Central Government Flashcards
Tsarist Government system 1855-1905:
All following Areas of Government feed into the Tsar like a mind Map
– showing all areas of the Government directly feed into the Tsar
The Tsar:
Absolute Power and autocracy
• the personal Chancellor of his imperial magistry, Included:
– secretaries to the Tsar
– legal advisors
– the secret police (third section)
• the Senate and the Supreme Court
• the Imperial council of states
– Tsar advisors legal/financial
All the roles in the government fed to bizarre who had 100% power
Alexander II [1855-1881]
changes to Cent Gov
Replacing the Personal Chanceller of His Imperial magistry with the Council of Ministers [1861]
• in 1861 Alexander II decided to replace the personal Chancellor of his imperial majesty section of the government with the council of ministers
• Council of ministers
Ministers and the Tsar Draft legislation for the Tsar to give royal ascent to or deny
positions in the Council of ministers included:
– the minister of finance
– the minister of War
– the minister of education
– Ect.
Alexander III [1881-1893]
Changes to Cent Gov
Removal of the Council of Ministers [1882]
• Alexander III decided after the assassination of his father in 1881
– to remove the council of ministers and give their duties to other government departments in 1882
– this may be due to him blaming his father’s liberal reforms
– drafted by these ministers
– that resulted in the opposition that led to his father’s assassination
Nicholas II [1893-1917]
Why did Nicholas Change the organisation of the Tsarist Government?
• after the 1905 Revolution which was caused by opposition to Tsardom
– the introduced the 1905 October manifesto
– which gave the illusion of more democracy and reorganized the government
Nicholas II [1893-1917]
1905-17 Government
The Tsar
Had absalute power, could deny any legislation
v
• the council of ministers
– similar to Western parliaments, shared by a prime minister appointed by The Tsar
v
• the state Council
– also known as the nominated upper chamber
– their role was to filter the Dumas suggestions before the Tsar Sees them
– to remove anything that he is likely to object to
v
• the state Duma
– also known as the elected lower chamber
– they were elected from a variety of social groups
– they met and debated state affairs
– proposed lesislation and blocked them
– they were elected every five years
– Tsar can disband them (as did in 06, 07 and 17)
– the elections mainly favored those with property rather than workers and peasants
v
• the Senate
Once again included the Senate and the Supreme Court
• Legislation was filtered up to the Tsar
– but ultimately he can still say no to this legislation
– therefore he has 100% of power
– it only appears to be democratic on the surface
Nicholas II [1893-1917]
the first Duma [april-july 1906]
The council of ministers chairman was Stolipyn
– he didn’t trust the doomer on land Reform and the Russian army management
• the first Duma discuss land distribution
– but the government said it was not an option to discuss this
– and then they were Disbanded
The Kadets and Labourists members of the Duma then decided to sign the Vyborg Manifesto (which encoraged Finland to not pay Taxes)
– they were going to be in prisoned but stolipyn decide that this was too soft so he executed them
Nicholas II [1893-1917]
The second Duma [Feb-June 1907]
• The Kadets and Labourists in the Duma were reduced
• now there were more SRs and SDs and Octoberists (who were far right and loved the Tsar)
• The SDs planed a Mutany
– so the Tsar disolved them
Nicholas II [1893-1917]
The third Duma [nov 1907-june 1912]
• following an overhaul of the election system:
– people who were loyal to the crowns such as wealthy property owners in Russia
– were more likely to become members of the Duma than non-russians and nationalists
This Tsarist Duma was rather Productive:
– Strengthend military
– Abolished Land Captains
– Reformed the Judiceral System
– State insurance schemes for workers
Because of this they served a full term in office
The Only Duma to do so
Nicholas II [1893-1917]
The Forth Duma [nov 1912-Feb 1917]
• the use of the army during the Lana goldfields strike (massacar) in 1912 outraged liberal Dumas
• they pressured The Tsar to abdicate
• Nicholas ignored them
• [1914]
– socialist Dumas walk out where Nicholas says they are going to war
– as they didn’t believe they could win
• [1915]
– the Duma asked Nicholas to set up a national government to take charge during the war called the progressive block
– The Tsar said no and did it himself
– then disbanded the Duma
• [1916]
– the Dumas return
– things go wrong
• [18th Feb 1917]
– general strike
• [26th Feb]
– the Dumas refused disband against Nicolas II order
• [27 Feb]
– the Duma committee and the petrograd Soviet established a dual power system
• [2nd March]
– Tsar Nicholas II abdicates and the affirmentioned dual power system of the provisional government takes over
Provisional Government [1917]
Dual Authority
The provisional government was made out of two sections in a dual authority system between March to October 1917
• the provisional government side contained parties such as:
– Kadets
– Octoberists
– SRs
2 PMs: Prince L’vov and later Kerensky after July
The Petrograd Soviet
contained:
– SDs
– SRs
– Mensheviks
– Bolsheviks
Lenin [1917-1924]
The Communist Government (its confusing as Fuck)
Highest Part of the Government
All russian congress of Soviets
containing…
Central Executive Committe
containing…
Politburo
Orgburo
Ogburo
All sections of the Government answer to Lenin
Above all else is the:
ALL RUSSIAN CONGRESS OF SOVIETS
Dominated by Bolsheviks
it included the CENTRAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
which included:
• POLITBURO
– B who makes policys
– They Dominate the CEC and the Running of the Party
• The Orgburo
– They Organise party Affairs
• The Ogburo:
– They maintain order and deal with opposition
• Lenin Bans the SRs, and Mensheviks from the CEC in 1918, at the same time he makes all political opposition groups Illegal
Lenin [1917-1924]
The Communist government
The Second part of the Government
The Sovnarkom
THE SOVNARKOM
aka: “the council of peoples commissars”
is the second highest point in the communkst government before the All russian congress of Soviets and the CEC
– Although this is Debatable, as most All russian congress of Soviets members were also in the Sovnarkom
• The Sovnarkom
– Made of ‘Peoples Commissars’ (ministers with key roles)
– e.g. Foreign affairs - Trotsky
– There were some SRs here too
• The Sovnarkom was Chaired by Lenin
Lenin [1917-1924]
Lowest point of the Communist Gov
The Checka
and GPU/OGPU
The lowest area of Lenin’s Communist Government was the
CHECKA
– Est. Dec 1917
– prevents the Growth of counter revolutionary movments
– was the secrete police
1922 it was replaced by:
GPU/OGPU
Lenin [1917-1924]
Exra Lenin Gov stuffs
the NOMENKLATURA
were approved officers and administraitors of the Communist Regime
– possessed specialist skills
Lenin Enrolment campaign
attempts to envorage peasnts to join Bolsheviks party
1921 = 730,000 members of the Party
1928 = almost a million
1922: The Esstablishment of the USSR
1924: Lenin Dies
Stalin [1929-1953]
Changes Stalin makes to the Communist Government
by the 1930s
10% of the party was: Apparatchiki
(full time educated paid members of the Party)
30% were edjcated “others”
the rest was peasnts/workers and party activists
Stalin’s 1936 Constitution builds on the 1918 constitution for the RSFSR and the 1924 one for the USSR (created in 1922 official in 24)
this was decided there would be more freedoms for the people of the USSR
The Bolshevik party became the Communist party of the Soviet Union (CPSU)
they still dominate the USSR
Article 26 of the Stalin constitution clearly stated it was:
‘ the nucleus of all the public in state organizations of the working people’
aka they are incharge, step out of line, ya gone
