Lenin’s Government of Russia, 1917-24
The Bolsheviks in Power
Introduction
When they came to power, the Bolsheviks were not prepared for government, as
they had previously been an underground party.
Before 1917, they had spent all their time preparing for revolution, and no thought
had gone to what came after.
The Distribution of Power
Lenin insisted that the October Revolution had been the taking of power by the
soviets, rather than the Bolshevik party.
This was because this way it looked more like an actual revolution and not just a
coup.
As such, it also meant that the Sovnarkom (cabinet) had been appointed by the
congress of soviets.
In this view, the government as appointed like this:
Local soviets all-Russian congress of soviets Sovnarkom
The reality was much different, as traditional forms of government had broken down
in 1917 with the fall of tsardom and the overthrown of the provisional government.
So, the Bolsheviks made up their own rules.
The notion that it was the soviets who had taken power and now ruled was simply a
convenient cover.
The key body of government was the Bolshevik party’s central committee, who then
formed the Sovnarkom under Lenin’s direction.
The central committee derived its authority from the all-Russian congress of the
party, and they were elected by local representatives.
However, they all just did as they were told, in accordance with democratic
centralism.
Lenin’s Decrees
He argued that the change from a bourgeois to a proletariat economy could not
happen overnight.
He also said that the government would continue to use the existing structures until
the transition had been completed and a socialist system could be adopted.
This was called ‘state capitalism’.
He was also aware that there were many Bolsheviks who wanted the immediate
introduction of a sweeping revolutionary policy, but he pointed out that the new
government simply didn’t have the power to impose this.
, They weren’t helped by the fact that the Bolsheviks didn’t have any control outside
of Petrograd and Moscow, so it was difficult to introduce any sort of widespread
reform.
The war had also caused Russia huge problems, such as:
o A shortage of raw materials
o Inflation
o A fractured transport system
o Food shortages (especially when Ukraine was ceded to Germany).
To tackle these problems, several decrees were issued.
The Decree on Peace, October 1917
It was an appeal to the warring nations to enter into talks for a ‘democratic peace
without annexation’.
This was Lenin’s first attempt towards ending the war with Germany – something he
needed to do if the Bolshevik party was to survive.
The Decree on Land, November 1917
This decree abolished private ownership of land, and the land went to ‘the whole
people’ to be used by ‘those who cultivate it’.
Mineral ore, oil, coal, salt, forests, rivers, etc of state importance all passed into the
exclusive use of the state.
This essentially legitimised all the land the peasants had already taken over in 1917.
The Decree on Workers’ Control, November 1917
During 1917, many factories had been taken over by the workers.
However, the workers’ committees didn’t run the factories efficiently.
This decree recognised the workers’ takeover but ordered the committees to
maintain behaviour and discipline.
Vesenkha (gosplan), December 1917
This established the supreme council of the national economy, which took charge of
state direction of the economy.
It took charge of all existing institutions for the regulation of economic life.
At first, it couldn’t exercise its full authority.
Vesenkha oversaw:
o The nationalisation of banks and railways.
o The cancellation of foreign debts.
o The improvement of the transport system.
Decree on Nationalisation, June 1918
It laid down the programme for the takeover by the state of larger industries.
Within 2 years, it had brought practically all the major industrial enterprises in Russia
under central government.
