1. Political authority and gov

Question 1

Maintainence of Bolshevik power:

Answer 1

• Bolshevik power relied on: peace and land redistribution.
• Peasants + soldiers prioritized these promises, supporting any government fulfilling them.
• Lenin’s priority was consolidating power, hence the emphasis on peace and land; socialism could follow suit.

Question 2

Bolshevik view of democracy

Answer 2

• action-oriented; the populace supported those who took decisive action, i.e., through revolution and force.
• relied on power and revolution; overthrowing an existing order was considered akin to an electoral mandate.

Question 3

Ideology definition

Answer 3

system of ideas and ideals

Question 4

Role of ideology

Answer 4

• need to preserve power made the Bolsheviks enact/tolerate policies that clashed with endeavours of socialism
• e.g Decree on Land enhanced tendencies of small scale agricultural holdings; contrary to land nationalisation of a Marxist ideology
• Lenin = warp Marxism to suit his own needs; suggests he is not committed to a Marxist ideology = Leninism

Question 5

Lenin and Trotsky believed Bolshevik ssiezure of power would…

Answer 5

spark simular revolutions elsewhere in europe.

Question 6

Trotsky vs Lenin war view.

Answer 6

• Trotsky’s ‘neither peace nor war’- retreating further if necessary while awaiting revolution in west.
• Lenin pragmatic view, argued for the acceptance of the German terms.

Question 7

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Answer 7

• Signed 3rd march 1918
• 1/3 european russia lost
• 45 million russians lost
• 75% coal + iron supply taken
• 3 billion in reps
  = loss of pride, represented step back in spread of marxism

Question 8

Brest-Litovsk

Importance of treaty

Answer 8

established that ‘socialism at home’ would take prioirty over spread of international rev.

Question 9

Brest-Litovsk

Concequences of treaty

Answer 9

• 1/2 human, industrial + agricultrual resourced of Nic II empire lost.
• severse grain shortages in city
• ppl joined anti-Bolshvik forces.
• 27% farmland lost
• 26% railway lines lost

Question 10

Brest-Litovsk

effects of treaty

Answer 10

• helped bring about CW
• many felt B’s betrayed Russia, opp grew
• anti-german and anti-B disorder broke out
• German ambassador to Russia was assassinated by the left SRs and there was fighting between some workers and Bolshevik supporters.

Question 11

When was Cheka created and what did it confirm?

Answer 11

Dec 1917
confirmed Lenin’s conviction that the ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’ would require the active repression of ‘counter-revolutionary’ enemies

Question 12

Leadership candidates

Answer 12

• Trotsky
• Stalin
• Bukharin
• Kamenev
• Zinoviev

Question 13

What did Trotsky do?

Answer 13

• Organised 1917 coup
• created Red Army
• member of Sovnarkom
• regarded by Lenin as the ‘most able’ man in the Central Committee
• believed in permanent revolution
• bourgeois background

Question 14

Who was Stalin?

Answer 14

• Old Bolshevik but not a senior member
• member of Sovnarkom
• general Secretary from 1922
• positions in Orgburo and Secretariat
• peasant background

Question 15

WHo was Burkarin

Who was Burkarin?

Answer 15

• joined Bolsheviks 1906
• not a senior member until 1922
• theorist
• described by Lenin as the ‘golden boy’
• some support in Moscow among youth

Question 16

Who was Kamenev?

Answer 16

• Old Bolshevik and close associate of Lenin
• had opposed timing of October Revolution
• not a member of Sovnarkom
• powerbase on Moscow
• bourgeois background

Question 17

Who was zinoviev?

Answer 17

• Founder member of the Bolshevik party
• close associate of Lenin (1903-17)
• joined Kamenev to oppose the timing of the October Revolution
• not a member of Sovnarkom, powerbase in Leningrad
• bourgeois background

Question 18

How was Stalin initially perceived within the Party?

Answer 18

• Generally positive
• loyal + dedicated Bolshevik, part of the party since early days.
• showed commitment during the 1917 rev + Civil War.
  o trustworthy - Lenin appointed Stalin to key positions.
  o seen as a unifying figure who could bridge divisions within the party

Question 19

How did Stalin build his power base?

Answer 19

• appointed General Secretary of the Communist Party 1922, = gain control over party appointments, gain loyal supporters.
• Formed temporary alliances with other prominent Bolshevik leaders e.g. Kamenev and Zinoviev to counter balance main rival Trotsky.
• changed the nature of the party by establishing ideological orthodoxy.

Question 20

How did Stalin manage to ‘knock-out’ his opposition?

Answer 20

• Accused prominent party members, military leaders, and intellectuals of crimes such as conspiring against the state.
• forced to attend highly publicised show trials + forced to confess – executed or imprisoned.
• =General Secretary, placed loyal supporters in key positions, limit influences of other contesters.

Question 21

Lenin ruled russia dates?

Answer 21

1917-1924

Question 22

Lenin death date

Answer 22

21st jan 1924

Question 23

stalin in power dates

Answer 23

1928-1953

Question 24

Bolshevik position beginning of 1918?

Answer 24

• little support outside major cities
• weak military resources
• country still at war w/ germany
• industrial production steep decline

Question 25

creation of soviet state

Answer 25

- local soviets sent reps to All-Russian Congress of Soviets. (ARCOS) - met June 1917 - Lenin + other senior B's argued ARCOS should become basis of new Russian gov. - October Revolution formally handed power to ARCOS. - ARCOS was too big to meet regularly, elected the Council of People’s Commissars – Sovnarkom, govern Russia on a day-to-day basis.

Question 26

Sovnarkom

Answer 26

- 13 People’s Commissars - Chairman = lenin - approved by ARCOS - lenin refused to shre power + resisted for a gov that included all socialist parties. - 25th oct 1917 - first few months - v little power - initially v disorganised e.g. Stalin’s Commissariat was just a desk in the corner of a room.

Question 27

Decree on land

Answer 27

- oct 1917 - gave peasants the right to take land from the nobility and the Church - removed porperty rights from landowners

Question 28

Decree on peace

Answer 28

-oct 1917 - committed the new gov to withdrawing from WW1. - to secure 'peace w/out annexations and indemnities'

Question 29

Workers decree

Answer 29

- nov 1917 - established an 8 hour maximum working day and a minimum wage.

Question 30

Decree of workers' control

Answer 30

- april 1918 - allowed workers to elect committees to run factories.

Question 31

decree on nationalities

Answer 31

promised all minority nations w/in empire to right to have gov of own choice

Question 32

decree on unemp

Answer 32

-14th nov 1917 gave insurance to all workers against injury, illness + unemp.

Question 33

press decree

Answer 33

1st dec 1917 outlawed all opposition press

Question 34

dissolved Constitutional Democrat Party

Answer 34

(Kadets) leaders arrested 11th dec 1917

Question 35

lenin on education

Answer 35

- removed from hands of church - set up Commissariat of Public Education to control and organise state education

Question 36

Positives of decrees

Answer 36

Won support for the regime from workers, peasants and soldiers. It also ended WW1 which gave what Lenin called: breathing space.

Question 37

What happened to consituent assembly?

Answer 37

- elections on 25th nov - 47 mil/ 80 mil voted - B vote - 23.3% - SR's - 40.4% - 5th jan SR leader approved some of B's decrees - 6th jan - Lenin sent red guards into assembly _ dissolved at gunpoint - other parties suppressed - july 1918 - one party dictatorship in place