined with the weaknesses of the whites, enabled the Bolsheviks to win the Civil War. As a result of war communism being responsible for less grain production, lenin faced opposition from within his own party (the workers opposition ) and also faced opposition from left Communist‘s like bukharin to the NEP

HOW SUCCESSFULLY DID LENIN SOLVE THIS PROBLEM: lenin and the Bolsheviks were able to successfully suppress their opponents, but this was not easy or simple. The Civil War raged from 1917 to 22, ravaging Russia’s countryside and economy via war communism but the Bolsheviks did eventually triumph over the white opposition. lenin’s policies did result in actually creating some opposition to the Bolsheviks e.g. (tambov/ kronstadt) so some of the opposition was of their own making. Arguably, lenin also incited the Civil War by refusing to work in coalition with other left-wing parties. However- while the Bolsheviks may have been responsible for creating some of their opposition, they were able to use Trotsky’s large, organised and effectively led red army and the cheka to crush any opposition they faced and retain their grip on power. Lenin was able to solve the problem of opposition within the Bolshevik party with his ban on factionalism in 1921. This resulted in key critics of the new economic policy like bukharin now becoming outspoken supporters of it. This showed that lenin had extensive control over the party and ensured he would face little opposition in future as speaking out against lenin had now become illegal

RANKING: therefore 5 out of 10 as it was opposition but the tambov rising was easily suppressed and the ban on factionalism also helped opposition. Although the threat at times was great, lenin dealt with it well and quickly and had control

Question 36

which was a greater threat to lenin in November 1917

problem: WAR AGAINST GERMANY

Answer 36

WHY WAS IT THREATENING TO LENIN AND THE BOLSHEVIKS: war with Germany had been a key factor in the downfall of the Czar and the provisional government. lenin wanted to avoid this and had of course promised peace, bread, land to the workers whose lives have been worsened by the war. also the war against Germany had brought many problems: shortage of raw materials, inflation, fractured transport system, food shortages.

WHAT DID LENIN DO TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM: Lenin and Trotsky initially tried to delay the negotiations with Germany, buying time in the hope that protests against the Kaiser in Germany would lead to his government falling and thus an end to the war. However, when the German delegation grew tired of this and launched a final attack on Petrograd, lenin conceded and negotiated piece terms (treaty of brest litovsk). Russia surrendered to Germany and Austria Hungary and a third of the land in European Russia including Ukraine which was primarily used for grain as very fertile land, 386,000 mi.² and 45 million people were surrendered and a reparation bill of 3 billion rubles

HOW SUCCESSFULLY DID LENIN SOLVE THIS PROBLEM: in the short term this was devastating-lenin had promised workers peace with no “indemnities” (payments to other countries) or “annexations” (loss of land.) He had delivered neither. Furthermore, he had surrendered much of Russia’s agricultural strength: 25 million of the population and Russia’s most fertile region Ukraine. In the longer term, once the Kaiser abdicated in November 1918, German forces vacated much of the land they had taken from Russia, and Lenin was able to gain back some of Russia’s territory. This was not easy, however, as many of the Western nationalities saw this and the simultaneous Russian Civil War as an opportunity to pursue the fight for independence, and as a result, some like Poland and Lithuania broke away from the Russian Empire. lenin was, however, able to take Russia out of the war and focus on other problems like establishing Bolshevik government, the Civil War, the economy etc. That would’ve been impossible to remedy if Russia had stayed in World War I, nor would it have been possible for lenin to keep his key support.

RANKING: short term it was threatening as already his promise of no indemnities had already been broken and so people could have begun to oppose him. however in the long term, lenin being able to get back territory and able to focus on other problems meant that it wasn’t that threatening as he wasn’t focused on it

Question 37

which was a greater threat to lenin in November 1917

problem: FOOD SHORTAGES

Answer 37

WHY WAS IT THREATENING TO LENIN AND THE BOLSHEVIKS by winter 1916, less than a third of food needs were reaching Petrograd. Food remained in short supply during 1917 and lenin knew he needed to get food to his key supporters in order to retain their loyalty and remain in power. The desperate struggle for food led to the populations of Moscow and Petrograd halving from 1981 to 1921 as workers moved to the countryside and began farming as a means of survival- another way that Bolsheviks appeared to be losing worker’s support. also food shortages drove opposition for example greens in the Civil War, the tambov rising and kronstadt

WHAT DID LENIN DO TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM: war communism: this involved the cheka in squads of 75 with at least two machine guns requisitioning (forcibly taking) grain from the peasants. New economic policy: after the failings of war communism, the NEP was introduced. It relaxed state control of certain industries including agriculture and allowed for a marketplace i.e. that peasants could sell their surplus grain so there was incentive for them to produce this again

HOW SUCCESSFULLY DID LENIN SOLVE THIS PROBLEM: war communism: war communism did allow lenin to direct grain/food supplies to the workers and red Army in an effort to win the Civil War, but the supplies reaching them was still not adequate as shown by the kronstadt uprising. war communism failed to increase grain supplies for example harvest fell in 1920 and 21 as harvests were less than half of that produced in 1913 leading to increased shortages as the peasants had little incentive to grow more grain because they wouldn’t benefit from the surplus as it was requisitioned. This led to 5 million dying through famine, lenin reluctantly accepting aid for 10 million people from the American relief Association and uprisings: peasants uprising in the tambov rising and workers and sailors in the kronstadt rising. The kronstadt rising was the “spark that lit up reality” for lenin and showed him that war communism could cost him the key support of the workers so economic change was introduced (NEP): The new economic policy was successful in increasing food supplies. For example 20,000,000 tonnes of grain was grown in 1923 than in 1921. However it should be taken into account that a return to a marketplace marked a return to some elements of capitalism. This marked a significant change in Bolshevik/lenin’s policies and showed how they needed to compromise on ideology to retain the support of the workers; their traditional and most fervent supporters may have abandoned the Bolsheviks if they had remained hungry.

RANKING:
War communism was especially threatening as lenin could’ve lost his key supporters (the workers and sailors ) and the fact that peasants had little incentive to grow grain was a big problem. However lenin introducing there NEP lessened the threat a lot despite it contradicting his ideologies and leaning towards capitalism

Question 38

which was a greater threat to lenin in November 1917

problem: LAND ISSUE

Answer 38

WHY WAS IT THREATENING TO LENIN AND THE BOLSHEVIKS: since February 1917 the peasants had been seizing land from their masters. The provisional government had no coherent land policy, so the countryside had been in chaos for almost a year when the Bolsheviks came to power in October 1917. lenin needed to restore order and return the countryside to farming to reduce the food issue

WHAT DID LENIN DO TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM: lenin’s decree on land in 1917 gave peasants the right to keep the land that they had seized unless it was especially fertile or if it had previously been used for scientific/modern farming. However they did not own it; the decree on land abolished private ownership and stated that all land “become the property of the whole people and pass into the use of all those who cultivate it “i.e. peasants can use it but not sell/transfer/complain if the state takes it.

HOW SUCCESSFULLY DID LENIN SOLVE THIS PROBLEM: This restored order to the countryside and provided some support from the peasants for the Bolsheviks. This also helped the Bolsheviks in the Civil War, As this land policy was much more popular than that of the whites for example DENIKIN wanted peasants to surrender the land to the whites and said they would re-allocate some to traditional land owners and some to the peasants and the peasants didn’t trust them-many of the white leaders were nobles who wanted the land back. This helps Lenin to achieve some of his social aims, as it stripped Russia’s nobles of much of the land that had formed the basis of their traditional privilege. Returning the countryside to order and farming meant that lenin could focus on extracting as much grain from the peasants as possible via war communism which was on successful and nep which was successful but it placed too much responsibility on the peasants. They had a little skill and often farmed the land less efficiently then it had been when controlled by nobles before 1917

Question 39

CIVIL WAR

what were the red aims

Answer 39

The Reds wanted to extend the control further and the grip on the people. In July 1918 the SR’s tried to seize power in Moscow but were defeated in four hours and the SR’s made two assassination attempts on Lenin

Question 40

what were the whites aims

Answer 40

The whites were anti-Bolshevik they wanted to restore the tsar and the political parties for example the SR’s who had been outlawed wanting to remove the Bolsheviks and restore a democratic government but they were disunited

Question 41

Who were the greens

Answer 41

The greens were national minorities wanting independence from Russia and peasants were also involved

Question 42

ASSESS THE REASONS FOR THE VICTORY OF THE RED ARMY IN THE RUSSIAN CIVIL WAR

red strengths : leadership of lenin

Answer 42

lenin served as a figurehead as he was solving other problems and he had appointed Trotsky due to the fact that Trotsky had qualities that lenin did not. and ultimately lenin put the pieces into place to win the Civil War but he was not involved like Trotsky was

EXPLANATION: therefore the leadership of Lenin was important for the Victory of the red Army as lenin was the one who appointed Trotsky, however his importance as a figurehead was not as important as the leadership of Trotsky

Question 43

ASSESS THE REASONS FOR THE VICTORY OF THE RED ARMY IN THE RUSSIAN CIVIL WAR

red strengths : Leadership of trotsky

Answer 43

Trotsky had strict leadership of the red Army for example political commissars were attached to all parts of the army to ensure instructions were being followed. He re-introduced ranks, saluting, strict discipline and a death penalty if you didn’t follow instructions. Trotsky grew the red Army successfully via “conscription or die” and therefore 5 million troops were conscripted in the end and the use of cigarettes to encourage. From 1919 to 1920 the red Army grew by 2 million a year

Trotsky had three main aims 1) to defend the red Army’s internal lines of communication 2) to deny the whites the opportunity to concentrate force in any one area and 3) to prevent the whites maintaining regular supplies. Trotsky took personal responsibility of the Civil War (travelled 65,000 miles on his train) and Trotsky was extremely pragmatic

EXPLANATION: Trotsky’s rigid control of the army meant that the army was reliable and could do its aims. also the fact that Trotsky had 5 million troops in the end compared to denikin’s 100,000 army is a huge illustration of the victory of the red Army. And no white leader matched Trotsky strategy, tactics and ability to sustain the troops morale. Also the fact that the whites did not have one specific aim and were disunited also put the reds at a huge advantage. Lastly the fact that Trotsky was the sole leader gave the Reds clarity that the whites could never have due to the fact that they was so widespread & disunited.

therefore the leadership of Trotsky was the most important reason for the victory of the red Army in the Russian Civil War due to the fact that without Trotsky’s pragmatic and strict leadership the Reds would have never been successful

Question 44

ASSESS THE REASONS FOR THE VICTORY OF THE RED ARMY IN THE RUSSIAN CIVIL WAR

red strengths : geographical position

Answer 44

The Reds held the heartlands of Russia. This gave them control of Moscow, Petrograd, the railway system, the Russian industry, the heavily populated areas, and the weapons and supplies of the Czars army.

EXPLANATION: this therefore meant that the Reds had control over everything whereas the whites had little industry, had poor transport links and the white areas were very thinly populated so could not recruit as easily as the Reds could. This therefore allowed Trotsky to exploit the white weaknesses and therefore illustrates that the leadership of Trotsky and his ability to exploit and use the control that he had successfully enabled the reds to win

Question 45

ASSESS THE REASONS FOR THE VICTORY OF THE RED ARMY IN THE RUSSIAN CIVIL WAR

red strengths : propaganda

Answer 45

The key messages from propaganda: some examples showed that the Reds as “red saviours” and that the whites were being controlled by foreign intervention and couldn’t think for themselves. Also propaganda illustrated that Civil War was a necessary part of revolution and that the whites wanted czardom and were being controlled by the church.

The propaganda that illustrated the reds as red saviours gained support for the Reds as it illustrated that they were just Russia and made all decisions for themselves and that they weren’t influenced as indicated in the other propaganda where the whites were being influenced by other countries. it also showed the Reds interest and dedication for the workers to win who were the key supporters and therefore propaganda allowed Trotsky to exploit white weaknesses and make him and the red army look more patriotic and ultimately win the war . however propaganda was only useful due to the leadership of Trotsky and his ability to use the propaganda to his advantage

Question 46

ASSESS THE REASONS FOR THE VICTORY OF THE RED ARMY IN THE RUSSIAN CIVIL WAR

red strengths : war communism

Answer 46

The whole reason war communism was introduced was to help the Reds win the Civil War. ( Grain requisition squads of surplus grain of the peasants)Workers got the grain first and soldiers in the red army were prioritised to.

Using cheka to repress and control peasants spread fear of the Bolsheviks , however the requisition squads didn’t work and grain massively decreased for example grain was less than half of the harvest in 1913. And therefore not enough grain was sent to the workers and this led to the kronstadt rising and 5 million peasants starving. This decreased bolsheviks support and made it harder to win the Civil War as key supporters were uprising. therefore war communism was meant to help and make things easier but it actually made things harder.

Question 47

ASSESS THE REASONS FOR THE VICTORY OF THE RED ARMY IN THE RUSSIAN CIVIL WAR

white weaknesses: geographically scattered

Answer 47

kolchak was in siberia

yudenich was in estonia

wrangle was in ukraine

denikin in was in ukraine but didn’t work together with wrangle

EXPLANATION: this therefore meant that the whites were disunited and couldn’t properly communicate with one another for example there were 2500 km between kolchak and denikin. So although the white army is surrounding the red, they all have different aims so weren’t as effective and therefore the leadership of Trotsky is the major reason why the red Army won the Civil War

Question 48

ASSESS THE REASONS FOR THE VICTORY OF THE RED ARMY IN THE RUSSIAN CIVIL WAR

white weaknesses: lack of unity aims

Answer 48

Wrangel in Ukraine had a volunteer army and the Ukrainians in this army wanted independence.

yudenich in estonia army had ex- czarists who were in close proximity to Saint Petersburg

and denikin’s Ukrainian volunteer army was filled with some kadets who believed in democracy and monarchy.

this therefore illustrates the disunity of the whites and that they couldn’t work together as they didn’t have a single aim. And therefore ultimately, the other white weaknesses came from the fact that they all lacked a unity of aim and compared to the red who were united in aims, this therefore illustrates the huge weaknesses the whites had and therefore the leadership of Trotsky was the reason why the reds won in terms of strengths of the reds. but in terms of white weaknesses, the lack of unity of aims is the most important too.

Question 49

ASSESS THE REASONS FOR THE VICTORY OF THE RED ARMY IN THE RUSSIAN CIVIL WAR

white weaknesses: lack of co-operation between generals

Answer 49

they were geographically and politically disunited and they couldn’t work together to achieve a single aim

for example wrangle’s Ukrainians wanted independence and denikin’s kadets wanted monarchy and democracy. The white army was also so much smaller than the reds for example denikin never had more than 100,000 men wheras Trotsky by 1920 has 3 1/2 million men therefore the whites couldn’t defeat the reds as they were so disunited

Question 50

ASSESS THE REASONS FOR THE VICTORY OF THE RED ARMY IN THE RUSSIAN CIVIL WAR

white weaknesses: land policy

Answer 50

bolsheviks said that the peasants could keep their land, so the whites felt that they had to do better.

there was no one consistent land policy for the whites but Denikin said to the peasants surrender your land and we will choose what is returned to you and this land policy cost the whites huge support due to the fact that this alienated the peasants. as if they supported the whites,they could lose everything however this didn’t necessarily mean that the peasants supported the Reds either. the peasants would only go to the Reds if whites failed as they had a good land policy

Question 51

ASSESS THE REASONS FOR THE VICTORY OF THE RED ARMY IN THE RUSSIAN CIVIL WAR

white weaknesses: reliance on allies (foreign intervention / help)

Answer 51

The French established land base around the Port of Odessa in early 1918

in April 1918 Japanese troops occupied Vladivostok and in August 1918 France, Britain, USA and Italian forces joined the Japanese.

Therefore the Reds could brand themselves as Russian saviours but the white looks like they were working with invaders. Yes the support was helpful to the whites but it was not enough as these countries did not want to commit to another war

so overall the leadership of Lenin was the main reason for the victory of the Reds in the Russian Civil War