Theme Three Flashcards
How did Lenin view the press?
An essential means of advancing the revolution.
When was the Decree on the Press issued?
1917
What did the Decree on the Press do?
Give the government the authority to close down any counter revolutionary publications.
When was the Revolutionary Tribunal of the Press introduced?
1918
What did the Revolutionary Tribunal of the Press do?
Introduce state censorship, and tell the Cheka who to target.
What does ROSTA stand for?
The All-Russian Telegraph Agency
When was ROSTA set up?
1918
What did ROSTA do?
Distribute all news
By what year did Lenin achieve total control over the Press?
1921
How did the Civil War affect Lenin’s Press?
There was increased freedom as the government focused on winning the war.
How did the government respond to the loosening of the Press during the NEP?
The GPU set up Glavlit in 1922. Glavlit screened all literature for anti-communist ideas. Any that failed the screening were sent to the book Gulag.
Who was Gustav Klutsis?
An artist who used photomontage to promote Lenin’s electrification campaign.
Who was El Lissitzky?
A soviet artist who created abstract propaganda such as “Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge”
What form did ROSTA’s propaganda take?
Cartoon films
When did the first images of Lenin appear in propaganda?
January 1918
When did Lenin survive an assassination attempt? How did this affect the propaganda?
August 1918. The propaganda began to use him more and more, drawing religious parallels between him and prophets.
How did the cult of Lenin develop during the war?
- Statues and busts produced despite lack of resources
- Books started being published about him, being portrayed as humane and approachable
Why was the cult of Lenin important?
It gave the communist movement a figurehead and made him appear more trustworthy to the public.
How did the Decree on Land affect religion?
It gave the peasants the right to seize land from the church
When was the Decree Concerning Separation of Church and State passed?
1918
What did the Decree Concerning Separation of Church and State do?
It took privileges such as subsidies and religious education away from the Orthodox Church.
Who was Ivan Kochurov?
An arch priest who was assassinated in Petrograd in November 1917
What happened to Moscow priests in January 1918?
They were massacred after the church excommunicated the party.
When did the deportation of catholic priests begin?
1918
What steps did the Politburo take against the church during the civil war?
It ordered the Cheka to eradicate them. Within two years a majority has been killed.
What steps did the government take against the church during the famine.
- Mounted a propaganda campaign against them
- Seized property
- Blamed priests for deaths as they had “sabotaged relief efforts” I.e. Tried to hold on to their property
When was the Living Church established?
April 1923
Why was the Living Church set up?
To directly oppose the Russian Orthodox Church and create a division in the church through which it could be weakened.
What was the first thing the Living Church did?
Depose Patriarch Tikon with the help of the GPU and started to decentralise power.
What was the problem with the Living Church?
Its new leader, Archbishop Vedenskii, was unwilling to support the Communists after they asserted that science disproved the existence of God.
Why did Lenin want to overthrow Islam?
Because it had the loyalty of many people in the central Asian and Caucasian states so he thought overthrowing it would help him extend his power base.
What methods did Lenin use to overthrow Islam?
- Closed mosques and made them into sports clubs
- Attacked shrines
- Launched campaigns against the chador (traditional clothing)
- Opened anti-Islam museums near holy sites
When was the Cheka established?
December 1917
Who did Lenin appoint head of the Cheka?
Felix Dzerzhinsky
Why did Lenin introduce the Cheka?
He introduced it as a short term measure to help him consolidate his power base.
Who did the Cheka target in particular?
Tsarists, trade unionists demanding higher wages and rival socialists.
What tasks did the Cheka carry out?
- Grain requisitioning
- Closing down newspapers
- Torturing and executing political opponents
- Destroying the Constituent Assembly
- Crushing the Kronstadt Mutiny
What was the Cheka replaced with and when?
The GPU in 1922
When was the GPU replaced and with what?
1923 by the OGPU
What role did the GPU and the OGPU play in the NEP?
- They scrutinised public opinion
- They deported anti communist sympathisers
- In August 1922 they put the leaders of the SRs on trial and sentenced them to death
- They attacked class enemies
