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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
Q

who were the reds

A

bolsheviks and their supporters

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26
Q

who were the whites

A

the bolsheviks opponents

  • monarchists
  • outlawed parties (whom may have helped / supported overthrow of the tsar)
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27
Q

who were the greens

A

national minorities

wanted independence

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28
Q

how lenin saw civil war vs reality

A

class struggle vs individuals each trying to win their own battle (minorities looking ofr independence, village disputes being resolved..)

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29
Q

who led the reds

A

trotsky

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30
Q

North West

A

North West / Estonia = Yudenich

  • ex-tsarist general fought in russo-japanese war
  • october 1919 nearly reached Petrograd
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31
Q

czech legion

A

originally fighting austri but changed sides to fight with the russians
Czech Legion = travelled up and down trans-siberian railway

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32
Q

North-East

A

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

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33
Q

South

A

South = Denikin

  • ex-tsarist general who had supported Kornilov
  • ‘White Volunteer Army’ = tsarists and kadets
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34
Q

Caucasus and ukraine

A

short lived resistance
Wrangel
- decorated tsarist commander in WW1

35
Q

why were the bolsheviks sucessful despite fighting on four fronts
(geography)

A

they controlled russian railway

they had the infrastructure

36
Q

white weakness as a reason for bolshevik success

A

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
Q

red strengths which ensured they won the civil war

A

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
Q

trotsky in civil war - strategy

A

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
Q

importance of morale

A

trotsky + bolsheviks = driving sense of purpose
whites = uncoordinated, never high morale
whites often in bitter disputes
no white, revolutionary leader emerged

40
Q

effect of civil war on bolsheviks

A
  • 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
Q

why foreign interventionists in russi

A

germany and war

42
Q

what happend soon after the signing of Brest-litovsk (from foreign interventionists)

A

british, french and US troops occupied Murmansk and Archangel

43
Q

after ww1 ended what was the decision faced by the interventionists

A

posibility of full offensive against the bolsheviks (churchill strongly supported this)
but european / allied powers tired by a world war

44
Q

spread of communism through europe

A

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
Q

financial aspect to anti-bolshevikism

A

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
Q

french proposal of international plan against the bolsheviks

A

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
Q

failure of interventionists

A

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
Q

propaganda success of the bolsheviks

A

portrayed foreigners leaving as a huge bolshevikk sucess
lenin = saviour of the nation
whites = agents of foreign powers

49
Q

war against poland

A

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
Q

lenin methods brief for imposing control - brief

A 
red terror
cheka
murder the romanovs
labour camps
show trials
trade unions cruched
re army
coonscription
51
Q

when were the romanovs murdered and where

A

july 1918 in Ekaterinburg

52
Q

cheka

A

Dzerzhinsky (absolute dedication to bolsheviksm)
state police force
destroy anti-bolshevikism

53
Q

labour camps

A

Dzerzhinsky
labour camps formed housing the ‘enemies of the revolution’
by lenins death there were 315 camps

54
Q

show trials

A

soviet unions outlawed parties + moscow clergy put on humiliating public trial = imprisoned
lenin politicizing the law

55
Q

trade unions crushed

A

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
Q

restrictions put on workers

A

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
Q

how trotsky organised the red army

A

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
Q

conscription

A

‘Everything for the Front’
most conscripts were reluctant soldiers = not reliable = desertions common place
only dependable units = workers units

59
Q

red army idealism

A

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
Q

war communism

when

A

1918-21

61
Q

why impose war communism

A

move away from state capitalism

also to make all political, social and economic life subordinate to winning the civil war

62
Q

impact on industry of war communism

A

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
Q

impact on agriculture of war communism

A

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
Q

grain requisitioning

A

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
Q

reult of grain requisitioning

A

failed

knowing their grain would be confiscated peasants produced the bare minimum (just enough to feed their own family)

66
Q

famine

A

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
Q

how war communism was enforced

A 
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
Q

why did peasants think war communism would end

A

war over
put up with it whilst whites were a threat but now peasants expected requisitioning to stop…
but they didnt

69
Q

Tambov risings

A

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
Q

kronstadt risings when

A

1921

the most serious challenge to bolshevik control since october revolution

71
Q

how workers opposition formed

A

Shlyapnikov + Kollontai (a woman)
opposition to the excesses of war communism
pamphlet produce claiming party leaders had lost tough with the proletariat

72
Q

how the kronstadt rising happend

A

1921 petrograd workers went on strike
crossed to the naval base of Kronstadt
demonstrated for greater freedom
lenin sent a team of politicalcommissars

73
Q

kronstadt manifesto

A

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
Q

uprising crushed

A

trotsky ordered red army under Tukhachevsky to crush
artillerly bombardment, 60,000 red troops stormed the kronstadt base
fierce fighting
bolsheviks won

75
Q

aftermath of kronstadt risings

A

leaders shot

New Economic Policy (looked bad as kronstadt had been the heroes of the revolution)

76
Q

New Economic Policy

when

A

1921

77
Q

New Economic Policy

why

A

to meet russias need for food

time to persuade the peasants to work witht the regime

78
Q

how did the party react to the New Economic Policy

A

deep divisions as permitted a mixed economy (nepmen = beneficiaries of NEP)
but eventually agreed

79
Q

main features of New Economic Policy

A

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
Q

lenin bans factionalism

A

NEP = dangerous and divisive
so to prevent arty being torn apart
resolution of ‘Party unity’

81
Q

Bukharin

A

abandoned his opposition to NEP and became an enthusiastic supporter

82
Q

did NEP work?

A 
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
Q

lenins legacy (died 1624)

A 
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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