Elections and the peasants Flashcards
(12 cards)
What did the Provisional Government promise when it was established?
To hold democratic elections for a Constituent Assembly.
When did elections for the Constituent Assembly take place?
November to December 1917.
How many people voted in the Constituent Assembly elections?
41.7 million.
Which party won the most votes in the Constituent Assembly elections?
The Socialist Revolutionaries (SRs) with 53% of the vote.
How much support did the Bolsheviks receive in the election?
24% of the vote.
Why did peasants support the SRs?
Because the SRs promised land reform and redistribution.
What did the Constituent Assembly aim to do?
Draft a new constitution for Russia.
How long did the Constituent Assembly meet before being shut down?
One morning in early January 1918.
Who dispersed the Constituent Assembly, and how?
The Cheka, using armed force.
What was Lenin’s view on the election results?
He dismissed them, saying “elections prove nothing.”
How did Lenin describe the Constituent Assembly?
As the “last remnant of bourgeois democracy.”
Why was Lenin never going to allow the Constituent Assembly to operate?
Bolshevik ideology rejected coalition with other political parties.
