Lenin wanted immediate end to WW1 and CREATION OF A ONE-PARTY STATE
redistribution of land to peasants.
Summarized in the slogan ‘Peace, Land and One major change that occurred during this period was the
Bread’ gained increasing popularity. power shift that the Communist party experienced when
Government pluralistic securing power and establishing a one-party state by 1921,
In October 1917 Lenin and Trotsky organized a coup d'état following the February Revolution the provisional
allowing Bolsheviks to take power. government was introduced replacing the Tsar’s despotism
with a liberal system. However, due to still being apart of
-Decree on Land Oct 1917: peasants seize land from nobility the war, Lenin’s slogan of ‘peace, land, bread’ gained
and church.
popularity and organized a coup d'état allowing the
-Decree of Peace Oct 1917: withdraw from WW1
-Worker’s Decree Nov 1917: 8-hour max working day and
Bolshevik’s to take power. By 1918, this power was still
minimum wage. weak, with many believing it would become a coalition
-Decree of Worker’s Control April 1918: elect committees to government. This weakness was exemplified at the
run factories = chaos Constitution Assembly in January 1918 where the
Bolshevik party gained a mere 9 million votes compared to
Constitution assembly January 1918 and was to be the SR’s 21 million. This all changed however, over the
democratically elected. Bolsheviks gained 145 seats and 9 course of the civil war, through the use of war communism
million votes but the SR’s gained 410 seats and 21 million
and centralization. The Civil war was won in 1921 and the
votes.
Bolshevik’s had consolidated power. Through the use of the
-Removal of the vote from Bourgeois class stripped opposition Politburo centralization was ensured; use of hierarchical
parties from a possible reservoir of support. systems, harsh punishments and rationing, success in the
-The Mensheviks and SRs found it difficult to publish war was enabled. All that was left was too fully demolish
newspapers the other parties. The left-wing SRs lost all influence after
-left wing SRs lost influence when the walked out of
walking out of government in March 1918. Additionally in
government in protest of pulling out of WW1.
-March 1918 Bolshevik party renamed itself Communist Party 1921 the vote was removed from the ‘bourgeois classes’ and
-Feb 1921 Lenin order Cheka to destroy all political parties. hindering the Mensheviks in publishing their newspaper
5,000 Mensheviks arrested in first 3 months of 1921. and therefore prevent them from spreading their ideals and
-communist dominance consolidated. gaining support.
,Civil war helped radically change the nature of THE CIVIL WAR AND TERROR
Bolsheviks. State became increasingly authoritarian and
centralized.
With the civil war coming to a close and the economy on the
Red Army extended communist power by winning victories against Nestor brink of collapse, with rationing and widespread disease, society
Makhno’s anarchists army in the Ukraine and against authoritarian gov in
Siberia and Crimea. was significantly deflated. Peasants in the Tambov region, led by
Aleksandr Antonov, began a rebellion against communist grain
Lenin method of ensuring victory: requisition and cheka brutality, and by January 1921 he had a
1) War Communism force of 50,000 anti-communist fighters. Additionally, sailors in
2) political centralization with nomenklatura system and terror
the Kronstadt naval base rebelled, demanding a series of
3) Red army increase authoritarianism and use of conscription
reforms. This was dealt with in an authoritarian manner, by mid
War Communism: march the Red army had crushed the Kronsdat rising and in May
-Nationalization
-Supreme Council of National Economy (Vesenkha) set up in 1917
they suppressed the rebellion by deporting 100,000 people to
-hierarchical structures in industry labor camps. Moreover, it can be argued that the government did
-military style discipline (Communist Saturdays and death penalty for striking) not become increasingly centralized but actually more
-private trading banned authoritarian. Due to the the level of terror and oppression used,
-bartering introduced for instance the creation of the Cheka and Red Terror in 1917
-Food dictatorship- forcible requisitioning, around 150,000 seize grain – came Chriskas purging one third of the party and the emergence
malnutrition and starvation became commonplace
-rationing introduced
of a huge police state. During the civil war Chekists were
responsible for raiding anarchist organizations and they were
Tenth party congress 1921: willing to kill, imprison and torture anyone seen as a threat to
Huge growth in party membership from 300,000 at end of 1917 to 730,000 by communism. Furthermore, it was authorities that emerged from
1921 = threat of instability. this period conversely. For instance, in Kremenchuk in the
So, ban on fractions Ukraine, church leaders were impaled on spikes and victims in
Tambov Rising: led by Aleksandr Antonov was where peasants reacted violently the city of Oryol were frozen on display. Therefore, clearly the
to requestioning teams. The revolt was only put down after 50,000 Red Army government had increasing power, due to authoritarianism. Some
troops sent to the area.
may argue this caused centralization, but ultimately the
Kronstadt Mutiny: revolt by sailors at naval base outside Petrograd increased
pressure on gov. was over the increase of power of the party at the expense of its government became increasingly authoritarianist not centralized.
workers. Slogan ‘Soviets without Bolsheviks’. Key factor in the decision for new Nevertheless, after the Tambov risings and Krondtsadt mutiny,
economic policy. 100,000 sent to Gulags. Lenin responded to the unrest by suppressing opposing political
Khronstadt sailors demanded: immediate free and fair election of new soviets, release of parties, creating a one-party state. A one-party state would
all anarchists, Menshevik and SR prisoners, restoration of freedom of speech and the suggest highly centralized government.
press, abolition of the Cheka and end to War communism
, NOMENKLATURE SYSTEM AND SOVIET CONSTITUTION 1924
The growth of the party Bureaucracy and nomenklatura The main consequence of the period could arguably be
system: By 1921, Bolshevik party was named the communist bureaucracy and the nomenclature system, the growth of
party as there was absence of all other parties, many joined party administrators and use of those who were loyal to the
to improve career. To ensure development of committed party (political centralization) would ultimately create a
communist bureaucracy, used nomenklatura system, drawing up highly centralized government. By 1921, the Bolshevik
lists of approved party employees suitable for certain jobs. If not party was renamed the communist party and had grown
loyal lose place on list and with-it promotion. By 1924, to membership 730,000 people. To ensure the
membership reached one million. development of a more committed communist
bureaucracy, the nomenklatura system was developed.
By 1921, the Bolshevik party was renamed the communist party and had This meant drawing up lists, and not to be loyal would
grown to membership 730,000 people
lose your place on the list. Therefore, with everyone
within the party being committed to communism and
benefiting the industrial proletariat, it can be argued
there was centralization which would suggest
authoritarianism for instance is more significant. Firstly,
the sheer size of Russia posed some problems, as central
control could not always extend to the more rural/remote
areas. Additionally, the occasional chaotic nature of the
party allowed for local mafia to take advantage and
black marketeers to defy the party. And most
significantly, it would be wrong to assume that all debate
stifled, the introduction of the NEP caused fractions on
the left and the right. Moreover, conversely the
government hardly became increasingly centralized, but
the degree of terror and repression is extremely clear. So
much of it arguably caused a personality cult.
, USE OF TERROR UNDER LENIN
Implemented by the Cheka (headed by Flex Dzerzhinsky) formed in 1917 to deal with counter A major change during this period was the use of
revolution, sabotage, and speculation, and was soon operating outside of the law. The Cheka was
responsible for the executions of 200,000. The secret police grew from 40,000 in December 1918
terror and repression, peasants in the Tambov region,
to 250,000 by 1921. In 1922, the Cheka was replaced by the OGPU, and terror became more led by Alexsandr Antonov, began a rebellion against
bureaucratic and discreet. Attention turned to groups within the party, a purge called the Chistka communist grain requestion and Cheka brutality, and
(cleansing), in 1918 and another in 1920s. Under Lenin, about 1/3 of the party was purged. by January 1921 he had a force of 50,000 anti-
Degree of centralisation: central control did not always extent to remote areas. Government communist fighters. Additionally sailors in the
was often chaotic providing opportunities for a local mafia and black marketeers to defy Kronstadt naval base rebelled, demanding a series of
party orders. -both Kamenev and Zinoviev had opposed Lenin’s decision to launch the
Revolution in 1917 –there was fierce debate within the party over whether to accept Treaty
reforms. This was dealt with in a highly authoritarian
of Brest-Litovsk manner, by mid march the Red Army had crushed the
Kronstadt mutiny and in May they suppressed the
RED TERROR: December 1917 Lenin created the All Russian Emergency Commission rebellion deporting 100,000 people to labour camps.
for Combating Counter Revolution and Sabotage (Cheka). A political police force tasked
Moreover, it can be seen that there was a large
with defending the revolution. Chekists were responsible for raiding anarchist
organisations, closing down opposition newspapers and expelling Mensheviks and SR’s. degree of terror met to threats of rebellion and
overthrow. For instance, with the creation of the
In Kremenchuk in the Ukraine, Church leaders were impaled on spikes, while in the Cheka and Red Terror in 1917 came Christa's purging
city of Oryol victims were frozen and put on display as ice statues. 1/3 of the party and the emergence of a huge police
state. During the civil war Chekists were responsible
for raiding anarchist organisations and they were
willing to kill, imprison and torture anyone seen as a
threat to communism. Furthermore, it was
authoritarianism that emerged from this period. For
instance, in Kremenchuk in the Ukraine, church
leaders were impaled on spikes and victims in the city
of oryol were frozen and put on display. Therefore,
there was clearly a change for the soviet people with
the Tsar being inherently different in its rule in regard
to terror, not so much repression however.
