This document provides a full summary of the chapter communist government from 1917 to 1985 . It goes into the depth of each leader and how they came to power. I used these notes in my mocks to get an A* predicted and have a place at Oxford for history
A-level Edexcel History 19/20 A* answer. Fall of the USSR interpretations source and answer.
All for this textbook (37)
Written for
A/AS Level
PEARSON (PEARSON)
History 2015
Unit 1E - Russia, 1917-91: from Lenin to Yeltsin
All documents for this subject (136)
Seller
Follow
freyaurnes
Content preview
Communist government in the USSR 1917 – 85 COMPLETE NOTES
Introduction
- The October revolution of 1917 saw the establishment of the world’s first communist state
- The government system established by the Bolsheviks was authoritarian, highly centralised
and based on the use of terror to reinforce the dominant position of the Party.
Bolshevik aims
- Bolshevik party had been established in 1903 as one of the revolutionary groups that wished
to bring about change in Russia.
- The chaos brought about in 1917 provided the Bolsheviks with an unexpected opportunity to
seize power.
- Bolsheviks believed the old system should be replaced with a socialist system which would
then turn to communism.
Karl Marx view of historical change
- Primitive communism: no social classes and no concept of private property as can been seen
in the Stone Age
- Feudalism: society would be controlled by land owning aristocrats
- Capitalism: the growth of trade and industry produced two classes; proletarians were
exploited.
o Believed the proletariats would eventually rise up and get ride of the bourgerious
- Socialism: in this phase, workers organisation would form a dictatorship of the proletariat to
rule on their own behalf
- Communism: less need to regulate society; government would be unnecessary
How Lenin used Marx to fuel the revolution
- Lenin beloved that the Bolshevik party could be used as the vanguard of the revolution.
- Lenin believed that a highly centralised and disciplined party should seize power on behalf of
the proletariat.
- Power would then be taken away from the bourgeoise and placed in the hand of the
Bolshevik party
The October revolution, 1917
- The Bolsheviks seized power in October using a well-planned and well executed uprising.
- At the time, the Bolsheviks were still a small party of about of 300,000 members.
o In order to justify Bolshevik rule, they claimed to be representing the interests of the
workers.
- Propaganda presented the vent as a heroic stomping of the Winter Palace with mass support
o The reality was very different with the only troops left guarding the palace were the
Women’s death battalion
o They opened the gates to let the Bolsheviks in
- The nature of the revolution determined much of what the Bolsheviks did next
o They had seized power with very limited support
o Force would be needed to ensure the minority party maintained control
How did the Bolsheviks establish a one party state between 1917 and 1924
The creation of a one-party state and the party congress of 1921
- The Bolsheviks faced renounces difficulties in attempting in secure their hold on power
o These difficulties stemmed form the fact that, despite the Party size growing since
the revolution, they remained a relative small group
- The Bolsheviks faced opposition to their rule from a range of groups
, o Other left wing groups who were denied a share of power by the Bolsheviks, such as
the Socialist Revolutionaries and the Mensheviks
o Groups on the right and liberal groups
o Nationalist groups within the Russian empire such as the Poles and Ukraine
How did the Bolsheviks deal with the other left – wing groups?
- Many other left wing groups shared many of the socialist aims of the Bolsheviks
o As a results, groups such as SR’s and Mensheviks hope that they would be given a
share in the new government
o Lenin made it clear there would be no sharing of power
o Yet for some practical reasons, some left wing SR’s did join the Bolsheviks
government in the beginning.
- The SR’s and the Mensheviks hoped that the calling of parliament, the Constituent Assembly,
in January 1918 would be a change to regain the initiative
o The Assembly was to be democratically elected and this played to the strengths of
the SR’s
- The results were not in the Bolshevik favour
o They gained 175 seats with the SR’s emerging as the largest single party with 410
seats and 21 million votes
- Lenin, therefore dissolved for the Assembly after one meeting and condemned it as an
instrument of the bourgerious
- In place of the assembly, Lenin used the All Russian Congress of Soviets as an instrument of
popular support
The destruction of other political parties
- Removal of vote from bourgeoise classes such as employers and priests
- The Mensheviks and SR’s found it had to publish their newspapers due to restriction imposed
by the Bolsheviks
- The left wing SR’s who had been given a role in government in 197 lost infelunce when they
walked out of the government in march 1918 after the decision to pull out of WW1
- In march 1918, the Bolshevik party renamed themselves itself the communist party and all
other parties were effectively banned in 1921
- In April 1921, Lenin declared the place for the Mensheviks and SR’s is in prison
o During the first three months of 1921, 5,000 Mensheviks were arrested
The treaty of Brest Litovsk, 1918
- The demoralised conservatives found a cause of outrange when peace was concluded
through the Treaty of Brest Litovsk
- The treaty took Russia out of the war at a great costs
o Russia lost control over the Baltic states of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, Finland and
part of the Caucasus region
- It was a national humiliation for the conservatives
o They believed the only way to restore Russia’s pride was to overthrow the Bolshevik
regime and reject the treaty
o The treaty also provided necessary spur to those who wished to fight against the
Bolsheviks, known as the whites
Why did Lenin sign the treaty
- He knew it would increase likelihood of civil war and increase in opposition
- However, he was aware that the collapse of the Tsarist regime and provisional government
had largely resulted from the war
o It sapped energy and resources of the government
o He realised if he wished to consolidate his power, it needed to pull out of the war to
deal with internal enemies
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller freyaurnes. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $10.37. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
