The Emergence of the Communist Dictatorship 1917-41 Flashcards
What was the ideological implications of ending the war
Marxist theories expected a revolution in Germany, yet they needed to end the war
What were the different groups in response to ending the war
- Nikolai Bukharin led the ‘revoloutionary war group’
- Trotsky argued for ‘neither peace nor war’
- Lenin took a pragmatic view
What did it take for the Treaty of Brest Litovsk
Had to be ratified by an emergency Party Congress and after Lenin offered to resign twice
What were the 4 terms of the treaty of Brest Litovsk
1) Most of the the territory on Russia’s western border became independent republics
2) semi-independent governments were set up in Georgia, Belarus and the Ukraine
3) Russia lost a sixth of its population (62 million people) and 2 million square kilometres of land including a 1/3 of Russia’s agricultural produce.
4) 26% of Russia’s railways and 74% of irs iron and coal supplies
What did Lenin argue in State and Revolution about the one party government
- The people would see a government that ruled in their ‘interests’
- a strong party to provide for the ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’
- This represented a ‘higher democracy’
How did Lenin sideline the Petrograd Soviet
- Sidelined Petrograd Soviet and formed the Bolshevik-only Sovnarkom
- Sovnarkomm ruled by decree without approval; intitated peace talks without Soviet
How did Lenin solidfy the one party state
Left-wing Social Revoloutionaries walked out of the Sovnarkom in protests at the Treaty of Brest Litovsk
March 1918 Bolsheviks formally adopted the title of ‘Communist Party and from then on governed alone
How was War Communism used to ideologically preserve the socialist state
Central Planning and nationalisation of industry were fufillment of socialist industries
could also be the pragmatic response to the war
In what crucial measure did Lenin maintain unity with the party
He made the party infalliable and introduced a ban on factions
What did Lenin abandon from his original stance in the October Revolution
Support for national minorities and self determination
What happened in Georgia under Lenin
Stalin lied to Lenin about a Bolsheviks overthrowing Mensheviks in the capital.
He instead brutally crushed an independence movement, appaling Lenin and Trotsky
What did Lenin do to the Church
- Lenin made all religions legally equal and all seminaries back to the state and liquidation of church marriage and gov. subsidisation of church building and priests wage’
- 1918 decree separated Church from state, religious ceremnoies removed from ptactice, practice couldn’t distrub public order, religious education was forbidden, church prohibited from possessions
What did Lenin do to the SR
- Arrest of 5000 for ‘counter revolutionary activities’
- 1922 a group of SR’s were given a show trial for plotting to assassinate Lenin: resulted in 11 leaders executed and party outlawed
What did Lenin’s letter say
- gave his critical opinion of Grigorii, Lev Kamenev, Nikolai Bukharin and Trotsky
- He particularly criticised Stalin who had become the Party’s first General Secretary and said he should be removed
What made Leon Trotsky a leadership candidate
- Organised the October 1917 takeover
- created the Red Army, hero of the civil war
- member of the Sovnarkom
- regarded by Lenin as the ‘most ablle’ man in the Central Committee believed in the permanent revolution
- joined the Bolsheviks in summer of 1917
- a Jew with burgeois background
What made Grigorii Zinoviev a leadership candidate
- Founder member of Bolshevik party
- close associate of Lenin 1903-17
- joined Kamenev to oppose timing of October Revolution
- not a member of Sovnarkom
- powerbase in Leningrad
- a Jew with burgeois background
What made Joseph Stalin a leadership candidate
- Old Bolshevik but not senior member until 1912
- member of Sovnarkom
- General Secretary of Communist Party from 1922
- positions in Orgburo and Secretariat
- peasant background
What made Len Kamenev a leadership candidate
Old Bolshevik and close associate of Lenin
opposed timing of October Reolvution
not a member of Sovnarkom powerbase in Moscow
a jew with a burgeois background
What made Nicholas Bukharin a leadership candidate
Joined Bolsheviks 1906
not a senior member until 1922
theorist
described by Lenin as the ‘golden boy
some support in Moscow and among youth
What made Nicholas Bukharin a leadership candidate
Joined Bolsheviks 1906
not a senior member until 1922
theorist
described by Lenin as the ‘golden boy
some support in Moscow and among youth
What was Stalin’s steps to leadership from 1922-4
December 1922 - ‘Triumvirate’ alliance formed between Zinoviev, Kamenev an Stalin as they seek to block Trotsky
April 1923 - At the 12th Party Congress a new enlarged Centrral Committee of 40 members are elected; only 3 support Trotsky
January 1924-Lenin dies and Stalin gives Trotsky the wrong date. Stalin gives the funeral oration and dimisses supporters of the Left Opposition
How many of the 40 new members of the Central Committee elected at the 12th Party Congress (april 1923) were supporters of Trotsky
only 3.
What were Stalin’s steps to leadership from 1924-5
May 1924
Lenin’s widow, Krupskaya, releases Lenin’s testament to the Central Committee. Zinoviev and Kamenev arguue against its publication and Trotsky refuses to get involved - aids Stalin
Nov 1924
Trotsky gives speeches in favour of democracy and the over-bureaycratisation of the Party but defeated by Stalinist delegates and Zinoviev and Kamenec blocs
Jan 1925
Trotsky publishes ‘Lessons of October’ showing how Zinoviev and Kamenev opposed Lenin; Stalin isn’t mentioned. Stalin brings in more supporters
Dec 1925
Trotsky is forced from his position as Commissar of War
What were Stalin’s steps to leadership from 1926
Jul 1926
At 14th Party Congress, Stalin supports Bukharin, on the right, claiming to share similar views on economic policy. Zinoviev and Kamenev attack and call a vote of no confidence but lose because the delegates are largely Stalinists. A New Central Committee and Politbur are elected with a Stalinist-Bukharin majority and Zinoviev is forced to step down as leader of the Leningrad Party for Stalin’s supporter, Kirov
Nov 1926
Zinoviev and Kamenev join Trotsky in the left-wing ‘United Opposition’ and try to organise demonstrations in Moscow. They are accused of ‘factionalism and Zinoviev is removed from the Politburo. Zinoviev and Trotsky are expelled from the Communist Party and Kamenev removed from the Central Committee
What were Stalins steps towards leadership in 1928
Jan 1928
Trotsky deported to a remote spot near the Chinese border. Stalin announces a new left-leaning economic strategy that disagress with Bukharin. Some of Trotskys remaining supporters join Stalin because of this
Sep 1928
In desparation, Bukharin contacts Trotsky and an alliance is considered but rejected as supportes on both sides are hesitant. Stalin accuses both men of factionalism
What were Stalins steps towards leadership in 1929
Feb 1929
Stalin has Trotsky deported to Constantinople
Apr 1929
Bukharin removed as editor of Pravda
Nov 1929
Bukharin and his supporters, Rykov and Tomsky, are removed from the Politburo
Dec 1929
Stalin celebrates his 50th as the undisputed Soviet LEader
What was at the heart of communist economic debate
Lenins ‘New Economic Policy’ of 1921 had allowed some private enterprise
,wether this was temporary or not was at the heart of the ideological debates
How was the Communist Party split over continuing the NEP
Left as represented by Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev favourted abdoning the NEP.
Bukharin, Ryok and Tomsky supported its continuance.
Stlain fluctuated from left to temporary right support from 1925 to 28 back to the left due to bread shortages and high food prices
What was the differing ideology over the ‘continuous revolution’
Russia was the only Communist State. Trotsky believed in the ‘continuous revolution’.
Stalin adopted ‘socialism in once country’ and that they should focus on a ‘workers paradise’. This appealed to those who favoured stability
What was differing ideology over central leadership
Many felt they should abandon the central leadership principle, instead seeking collective control . It was mainly forwarded to oppose Trotsky dominance
What power did Stalin’s position as Party Secretary give him
Allowed him to some extent to control buisness of the Politburo e.g. drawing up agenda for meetings
What power did Stalin’s position in the Orgburo and the Secretariat give him
- Get his supporters into key positions
- Party secretariats became Stalins men and decided how party members at lower levels voted
What power did Stalin’s control of party organisation give him
- Pack Congress with his own supporters
- Deliver votes in congress
e.g. Trotsky hostile reception from 1924
What power did Stalin’s control of party membership give him
- got rid of potential Trotsky supporters
- Supervised Lenin Enrolement when party membership doubled
- Made sure new members were poorly ideologically educated and were likely to be loyal to Stalinism
What did Trotsky write in 1936
Revolution Betrayed in 1936, Trotsky wrote that Stalin’s power in the 1930s rested on a vast ‘administrative pyramid’ of five or six million Party officials, which needed to be swept away by a new proletarian revolution.
What were Lenins decrees in October 1917
1) Maximum 8 hour daily for workers
2) Social Insurance provides old age, health and unemployment benefits
3) Ban on opposition press
4) Decree on Peace and Land
What were Lenin’s decrees in November 1917
1) Rights of the People of Russia Decree; gives self-determination to minorities in Empire
2) Abolition of titles and class ranks
3) Workers control of factories
4) Abolition of old legal system
5) Women given equality with men and right to own property
What were Lenin’s decrees in December 1917
- Military Decree to outlaw class ranks
- Decrees on the Church
- Nationalisation of banks
What were Lenin’s decrees in January 1918
- Workers control of railways
- creation of Red Army
- Church and State separated
What were Lenin’s decrees of February 1918
- Nationalisation of industry
- socialisation of land
What were the main features of the 1918 Constitution
- All power rested with the all Russian Congress of Soviets; made up of deputies from elected local soviets across Russia
- Central Executive committee of that congress was to be ‘supreme organ of power’
- Congress made resposible for electing Sovnarkom
What were the limitations of the 1918 Constitution in it being ‘democratic’
- Vote was reserved for the toiling masses. Members of exploiting classes (Businessmen, clergy and tsarist officers) were excluded from voting or holding public office
- Workers vote was weighted in 5:1 against the peasants
- Sovnarkom was officially appointed by the congress, but in practice chosen by the Bolshevik Central Committee
- Congress could only meet in intervals - executive authority remained in hands of the Sovnarkom
How did the Whites form
Anger at the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk merged with political opposition
Why did Russia’s previous wartime allies give the Whites support
1) Ideological; capitalist nations opposed communism
2) Force Russia back into the war
3) Defend their own interests (Bolsheviks refused to pay back money borrowed in tsarist times and nationalised foreign-owned industries)
What were the 4 main reasons for Bolshevik Victory in the Civil War by 1920
1) Geography; Reds commanded the hub of communications, the armaments factories and the most densely populated regions of central Russia. The Whites were widely dispersed
2) Unity and Organisation: White Generals operated ad fought for different objectives. The Reds had a unified command structure
3) Leadership: Red Army became a well disciplined fighting force under Trotsky’s leadership, White’s had few competent
4) Support: Red Land policies prevailed over the White’s association with traditional Tsarist policies
5) Other: Hostility to foreign involvement.
At what cost did the Bolsheviks win the civil war
Cost of as many as 10 million deaths from hunger and epidemic disease
How did the Civil War end in Poland
- Poles rose again and defeated the Red Army, leading to the Treaty of Riga (March 1921) which granted Poland self-rule along with Glacia and parts of Belorussia.
- This independence of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania was also confirmed
What were the main impacts of the Russian Civil War on government and the Party
- Creation of Politburo as new policy centre
- 1921 Ban on Factions
- 1922 new post of ‘General Secretary’ created to coordinate its workings’ filled by Stalin
- Introduction of the nomenklatura system added to the Party’s domination; Party elite had to aprove promotions
- 1919 creation of the Orgburo to supervise the work of local Party committees
- Local Soviets should only consist of Party members
What happened to national minorities after the civil war
- Government abandoned its earlier support for ‘national self determination’ as in the November 1917 decree
- 1922 Georgian demands were crushed
What change was made in the 1922 Constitution
- the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was formally established in December 1922, replacing the RSFSR.
- In practice, the difference was minimal.
- Although Lenin prevailed over Trotsky in creating a federation of republics on a similar footing, rather than imposing direct control from Moscow which would have mirrored tsarist imperialism, the states which made up the union were kept under very strict control.
How did Stalin stifle debate over his policies
Party Congresses were called less frequently - and none at all were summoned between 1929 and 1952
How did Stalin’s position as General Secretary allow him to command patronage over all the important positions of the party
he controlled the more important appointments to the Party ‘apparat’.
The apparatchiki in turn controlled the nomenklatura which meant Stalin commanded vast patronage over all of the important positions
How much did Party membership grow in the Lenin enrollment
membership almost doubled to one million
How much did Party membership grow after Lenin’s death in 1924 (Lenin Enrollment) by 1933
Further extensions increased the number of members to 1,677,910 by 1930 and 3,555,338 by 1933
What did the new members of the Party tend to be like
younger and less educated urban workers and ex peasants who were less interested in ideological debate
Attracted by Stalins nationalist policies and knew loyalty would bring benefits
What did Trotsky argue in 1936 in Revolution Betrayed on Stalin’s power
relied on a vast ‘administrative pyramid’ of 5 or 6 million Party officials, which needed to be swept away by a new proletarian revolution
What did the 1936 Constituion do
- Split up into 11 Soviet Republics with each having a Supreme Soviet
- Supreme Soviet made up of Soviet of Union or Nationalities
- Promised local autonomy to ethnic groups and support for national cultures and language
- Promised 4 yearly elections with the right to vote for all over 18 (raised to 23 in 1945)
- Vote reserved for the ‘toiling masses’
- Extensive freedoms; speech and arbitrary arrest
What were the main issues of the 1936 Constitution
- Promised rights were largely ignored and central control over republics budget
- Ignored rights of secession; Party leaders in Georgia purged in 1951 when planned it
- Elections were not contested so the right to vote was just affiriming the choice of representative
- Supreme Soviet only met for a few days twice a year
How did Stalin’s cult of personality operate
- Stalin was universally portrayed as Lenin’s true disciple
- Paintings, Posters and sculptures. Stalin as disciples of Marx
What was the history textbook and how did it describe Stalin and his enemies
The History of the All-Union Communist Party (or the Short Course) was published as the main historical textbook for all educational institutions in 1938.
It said Stalin assumed a major role in the October Revolution, while Trotsky or other old Bolsheviks were portrayed as ‘enemies of the people’. Photos were doctored to remove Stalin’s enemies and put Stalin next to Lenin.
How many copies did the Short Course sell by 1948
The Book sold 34 Million copies in the Soviet Union by 1948
What did the commitment to Stalin represent
a very traditional sense of loyalty to the leader; the Red Tsar
What was Stalin’s position by 1941
- Stalin’s rule was a personal one where he was above the party and no longer dependent on it
- Not invincible outvoted in POlitburo in plan to replace Nikolar Yezhov with Georgii Malenkov as head of the NKVD in 1937
What did Lenin envision as the first economic stage to communism
a form of ‘state capitalism’; during this stage there would be a degree of state control but private markets would remain as an important feature of economic life
What decrees did Lenin enlist in late 1917
- Lenin’s Decree on Land in October 1917 abolished private ownership of land
- Decrees in November recognised workers’ control over their own factories and gave them the right to supervise management through factory committeess
What was the role of the Veshenka (Council of the National Economy) established in December 1917
established to supervise and control economic development but Lenin remained cautious about nationalisation of industry
What were the issues with State Capitalism 1917- Spring 1918
- Workers awarded themselves unsustainable pay-rises and output shrank when most needed
- With more money than goods there was high inflation
- The food shortages in town grew; citizens of Petrograd were living on rations of just 50 grams of bread a day in February 1918
What was War Communism 1918-20
A rapid centralisation of the economy under the threat of the Civil War and ensure army had munitions and food
How were the Peasants subdivided by Lenin
The poor – regarded as allies of the urban proletariat
The moderately poor– regarded as allies of the urban proletariat
The Kulaks – “enemies of the people”. Had their entire stocks seized.
How did Lenin respond to the grain crisis emerging at the end of 1917 under State Capitalism
- Programme of food requistioning
- Encouraged collevitvisation
- May 1918 Food Supplies Policy; detatchments of soldiers and workers ensured grain was delivered; often brtualy confiscating peasants grains and detatchments kept some as a reward
What happened to Kulaks under War Communism
- Labelled as enemies of the people
- Had entire crop seized
How did peasants respond to grain requistion under War Communism
- Hid crops, grew less
- Murdered requistion squads
- Forced use of Cheka
By 1920 how many buisness were nationalised under War Communism
- By November 1920 nationalisation was extended to nearly all factories and businesses
What happened to workers under War Communism
- State Managers extended Working hours and ration-card books replaced wages.
- Internal passboks stoped employees going back to the countryside
- All private trade and manufacture was forbidden
What was the effect of War Communism on total industrial output
- 1921 total industrial output had fallen to 20% of prewar levels
What impact did War Communism have on cities
end of 1920 the population of Petrograd 57.5% lower than 1917 levels
Moscow was 44.5% lower
What impact did War Communism have on agriculture
- 1/3 of Land abandoned to grass and livestock was slaughtered in thousands
- Harvest of 1921 produced only 48% of 1913 causing widespread famine
What impact did War Communism have on Russia’s population
Widespreadd Famine: 1913-21 Russia’s population fell from 170.9 million in 1913 to 130.9 million in 1921
What was declared in January 1921
January 1921: Martial law declared. Some regular soldiers refused to take action. The Cheka was used to crush demonstrations.
Soldiers refusing likely scared Lenin
What was the Tambov Revolt of 1920
- Tambov revolt of 1920 led by Alexander Antonov was a 70,000 man Peasant Army. Struggle continued until 1921 and spead across south-eastern Russia
Over 100,00 Red Army troops were deployed who brutally put them down
What was the demands of the Kronstadt naval base of 1921 and what happened to them as a result
- most loyal supporters of the October revolution
- In March 1921 they sent a manifesto to Lenin demanding an end to one-party communist rule
- The Red Army took 15,000 rebel prisoners and shot the leaders, denouncing them as ‘White Traitors’
What was the effect of the revolt of the Kronstadt naval base
- ‘Workers Opposition’ group was set up under Aleksandr Shiyapknikov and Alexandra Kollontai and argued for greater worker control and removal of military managers.
- Lenin claimed the Kronstadr revolt was ‘the flash which lit up reality better than anything else’ but it was proabably the coincidence of the many troubles of the 1921
What was the NEP (New Economic Policy 1921-7)
- Nationaliation of transport, banking and heavy industry continued
the NEP allowed for private ownership of smaller businesses (through cooperatives and trusts) and permitted private trade - Rationing ended and industries had to pay workers from their profits, ensuring efficient use of resources
- End to the requisitioning of grain, peasants paid some grain as a tax but permitted to sell any surplus
seen as ideological betrayal by rank and file
What was the scissors crisis
Peasants responded quicked than the town workshops and industrial cooperatives, creating a scissors crisis
- A huge increase in grain supplies brought down food prices in towns
- a lack of indsutrial goods for peasants to buy in exchange encouraged them to hold back their supplues
- Consequently the government capped industrial prices and replaced the peasants’ quotas with money taxes from 1923, forcing the peasants to sell
What were the effects of the NEP 1922-1927
- By 1926 the production levels of 1913 had been reached again, this brought with it better living standards and an end to the revolts and disputes
- There were favourable trade agreeements with Britain and Germany
- Nepmen traders flourished by buying grain and selling industrial goods across the country and the kulak class re-emerged
What was the Nepmen
speculative traders who bought up produce from the peasants to sell in the towns and consumer items in the towns to sell in the peasant markets.
Controlled about 75% of the retail trade in 1923
What happened from 1925-Dec 1927 in economic policy
this
What caused the First Five Year Plan 1928-33
- By 1927 the NEP was failing to produce the growth tha many leading communists sought and a war scare n the late 1920s made them nervous
Industrilised central planning was suited ideologically
What were the issues with the targets of the five year plans
- Targets were very ambitious
- Failure to achieve targets was a criminal offence
- As a result all those involved went to great lengths to ensure that reported statistics showed huge imporvements- often way above targets originally set
- Thus corruption and faulty reporting was built into the system from the outset
What were the aims of the First Five Year Plan 1928-33
- Increase production by 300%
- Develop heavy industry
- Boost electricity production by 600%
- Double the output from light industry such as the chemicals production
Describe the chain of command for central planning of the economy and it’s main features
