4. Communist dictatorship Flashcards
(36 cards)
1
Q
early months of rule
A
- survived by ruthless action
- overcame strikes and protests by working class who prefered Soviet rule.
- established B-dominated gov (sovnarkom)
- prevented other groups from shwring power
- Constituent assembly dissolved
- treay gave peace to allow survival
2
Q
decrees oct 1917
A
- max 8h work day
- social insurance = old age, health + unemp benefits.
- opp press ban
- land decree
- peace decree
3
Q
decrees nov 1917
A
- decree on nationalities
- abolition of class titles and ranks
- workers control of fatories
- abolition of old legal system
- woman equality w/ men to own property
4
Q
decrees dec 1917
A
- cheka est.
- banks nationalised
- army placed under control of army societ + soldiers committes, officers elected, ranks abloished
- marriage + divorce taken out chuches hands
- church land nationalised
5
Q
decrees jan 1918
A
- workers control of railways
- creation of Red ARmy
- church and state separtared
6
Q
decrees feb 1918
A
- nationalisation of industry
- socialisation of land
7
Q
1918 contitution structure
A
- july 1918, passed by 5th ARCOS
- first soviet contitution
- vote to ‘toilers’ reguardless sex and nationality.
- vote not given to employers of hired labour, people living on unearned income, kulaks, priests, former Tsarist officials, officers in the White armies.
- set up the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republics (RSFSR)
8
Q
1918 constitution - supreme power
A
- vested in ARCOS
- elections - 1 deputy per 25k city voters, in provinces 1 per 125k inhabitance
- skewed towards towns and cities where B’s could count on support.
9
Q
what did the 1918 constitution grant?
A
- right of citizenship to all workers
- freedom of speech, opinion + assembly to workers.
- citizens had obligation to work ‘he that does not work, neither shall he eat’
- obligation citizens to serve in military in defence of republic
- aboloished discrimination on race and nationality
10
Q
1918 constitutions - limitations
A
- workers vote weighted in propertion to 5-1 of peasant vote
- congress only met in intervals - executive authority w/ sovnarkom
- structure - contralised, real focus of power = the party.
11
Q
Russian CW
dates
A
1918-20
12
Q
Russian CW
What circumstances caused the ‘Whites’ creation?
A
- anger at concessions of Brest-Litovsk treaty merged w/ existing political opposition.
- patriotic russians wanted to stop break up of russia, nationality decree helped.
- june 1918 - 33 separated govs in Russia
13
Q
Russian CW
Why did Britain, France and USA (wartime allies) give support to whites?
A
- ideological, capitalism opposed communism
- desire to force russia back into fight against germany in WW!
- defend own interests since B’s refused to pay back money borrowed in tsarist times + nationalised foreign-owned industries.
14
Q
Russian CW
spring 1918
A
- anti-B Volenteer Army created in south, partly financed by germany
- anticipation of growing theat, B’s moved capital from Petrograd to Moscow march 1918
15
Q
Russian CW
Conflict w/ Czech Legion
A
- Czech legion formed from Czech natioanlistics during war against germany and austria-hungary.
- 1918 - 45k soliders
- march ‘18 - B’s gave permission to travel to western front to fight enemies.
- may travelling along trans-siberian railway, soem b officials ried to arrest + fight broke out
- siexed railway lines thru much of west siberia
- joined forced w/ anti-B and advanced towards moscow
16
Q
Russian CW
by 1920
A
- due to B geo advantage + superior irganisation
- most of former russian empire in communist hands
- cost of 10s millions deaths from hunger and epidemic disease + military actions
17
Q
Russian CW
with Polish army
A
- 1921
- Poles invaided Western Ukraine, reaching Kiev in May ‘20
- Marshal Tukhachevsky mounted sucessful counter rev
- Poles rose again and defeated red army
- = Treaty of Riga march 1921 = granted Poland self-rule w/ Glaicia + parts of Belorussia.
18
Q
Russian CW - reasons for Bolshevik victory
Geography
A
- red commanded hub of communications, armaments factories + most densely population regions
- whites = widely dispersed, less-developed parts
19
Q
Russian CW - reasons for Bolshevik victory
Unity and organisation
A
- white gernals oporation inderpendently + fought dif objectives
- reds = unified command structure
20
Q
Russian CW - reasons for Bolshevik victory
Leadership
A
red = well-dicliplined under Trotsky leadershi[
whites = few competent commanders, ill-disipline = rife
21
Q
Russian CW - reasons for Bolshevik victory
support
A
- generally red land polcies prevailed over whites’ association w/ traditional tsarist policies
22
Q
Russian CW - reasons for Bolshevik victory
other
A
- hostility to foreign involvement gave red propoganda platform
- didn’tmgreatly aid whotes as foreign help not extensive + withdrawn after peace concluded in West
23
Q
CW
trotsky’s importance
A
-appointed war commisar march 1918
- effectively created red army
- april ‘18 socialist military oath - duty
- enforced strict disipline
- introduced Reb Banner medal to raise moral by rewarding ordinary soliders
24
Q
CW impact on party and gov
overall
A
- brought greater centalisation and party control
25
# CW impact on party and gov
Politburo
- created 1919, subcommittee
- real centre for party policy
- first election included lenin, trotsky + stalin
- since als key gov officials, gov became increasingly instrument for carrying out policies made in Politburo
- 7-9 men
- sovnarkom gradually met less frequently during '20s
26
# CW impact on party and gov
lenins 1921 factor ban
- any decision taken by Central Committe of CommunistmParty had to be accepted by wholeparty, on pain of expulsion
- diffuclut to criticise party decisions anywhere in gov structure
27
# CW impact on party and gov
impact of new post 'General secretary' created
- april 1922
- created to co-ordniate workings
- filled by stalin
28
# CW impact on party and gov
intro of Nomenklatura system
- 1923
- official lists of c5500 key party and gov posts drawn up
- intended to ensure people in key positions = trustworthy
- new loyal party elite created
29
democratic centralism
communist idea of democracy
- bc peasnats and workers elected members of elected societs, inturn chose who sit in higher levels and ARCOS - thus exterted influence on policy decisions
- combined w/ centralism as central authorities passed decisions down to masses
30
# CW
impact on national minorities
- CW saw communist gov abandon previous sopport for ' national self-determination'
- displays of national cultral and native languages permitted BUT inderpences movements denounced as 'counter-revs'
- 1922, demands from Georgia for greater independence brutally crushed on Stalin ordered, but actions condenmed by lenin
31
1922 constitution - Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)
- replaced RSFSR
- formally est. dec 1922
- minimal difference
- Lenin prevailed over trotsky in creating federation of republics on simular footing, over imposing direct control form Moscow - which would have mirrored tsarist imperialism
- states that made up union kept under strict control
32
# STALINIST DICTATORSHIP
ussr under stalin
- structures established by Lenin - rule by one party and centralised control - perpetuated and extended by Stalin, asserted increasingly dominant personal influence.
- controlled important Party appointments through position General Secretary, commanding vast patronage over key positions in Soviet society by working with personally selected committees
- built party membership + developed elborate bureaucracy of loyal servents.
33
# stalin dictatorship
stalins party expansion
- expansion in Party membership began with Lenin enrolment in 1924-25, doubling the membership to one million
- reaching 3,555,338 by 1933
- most new members being younger, less well-educated urban workers and ex-peasants.
- new members, attracted by Stalin's policies + personal benefits, became firm supporters of Stalinist system, entrenching structure of inequality that served their interests.
34
1936 constituion
- drafted by Nikolai Bukharin
- stalin claimed was 'most democratic in the world'
- USSR = federatio of 11 Soviet Republics, replacing former 7
- ARCOS replaced by 'Supreme Soviet'
- made up of Soviet of Union and soviet of nationalities.
35
1936 constitution promises:
- local automony to ethnic groups
- suooprt for national cultures and languages.
- 4 yearly elections, right to vote for all 18+ (raised to 23 by 1945)
- accompanied by extensive civil rights statemnt = freedom from arbitrary arrest + right to free speech.
36
1936 constituion evaluavtion
- looked democratic, main intention may have been to impress foreigners.
- in practice, promised rights largly ignored
- has right of any union republic to leave union, but when attempted by Georgia leaders = purged.
- Sumpreme soviet only met few days a year - barely any involvement in policy making
- elections = not contested so that rigt to vote merely to affirm choice of representatives
