13) New Leaders and Ideologies Flashcards
(11 cards)
What was the Petrograd Soviet?
- Socialist intellectuals (Ms + SRs) to protect interests of workers + soldiers.
- Over 3,000 members.
- Dual power w/ Provisional govt but had more power - control over soldiers, railways, power supplies.
How did the Soviet become increasingly irrelevant after the Bolshevik revolution?
- L announced sovnarkom as main govt (exclusively Bs)➡️L didn’t exercise power through Soviet.
- L didn’t consult socialist Soviet leaders on important policies + decisions.
- Soviet Executive met less frequently (but continued meet in 1930s).
Leninism and Marxism
- L + T - ‘weakest link’ theory (capitalism in undeveloped country➡️war➡️class conflict➡️civil war➡️social rev➡️spread to more advanced industrial countries).
- 1905 Rev showed L middle classes too weak for ‘bourgeois democratic rev’ + too few proletariat but peasantry + nationalities revolutionary potential➡️skip straight to socialist rev.
-Marxist theory believed worldwide socialist rev start in highly industrialised capitalist society + required overwhelmingly proletariat pop for socialist rev.
Examples of ideology influencing early government policy
🔸People run own affairs (decree on land + workers’ control).
🔸Dictatorship of the proletariat (decree on workers’ control, max 8hr day, social insurance).
🔸Crush bourgeois (abolition of titles + class distinctions, decree on peace).
How did the Bolsheviks deal with the problem of the First World War?
- Bs believed other European countries follow their decree on peace➡️war turn into civil wars as working class fought w/ bourgeois + follow R’s example of workers’ rev.
- R army incapable of continuing to fight➡️Trotsky sent to negotiate peace w/ G🇧🇪@ Brest-Litovsk. 🇧🇪 harsh terms➡️T drew out negotiations hoping for rev in 🇧🇪+ Austria to avoid reparations but eventually withdrew from negotiations.
- L believed separate☮️w/🇧🇪 essential for survival of regime - feared 🇧🇪 invade Petrograd + overthrow Bs + needed to focus on crushing bourgeois within R.
- L wanted peace no matter cost, can’t afford to wait for revolutionary war. T doesn’t want to pay reparation for ☮️ + wants war➡️revolutionary war.
Did Lenin’s position on ending the First World War support or challenge Bolshevik ideology?
Supported:
-wanted to wait until R stable + out of the war for revolutionary war.
- wanted to focus on “throttling the bourgeois” in R first to consolidate B govt + get rid of opposition - needed to preserve socialist rev in R before could happen in other European countries.
- R army deserting + couldn’t continue fighting.
- 🇧🇪 could invade Petrograd - couldn’t afford, opposition already in R.
What were the consequences of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, March 1918?
🔻R defeat unpopular, losing new govt support.
🔻Soldiers loyal to Tsarist regime returning home.
🔻”Shameful peace” to R due to humiliating terms other parties wouldn’t have agreed to:
- lost 1/2 empire’s resources➡️severe grain shortages in cities.
- much territory lost, leaving R powerless.
- 27% farmland lost + 1/6 pop lost.
🔻Patriotic Rs joined anti-B forces➡️Civil War.
But:
✅Left SRs resigned from Sov Congress in protest to treaty - Left communists gone, preventing potential Party split.
How significant was the role of Lenin as an individual?
✅Significant
✅Founder of Party (1903 SD split).
✅April Thesis 1917 gathered support➡️involvement of masses➡️made Rev possible.
✅Staged Oct uprising 1917 - won vote in Central Committee to move Rev forward against wishes of Trotsky, Zinoviev + Kamenev.
✅Ended war w/ Treaty of Brest-Litovsk 1918 (could consolidate Rev by crushing internal opposition).
✅Adopted NEP 1921 to win back support.
✅No one else had L’s prestige + standing. Held Party together at critical time.
✅Dealt w/ opposition - Red Terror + Cheka (bourgeois + counter-revs); ban on factions + chistkas (keep Party united); shut down Constituent Assembly + One-Party state (deal w/ issue of socialist coalition).
✅Organisational abilities.
✅Flexible + pragmatic approach.
✅Adapted + developed Marxism (small, disciplined revolutionary party to lead workers) into Party ideology➡️impacted Rev (skipped ‘bourgeois-democratic rev’ + used peasantry support proletariat). Gave Bs direction.
✅Left important legacy after☠️w/ Cult of Lenin (began after 1918 attempted assassination) - no de-Leninisation, ideas w/ proof that L would agree had more weight. During power struggle, contenders justified position in reference to L + attacked opponents arguing they diverged from L. B press portrayed him as willing to sacrifice life for Rev, Christ-like qualities.
How significant was the role of Lenin as an individual?
❌Exaggerated
❌L’s role may have been exaggerated.
❌Absent revolutionary for 17yrs (exiled).
❌He knew little about ordinary Rs, no experience of their everyday working life.
❌Less present last 2 years in power due to health (2 strokes) as S ⬆️ power.
❌Circumstances either helped him enormously (1905 Rev, failure of provisional govt) or forced decisions on him (NEP).
❌Trotsky’s role in the Rev + Civil War. Better known than L.
What was the relationship between the Orthodox Church and the Bolshevik government?
- 1918 Decree on separation of Church + State➡️⛪️ can’t own property + outlawed religious instruction in school👩🏻🏫.
- 1922 Bs led fierce attack on ⛪️ - over 8,000 people killed in anti-⛪️ campaign.
- Priests + clerics = ‘servants of the bourgeoise’.
- L overruled Politburo decision to suspend action⚔️.
- Komsomol broke up services + played tricks on priests + worshippers.
🚫1927 nearly 50% school children still believed in God.
🚫Majority of peasant weddings still celebrated in Church👰🏻♀️.
Examples of Marxist-Leninism influencing social policy
- Wanted to give women economic independence + help look after home + family➡️divorce made easier (free women from “bourgeois marriage”) + 1920 allowed abortion on demand👰🏻♀️🚫.
- Youth organisations (Pioneers + Komsomol) to inculcate communist values + promote loyalty to working class.
- Komsomol used to spread communist propaganda + attack religious + bourgeois beliefs.
❌Financial pressures of NEP➡️idea of universal schooling abandoned.
