The Making of a Totalitarian State
- Created by: Ellie
- Created on: 26-04-14 12:20
problems facing Lenin after oct rev
- Russia was still at war with Germany and Austria-Hungary - Germans were only 1000 miles from Pet
- peasants were seizing land across the country
- industrial production slumped, inflation and unemployment rose
- bolsheviks didn't have mass support across the country - mostly just in major cities
- lenin was too vulnerable to cancel elections for constituent assembly - results showed bolsheviks only had support of 1/4 of those who voted - SR's did better
Decrees passed to overcome problems:
- the Decree on Land - redistibuted land to all peasants
- the Peace Decree - emphasized that bolsheviks wanted to end role in ww1
- the decree that establushed a new government organisation
establishment of the Sovnarkom
- sovnarkom = council of peoples Commissars - have most power in bolshevik gov
- Lenin acted as chairman of this group and was overall leader of new gov
- All Russia Congress of Soviets = below the Sovnarkom - dominated mostly by bolsheviks
- at the bottom of the new gov were representatives from cities, villages and local soviets
the purpose of the Sovnarkom:
- designed to allow the Bolsheviks to extend their power and control across Russia - Lenin and leading bolsheviks decided who was included in sovnarkom and therefore what important decisions would be made
Closing of the Constituent Assembly
- the SR's gained 40.4% of the vote - the bolsheviks gained 24% and were the 2nd largest party
Bolshevik strengths:
- considerable support from northern and western military fronts
- support from military in petrograd and moscow
- support from Baltic fleet and Krontadt sailors
- approx 10 million had voted for them
- opposition parties such as mensheviks and SR's were divided so failed to effectively oppose them
- Lenin formed coalition with left-wing SR's
how it closed down:
- lenin ordered that the constituent assembly must be subservient to the sovnarkom and soviet
- they refused this by a vote of 237 to 137
- lenin then used Red Guards to close them down by force
- hopes of a democracy were ended
securing communist control
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, March 1918
- Lenin wanted to withdraw from the war and secure peace - knowing that this would help secure more support - he also needed the military to secure the power of the bolsheviks, not fight against the Germans
what the Germans demanded: - the Baltic states - inc. latvia, estonia and lithuania - Poland - Ukraine - (important agricultural region This meant that Russia would lose: - 32% of its arrable land - 26% of railway system - 33% of factories - 75% of coal and iron ore mines - 60 millions Russian citizens
establishment of the Police State
the Cheka:
- secret police - established dec 1917 - Felix Dzerzhinsky was head of it originally
- inititally focussed on ending strikes by gov workers
- also used to eliminate political opponents of the bolsheviks and shoot deserters of Red Army
- after failed assassination attempt on Lenin - cheka launched 'Red Terror' - anybody who criticised gov could be arrested - many shot without trial
- also used to check on loyalty of party members - used to spread fear
- Cheka changed name to OGPU, NKVD and KGB
policies enforced:
- peasants continued to seize land and workers took over factories during 1st 6 months of rule
- a Supreme Economic Council to help restore Russia's economy
- nationalisation of the banks
- banning of the Kadet political Party
- establishment of the Red Army
- establishment of revolutionary tribunals to try political enemies
- ending of all foreign and domestic debts
despite these, bolsheviks struggled to exert control over Russia, by end May 1918, Russia was descending into Civil War
The Civil War
- rebellion of Czech Legions on 25th May 1918 signalled start of Civil War
- counter-revolutionary armies were established in Siberia, Estonia and Ukraine
- Lenin forced to make Moscow capital because Whites were threatening petrograd
- Reds = communist forces - Trotsky was head - only occupied 1/5th of Russia
- Whites = communist opponents - led by Admiral Kolchak
- Greens = supporters of economic power being transferred to local groups of peasants
Causes:
- Russia had become a 'one-party state' dominated by Lenin - other parties supported whites and wished to remove communists from power
- others wanted to return to tsarist regime or return of prov gov
- Brits and French wanted Ru to remain in war and not have communist regime - Japan wanted to expand territory
- Brit and France supplied Whites - British occupied Murmansk, French at Odessa and Japan controlled Vladivostock
- Czech Legion created out of Austria-Hungary prisoners who wanted to create their own country - consisted of 40,000 men and opposed Red Army - nationalities also wanted own country
- many opposed Treaty of Brest-Litovsk - left-wing SR's abandoned coalition with communists and opposed Lenin
- bolsh clashed with peasantry - Lenin authorised forcible collection of grain stocks for cities and Red Army
- Lenin increased oppression of peasants - grain prod declined - some peasants supported Greens or Whites
why did the Reds win the Civil War? (1)
White weaknesses:
- lacked structure and command - including failure to co-ordinate attacks
- too spread out over large area of land
- not supported by many Russians who identified them with tsarist supporters or foreign invaders
- failed to work effectively with Greens
Red Strengths:
- Trotsky used officers that had fought for tsar = experienced leaders
- they controlled railway routes making it easy to transport troops
- successfully defeated all white armies by 1920 and stopped them working together
War Communism:
- WC describes economic policies that communists introduced during civil war to help victory
- communists controlled industrial centres
- industry was nationalised and factories converted to produce military supplies
- policy of requisitioning grain from peasants to feed army
why did the Reds win the Civil War? (2)
Red Leadership:
- unified leadership under Lenin
- Trotsky was effective leader - sending reinforcements to pet and stopping General Yudenich from seizing control of pet
- trotsky enforced strict discipline
- used an armoured train to visit and support areas under threat
- lenin used cheka to eliminate political opposition
Foreign Intervention:
- by end of 1919 - Brit, France and USA had left Russia
- they stopped supporting whites after armistice signing to end WWI
- foreign leaders realised whites wouldn't win - Kolchak originally had support from 30,000 foreign troops then got defeated by Reds
- 1919 polish forces invaded Ukraine and caputured Kiev - 1920 Red Army advanced to Polish capital and defeated it - 1921 'Treaty of Riga' signed between Poland and Russia
Causes of New Economic Policy (NEP)
problems facing Russia in 1921:
- Famine: war communism resulted in peasants hoarding grain which by 1921 resulted in widespready famine and unrest
- opposition from outside the party: rebellions occured e.g. Kronstadt Rebellion 1921 - many of the soldiers were from peasant backgrounds and knew impact of war communism, also they had supported the communists in oct rev, therefore they rebelled when Lenin demanded:
- - end to political domination of communists
- - relaxation of war communism and centralised economic control
- - restoration of freedom of speech and press
- opposition from within the party: many communists thought that the NEP was a betrayal to communism because it allowed peasants to sell some produce for profit - also permitted owners of small factories to sell goods for profit
Lenins responses to 'causes'
Repression:
- lenin ordered Trotsky to end Kronstadt rebellion by force - 50,000 Red Army to attacked them - took 3 weeks - thousands were killed or sent to gulags
Economic Reform:
- at 10th party congress Lenin announced end to war communism
- announced intro of the NEP - hoped to strengthen economy and reduce opposition to comms
- peasants could sell some produce for profit but had to pay tax
- private traders called 'nepmen'
- a new currency was introduced 1922
Ban on Factions:
- he didn't want comm party weakened by divisions so banned them from forming groups that weren't controlled by Lenin
- also supported 'democratic centralism' - banned other political parties and decisions made by Lenin and politburo must be supported by all communists
The impact of the NEP
positives:
- food shortages and famine stopped by end of 1921
- 1923 - 85% of companies were owned privately
- cultivated land and livestock increased
- 1926 - economy had returned to production levels of 1913
negatives:
- more crops = fall in agricultural prices = less money for peasants
- industrial goods cost increased to level that peasants couldn't afford
- some comms thought that NEP was leading Russia into capitalism
securing communist regime
- after 1921 - only communist party could field candidates for election to soviets
- all other political parties were banned
- increased propaganda that glorified Lenin and comms
- only comm newspapers could be published e.g. Pravda
- cheka replaced by GPU which remained a political police force
- gulags expanded - 1920 = 84 camps, 1923 = 315 camps
- show trials of leading members of clergy and SR's took place
- universities lost all autonomy
establishment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Rep
- establied in Dec 1922
- consisted of:
- Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
- Ukrainian Social Republic
- Belorussian Soviet Social Republic
- Transcaucasian Soviet Socialist Republic
- these areas were former Russian empire and the comm party had regained control of them
- many different nationalities lived in the USSR
- lenin believed that the USSR could help overcome ethnic division
- each republic within the USSR had their own gov as part of a federal system
- their individual republics sent representatives to the Congress of Republics
- Congress of Republics + Congress of Soviets = national parliament of USSR
- real political power was still retained in politburo
- after 1922 - Lenin had complete control over the comm party and government
Lenin's death
- in 1918 and SR shot him in the neck, he recovered by in 1921 he began to suffer side effects of the attack and reduced his involvement in the gov
- he suffered three strokes in 1922 - he then started to dictate his last testament:
- - he acknowledged that Trotsky was talented by arrogant and failed to create good relationships with leading communists
- - he criticised zin and kam for not initially supporting bolshevik takeover in oct 1917
- - he stated Stalin should be removed from top branches of comm party because he was 'too coarse'
- March 1923 - suffered another stroke which left him speech-impaired - he was no longer an active member of the gov
- died jan 1924
- Stalin, Zin and Kam kept the content of Lenin's Testament secret
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