Topic 2- Bolshevik Consolidation (1918- 1924) Flashcards

Question

Economic policies State capitalism (War communism slide 17)

Answer 1

Based on private wealth and free market enterprise major companies would remain in private hands but under state control and supervision Vesenka managed factories and manufacturing ‘regulate economic life) workers committees replaced managers in factories and heavy industries as production was given over to the proletariat. Rural land granted the peasantry that farmed them and banks and railways were nationalised. Successes -‘steadily manage’ the transition towards socialism +(decree on land and workers- oct 1917) incentivised etc + vesenka and infrastructure allowed for greater state control Failures- Workers set working hours and holidays so they didn’t show up- absenteeism Peasants lacked any incentive to produce grain state control of companies restricted intervention + workers sold equipment on the black market

Answer 2

Prohibited a complete crash of industry reduction and absenteeism - black market prevented starvation red army supplied with food/ammunition alliance between peasants and workers allow the economy to be treated as a singular industry. Could justify terror out of economic and military necessity which helpedcentralised power. Dissatisfaction of outright terror (118 uprising in the February 19210- grain requistions Lessened production, harvest 48% in 1921 of what they were in 1913 + blockade of trade led to a lack of income from Ukraine workers lost freedom from 1917 + internal passport system re-introduced-freedom of movement rationing organised on a class basis

Answer 3

Grain requisitioning abolished replaced by a ‘tax in kind’ - peasants had to give a fixed proportion of their grain to the state but they could sell any surplus on the open market Ban on private trade removed- food and goods can flow more easily between the countryside and the towns, rationing was abolished Small scale businesses (workshops and factories) and privately owned shops reopened and made profit such as workshops and factories that made goods state kept control of large scale heavy industries like coal, steel, and oil + retained control of banking and transport systems (industry was organised into trust that had to buy materials and pay workers)

Answer 4

Economy- private businesses reopened, profit incentive reintroduced production in all sections of the economy improved, workers received real wages meaning that rural families were better fed and the living standard rose Kulaks (a peasant in Russia wealthy enough to own a farm and hire labour) emerged Advanced methods used in farming crop rotation, chemical fertilise et cetera electrical output almost doubled Stability - banning of grain requisition please rural community, there was a reduction and armed rebellions against state, urban populations provided with supplies and work party unified as long as NEP was temporary (even as a temporary issue, it created party division) new Soviet bank established in October 1921 which balance the budget, reformed currency by assurance in worth new labour code 8hrs a day + two weeks annual leave, increased pay for improved production challenges - famine continued into 1922, 50% of railways were broken down/ in poor condition heavy industries took longer to recover, higher cost led to unemployment of approximately 16% scissor crisis- agricultural prices fell, however industrial prices rose eventually peasant stopped meeting grain quoters as they hadn’t enough to live on, or to make profit on, they stopped buying manufactured goods but urban area still dependent on private agriculture

Answer 5

Press freedoms- by 1922 dozens of writers and schoolers were deported Pre-publication censorship was introduced by the main administration for affairs of literature and publishing houses (GLAVLIT) Political rivals- Mensheviks and SRs encouraged strikes Bolsheviks arrested 5000 Mensheviks in 1921 for ‘counterrevolutionary activities’ rounded up and accused SRs and held show trials. 34 leaders were condemned as terrorists and 11 were executed . Peasant revolt- Tambov region swamped with red army in 1922 whole villages destroyed and those who supported reds were rewarded with salt The church- faced ferocious attacks as they were seen as a rival power Union of the militant godless established in 1921 1922 orders were sent to strip churches of all precious items, justified as helping famine victims clergy and locals fought back but orthodox Church leaders faced death penalties and thousands were imprisoned Secret police - renamed GPU in 1922 and grew in importance during nep arbitrary imprisonment and death penalty utilised more frequently after 1922

Answer 6

Pragmatism and survival Made concessions to workers and peasants (decree on land and decree on workers- oct 1917) Gave way to popular demands and aspirations in 1917 to 18 by abolishing titles and ranks Sign the treaty of Brest-litovsk to exit the first world war and to honour decree on peace Employed policy of war communism to keep the regime afloat — Took strong measures against workers in the cities and towns and peasants to seize grain Introduced the new economic policy to ensure political survival Ruthless methods set up the Cheka (GPU) as an instrument of terror to deal with opposition arrested opposition groups and deemed many counterrevolutionary Used force to break civil service strikes and deal with demonstrations Class warfare used to terrorise the middle class and all hostile social groups Maintaining political stability/ control Refuse to take part in a socialist coalition government and cross the constituent assembly establishing a one party state Exploited weaknesses of the opposition in particular the SR and Mensheviks Defeated the whites in the Civil War- people were more inclined to support the reds to protect the gains of the revolution Democratic centralism are allowed for a highly centralised area of control through the use of the central committee who decreed the majority of policies

Answer 7

1917- October Revolution: Sovnarkom (Council of People's Commissars, established after the October Revolution, made up of 13 to 20 People's Commissars and chaired by Lenin The first Sovnarkom was created after the 1917 October Revolution. When the Soviet Union was established, the Sovnarkom evolved to bypass Soviet Central Committee ( Constituent Assembly abolished after elections and ruling by decree became the norm) 1918- Civil War Desperate situation, Sovnarkom accruing more power in order to direct war effort and economy. Communist Party dominated government Communist Party became more centralised, more bureaucratic, less democratic. — Railways Nationalised to remove union control fromMensheviks and save from collapse — Collapse of industrial output; Vesenkha reports to Sovnarkom + workers desire industrialisation 1919- Party Domination- Establishment of the Politburo (an inner ruling group) which takes precedence over Sovnarkom - District and local Party organisations take control of soviets - Central Committee appointed 'trusted' nominations as members 1921- crisis year (card 20) +Ban on factions NEP 1922- USSR — Union of Soviet Socialist Republics born, incorporating Belorussian, Ukrainian, Armenian, Azerbaijani and Georgian SSRs 1923- Nomenklatura - Key personnel in public bodies drawn from pro-Bolshevik workers 5,500 party and government posts - nomenklatura - in the former Soviet Union) the system whereby influential posts in government and industry were filled by Party appointee- identified - Overt loyalty counted more than expertise. They 'key posts became an elite in society. 1924- one party state Authoritarian and centralised party Decision making in the hands of the few, Detached from its proletarian base Party reinterpreted its role as having exclusive rights to lead

Answer 8

April thesis- it was his ideology and him who forced them through despite party opposition uncompromising position on war “all power to the Soviet” gave him the necessary credibility as an opposition party October uprising- he pressured the unwilling central committee into supporting the uprising in a vote of 10 to 2. It is likely that they would not have gotten into power if they hadn’t acted that precise moment socialist coalition- resisted a social coalition and instead forced the establishment of a one party state to great opposition crushed the constituent assembly (the legitimate elected government) Brest-Litovsk and the red army- push through the signing of the treaty despite opposition from left communist and supported Trotsky in creating a traditional hierarchical red army using ex-Tsarist officers as Trotsky wouldn’t have got this through without him and intern allowed him to win the Civil War) NEP- Lenin persuaded a reluctant party to accept economic compromises based off his record and standing in the party. chance that the Bolsheviks would’ve been overthrown if war communism continued

Answer 9

Dealing with the ‘nationalities question’- In 1917 just over half the population was Russian Stalin appointed as commissar for nationalities and he and Lenin drew up the declaration of rights of the people of Russia (provided equality, sovereignty, self-determination, and abolition of ratification to all) hoping that the impacted countries would return by their own free will By March 1918 Finland had full independence and Ukraine and Georgia Armenia and Azerbaijan soon declared independence, 1918: Stalin, initially supportive, became hostile to independence movements. The Bolsheviks imposed communist regimes by force in Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. 1920: Azerbaijan fell back under Soviet control, and Armenia accepted Soviet rule due to a Turkish threat. 1921- February ‘Georgia Affair’ Stalin dispatched his associat to encourage a Bolshevik rising. The Red Amy moved in and the Mensheviks were forced to flee. Lenin was dismayed by such violent behaviour 1922: The Federal Union of the SSRs of Transcaucasia was established, merging Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

Answer 10

The communist International organisation created to conduct Lenin’s theory of permanent revolution- particularly in industrialised countries (Germany) Spartacist Uprising (Germany, January 1919): Led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, the Spartacists attempted to spark a revolution in Berlin. It was quickly crushed by the Weimar government with the help of the military and Freikorps Bavarian Soviet Republic (Munich, March 1919): revolutionaries declared a Soviet republic in Munich, but it lasted only two months before being suppressed by the Weimar government. Hungarian Soviet Republic (Budapest, March 1919): A Soviet republic was established in Hungary under Béla Kun but collapsed in 6 months the failure of revolutions outside Russia convinced Lenin that Communist parties abroad must adopt the Bolshevik model, leading to the imposition of strict membership conditions by the Comintern in 1920, focusing on discipline, centralization, and preparation for civil war. Russian invasion of Poland in 1920- Lenin’s attempt to create a revolutionary ‘land bridge’ to Europe failed in an armistice at Riga (lenin realised revolution was no longer feasible in Europe) In response, the Comintern shifted tactics in 1921, promoting a United Workers' Front, in which the world’s communist parties pledged themselves to work with other socialist parties and trade unions for common aims. Comintern agents were involved in an attempted rising in Germany in 1923, which ended in failure. Foreign governments assumed that its activities were sponsored by the Soviet led to mistrust from foreign governments. The 1924 ‘ Zinoviev letter’- forged correspondence between Comintern + British communist telling them to rise up further heightened Western fears of Soviet influence, resulting in Britain suspending relations with the Soviet Union in 1925

Answer 11

In 1921 Lenin announced any further attempts that armed uprising to encourage cooperation in terms of trade and investment with the west - Britain resumed diplomatic relations with the USSR. The two countries signed the Anglo-Soviet trade agreement, and Russia also agreed to pay back some of the debts incurred by the Tsarist government before 1917. 1922 there was an international conference in Genoa, however. The Russian commissar for foreign affairs was anti-British and the conference didn’t achieving much - Rapallo treaty was signed between Russia and Germany outside of the conference to encourage valuable economic cooperation ( Russia would supply Germany with grain in return for machinery, and Russia would allow German pilots and tank commanders to train in her territory . 1924- The first labour government gave official recognition to the USSR. Britian became more suspicious of Russian interference During the 1926 General Strike The Russians encouraged the stikers and Comintern agents sought to stir up trouble in British India. In 1927 the British Conservative government broke off diplomatic relations with the USSR. Western powers collaborated via the Dawes Plan (1924), Locarno Treaties (1925) + Russia became more isolated

Answer 12

‘Nomenklatura system’= where over loyalty counted more than expertise as both of its leaders wanted to ensure key personnel were pro Bolshevik and Bolshevik workers Local and District Soviets had little democratic input and made and they represented and were elected by local people The intention was the orders and decrease of Sovnarkom were checked by the central executive committee however this became more of a formality The sovnarkom (a small cabinet of both civic leaders are 15 to 20 members that made decisions and issue decrees) consisted of mostly the same members of the poly bureau and in a role in group of 7 to 9 people) and eventually became synonymous with the communist party as the politburo was the most powerful body by 1924

Answer 13

Politics- no opposing views, including socialist, Dictatorship of the proletariat key to a gradual socialist transition, increasingly detatched from ‘uncultured’ working-class base of support Party democracy destroyed in 1921 ‘ban on factions’ Democratic Centralism- potentially only forced upon Lenin by post-revolution circumstances Worried by power of the party and the growing bureaucracy, Concerned that Sovnarkom and Politburo dominated by the same people. Economy- Advocated mix of socialist and capitalist policies (State Capitalism / NEP) Mass mobilization of workers to carry out policies, Utilised Gosplan and Vesenkha– planning and regulating War Communism only ever enforced because of Civil War, Not an advocate of forced farming Fear and terror - Dealt ruthlessly with opponents and used terror to achieve ends. waged ‘class warfare’, attacking the bourgeoisie and ‘former people’. Establishment of the Cheka a vital first priority. Society- greater liberties and freedoms, Women to divorce freely and obtain equality in work, involvement in politics Education– children allowed to develop personality and harsh discipline reduced, Arts and culture given greater licence to experiment Wanted National minorities to stay in USSR by choice Ferocious attack on the Church and minority faiths

Answer 14

Theorist- Concept of a small, disciplined revolutionary party which could seize power and act as a vanguard crucial to 1917 success. Development (with Trotsky) of going without a ‘bourgeois- democratic stage’ of the revolution led to the April Theses (Bolshevik opposition of the Prov. Govt. and Oct. Uprising) Leader of the Party- Managed disputes and splits in the party (Brest-Litovsk; NEP) Great organisational capacity (management of War Communism) Would threaten resignation and be aggressive when needed. Flexible and pragmatic, finding solutions to problems. Built a government from scratch, 1917-18 Ruthlessness and cruelty- Ordered suppression of the Church Use of Cheka and Red Army in terror to consolidate position. Acrimonious about the peasants, ordering the hanging of hundred. Believed revolutionaries had to spill blood, used concentration camps and harsh labour Appealing leader Oration skills in expressing very complicated ideas simply to make hisaudiences understand political concepts. Convincing in bringing people round to his views – convince Trotsky to align with Bolsheviks Did not look for personal gain from the Revolution. Lived simply, in a three-bed apartment Passionate about and driven by politics and the revolution Would cut off personal connections with whom he fell out over politics (e.g. Martov, Menshevik)