Est Control + Consolidating Com Dictatorship

Question 1

Oct 1917

Answer 1

-max 8 hour day for workers
-social insurance to be introduced
-opposition press banned
-decree on peace
-decree on land

Question 2

November 1917

Answer 2

-right of self-determination granted to all parts of the former Rus Empire
Abolition of titles + class distinctions
-workers to control factories
-abolition of justice systems
-women declared equal to men & able to own their own property

Question 3

Dec 1917

Answer 3

-Cheka set up
-Banks nationalised
-democrisation of army
-marriage and divorce became civil matters- not religious

Question 4

January 1918

Answer 4

-creation of the Red Army
-constituent assembly meets + is dispersed
-decree on workers control of the railways
-creation of the Red Army
-separation of church and state

Question 5

February 1918

Answer 5

-decree on nationalisation of industry

Question 6

March 1918

Answer 6

treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Bolsheviks become the communist party + capital moves to Moscow

Question 7

The Cheka

Answer 7

-set up on the 7th Dec by Lenin
-main instrument of terror
-made up of dedicated Bolsh supporters
-controlled units of the RG + mil units under its control
——-
-civ service thoroughly purged
Jr officials willing to support Bol promoted + Bol officials brought in
-poor quality but obedient bureaucracy full of third rate people + corrupt opportunists

Question 8

Solidifying their position

Answer 8

-decree on the press of Oct 1917- lost ability to publish their own newspapers
-the bourgeoise lost the right to vote in new Sov gov structure in July 1918
1921- all other pol parties banned

Question 9

The Red Guard

Answer 9

Jan 1918 workers put in charge of railways. Old red guard demolished + new red army of workers + peasants born to protect regime.
Trotsky placed at head of army march 1918
Red army prof force- red guard = volunteers

Question 10

Decree on peace

Answer 10

Oct
-prom an end to war
-armistice followed in Nov

Question 11

Decree on workers rights- October

Answer 11

-limited working day to 8 hours
Soc insurance decree: gave old-age, health & unemployment benefits
Decree on workers control of factories: allowed workers to ‘supervise’ managers

Question 12

Decree on Land- October

Answer 12

Abolished private ownership of land
Legitimised seizures of land from landlords
Reduced peasant support for the SRs

Question 13

Forming communist dictatorship

Answer 13

Allowed constit assembly elecs to go ahead… SRs won maj of seats 53% of the vote whilst Bolsh 24%.
Met for one day then shut down by troops.
Justified by Lenin bc ‘dictatorship of the ppl’
Working ppl help run all aspects of Rus ‘all power to the Soviets’
25th Oct 1917, delegates of 2nd all Rus congress of Soviets voted 500:170 for Soc gov to rep PG… expected to be a coalition… wasn’t

Question 14

T of Brest-Litovsk 1917

Answer 14

For peace had to give up large areas of w Russia meaning loss of
-62 mil ppl (1/6 Rus pop)
-2 mil km squared - resp for 1/3 of Rus agriculture prod
-1/4 of r railway lines
-3/4 of r’s iron + coal supplies
-3 billion roubles in reparations

Question 15

Ending involvement in ww1

Answer 15

Agreeing on t= difficult
G occupied large swathes of Rus territory + demanded major concessions
L+T did not agree, T didn’t want harsh terms. L= less concerned (thought they wld have own com rev)
Buhkarin led ‘revolutionary war group’ against peace w/ Germs
T put in charge… tried to drag it out bc thought war wld start
Delaying tactics annoyed germ began to advance…. Len demanded T for peace at any cost. T of BL deeply unpopular
LW SRs walked out of Sovnakom in protest. L threatening to resign got treaty through Bolsh cent com

Question 16

Reasons for ending involvement in WW1

Answer 16

Bolsh prom peace- sup came from soldiers
L= convinced germ an to have own rev… be part of new int com thus peace deal terms wld only bad for Rus temporarily
L knew RA cldn’t stop German invasion… wld end Bolsh control
L believed Nat boundaries= less imp than proletrariat’s shared com values. End of war wld allow workers to rise ag the oppressive cap classes

Question 17

Soviet constitution

Answer 17

1918 … set out power of new regime.. on surface looks democratic
Sovnakom- appointed by congress and ran country when congress not in session, actually app by Bolsh cent com, consisted only of Bolsh after LW SRs walked out over Brest-Litovsk
Cent exec com- cont depts elec the cent exec com
The All-Russian congress of Soviets- depts from local Sov were elected to all-Rus congress of sovs… electorate cold choose between Bolsh noms… no free choice of candidates
Local Soviets- workers + peasants elec local sovs… workers votes worth 5 peasants… July 1918 membs of former ‘exploiting classes’ banned from voting or holding classes

Question 18

Consolidation took place in the background of….

Answer 18

A crisis. LW SRs tried to siege power in Moscow but crushed
Followed by imposition of red terror by cheka