AS FP2: Government and Control in War time. Flashcards
(7 cards)
What was the effect of the Civil War on the distribution of power in Russia?
The Civil war increased the centralisation of power and greater party control of government. The Bolsheviks had originally formed as a group of disciplined revolutionaries, spearheading the revolution, and Lenin and Trotsky continued to maintain this approach. Lenin’s natural inclination was to control, discipline and lead from the cntre and the Civil War confirmed and hardened this trend.
What did Orlando Figes say about government control in wartime?
“The Totalitarian State had its origins in the Civil War, when it was necessary to control every aspect of economy and society.”
What did the change in capital reflect about the government?
The centralisation of power was establihsed early when Moscow replaced Petrograd as Russia’s captial, it was a symbolic change from a city which had been built to open Russia up to the West to a regime which saw itself as superior to that world.
How did the party change as a result of the Civil War?
From Moscow, a military style government developed with constant “battles” and “fronts”, over half a million party members had fought for the Red Army and thus became used to obeying orders and acting with whatever force was deemed necessary.
Soviet bureaucracy grew enormously during these years, to the point where Soviet officials outnumbered workers two to one.
What was the Politburo?
The Politburo, formed 1919, was created as a sub-committee of the central committe and became the real centre of power. Since the Politburo members were key government officials, the Politburo assumed increased control of State Affairs and Sovnarkom gradually met less frequently during the 1920s.
The Politburo took over the central committee’s powers.
Why did terror increase as a result of the Civil War?
Between 1918 and 1921 the impact of fighting a civil war associated the new Communist State more firmly with repression and terror. The demand for obedience to the party tightened and terror was systematically enforced to enforce new measures and eradicate opposition.
- Adopted a siege mentality as they faced internal and external opposition.
What happened to the territory of Russia as a result of the Civil War?
As a result of the Civil War, areas conquered by the Red Army were either absorbed into the RSFSR or allowed to remain as seperate republics (ukraine, Belorussia, and Georgia). Stalin disagreed with Lenin on this but Lenin favoured a federation of Soviet republics. At the ened of 1922 the Union of Soviet Socialist Replublics (USSR) was formally established.
