Detailed theme 1 summary. perfect if you don't want to read the whole thing! contains all necessary info + extra info from historians (mainly Orlando Figes). got me an A*! perfect for cramming + practicing exam questions/ essay plans.
Theme 1 - government
Lenin
October Revolution 1917 – worlds first communist state
Gov system – authoritarian, highly centralised, use of terror
Extreme form – Stalin – Purges of 1930's
Death of Stalin – reform attempted
Khrushchev – de-Stalinisation – reform limited
Brezhnev – gov more stable – system stagnated – hard to break away from key
features of original communist gov
Bolshevik aims -
Main target – Tsarist regime – collapsed Feb 1917 – strains of WW1
Chaos – Bolshevik opportunity to seize power
Put aims into practice -
o Remove upper + middle classes – exploited peasants under capitalism
o Replace with socialism
o Gov representing workers – improve living + working conditions
o Eventually communism established
Karl Marx's view of historical change
1. Primitive communism – naturally communist
2. Feudalism – society controlled by land owning aristocracy
3. Industrial Revolution – bourgeoisie exploit the proletariat
4. Socialism – proletariat revolt – workers form dictatorship – food, goods, services
distributed fairly
5. Communist Utopia – gov wither away – cooperation replace competition – classless,
stateless society
Bolshevik party – vanguard of revolution
Seize power on behalf of proletariat – dictatorship
Risk of counter revolution dealt with – Lenin – state wither away – communism
The October Revolution – 1917 -
Bolsheviks seized power – well planned + well executed uprising
PG forced from power
Bolsheviks – small party – justify – revolution portrayed as mass uprising of workers
– heroic
Seized power with limited base of support – force required to hold onto power
Establishment of a one party state 1917-24 -
INTRODUCTION
, 1917 – claimed desire to rule democratically
1921 – established a one party state
Mass opposition caused this
Bolsheviks faced enormous difficulties – secure hold on power
Relatively small group
Not enough support for popular revolution – seized power by force - opposition
o Other left wing groups denied share of power – SR's, Mensheviks
o Right wing groups + liberal groups – Tsarist's + middle classes – feared
removal of their businesses and political freedoms – Marxism – challenge to
the rich – old social order under attack
o Nationalist groups withing RE – Ukrainians, Poles and Finns – chance to
assert their independence
How the Bolsheviks dealt with other left wing groups -
Lenin – rejected possibility of coalition
SR's and Mensheviks – hoped the Constituent Assembly would solve things
Results not in Bolshevik's favour – SR majority
Lenin used Red Army to dissolve the assembly after 1 day – condemned as an
instrument of the Bourgeoisie
All Russian Congress of Soviets – power base for Lenin
Destruction of other political parties -
Removal of the vote – Bourgeois classes – employers, priests – no support for
opposition parties
Mensheviks + SR's – difficult to publish newspapers – Bolshevik restrictions
Left SR's – lost all influence – walked out in protest of decision to pull out of WW1
March 1918 – Bolsheviks renamed Communists
1921 – all parties effectively banned – mass arrests of SR's and Mensheviks
The Treaty of Brest Litovsk – 1918 -
Conservative outrage – Lenin ended Russian involvement in WW1
Treaty took Russia out of war at a great cost -
o Lost Baltic States, Latvia, Finland, Ukraine and parts of Caucasus region
Humiliation for conservatives – wanted to restore Russia's pride – overthrow
Bolsheviks
Also offered foreign help to the Whites – allies wanted to keep Russia in the war
Lenin signed the treaty because he saw how it had led to the collapse of PG and Tsar
Needed to concentrate on consolidating power
Russian Civil War – 1918 – 21 -
INTRODUCTION
White opposition – range of political groups (Tsarists, liberals, military leaders,
national minorities, Mensheviks, SR's)
Received aid from Allies
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