Communist Gvmnt Donners Flashcards
(34 cards)
Civil War years
~ 1918-1921 ~
Why the Reds won
~ superior organisation
~ policy (WC)
~ public support ( due to Land decree etc)
War Communism
~ forced grain req by 150k Bolshevik volunteers
~ June 1918 to March 1921
~ nationalisation of industry
Political result of Civil War
Highly centralised state
10th Party Congress
~ result of the civil war
~ red terror
~ ban on factions
~ Kronstadt and Tambov proved Bolsheviks didn’t have secure power
Party Growth 1917-1921
300,000-730,000
Structure of state
~ headed by Sovnarkom (made decisions)
~ Congress of Soviet’s ( supposed to be body of elected representatives but really rubber stamp)
Structure of Party
~ headed by Politburo ➡️ central committee (all of their power went to politburo in 1919) ➡️Party Congress (declining influence after 1921)
~ Party mirrored state though party made most decisions and was dominated by the politburo
~ Lenin didn’t clearly define the relationship party and state
~ based on democratic centralism (illusion of democracy while ruling top down)
Nomenklatura System
1921
Led to growth of gvmnt bureaucracy
Party positions now reliant on approval from party leadership (membership 1924 1mill)
Soviet constitution
1824
Confirmed power of party
Lenin’s leading roles
State ~ Chairman of Sovnarkom
Party ~ Politburo member
Growing centralisation of power
~ discussion of policy allowed but Lenin used influence eg threatening to resign, to direct decisions
~ nomenklatura
~ Lenin’s power in state and party
~ soviet constitution
Dealing with opposition
~ Lenin dissolved Constituent Assembly when Bolsh gain 175 seats and SRs 410
~ Bourgeoisie couldn’t vote
~ banning of factions
Constituent Assembly results
Bolsheviks 175 seats
Socialist Revolutionaries 410
Cheka formed
December 1917
/ of Party purged under Lenin
1/3
Stalin becomes general secretar
1922
Lenin enrolment
1923-5
To enrol more proletariats into the party and encourage activity
Over 500,000 recruited
Lenin enrolment purpose
Created a generation of members who owed their positions to Stalin, increasing his power base
Chistka
1932-35
Supported and enforced 1st FYP (collectivisation)
22% of party purged (non violently)
Great Purge
Catalysed by Kirov’s murder (1934)
Removed large sections of the party
Stalin set quotas
Show trials
Trial of the 16 Included Zinoviev and Kamenev Intimidation tactic Enforced conformity Created climate of fear
Red army purged
14/16 army commanders and all mazy admirals
Secret police purged
Yagoda removed
3,000 members purged by Yezhov in his first 6 months
