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Russia in Revolution > Topic 4 > Flashcards

Topic 4 Flashcards

1
Q

according to lenin who had appointed the sovnarkom

A

congress of soviets

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2
Q

what were the immediate difficulties facing the bolshevik governemnt on coming to power

A

raw materials shortage + shortage of investment capital = industrial production at 2/3 level of 1914
inflation
transport infrastructure broken
hunger (grain supplies running 13million tonnes short)
germany taking the ukraine (richest grain producing region)

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3
Q

what were the first two decrees paased by the bolsheviks in november 1917

A

decree on land

devree on workers control

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4
Q

what did the decree on land state

A

no private ownership of land

all land to become the property of the whole people

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5
Q

whata did the decree on workers control state

A

accepted workers take over of the factories

but ordered the workers committees to maintain ‘the strictess order and discipline’

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6
Q

what was vesenkha and what did it do

A

the supreme council of the national economy

  • banks and railways nationalised
  • foreign debts were cancelled
  • transport system made less chaotic
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7
Q

when was the cheka established

A

1917

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8
Q

cheka’s full title

A

all russian extraordinary commission for fighting counter revolution, sabotage and speculation

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9
Q

what did lenin see democratic elections as

A

the trick by which the bourgeois kept itself in power

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10
Q

results of the constituent assembly elections

A 
SRs - 370
bolsheviks - 175
national minorities - 99
left SRs - 40
kadets - 17
mensheviks - 16
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11
Q

why had lenin originally supported the idea of a constituent assembly

A

a way to weaken the PGs authority

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12
Q

what was the fate of the constituent assembly

A

met in January 1918

after one day lenin closed it down at gunpoint from the red guards

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13
Q

`how did lenin justify closing down the constituent assembly

A

superfluous now there was soviet government

constituent assembly elections had been rigged by the SRs and kadets

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14
Q

rosa luxemburg (german socialist) remarks on the closing down of the constituent assembly

A

‘the remedy was worse than the disease it was supposed to cure’

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15
Q

lenins view on what to do about the war

A

russia = military exhausted
impossible to fight successfully
it was pointless for the bolshevik russia to continue fighting
also germany had been giving substantial amounts of money to lenin and the bolsheviks so in lenins best interest to make peace with germany

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16
Q

trotsky’s view on what to do about the war

A

took middle position between lenins immediate peace and the other bolsheviks / left SRs who wanted to continue the war as a revolutionary crusade against germany
trotsky believed germany’s armies would soon collapse on the western front and revolution in germeny would follow
so in best interest to pull out the peace talks to take as long as possible to exploit the mutinies
‘neither peace, nor war’

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17
Q

bolshevik tactics at brest-litovsk

A

trotsky showed contempt for the bourgeois propriety
continually ignored etiquette of diplomacy
yawn loudly and generally be rude
launched into revolutionary speeches irrelevantly
only became willing to sign the devastating peace treaty when it became clear germany was about to march on petrograd to overthrow lenins government

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18
Q

what type of revolutionaries were lenin and trotsky and what did this mean

A

international revolutionaries - marxists willing to sacrifice mere national interests in the cause of the worldwide risings of the workers
so had very little a sense of duty to russia

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19
Q

the ‘diktat’ of brest-litovsk clauses

A

huge slice of territory (1/3 of european russia) from the baltic sea to the black sea including ukraine to germany and her allies (this land lost had a population of 45 million)
- russia was to pay 3 billion roubles in reparations

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20
Q

why did lenin sign brest-litovsk

A

‘Russia can offer no physical resistance because she is materially exhausted by three years of war’
wars not won by idealism alone
‘the russian revolution must sign the peace to obtain a breathing space to recuperate for the struggle’
can then regain land after war

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21
Q

left communists

A

condemned brest-litovsk

first = consolidate revolution by driving german imperialist armies from russia

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22
Q

what destroyed the left communists argument

A

germany’s western front collapsed august 1918 = withdrawal of german forces from russia
= brest-litovsk now worthless

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23
Q

why is it thought lenin wanted a civil war

A

better to have a brief struggle against opponents but destroy them than a long period of harrasment for years to come

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24
Q

why did lenin not want to act in coalition with any other revolutionary parties

A

constituent assembly results showed bolsheviks were in a clear minority
2 main reasons:
-sucessful counter-revolution = easier for non-bolsheviks as they would have a popular mandate to govern
-bolsheviks would be unable to dominate government since they were th minority

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25
who were the reds
bolsheviks and their supporters
26
who were the whites
the bolsheviks opponents - monarchists - outlawed parties (whom may have helped / supported overthrow of the tsar)
27
who were the greens
national minorities | wanted independence
28
how lenin saw civil war vs reality
class struggle vs individuals each trying to win their own battle (minorities looking ofr independence, village disputes being resolved..)
29
who led the reds
trotsky
30
North West
North West / Estonia = Yudenich - ex-tsarist general fought in russo-japanese war - october 1919 nearly reached Petrograd
31
czech legion
originally fighting austri but changed sides to fight with the russians Czech Legion = travelled up and down trans-siberian railway
32
North-East
Kolchak - former commander of russian black sea fleet - self proclaimed 'Supreme ruler of the russian state' was encouraged by Czech legion so formed a white army
33
South
South = Denikin - ex-tsarist general who had supported Kornilov - 'White Volunteer Army' = tsarists and kadets
34
Caucasus and ukraine
short lived resistance Wrangel - decorated tsarist commander in WW1
35
why were the bolsheviks sucessful despite fighting on four fronts (geography)
they controlled russian railway | they had the infrastructure
36
white weakness as a reason for bolshevik success
white army fought as separate detatchments not bound together by a single aim unwilling to sacrifice their individual interests so no united anti-bolshevik front formed whites were too scattered geographically (even if they had of wanted to join up) whites relied too heavily on international aid (rarely arrived in right place at right time) white leaders inferior to trotsky
37
red strengths which ensured they won the civil war
controlled western russia = communication + supply lines they controlled Moscow and petrograd they held the key industrial areas = munitions which whites had to get from abroad whites looked in with the foreign interventionists (reds = champions of russian nation and the proletariat revolution) TROTSKY
38
trotsky in civil war - strategy
defend red army lines of communication deny whites from concentrating any large forces in a single place prevent whites maintaining regular supplies railway protection
39
importance of morale
trotsky + bolsheviks = driving sense of purpose whites = uncoordinated, never high morale whites often in bitter disputes no white, revolutionary leader emerged
40
effect of civil war on bolsheviks
- authoritarianism (unchallenged command from above) - toughness (revolution born in war and survived) - centralisation (central committee too combersome so power moved towards politburo and orgburo)
41
why foreign interventionists in russi
germany and war
42
what happend soon after the signing of Brest-litovsk (from foreign interventionists)
british, french and US troops occupied Murmansk and Archangel
43
after ww1 ended what was the decision faced by the interventionists
posibility of full offensive against the bolsheviks (churchill strongly supported this) but european / allied powers tired by a world war
44
spread of communism through europe
Comintern set up = communist international body (in Moscow 1919) to organise worldwide revolution - jan 1918 = spartacists tried to mount a coup in berlin (failed) - 1919 communist republic briefly in Bavaria - march 1919 marxist gov set up in Hungary (fell after 5 months)
45
financial aspect to anti-bolshevikism
one of bolsheviks first acts in power was to declare all foregin debts void - not going to pay them off nationalised lots of foregin companies and froze their assets in russia seen especially by french (whom had invested alot) as international theft
46
french proposal of international plan against the bolsheviks
1918 british troops enter Transcaucasia in southern russia british warships (later joined by french) enter russian baltic waters french establishes port at odessa 1918 april japan occupies Vladivostok (later joined by Brr, Fr, USA and italy) Czech, Finnish, Lithuanian, Polish and Romanian forces into russia jananese + USA in siberia not coordinated little co-operation was just legitimate protection of individual interests
47
failure of interventionists
no real attempt to get rid of bolsheviks from power interventionists = tired after war with germany trade unionists wouldnt co-operate (refused to transport military supplies bound for russia) no working togther (between foreigners and whites) but did free estonia, latvia and lithuania 1920 all westerners had left
48
propaganda success of the bolsheviks
portrayed foreigners leaving as a huge bolshevikk sucess lenin = saviour of the nation whites = agents of foreign powers
49
war against poland
1920 red army into poland polish workers didnt rise to support the revolution bolsheviks as international revolutionaries not going to be as sucessful as lenin and trotsky had hoped = softening of their view (soviet foreign policy became avoid conflict and no expansion)
50
lenin methods brief for imposing control - brief
``` red terror cheka murder the romanovs labour camps show trials trade unions cruched re army coonscription ```
51
when were the romanovs murdered and where
july 1918 in Ekaterinburg
52
cheka
Dzerzhinsky (absolute dedication to bolsheviksm) state police force destroy anti-bolshevikism
53
labour camps
Dzerzhinsky labour camps formed housing the 'enemies of the revolution' by lenins death there were 315 camps
54
show trials
soviet unions outlawed parties + moscow clergy put on humiliating public trial = imprisoned lenin politicizing the law
55
trade unions crushed
trotsky ended the independence of trade unions 'unnecessary chatterboxes' 'the working classes cannot be nomads. They must be commanded just like soldiers' workers brought under the same military discipline of soldiers
56
restrictions put on workers
ban on the questioning of orders and instructions rates of pays and working hours = non-negotiable severe penalties for poor workmanship or not meeting production targets
57
how trotsky organised the red army
used ex-tsarist officers to train soldiers up to standards trotsky attatched political commissars to the army = no military order could be carried out without the signature of the commissar death sentence imposed for disobedient soldiers electing officers and soldiers committees abandoned
58
conscription
'Everything for the Front' most conscripts were reluctant soldiers = not reliable = desertions common place only dependable units = workers units
59
red army idealism
communist mission was to create a new proletariat world | whilst under armed and not enough supplies there sense of purpose led to it becoming a good fighting force
60
war communism | when
1918-21
61
why impose war communism
move away from state capitalism | also to make all political, social and economic life subordinate to winning the civil war
62
impact on industry of war communism
decree on nationalisation june 1918 = all major industry under gov control factories fell in productivity due to civil war (war needs come first + workers taken into the red army) hyperinflation gov printing money by 1920 the rouble was worth 1% of its worth in 1917
63
impact on agriculture of war communism
for lenin war communism = gov control agriculture and force peasants to provide more food but peasants = difficult to bring into line bolsheviks blamed kulaks of grain hoarding to keep prices artificially high truth = peasants didnt see point in producing grain as gov wouldnt pay a fair price for it = grain requisitioning
64
grain requisitioning
peasant wouldnt conform so branded as counter-revolutionary cheka units sent to take grain by force countryside terrorised 1920 lenin gave the order for 100 kulaks to be publicly hanged to terrify
65
reult of grain requisitioning
failed | knowing their grain would be confiscated peasants produced the bare minimum (just enough to feed their own family)
66
famine
by 1921 - national famine (requisitioning, drought and civil war) even Pravda admitted 1 in 5 were starving got some aid (eg USA through ARA provided food for 10 million russians) after two years lenin told the ARA to bet out as lenin despised relying on foreign capitalists
67
how war communism was enforced
``` lenin destroyed the orthodox chrch 1921, civil war ended yet war communism continued as - centralised industry -ended private ownership -squeezed the peasants = true socialism ```
68
why did peasants think war communism would end
war over put up with it whilst whites were a threat but now peasants expected requisitioning to stop... but they didnt
69
Tambov risings
in Tambov area in 1920 led by Antonov (an SR) peasants took over whole regions of the countryside peasants hunted down red sympathisers end of 1920 Antonov commanded a guerilla army of 20,000 summer 1921 huge red army detatchments had crushed
70
kronstadt risings when
1921 | the most serious challenge to bolshevik control since october revolution
71
how workers opposition formed
Shlyapnikov + Kollontai (a woman) opposition to the excesses of war communism pamphlet produce claiming party leaders had lost tough with the proletariat
72
how the kronstadt rising happend
1921 petrograd workers went on strike crossed to the naval base of Kronstadt demonstrated for greater freedom lenin sent a team of politicalcommissars
73
kronstadt manifesto
kronstadt elected Petrechenko as chairman of a 15 person revolutionary team - new elections to soviets by secret ballot - freedom of speech,assembly and the press - rights for trade unions - ending of the communists as only socialist party - end special treatment for communist party members - withdrawal of political commissars from factories ending of communist monopoly on press
74
uprising crushed
trotsky ordered red army under Tukhachevsky to crush artillerly bombardment, 60,000 red troops stormed the kronstadt base fierce fighting bolsheviks won
75
aftermath of kronstadt risings
leaders shot | New Economic Policy (looked bad as kronstadt had been the heroes of the revolution)
76
New Economic Policy | when
1921
77
New Economic Policy | why
to meet russias need for food | time to persuade the peasants to work witht the regime
78
how did the party react to the New Economic Policy
deep divisions as permitted a mixed economy (nepmen = beneficiaries of NEP) but eventually agreed
79
main features of New Economic Policy
central economic control relaxed requisitioning of grain abandoned, replaced by TAx in Kind - peasants allowed to keep food surpluses and sell them for a profit -public markets restores -money reintroduced to trade
80
lenin bans factionalism
NEP = dangerous and divisive so to prevent arty being torn apart resolution of 'Party unity'
81
Bukharin
abandoned his opposition to NEP and became an enthusiastic supporter
82
did NEP work?
``` production figures suggests it did work most industry remained nationalised but industry failed to expand as quick as the llargely privzate agriculture Nepmen high unemployment ```
83
lenins legacy (died 1624)
``` one party state bureaucratic state cheka democratic centralisation ban on factionalism destruction on trade unions politicisation of law show trials labour camps prohibition of public worship soviet union = delayed revolution for rest of world ```

Russia in Revolution (4 decks)

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