RUSSIA - the bolshevik power 1917-24: 2

Question 1

the early decree on peace

Answer 1

• all countries should seek peace
• peace should be achieved without land seized or large fines

Question 2

the early decree on land

Answer 2

• land taken from wealthy landowners now went to peasants
• in December, church land was nationalised too

Question 3

the early decree on workers rights

Answer 3

• work - 8 hours a day
• unemployment insurance for those unable to work
• worker committees ran their own factories

Question 4

the early decree on nationalities

Answer 4

• all ppl of the old Russian empire could have their own governments but they remained under bolshevik control

Question 5

the abolition of the constituent assembly

Answer 5

• lenin promised to hold an election for the CA but the SRs got 53% and the bolsheviks got 24%
• bolsheviks said that a return to parliamentary democracy was a step back bc Russia already had soviets
• the first meeting of the CA and refused the decrees or any power to the soviets
• lenin ordered red guards to shut it down and then all political parties accept for bolsheviks were stopped.

Question 6

the Cheka

Answer 6

• lenin set up
• the Bolshevik Secret Police,
• hunted down and arrested anyone who was suspected of hostility towards the Bolsheviks.
• lenin thought revolution was under threat from the peasants and bourgeoisie
• the Cheka would arrest these people

Question 7

the need for peace with Germany

Answer 7

• many bolshevik supporters were sailors and soldiers who needed an end to war
• lenin said end war would mean the Bolsheviks could concentrate on wiping out other political opponents in Russia
• lenin and torsk were certain there would soon be a revolution in Europe and any treaty with Germany wouldn’t have an effect.

Question 8

the treaty of brest- litovsk

Answer 8

• lenin told totsky to negotiate a treaty w Germany because bolsheviks promised to take Russia out of the war
• trotsky demanded a peace treaty with no loss to germans
• but the germans advanced into Russia and almost captured petrograd
• to stop this lenin demanded a peace deal at any price.
• the treaty was signed 3rd march 1918

Question 9

significance of the treaty of brest- litovsk

Answer 9

in exchange for peace Russia lost lots of its west territories
- 75% of coal and iron mines
- 50% of industry
- 25% railways
- 25% of farmland
- 25% of population (62 mill)

Question 10

reactions to the treaty of brest- litovsk

Answer 10

pros
- soldiers pleased end to war
- thought germans wouldn’t like treaty and therefore join revolution to rise up against

cons
- SRs walked out gov in protest and assasinated German ambassador
- conservative horrified at loss to Russia and began to form ‘white army’ and ‘red army’ to fight the Bolsheviks

Question 11

what was the civil war

Answer 11

the Bolsheviks formed the RED ARMY to oppose the WHITES which was a group of anti-bolsheviks

Question 12

reasons for the civil war

Answer 12

• whites angry with huge loss from the treaty of brest- litovsk
• monarchists wanted to re-instate the tsar
• conservatives and nationalists had everything to lose with the plans for the peasants and workers .

Question 13

effects of the civil war

Answer 13

• Cheka, once they captured an enemy area they would execute any suspected opponents
• if someone from red army retreated, one in ten would be shot
• reds won which strengthened their belief in the revolutions

Question 14

bolsheviks strengths in the civil war

Answer 14

• war communism to tackle economic crisis
• control of centra Russia - shorter distances supplys and most of population
• control of industries and railways
• effective propaganda

Question 15

role of Trotsky in civil war

Answer 15

commissar for war 1918 - more influential then lenin
- organised the mobilisation of reds
- strickt dicipline
- all soldiers had to swear the Socialist Military Oath for loyalty

Question 16

weaknesses of the whites in the civil war

Answer 16

• geographical - very spread out
• much less whites than reds
• no decisive leader
• not all whites had the same aim
• whites not popular with peasants and workers
• not control of many industries

Question 17

what an SR

Answer 17

Russian socialist

Question 18

what was the red terror

Answer 18

a period of executions and arrests between sept 1918 and feb 1919.

made by lenin to get rid of any opposing to bolsheviks

Question 19

about the red terror

Answer 19

• Introduced by lenin after serving an assassination attempt by Fanya Kaplan (SR)
• soliders had to report anyone suspicious and they would be sent to prison camps as ‘class enemies’
• grew after the civil war bc anyone who supported the whites would be taken or killed
• Cheka also shot deserters they recaptured

Question 20

the Kronstadt munity

Answer 20

• Kronstadt naval base guarded Petrograd
• the sailors didn’t like the bolsheviks red terror for communism
• trosky sent 50k reds to take their base
• fierce fighting and then 500 executed by cheka

Question 21

features of war communism

Answer 21

1. peasants couldn’t sell crops, the Cheka took them and lowered the prices and left peasants with small amounts - this made peasants hide their grains
2. industries nationalised and given production targets - targets for military needs, consumer needs was not priority
3. strikes banned - opposition continued eg Kronstadt

Question 22

reasons for war communism

Answer 22

• transport problems - industries couldn’t get what they needed
• peasants stopped growing crops to sell in cities
• after oct rev, banks stopped lending the gov money
• the treaty of brest- litovsk - loss of lots of industries

Question 23

consequences of war communism

Answer 23

• 1920, farm production fell to 37%
• ppl working in factories and stuff produced halved
• famine - cannibalism
• industries produced barley any consumer goods

Question 24

political crisis from war communism

Answer 24

• factory workers organised strikes for their lack of food - the Kronstadt munity helped
• peasant uprisings

Question 25

reasons for the NEP

Answer 25

• awful economic consequences of war communism
• the new political opposition caused by war communism

Question 26

features of the NEP

Answer 26

• peasants could sell and produce and chose their prices
• state stopped taking grain but peasants had to pay tax
• workers were paid wages
• state controlled big factories but smaller ones could be privately run

Question 27

economic effects of the NEP

Answer 27

• agriculture production increased - peasants produced more.
• industry growth increased but more slowly
• inequalities bc wealthier peasants in surplus were better off

Question 28

for and against the NEP

Answer 28

for
- popular with peasants bc they preferred the freedom to sell what they wanted at their own prices

against
- communist party members bc it was a step backwards and brought capitalism back to USSR giving peasants what they wanted at the workers expense.

Question 29

impact of bolsheviks policies on WOMEN

Answer 29

1917 - women decalared EQUAL to men ‘post-card divorce’ made marriage easier and non religious marriages introduced

1919 - Zhenotdel - a woman’s organisation for freedom, equality and influence of women

1920 - abortion made legal. woman’s literacy increased from civil war Campaigns

Question 30

communism education policies benefits

Answer 30

• boys and girls taught together (no discrimination)
• major literacy drive in Red Army
• peasants encouraged to read and write
• by 1926 - 58% of pop was literate

Question 31

communist cultural policies

Answer 31

used art, literature, film and music to promote communist ideas and show the USSR communist future.

Question 32

controlling communist art

Answer 32

censorship to insure that all types of art and culture promoted communism as propaganda in a very positive way - called ‘ socialist realism’