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Russia Booklet 2 (Bolshevik Consolidation, )
Mind maps covering The consolidation of the Communist Dictatorship, The Civil War, Economic and Social Developments, and Foreign Relations and the attitudes of foreign powers.
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EVENT CAThe fam
brought a
peasant
ARCOS = All-Russian
The 1918 Constitution
- The first Soviet Constitution for Soviet Russia was proclaimed in July
Cheka r
Congress of Soviets
risings ac
1918 to oversee the transition to a socialist society.
HIGHEST IMPORTANCE Sovnarkom - day to day government, highest - It stated that supreme power rested with the All-Russian Congress of
Soviets (made up of elected local soviets across Russia), of which its
executive power, much smaller body
central executive committee was to act like a President. Makes it look like the power is in Feb 192
- The Congress was also made responsible for electing Sovnarkom. Problems of state capitalism
the hands of the people, but it's
Central Executive Committee, highest political - On the surface, the new constitution looked extremely
not - it's in the hands of the inner
- Efficiency: Workers failed to organise their factories efficiently
(output shrank when it was most needed).
serious
democratic...
authority (e.g. House of Lords)
BUT, this was not the case
party circle still (central executive - Discipline: Some workers gave themselves pay rises or stole TAMBOV REVOLT (Aug 1920 -June 1921)
- The vote was reserved for the 'toiling masses' (businessmen, clergy committee) stock & equipment.
- Skills: The workers lacked the skills needed for successful
etc. excluded) What economic strategy did the Bv's adopt?
LOWEST IMPORTANCE Congress of Soviets (e.g. PG & Moscow Soviet) - The workers vote was weighted in the proportion of 5 to 1 against
management
- Lenin came to power promising to build a socialist economy, but (like all Marxists) he knew this
that of the peasants in the election to the ARCoS.
could only happen in an industrialised society, so the Bv gov would have to manage and adapt the The Civil War brought further disruption & a shortage of raw
- The Congress was only to meet at intervals so the executive authority
existing economic structure until conditions were right = state capitalism. materials caused industrial output to plummet.
remained with Sovnarkom
- Many Bv disagreed with this compromise but Lenin envisaged a long transition to socialism.
'He who does not - Despite the term 'Russian', the constitution welcomed the non- - E.g. the Decree on Workers' Control of Factories of Nov 1917 simply acknowledged that many
Russian nationalities that had been part of the old Russian Empire into KEY TERMS THE RED TERROR
work shall not eat' factories had already been taken over by workers, but it was cautious - stating those in control
the new Soviet state. (The extent to which they should be forced to join
were responsible for the maintenance of order, discipline & the protection of property.
this new organisation would become a source of friction among the Why?
leading Bv's themsleves).
1. Socialist Economy - NO private The food cr
ownership & everyone has a share in the - Lenin needed a broader base of support to enable his economic & social system
In order to develop greater state control over the economy, the Bv's...
to work properly, so he had to use threats & force. reduction in
4 measures the Bv's took to solve immediate problems they faced State's resources. E.g. Nationalisation of 1. Nationalised the banks (Dec 1917), external trade (June 1918) and the railways (June & Sep One of their
upon taking power in October 1917 all businesses, abolition of money, trade 1918) most significant
- Lenin was wounded by an assassination attempt in Aug 1918 & this was used as Mosocw & PG
an excuse for the Cheka to launch the Red Terror (just an intensification of what
1. The creation of Sovnarkom - This created an all-Bv - The Bv's came to power claiming that they were acting in the interests of the determined by people's needs not the 2. They established Veshenka (Supreme Council of the National Economy - Dec 1917) achievements Martial law (
desire for profit. had already been happening).
government. Proletariat. 3. Established GOELRO (a special State Commission) in 1920 to organise production & distribution estb. in Jan 19
- However, 'democracy' in the way it was defined by liberal democracies like Who was targeted?
2. Decrees (land, banks, press) - This gave more power to the of electricity
Proletariat (helped Lenin to gain support) & silenced other Britain was an alien concept to Lenin, competing for the votes of ordinary 2. State Capitalism - A 'compromise' These measures provided only partial state control of the economy (a compromise with what it
- It was partly political: remaining SR's, Mv's etc were rounded up and mainly shot. had to be
political parties. citizens through discussion belonged to an old, classist world.
economy, imposing a degree of state Estimates of those executed 1918-'20 are c.500,000 (official records showed a demonstratio
had been) but it was a significant step towards total state control.
3. Dissolution of the Constituent Assembly - Strengthened - Lenin believed the 'establishment of a dictatorship of the proletariat' fraction).
- Sovnarkom continued its spate of decrees in the first months of 1918. (first step to true socialism) would require the active repression of
control but retained capitalist elements peasants in C
Sovnarkom's influence, removing the influence of the more - Also carried out class warfare (saying bourgeoisie were plotting counter-
- The old Red Guards were demolished & a new Red Army of workers and peasants 'counter-revolutionary' elements. like private markets & the profit incentive.
popular SR's.
was formed to protect the regime (Trotsky was placed at its head in March 1918). revolution). However, victims came from all classes & ages. There was an overall questioning
4. Treaty of Brest-Litovsk - Proved to the people that he was - Driven by Marxist ideology, and argued this in State and Revolution.
- In the same month the capital was transferred to Moscow, to be more central. - The Soviet government argued that the existence of multiple political parties policy of using arbitrary terror to frighten society into compliance.
true to his word, and meant Russia could devote all energy time
- The Russian Orthodox Church & the State were also separated (secularised), KRONDSTADT RISING (March 1921)
and resources to revolution. would perpetuate class struggle, so only a single party could lead a classless - System of concentration & labour camps set up.
removing the Church's judicial powers, right to own property & many of its assets proletariat, making the Bolsheviks the only authorised political party.
were seized. (Russia's move to the Gregorian Calendar in Feb 1918 partly done to
bring Russia into line with the rest of Europe & a statement against traditional
To Lenin, terror wasn't just born out of socio-economic necessity, but it was an integral
religious practice. ESTABLISHMENT part of class warfare.
- Decrees nationalised industry & abolished land ownership. This policy of State capitalism
'socialisation of land' was essentially the programme long advocated by the SR's Red Terror & Revolts of 1920-'21
(removed their peasant power base).
CONSOLIDATION
Why did Lenin want peace & what were the potential issues?
- The Bv's had come to power promising peace, but this wasn't going to be easy to accomplish..
- Germany had was already occupying large swathes of Russian territory & would undoubtedly demand major concessions for a
cease-fire.
- There were also disputes between Lenin and Trotsky (Lenin was much more willing of making a potentially harsh treaty than
Trotsky). Lenin believed revolution would soon engulf Germany, so a peace agreement would only be 'temporary' & he also knew
The establishment and consolidation the one-party state
the Russian army couldn't defeat the Germans so it was a tactical peace to preserve what the Bv's had achieved thus far.
- The Bv's were divided over the matter; Bukharin and others believed Russia should fight on to defend both socialism & Russia
itself.
The process & outcome
In March 1918, the Bolshevik - An armistice was signed with the Germans on 2nd Dec 1917 & Lenin appointed Trotsky to conduct the peace negotiations at the
party formally adopted the town of Brest-Litovsk.
title of the 'Communist - Trotsky dragged proceedings out, hoping that Germany would experience their own revolution before a peace was signed -
Party' 'Neither peace nor war'. This angered German negotiators.
- Lenin even threatened to resign over the matter.
- As the Germans began to renew their advance into Russia (frustrated), an agreement was made, and the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
was signed 3rd March 1918 & ratified by an emergency P.C. IN A NUTSHELL -
The political and economic system MEASURES
The ending of
Significance?
adopted by the Bv's during the Civil
- Support for the Bv's declined as a result of the peace - the SR's withdrew their support & participation in Sovnarkom & they lost to
War to keep the towns & Red Army
the SR's and the Mv's in the April/May elections to the soviet across Russia.
provided with food & weapons.
involvement in the First
- Bukharin, Kamenev & Dzerzhinsky voted against the peace & the terms were only agreed by a majority of one (shows the early
dissent within the party that is eradicated over time). FROM JUNE 1918 - MARCH 1921
- The treaty also set a precedent in establishing that 'socialism at home' would take priority over the spread of international
World War.
revolution & confirmed that Russia would be a one-party state (SR's walked out).
PRODRAZVYORSTKA (grain requisitioning)
WHAT WAS IT?
Peasant grain was vigorously requisitioned to feed NA
- A response to the economic issues the Civil War had brought.
The terms of Brest-Litovsk Consolidation of the Communist dictatorship urban workers. Under strict c
- It was reactive, there was no evidence Lenin had planned to radicalise the economy
- The terms were harsh: - Food Supplies Dictatorship was set up in May nationalisation o
so quickly & Trotsky was originally against it.
Russia lost Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, War Communism 1918 to organise it. building o
Poland, Bessarabia, Georgia, Belarus & Ukraine, Economic and social developments - Building communism by force.
- Collective/cooperative farming was encouraged, but
which Germany intended to make political- - It primarily existed to ensure the Red Army was supplied with munitions & food but - The first entire
only a tiny minority complied.
economic dependencies. whether it also tried to lead Russia towards Socialism is questioned. sugar in May 1
- Officially the peasants were paid a fixed price, but
- Russia lost 62 million people (c.1/6), 32% of
- The Bv's treated the economy as if it were a single enterprise geared towards - Private trade
its arable land, 26% of its railway system, 33% soldiers/Cheka/workers who came often seized more
making the best use of Russia's productive capacity. Group over the individual (Bv railways
of its factories & 75% of its coal and iron ore & offered inadequate vouchers (not money).
mines. ideology). - Workers' soviets
- Livestock, carts & firewood disappeared.
- Russia also had to pay 3 billion roubles in - Had an emphasis on centralised planning.
- The Kulaks were the worst hit, labelled 'enemies of
war reparations. - Under the direction of Veshenka. The main emphasis was on heavy industries (iron,
the people' & sometimes their entire stocks were - Professional 'ma
coal, railways - essential for armament). Other sections of the economy starved. discipli
- The left-wing SR's argued strongly against its seized.
acceptance. - Many peasants resisted, hiding supplies or growing - Workers in no
The philosophy underpinning War Communism would return in the late 1920s, strongly wo
less & murdering members of requisitioning squads.
influencing those charged with drawing uo the FYP's.
Cheka used extensively to make it work at all.
The removal of the Constituent Assembly
What was the Constituent Assembly?
- A democratically elected Constituent
Assembly to create a Russian
constitution was one of the main
demands of all Russian revolutionary - Having previously attacked Kerensky for postponing the Constituent Assembly elections, Lenin permitted them to
parties prior to the Russian Revolution of go ahead in November 1917.
1905. - The results, however, were not what Lenin was expecting...
- The Bv government at first considered - The elections had been held in a crisis atmosphere soon after the revolution & it was likely that those outside of
itself a provisional government and Moscow & PG had little idea of what was happening in the capital or even the Bv party. The peasants were much
claimed that it intended to submit to the more likely to vote for the SR's and Bv was not yet that far-reaching.
will of the Constituent Assembly. - Lenin's response was that he maintained that the election was corrupt, a bourgeoisie idea and that they 'prove
nothing'. (This is where Leninism diverged from Marxism).
- The Bv's proposed that the meeting be chaired by left-wing SR Maria Spiridovna, but they were overruled by the
right-wing SR's who chose Viktor Chernov.
- The Assembly met for only 13 hours, this was the first and the last deomcratic parliament of Russia. In the The NEP & its socio-political impact
Assembly there were 767 seats, the SR's got 324, 183 to the Bv's and 110 to Ukranian SR's. It was shut down on the
5th/6th January & when civilians demonstrated against this, they were fired on & 12 were killed.
Constituent Assembly Results - Soon after, it was made increasingly clear what a 'dictatorship of the proletariat' led by the Bv's would look like; it
became increasingly difficult for Mvs & SR's to exist at all (e.g. Decree on the press - Oct 1917). THE NEW ECONOMIC POLICY (NEP)
Votes (in millions) Number of Seats % Vote - The 'bourgeoisie' (employers, priests, etc.) lost their right to vote in the new Soviet gov structure in July 1918 & in - GOSPLAN formally est. by Sovnarkom decree in Feb 1921 to advise on a NEP (formally announced by Lenin at the 10th PC in March
1921, all other political parties were banned. 1921).
Social Revolutionaries 21.8 410 (including 40 53
left-wing) - Lenin was supported by Bukharin, Zinoviev & most of the leadership, but he knew many would see it as an 'ideological betrayal' &
there was no vote. His personality & status forced it through.
Bolsheviks 10 175 24
- It relaxed some of the harsh economic measures under war communism...
Kadets 2.1 17 5 How was Leninism diverging from Marxism?
Mensheviks 1.4 18 3 1. Revolution would be accomplished by a small group of
highly professional, dedicated revolutionaries to focus the
ationing was also ended
Others 6.3 62 15 workers' actions.
2. Lenin believed revolution would occur during a period R equisitioning of grain ended
of conflict between capitalist powers - revolution would
Peasants can keep 10% of grain, but they had to pay prodnalog (food tax) for this 10%. They paid 'in
spread to more advanced industrial countries.
R
3. Lenin thought elections corrupt & bourgeoisie. kind' first - 1921 - (goods and services, barter system). Success. Though by 1923 they paid in money.
??? Or they have to give a quota to the State (in 1923 this became a tax) but could sell any remaining
food on the open market for their own profit. The expectation was that grain production would increase
Managers could also 'pay by & towns would be fed again.
the piece' rather than there
being central controls on
wages & industries had to pay
Ownership of small businesses allowed Social change & conditions in countryside/cities in the Civil War
workers out of their profits. Mainly workshops with a few employees would return to private hands. People can work for their own
interests/profit again (against communist ideology).
Trade bans lifted
Allowing for a mixed economy, Lenin said private capitalism would help establish a basic level of
wealth & from there, a communist society could be built.
CITIES
S tate control
- This rampant
- There was rampant INFLATION due to industrial production falling -
who had surp
few raw materials, workers conscripted, non-essential businesses forced
sell it in the city
The State would keep control of large-scale heavy industries like coal, steel & oil. They would to close.
because t
also keep control of transport & the banks. - Worse off than countryside peasants, urban dwellers suffered a SEVERE
State Capitalism - Some reverted
SHORTAGE OF FOOD, FUEL & BASIC NECESSITIES.
I also introduced a 'ban on factions' at - SOME peasant
- The BLOCKADE OF TRADE by foreign powers only worsened things &
Revolutions the 10th PC (March 1921). Once our C.C. YEARS of the w
the LOSS OF UKRAINE (main grain provider) reduced supplies.
WWI Civil War New table agree on a policy, all Party members have horses to th
1914 1917 1918 1921 1922 1923 1928 - Many resorted to the BLACK MARKET for food.
to obey the decision. Factions = expulsion co
Red Terror ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE NEP POLITICAL IMPACT OF THE NEP - Hounded by the 'CORDON DETACHMENTS' of special army units (est.
from the Party. I won't have another - They were s
War Communism 1918) to prevent bartering & black market trading, but this was largely
'Workers' Opposition' movement like after dwellers as the
NEP
PROSPERITY - Private businesses quickly re- POLITICAL RIVALS - The regime stepped up its UNSUCCESSFUL - there was no other way for people to survive.
opened & shops, restaurants etc. began to thrive in suppression of rival views. With the new ban on Krondstadt.
- Starving, many urban workers LEFT THE CITIES, going to the villages or
the cities. factions, the Mv's & SR's were banned & in 1921 - Hounded by t
5,000 Mv's were arrested (they had become more
joining the Red Army (higher rations).
special army un
popular). Some SR's appeared in show trials and, - Many succumbed to DISEASE, e.g. a TYPHUS EPIDEMIC swept through
& black mark
34 SR leaders condemned as terrorists & 11 executed. The Cheka were the cities, killing more than 3 million in 1920. Soap & medicines difficult
UNSUCCESSF
renamed the GPU to obtain.
INDUSTRY - Industrial production recovered, CENSORSHIP - There was more rigorous
though larger state-owned industries grew more censorship. In 1922 it was made clear that criticism in 1922 - There were FEW DOCTORS left after the assault on the bourgeoisie &
- Subject to ATR
slowly. of the gov was forbidden. Many writers & the few remaining were conscripted to the front lines.
intellectuals were deported. All writings had to be In Ukraine who
- FORMER BOURGEOISIE & NOBILITY fared the WORST, they had no
submitted to GLAVIT before publication (1922). in Cossack att
Russia Booklet 2 ration cards, reduced to begging or manual tasks (sweeping the streets)
Jews suffered
AGRICULTURE - Agricultural production recovered THE PEOPLE - This repression & vigilance also or sent to labour battalions on the front lines.
faster (peasants keen to trade their surplus grain). continued among the people. The GPU had the - Subject to ATROCITIES committed by SOLDIERS. Rape & murder
A Kulak class re-emerged. power to arrest at will & execute people. - Villages that s
common & Jews suffered from White pogroms (organised massacres).
The 'Scissors Crisis' salt as a
SCISSORS CRISIS - However, by 1923 an imbalance WITHIN THE PARTY - To many Bv's it was regarded Kiev (Ukraine) changed hands 16 times!
began to appear. The large quantities of food as a retreat back into capitalism & Zinoviev tried to
entering the cities caused food prices to drop. By
the summer food prices had now fallen below
argue it was only a 'temporary deviation' and a
'tactical retreat'. In 1923, the nomenklatura system
New table
those of industrial goods because industrial was set up. A list of over 5,000 Party & gov posts
recovery was taking longer. This gap continued to was drawn up & when they needed filling only the SIMILARITIES BETWEEN W.C. & NEP CHANGES BROUGHT IN BY NEP
widen rapidly. Because there was a lack of Central Party bodies could do so from a list of
industrial goods for the peasants to buy, they approved Party members. This placed loyalty
threatened to hold back supplies. So, the gov above all else, including the skills needed for such Nationalisation of heavy industries, e.g. coal, Grain requisitioning ended.
capped industrial prices & replaced the peasants' positions. In return for loyalty, the nomenklatura iron, oil. Private trading ban lifted.
quotas with money taxes in 1923 - forcing them to got material rewards denied to everyone else. One-
Centralised control/nationalisation of Private ownership of small businesses
sell. The crisis was short-lived & by 1926, the party state set in stone.
production levels of 1913 had been reached again.
transport (railways) & bank industries. allowed.
Peasants required to give some form of Rationing ended.
NEPmen - private traders who sold peasants RELIGION - There was also a renewed attack on quota/money to the State. Peasants can sell their surplus grain on the
produce to urban workers & consumer products to religion. In 1921 the Union of the Militant Godless
market.
peasants (making a profit both ways). It has been was set up & from 1922 churches were stripped of
estimated that they controlled 75% of retail trade by valuable possessions. Thousands of priests were NEPmen.
1923 & by 1925 there were 25,000 in Moscow alone. imprisoned & some executed. Increased political persecution both within the
CAUSES FOR THE OUTBREAK OF THE CIVIL WAR The Bv's hated the NEPmen because they Party (ban on factions, nomenklatura) but also
- Nobody really liked the Bolsheviks by early 1918: represented capitalism & the NEPmen flaunted
on the people (GPU execute people at will,
The Right-wing thought they had no right to rule Russia their wealth openly.
The Centre were against them because they hadn't submitted to popular elections GLAVIT, deportation of writers - censorship),
The Left wing said they had ignored the Soviet that had helped them to power (Constituent Assembly) Did the NEP solve the SU's economic renewed attack on religion (Union of the
- Their ideology alienated some groups, mainly aristocrats & bourgeoisie but also groups like the Mv's. issues? Militant Godless).
- Some rightists still yearned for the Tsarist regime, e.g. army officers & Russians with land, money or businesses who were
Not the fundamental issues, as it was still
threatened by Bv socio-economic policies.
- On the left, both moderates & SR's resented them, Lenin had forced the Kadets & RW SR's out of his government, dissolved the
relatively backward BUT by the time of
CZECH LEGION: Constituent assembly & expelled LW SR's from his gov after they opposed peace with Germany. Lenin's death in 1924, the economy was
Czecholslovakia 'Army of Liberation'. They were originally OUTBREAK OF WAR - National minorities like Georgia saw an opportunity to fight for self-determination amidst the chaos. significantly more secure than it had been
just passing through Siberia to fight enemies on the - By Spring 1918, an anti-Bv - Those with limited allegiance to any political group, took the opportunity to win old battles & play out local rivalries. under War Communism.
Western Front. But, in May some Bv officials tried to arrest volunteer army had been created - People were disillusioned with the Bv's inability to fix Russian economic problems, In Brest-Litovsk Ukraine was lost
STAGE ONE (1918-1920) - some & fighting broke out. The Legion seized the railway in the South (partly financed by (producers of grain) & there was rations of essentials. The initial euphoria at the collapse of Tsardom was wearing off.
Characterised by very fluid campaigns line through much of Western Siberia & parts of Eastern Germany), so the Bv's moved the
battles & skirmishes fought over large Russia. They abandoned their plans & joined the anti-Bv capital from PG to Moscow in March Many of these individuals had little in common except their fear & hatres of the Bv's & over 1918 a force of 'whites' was created, the armies - Foreign int
mostly European Russia areas. The forces, advancing westwards towards Moscow. 1918. led by former Tsarist officers. E.g, General Denikin in the South, Admiral Kolchak in Siberia, General Yudenich in Estonia.
Whites also fighting simultaneously - But, the spark to war was when - Though the geographical scope was vast, the no. of For example, Pr
were not coordinated. Broadly the Czech Legion members began troops engaged was small & they did very little direct
speaking, the Bv's held the central
North Russia in
attacking Bv's in Western Siberia in
fighting. were also un
area of European Russia (incl PG & May.
Moscow). The Whites threatened the - The US provided the most troops (11,000 at
Causes and Course
Reds from all directions. The war was Vladivostok & 4,500 in North Russia), whereas Britain
There was no official
fought mainly in the east & south. declaration of war but the was particularly weak in its intervention.
fighting broke out in the
STAGE TWO COURSE
summer of 1918
- In 1921 there were several discussions The main areas of intervention were... MOST SIGNIFIC
- The war continued as a more
nationalist struggle against Polish between Chicherin & Germany. 1. North Russia - Archangel'sk (Canadian & Italian
GREENS
armies into 1921. - In 1922, he was invited to the forces), Murmansk & the Baltic States (the British Navy
- They invaded western Ukraine Summer 1918 - Denikin (army of 1920 - Wrangel replaced Deinikin in Russian fighters with no international economic conference held patrolled in the Baltic Sea).
but driven back under Summer 1919 - Another Denikin
Cossaks) attacked in the Don Crimea. Green peasant army fought affiliation to Reds or Whites
in Genoa (a major step towards re- 2. The Far East - 11,000 US troops at Vladivostok, small
Tukhachevsky. offensive, gets dangerously close to Autumn 1919 - Kolchak in (incl. Ukranians, Georgians,
Region threatening Tsaritsyn an irregular division for the Reds & in
integrating Russia into international british force, substantial Japanese forces invading
- Treaty of Riga signed March 1921 Moscow by Oct but Trotsky forced retreat and shot in 1920. peasants). They just wanted the
(Stalingrad), but successful Red Nov British & French ships evacuated eastern Siberia.
- granted Poland independence, them south towards the Crimea. Reds & Whites out of their affairs). He also got closer with Weimar
resistance. remnants of the White Army from
alongside Estonia, Latvia, areas. Led by Nestor Makhno. Germany reps here. 3. Southern Russia, Ukraine, the Black sea & the
Crimea.
Lithuania... Later on, they supported the WHY? - These contacts paved the way for the Caspian Sea - French & British naval forces, Turkish
1918 1920 Reds. Bv Russia was diplomatically isolated in 1921. It had Treaty of Rapallo in April 1922. troops in Caucasus.
October 1919 - Yudenich in the Two people tried to 4. Central Siberia - sections of the Trans-Siberian
By the end of 1920, Bv's had
been excluded from the League of Nations. There was
Summer 1918 - Kolchak's army North (only 15,000 men) get assassinate me in 1918 Railway controlled by the Czech Legion.
most of former Russian empire a divide of ideology, ignorance and fear dividing Russia
captured Kazan & Samara but close to PG in Oct but forced alone!
halted by Red counter-attacks. back.
but it cost around 10 millions from Europe. However, both sides realised the other
lives (fighting, hunger & disease) wasn't going to disappear so some sort of coexistence
Foreign intervention in the Civil War LEAST SIGNIFIC
had to be established, particularly in terms of trade
agreements.
THE TERMS:
Trade contacts began early, e.g. after intervention Article 1 & 2 - Agreed to waive claims for compensation from WWI
ended, Britain authorised making trade agreements Article 3 - The reopening of formal diplomatic relations
with Russia. Lenin was particularly interested in trading Article 4 & 5 - Dealt with 'mutual goodwill' in commercial & economic March 1919 - F
relations (trade). peace negotiation
with Germany, as was Chicherin (deputy commissar August 1918 - 9,000 US troops
which Lenin agre
for foreign affairs). Both Russia & Germany were land at Vladivostok.
A secret additional agreement (signed July 1922) authorised the German the Allies didn't
'outlaw' states in 1922 & it allowed them a way out of
Army to carry out training & military exercises inside the USSR.
diplomatic isolation. The most important factors 1918
bringing them together were trade & diplomatic March 1918 - Treaty of B-L, Nov 1918 - 3 day battle on the
recognition. first British forces sent to Archangel'sk front; Baku
Murmansk & start of naval occupied to British, Allied forces
Rapallo treaty blockade of trade to Soviet land in the Black Sea.
LEAST IMPORTANT MOST IMPORTANT
Russia.
GEOGRAPHY LEADERSHIP & DISCIPLINE
FOREIGN INTERVENTION SUPPORT
ORGANISATION & UNITY The Reds commanded the The Reds were well-
Hostility to foreign The Reds land policies were
The Reds were ideologically hub of communications, disciplined and monitored,
involvement gave The generally more popular
committed - 'do or die' armament factories & most desertion under Trotsky
Reds a propaganda than The
mentality, fight to survive. densely populated regions was prohibited. Reasons for Red victory/White defeat
platform. Aid for The Whites' association with
The Whites had different of central Russia (inc. PG & The Whites had few
Whites was often sporadic, traditional Tsarist policies
motivations and generals Moscow). competent commanders.
insufficient & withdrawn (though peasant support
fought independently. The Whites were spread Ill-discipline and corruption
after peace in the West. (Greens) varied).
out in less-developed parts. were rife.
The Civil War
In 1918, 'normal' foreign When Lenin died in 1924, he left a highly centralised one-party
Lenin's rule by 1924 faced a plethora of problems. For example..
relations weren't
possible - deserting its
Why? wartime alliance with - Although the economy had recovered with the NEP, so
- The Bolsheviks were anxious that many Russians still felt a deep sense of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty thought he had betrayed the principles of the revolution &
patriotism towards Tsarist days (they had not known anything different), and that
had left them exposed only temporary.
should the Whites seize him as a figurehead it could be bad for the Reds. - Society had not progressed as far down the route to soci
to isolation & hostility.
- However, most of the Whites were not fighting to restore the Tsar. hoped.
- The state also had a growing bureaucracy and had strayed
How?
- July 1918 (in the Urals) ideals, depending on one individual.
Murder of the Tsar - International relations were worrying, and prone to fall ap
- The local Bv police unit (part of the Cheka) guarding the family shot them all
without a trial. Very brutal.
Foreign relations
Significance? - Honestly, nothing massive in the grand scheme of things, except the
Whites lost a potential figurehead and it showed the extremes that the Bv's were CAUSES
willing to go to to emerge victorious. - The White Armies were essentially defeated by early 1920 & the last Allied intervention forces were pulled out of the Black
Sea in May, but the Reds were still fighting the newly-independent Poland.
- The new Poland contained (re-created by post-WWI peace settlement at the TofV in June 1919) contained extensive areas
lost by the former-Tsarist Empire.
Government & control in wartime
- For the Bv's, fighting against separatism & new national states was a key aspect of the Civil War (similar conflicts with
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Georgia & Azerbaijan).
- Bv Russia & Poland had rival ambitions - the Polish head of state - Pilsudski - dreamed of expanding Polish borders far
- The Civil War increased centralisation of power & greater party control of gov. This was emphasised early on when
Moscow replaced PG as the capital. From Moscow, a military style gov evolved. east into Belarus & Western Ukraine. However, Lenin saw Poland as a geographical bridge to the West to spread revolution.
- Over 1/2 a million Party members fought for the Red Army where they became used to obeying orders.
- To increase gov. efficiency the Soviet bureaucracy grew enormously, and officials outnumbered workers by 2 to 1. COURSE
- However, the real driving force behind the gov was the Bv/Communist party. It's structure appeared The Russo-Polish War
Role of Trotsky - In April 1920, Pilsudski made an alliance with a new Ukrainian military leader - Petliura - united against the Bv's and
democratic(based on annual congresses elected by the mass membership) but actual policies were shaped by the
launched a successful eastern offensive towards Kiev. Kiev was occupied in May 1920.
POLITBURO Central Committee.
- In 1919 another body (theoretically a sub-committee of the CC) was created and became the real centre for party
- The timing of this offensive was unlucky for them, Lenin was very confident in Bv success by this point & hopes of
SOVNARKOM 7-9 members from
policy - The Politburo. Sovnarkom gradually met less frequently during the 1920s. spreading revolution westward had been re-awakened.
15-20 members from Central Committee
- Although Lenin spoke of 'democratic centralism', the hold of the one-party state was tightened during the Civil War. - Like in the Oct/Nov revolution he was a skilful organiser and propagandist, remoulding Red Guards into - The Reds launched a powerful counter-attack (under Tukhachevsky), overstretched Polish forces abandoned Kiev,
Central Committee Decision making body
- The Ogburo was also created in 1919 to supervise local Party committees & the permanent secretariat (more about an effective, 3 million man Red Army.
Issued orders & of Party retreating back towards Warsaw. By August 1920 it seemed defeat was inevitable, but Pilsudski launched a desperate The borders fixed at the Treaty of
the monitoring of the party). - He directed the war from a special train (covered over 65,000 miles during the war), visiting various
decrees Met almost daily fronts to enforce discipline and raise morale among commanders & troops. He ensured they were fed and
defence of Warsaw - The 'Miracle on the Vistula'. Riga didn't last long. In 1940, Poland
- During the Civil War, the new Soviet State was more firmly associated with repression and 'terror' (War Communism
Decided policy well-armed. was carved up between Soviet Russia
& the Red Terror). Obedience to the party was paramount. New central controls were brought in to manage the
Met daily OUTCOME & Nazi Germany. Even in 1945 after
CENTRAL COMMITTEE
economy & deal with food shortages.
- The Bv's/Communists adopted a 'siege mentality' during the War and it never left them. - He was prepared to use whatever methods necessary... The war settled into a stalemate & peace terms were agreed in Oct, formalised by the Treaty of Riga in March 1921. the 'liberation' of Poland by the Red
Like a bomb...
1. He recruited 50,000 experienced former tsarist army officers to train new recruits
CENTRAL COMMITTEE (OF SOVIETS)
Elected by Congress
Debated and voted on Party policy
when Congress wasn't meeting
- Areas conquered by the Red Army were either absorbed into the Soviet State or allowed to remain as separate
republics (Ukraine, Belorussia, Georgia). - Stalin (Commissar for Nationalities) disagreed, he wanted them directly 2. He appointed loyal political commissars to army units, instilling ideological propaganda into the troops
Army, Stalin enforced new borders, that fizzled out
3. Any sign of desertion or disloyalty punished by death, members of the Cheka were stationed behind the
incorporating parts of Eastern The Zinoviev Letter
In practice its powers were In practice power delegated to controlled by Moscow, but L won.
lines to shoot deserters. Poland into the SU.
- Comintern
delegated to Sovnarkom Politburo - Conscription was introduced in some areas, for fighting or labour battalions (bourgeoisie): cleared debris
on the front line etc...
CONGRESS OF SOVIETS CONGRESS Significance - No White Army officer had the organisation to match Trotsky's efforts. He was one of the main
Communists
- An international socialist organisation promoting Marxism & spreading 'proletariat revolution' from Russia to the world. rule!
Elected by provincial and city soviets with Chosen from provincial and city Party reasons for Red Victory.
organisations SPARTACIST UPRISING Lenin & Trotsky believed world revolution was both inevitable and necessary for Bv Russia's survival.
membership weighted to favour cities
Debated & voted on Party policy - Communist
In practice power lay with Politburo
At the end of 1922, the USSR
revolutionaries launched First Congress The Third Communist
(Union of the Soviet Socialist
Republics) was formed. Russia an uprising in Berlin in - First founding Congress held in Moscow in March 1919, housing representatives from 34 parties (in total 52 delegates), International was a revival of
PROVINCIAL & CITY SOVIETS
Elected by local and district soviets
now known as the USSR or
Dec 1918. under Zinoviev as chairman (although the dominating influence was always Lenin). Karl Radek was secretary. an international socialist
Soviet Union.
Oversaw administration of cities and regions - Armed German militias - Although this was happening mid-Civil War there was a great optimism & Germany was believed ripe for revolution, organisation promoting
PROVINCIAL & CITY PARTIES
carrying out central orders brutally crushed it in Jan even though the Spartacist uprising in Jan 1919 had been brutally suppressed. Marxism that had begun in
Powerful party organisations
Passed on the concerns of regions & cities to Party secretaries & key posts chosen by CC/Politburo 1919. 1849 under Marx himself.
Congress Sent delegates to Party Congresses Second Congress This third Communist
- In PG in July to August 1920, at the height of the Russo-Polish War. International (Comintern)
- Dominated by debates over Lenin's 21 Conditions, defining the relationship s between comm. parties & 'bourgeois- existed from 1919 - 1943.
LOCAL & DISTRICT SOVIETS democratic' socialist parties. (Caused some European delegates to leave).
Elected by local inhabitants (from late 1920s, only Party LOCAL PARTIES
- The Congress open as the Red Army was on the verge of capturing Warsaw, but the unexpected Polish victory shocked
members could be elected) Members chosen for suitability
delegates in PG. The Polish working-class has failed to support the cause, instead viewing the invasion as traditional
Carried out central policies Part members could get 'advantages' e.g. in jobs
Russian expansionism.
Passed on concerns of local areas
- Lenin had hoped victory in Poland would be a springboard for Communism to sweep across Western Europe.
- 1920 was still optimistic, ultimate victory for the Reds was certain, foreign intervention was leaving Russia. Bv rule in
Russia was secure.
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