the communist dictatorship

Question 1

introduction to communist dictatorship/issues

Answer 1

-the bolshevik power was very weak and faced a number of issues
issues:
-still at war with Germany
-popular in urban areas but not rural areas
-there were still food shortages
-there were still a number of strikes

Question 2

the establishment of a one-party state

Answer 2

-lenin wanted to break from the past
-he replaced ministers with people’s commisars
-he wanted to remove all political opposition and establish a one-party state
-he created a secret police (Cheka) in 1917
-the Cheka increased from 120 employees in march 1918 to 143k employees by 1921

Question 3

removal of constituent assembly

Answer 3

-in November, the constituent assembly had a number of elections
-Bolsheviks only gained 24% of the vote and had been beaten by the SR’s
-Lenin demanded that the constituent assembly be subservient to the sovnarkom and soviet
-the constituent assembly refused
-lenin ordered the red guard to surround the building, blocking representatives from entering/leaving
-this is how CA was removed

Question 4

Lenin’s justifying of the removal of constituent assembly

Answer 4

-believed that it followed old party lines and did not represent the will of the people
-claimed the Sovnarkom was direct democracy and the CA was a form of bourgeoisie democracy