Russia Deck 4 Flashcards
(26 cards)
Why did the Bolsheviks start to restrict freedom shortly after taking power?
To secure their control over Russia and shut down any opposition.
What were banned in December 1917?
All non-Bolshevik newspapers.
What political party was banned in December 1917?
The Kadet Party - and all its leaders were arrested.
What happened to the law courts and lawyers?
They were replaced by Revolutionary Tribunals. Revolutionary Tribunals were brutal - they judged people according to their social class than the evidence.
From June 1918, what other groups became targeted by the Bolsheviks?
From June 1918, SRs and Mensheviks were arrested.
When were anarchists arrested?
After 1919.
When were all other political parties officially banned?
1921
What is a show trial?
A trial that is deliberately given a lot of publicity to spread a message to the population.
What show trial in 1922 showed that Russia was becoming a totalitarian state?
The 1922 show trial of leading SRs. Lenin wanted them shot but was worried how this might look abroad so they were deported.
What was the full title of the Chekha?
The ‘Extraordinary Commission to Combat Counter-Revolution, Sabotage and Speculation’
When was the Cheka set up?
December 1917.
In 1922, at the end of the Civil War, what was the Cheka renamed?
the GPU (State Political Directorate)
In 1923, what did the GPU become?
The OGPU (All-Union State Political Directorate)
When was the ‘The Socialist Fatherland is in Danger’ decree passed?
February 1918
What did the ‘The Socialist Fatherland is in Danger’ decree allow the Bolsheviks to do?
They could force anyone they chose (usually middle-class people) to do forced labour - and allowed them to execute anyone who resisted. This soon spread to include anyone considered to be an enemy of the revolution.
What was the ‘Red Terror’?
A time of arrests and executions between September 1918 and February 1919.
What happened during the ‘Red Terror’
Concentration camps were set up in northern Russia, on the Solevetsky islands, and between 50,000 to 140,000 people were executed.
Why did Lenin start the ‘Red Terror’?
- because opposition to his new government was growing and the Civil War was starting.2. Because he was almost assassinated in August 1918 when an SR (Fanya Kaplan) tried to kill him.
Did the ‘Red Terror’ end in 1919?
Officially yes, but in reality the arrests and executions continued as the Bolsheviks set up a dictatorship.
When was the Kronstadt Mutiny?
In March 1921, sailors in the Kronstadt naval base mutinied against the brutal rule of the Bolsheviks, which they saw as a dictatorship.
Why did the Kronstadt sailors mutiny when they did?
- In part, it was a response to War Communism2. They made sure their ships were still trapped in the winter ice so that they could not use the battleships against Petrograd
What 6 things did the Kronstadt sailors demand?
- New elections (by secret ballot)2. Freedom - of speech and the press (for all left-wing, socialist parties)3. Free trade unions and peasant organisations4. An end to commissars in the army and navy5. An end to grain requisition squads6. Government restrictions on trade to be lifted
How was the Kronstadt Mutiny dealt with?
Crushed! The Red Army and the Cheka, commanded by Trotsky, crossed the ice and attacked. They fought back, but were defeated.
Why did the Kronstadt Mutiny have a strong effect on Lenin?
It was a real wake-up call for Lenin as the Kronstadt sailors had been some of the Bolsheviks most loyal supporters during the revolution.
