Bolshevik Consolidation of Power

Question 1

October Revolution

Answer 1

Bolshevik popularity all-time high: had 51% of votes in October 1917 Moscow municipal elections
Kerensky sent away his army units fearing they would support Bolsheviks. Closed 2 newspapers and raised bridges, was framed as attacking Bolsheviks
Military Revolutionary Committee (MRC): Set up by Soviets, controlled by Trotsky and Bolsheviks, had direct control over soldiers and seized arms and ammunitions.
Bolsheviks organised, took key areas with very little opposition then took Winter Palace.
Public mostly unaware and unaffected by it.

Question 2

Sovnarkom

Answer 2

Created Council of Sovnarkom, exclusively Bolshevik, Lenin didn’t want to share power.
Chairman: Lenin
Commissar of War after 1918: Trotsky
Commissar for nationality: Stalin

Question 3

War

Answer 3

Oct 1917: Decree of Peace - intentions to end involvement in war. People happy. Led to high desertion rates in the army and Russia conceded a lot of territory.
March 1918: Treaty of Brest-Litovsk: Peace treaty, Russia out of war. Good for public. But Russia lost a lot of land due to poor situation in war, lost key areas like Ukraine, which damaged economy a lot due to the delay of the leadership in achieving peace, not very successful

Question 4

Peasants

Answer 4

Oct 1917: Decree of Land - authorised peasant takeover of land. Gained popularity amongst peasants. Fixed what Prov. Gov couldn’t.

Question 5

Workers

Answer 5

Oct 1917: Decree of Workers - accepted worker control. Factory committees allowed to control management. Workers used this as an excuse to take over factories
Instructed workers’ committees to maintain strict control in the workforce.

Question 6

Opposition from Socialists

Answer 6

Wanted representation and cooperation with Bolsheviks. Wanted a socialist rule not a Bolshevik rule.
Railwaymen threatened to cut off communication if Bolsheviks didn’t listen to other parties.
This was supported by Kamenev and Zinoviev due to fears over a civil war between Bolsheviks and other socialists and that Bolsheviks would rule through terror.

Question 7

Response to Socialist Opposition

Answer 7

Allowed Constituent Assembly elections to take place. The constituent assembly was closed down as Bolsheviks won less seats than the SRs. But forced them to make an alliance with left SRs.
Monitored them with secret police.

Question 8

Red Terror (+ Justification)

Answer 8

In response to increasing opposition e.g. workers, SRs (who turned to terrorism)
Dec 1917: Cheka, secret police set up. Monitored opposition. Became feared.
Between 1918-1920: 30,000 deaths occurred.
Concentration camps also set up.
Stopped use of justice system, in favour of revolutionary justice.
Justified as attacking burzhui, as punishment, also by the assassination attempts on Lenin and other Bolsheviks such as Head of Cheka.

Question 9

Propaganda

Answer 9

Promoted class warfare: branded their opponents as the ‘burzhui’, used this as justification for removing opposition. Attacks on the bourgeoisie and arrested them.
Closed down opposing printing presses and pumped money into their own printing press.
Became illegal to condemn Bolshevik party.
Shut down all opposition newspapers other than Pravda.