AREA 6 : BOLSHEVIK RULE
AND ITS IMPACT
Key areas:
n
How were the Bolsheviks able to
remain in power?
n
How were the Bolsheviks able to win
the Civil War?
n
What kind of state did the
Bolsheviks establish?
n
Lenin’s economic policies
KEY INFORMATION:
How did the Bolsheviks change Russia?
· Lenin established a new government called Sovnarkom (Council of Peoples' Commissars). Soviets sprang up across Russia and began to take control of their local town or village. By the end of 1917 nearly all of Russia was in Soviet hands.
· However, not all the soviets were controlled by the Bolsheviks and so Lenin did not have control across Russia. In the countryside the peasants tended to side with the Socialist Revolutionaries rather than the Bolsheviks.
· Lenin had to also decide whether to hold elections for a new Constituent Assembly, knowing that the Socialist Revolutionaries might win and that would end Bolshevik control.
· Lenin also knew that to maintain support he would have to keep the promises that he had made in the April Theses. So he immediately began to issue a series of decrees in November and December 1917:
(a) THE LAND DECREE -- his took land from the church, the aristocracy and the Tsar and allowed peasant committees to divide the land. Lenin hoped that this would win support from the peasants, but in reality the peasants had already seized the land and Lenin's decree had no real relevance to most of them.
(b) THE PEACE DECREE -- Lenin ordered peace to be made with Germany and Austria as soon as possible. This was designed to win the support of the soldiers.
(c) THE UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE DECREE -- This introduced employment insurance for all workers against injury, illness and unemployment.
(d) WORK DECREE -- This established a 8 hour day and a 40 hour week for all industrial workers. Holiday leave was introduced and restrictions were placed on overtime. TAll businesses were taken over and at first workers were allowed to elect the managers.This was designed to win over the industrial workers.
(e) TITLES DECREE -- All titles and class distinctions were abolished and women were equal with men. All ranks in the army were abolished and soldiers were allowed to elect their officers.
(f) PRESS DECREE -- All non-Bolshevik newspapers were banned.
(g) WORKERS' CONTROL DECREE -- All factories to be placed under the control of elected committees of workers.
(h) POLITICAL PARTIES DECREE -- This banned the Constitutional Democratic Party, the ain liberal party in Russia.
(i) BANKING DECREE -- All banks to be controlled by Sovnarkon
(j) MARRIAGE DECREE -- Divorce was made easier and non-religious marriages allowed
(k) POLITCAL POLICE DECREE -- The Cheka
(All-Russian Extraordinary Commission to fight Counter-Revolution and
Espionage)
· The
general election was held in November and was won by the
Socialists-Revolutionaries. When the Constituent Assembly met on 5 January (18
January) 1918, it was crushed by Lenin. He now began to rule as a dictator and
used the secret police force, the CHEKA, to enforce his policies.
· In
March the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed with Germany. Lenin had promised to
end the war. He knew that if he continued the war he might lose the support of
the people and of the army. He could not risk repeating the mistake of the
Provisional Government. He sent Trotsky to meet the Germans at the Polish town
of Brest-Litovsk and to agree to German terms, but Trotsky tried to delay the
talks in the hope that Germany would have a revolution and have to end the war
itself. However the Germans attacked Russia again due to the delay and Lenin
ordered Trotsky to conclude peace immediately. The terms of the treaty were
harsh and many criticised Lenin for them. However, Lenin thought they would give
him time to plan the world revolution. Lenin managed to persuade his party to
agree. Under the treaty, Russia lost 25% of its population, 25% of its iron and
wheat and had to pay 300,000 gold roubles.
These actions led to the outbreak of civil war in
the summer of 1918.
· The Russian Civil War ran from 1918-1921 and involved lots of different groups.
· Some foreign countries also got involved as they feared that if Lenin got control of Russia he would spread revolution to their countries. they were keen to destroy Lenin.
· The closure of the Constituent Assembly so infuriated the Socialist Revolutionaries that they began to plot against Lenin and there were several assassination attempts on Lenin. Sporadic risings against the Bolsheviks broke out across Russia. the humiliation of Brest-Litovsk was worsened when it became clear that part of the land to be handed over was the Ukraine, where most of Russia's food was grown. Starvation fears returned and people blamed Lenin.
· There were four main groups who opposed the Bolsheviks, who became known as THE REDS:
(a) THE CZECH LEGION -- 50,000 Czechs had been captured during the war and were held as prisoners. When the Provisional Government fell, they seized control of the Trans-Siberian railway and began to head for Moscow. they fought the Red Army and drove the Bolsheviks out of Siberia. Their aim was to get home across Russia.
(b) THE WHITES. This was a collective name applied to all those groups who opposed Lenin. They were not a united group but consisted of various groups. The three main White leaders were Generals Yudenich, Denikin and Admiral Kolchak. However, they were jealous of one another and failed to co-operate against the Bolsheviks. Some of them were former tsarist officers and had military experience.
(c) THE GREENS -- These were people in the regions under Russian control, like Georgia, who were fighting to gain independence and so this meant fighting Lenin's government.
(d) FOREIGN POWERS -- British, French, Canadians, Italians, Seerbians and Americans all were involved in trying to defeat the Reds.
· The Reds seemed surrounded and it looked as if they would be crushed.
· Lenin appointed Trotsky in charge of the Civil War and by 1921 the enemies had been defeated and Lenin controlled all Russia.
Why did the Bolsheviks win the Civil War?
· Their
opponents, the Whites, were divided and never worked together. They were
fighting for different purposes. Some wanted to restore the Tsar, Ukrainians
wanted independence, army officers wanted to continue the war against Germany.
· The
total forces of the Whites numbered about 250,000. The Red Army eventually had
5,000,000 men. The Bolsheviks controlled the centre and the railway network.
They had most of the industry. They were able to keep the Red Army supplied much
more effectively.
· Morale in the white armies was often low and many deserted as they had no wish to see the old system restored.
· Trotsky
recruited many officers from the Imperial Russian Army and made them join the
Red Army. These provided the organisation and discipline that the Red Army
needed. Each unit had a Commissar, who reported to the Bolshevik Party, in case
the officers did not obey orders. He also introduced conscription : all men from
18-40 had to join. The Red Army was, therefore, better trained and better
supplied.
·
At first the western Allies sent men and
aid to the Whites, but this was never sufficient to turn events their way and
the Allies pulled out in 1919.
· The
Whites were often more brutal than the Bolsheviks. To most Russians the Reds
were a slightly better bet.
· Trotsky
was a good organiser and travelled around the battlefields urging the Red forces
to fight. He had a war train to take him from front to front. Most of the
fighting took place along railway lines.
· Lenin
introduced War Communism.
· The Cheka was very effective in dealing with enemies. 50,000 people may have been killed by them during the Civil War.
What was War Communism?
· In order to keep the army supplied during the Civil War, Lenin introduced War Communism. He set up the Supreme Council of National Economy (Vesenkha) to create a planned economy where everything would be controlled by the government along communist lines.
· Under War Communism:
(a) Rationing of food in the cities was introduced and strictly applied during food shortages
(b) Private
trading was banned. Peasants could not sell excess crops.
In
May 1918 Lenin introduced the grain monopoly, this stated that all surplus grain
would now become the property of the state. Food brigades were set up that
roamed the countryside terrorising villages and searching for hoards of food.
Anyone suspected of concealing food could be shot on sight.
(c) Factories with
more than 10 workers were nationalised (taken over by the government).
In November 1917 the Decree on Workers'
Control had allowed committees of workers to run factories; this led to chaos.
From the spring of 1918 the Bolsheviks had begun to appoint managers to run
factories. Now factories were state property. Whatever was produced was taken by
the state and the workers were given rations in return.
What were the effects of War Communism?
· War
Communism was imposed by the CHEKA through the Red Terror. At least 50,000
Russians were murdered in the years from 1918 to 1921.
· Both workers and peasants objected to War Communism and, as a result, productivity fell.
· The
most serious result was a major famine in which 7,000,000 people died. This was
brought on as peasants refused to hand over food and simply destroyed it
instead.
· Many
tried to evade state control by bringing food into the big cities and selling
in. Patrols were put on railway stations to try to catch these 'bagmen' as they
were called.
· In some provinces, particularly Tambov, there were uprisings against the Bolsheviks. More and more resources had to be diverted to keeping order, when they would have been better used fighting the Civil War.
· A group called Workers' Opposition was formed to press for change with the slogan "Soviets without Communists".
· The
Kronstadt Rebellion was the final straw that convinced Lenin that the system was
not working.
How did the New Economic Policy change Russia?
· The
New Economic Policy was introduced into Russia in 1921. It marked a reversal of
the policy of War Communism that Lenin had begun in 1918. It is now believed
that War Communism was in fact an attempt to introduce a fully socialist
society, rather than just an attempt to win the Civil War. The New Economic
Policy (NEP) signalled the failure of Lenin's plan.
How did the New Economic Policy change Russia?
· Peasants were to give the government a fixed amount of grain, but could sell any excess for a profit.
· Any peasant who increased his grain production would be taxed less.
· Factories employing less than 20 workers were returned to their former owners.
· Consumer goods could now be produced and sold for a profit.
· People could use money again and a new rouble was introduced.
· The key industries, like coal and steel, remained in the hands of the government.
· The
buying and selling of goods was allowed once more. Soon markets developed and
private trade reappeared. People were allowed to own small businesses with up to
20 employees. This encouraged private enterprise, especially in agriculture.
This led to the emergence of the Kulaks and NEPMEN
· People
were allowed to make a profit and then pay taxes, instead of having goods
confiscated by the state. 1921 to 1928 the Russian economy began to recover,
food production rose.
Why did Lenin introduce the NEP?
· The
period from 1913 to 1921 saw a collapse of the Russian economy.
Industrial output in millions of tonnes/kilowatts
1913
1921
Coal 29
9
Oil 9.2
3.8
Iron 4.2
0.1
Steel 4.3
0.2
Sugar 1.3
0.05
Electricity
2039 520
· The
collapse was brought about by the effects of seven years of warfare, first of
all against the Germans and then during the Civil War. There had been widespread
destruction in European Russia in particular. During the Civil war both sides
had destroyed factories and farms to prevent them falling into enemy hands.
· War
Communism had brought about a severe famine. 5,000,000 people had died in the
years 1918 to 1920, when peasants all over Russia either refused to hand over
food supplies or destroyed them.
How did people respond to the NEP?
· Some Communists, like Trotsky, thought it was a betrayal of communism and disliked the emergence of rich businessmen (NEPMEN) and rich peasants (KULAKS)
· The policy did have some positive effects:
(a) By 1925 the sown area in millions of hectares had increased from 90.3 in 1921 to 104 and grain harvest had risen from 37.6 in 1921 to 72.5 in 1925
(b) Production of coal doubled between 1921 and 1925 and steel saw a 11 fold increase in production.
(c) Lenin was able to mount an electrification campaign. Production of electricity increased 5 times, bringing electricity to many for the first time.
(d) Average monthly wage for an urban worker increased 2.5 times during this period
(e) Opposition to the communists declined
Key Question : What kind of state did the
Bolsheviks set up 1917–1921?
1-- Government changes. With the overthrow of the Provisional Government, Lenin
set out to establish a Communist government. He had promised elections and so
held them in the expectation that he would win.
elections were held in November
1917 for a new government – the Assembly. The Bolsheviks won 175 seats and the
Social Revolutionaries won 370 seats. When it met in 1918, Lenin used the Red
Guards to close it, and killed anybody who objected. Instead, Lenin ruled by
decree = change from autocratic government to government by the party. The
people were still not in control. Lenin had used force to prevent democracy and
to retain power.
2
-- Brest-Litovsk. Lenin had promised to endd the war. The Bolsheviks ended the
war with Germany under the Treaty of Brest-Litivsk (1917). The treaty gave much
of Russia’s best agricultural and industrial land to Germany – Ukraine, Estonia,
Latvia and Lithuania. Many people formerly part of Russia now found themselves
under German control, but Lenin had secured peace. This may have made him
unpopular as it meant giving away large areas of land, paying money to Germany
and losing valuable farming land, but a year later Germany was defeated by the
West and had to return all this land to Russia.
3
-- Lenin had promised to establish a Communist state and he began by
introducing Communist laws:
a. Land was
taken from the tsar and nobles and given it to the peasants.
b.
Factories were put under the control of elected committees of workers.
It therefore seemed that Lenin
had given power to workers and peasants.
4 – Lenin promised to create a
Communist society. He tried to make Russian society communist:
a.
Banned religion, destroyed churches and killed priests.
b. A
Labour Law gave workers an 8-hour day, unemployment pay and pensions.
c. There
was a huge campaign to teach everyone to read.
d.
Science was encouraged, and useless subjects like Latin and History were banned.
e. Free
love, divorce and abortion were allowed.
5 – However Lenin was
determined to remain in power. Force was essential. The Bolsheviks created a
totalitarian state:
a.
The CHEKA (secret police) arrested, tortured and killed all opponents.
b.
The Tsar and his family were killed.
c.
All newspapers were censored.
Lenin called this ‘the
dictatorship of the proletariat’ (a dictatorship was needed until Russia was
changed into a Communist country) but this meant terror and no political
freedoms.
6 – Lenin wanted the economy
run on Communist lines. The Bolsheviks’ enemies tried to destroy the government,
so in 1918-1921 the new government had to fight a Civil War. During the war,
especially severe rules were introduced, called ‘War Communism’:
a.
Larger factories taken over by the government.
b.
Military discipline in factories and strikers shot.
c.
Peasants had to give all surplus food to the government.
d.
Rationing.
The Russian people had given up
the Provisional Government for a very harsh tyranny.
Key Question : Why did the Bolsheviks win the Civil War?
1 - SUMMARY : In 1917 the
Boslheviks seized ccontrol of the capital, Petrograd (St Petersburg). Trotsky
formed the Red Guard (later red Army) to fight against those who opposed the
Bolsheviks (renamed Communists during the Civil War). Many groups opposed them –
they are known as the Whites, although they were not a single group. The
Communists were known as the Reds. For 3 years the Reds fought to destroy all
White groups and to take control of the country in a bitter and bloody Civil
war. By 1921 they had succeeded.
2 -- Causes of the
Civil War
Challenge to the
Bolsheviks
The
Bolsheviks had seized power by a coup d’état. After 1918, their political
opponents fought back:
·
Social Revolutionaries ejected from the Assembly,
·
the Mensheviks,
·
the Tsarists,
·
former army officers angry about the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk,
·
landlords who had lost their land.
·
White armies led by Generals Yudenich and Deniken attacked from
the West; Admiral Kolchak from the East
Czech Legion
In 1918 some
Czech prisoners of war who were being taken across Russia mutinied, took control
of the Trans-Siberian Railway, and attacked towards Moscow, supporting Kolchak.
World Opposition to
World Revolution
·
The Bolsheviks set up the Comintern, led by Zinoviev. It said it
would cause communist revolutions all over the world.
·
So foreign countries (also angry because Russia had dropped out of
World War I) sent armies to destroy the Bolsheviks – British, American and
French armies attacked from Archangel, Ukraine, and Vladivostock.
3 – Events of the Civil War,
1918-21
·
The war lasted 3 years.
·
White armies led by Generals Yudenich and Deniken attacked Russia
from the west, Admiral Kolchak from the east.
·
The Tsar and his family were put to death. (1918)
·
The Red Army defeated Kolchak in 1919 – after this the British,
American and French armies went home.
·
The civil war caused famine and disease - millions died. There
were many cruel atrocities.
·
The last White army in Russia was defeated in the Crimea in 1920.
4. Why the Bolsheviks won the Civil War
Whites
were disunited and thousands of miles apart, so Trotsky could fight them one by
one.
Trotsky
was a brilliant war leader and strategist, so the Red Army had good tactics.
Belief :
Many Russians were Communists, who believed they were fighting for a better
world. Others fought for them because they hated foreign (British, American
and French) armies invading Russia. This made the Bolshevik soldiers fervent
and enthusiastic.
War
Communism : The Bolsheviks nationalised the factories, and introduced
military discipline. Strikes were made illegal. Food was rationed.
Peasants were forced to give food to the government. This gave the Bolshevik
armies the supplies they needed.
Terror :
The Cheka murdered any Whites they found – more than 7000 people were
executed, and Red Army generals were kept loyal by taking their families hostage
– so the Bolsheviks were united.
Wherewithal :The Bolsheviks had control of the main cities of Moscow and
Petrograd (with their factories), control of the railways (vital), an army of
300,000 men, very strict army discipline, and internal lines of communication –
giving them the advantage in the war.
Key Question : What were
Lenin’s Economic Policies?
1 – Lenin had two policies :
War Communism and the New economic Policy
2 -- During the war, especially
severe rules were introduced, called ‘War Communism’:
a.
Larger factories taken over by the government.
b.
Military discipline in factories and strikers shot.
c.
Peasants had to give all surplus food to the government.
d.
Rationing.
This had meant soldiers going
into the countryside and requisitioning peasants’ food. Peasants who resisted
were shot. This led to hundreds of rebellions in 1921, the most famous being at
the naval base at Kronstadt. They demanded free speech, free elections, free
trade unions and an end to War Communism. Trotsky’s Red Army put the mutiny
down with great losses. The mutiny scared the Bolsheviks, because the Kronstadt
sailors had been their greatest supporters! So they abandoned their policy of
War Communism and brought in the NEP.
3—In 1921 he introduced a new
policy – THE NEW ECONOMIC POLICY.
4 – Under NEP :
Nationalism
Lenin
allowed freedom to national and Muslim cultures.
·
In the Ukraine, although the Bolsheviks were in power, the
Ukrainian language was used in government and business, and children were taught
it in schools.
·
In the Muslim areas of central Asia (such as Uzbekistan and
Turkmenistan) bazaars were allowed to reopen, mosques were taken from Soviet
control, Koranic law was restored for believers, and native languages were
encouraged.
Experts
Coal, iron,
steel and railways stayed nationalised, but the Bolsheviks brought in experts,
on high wages, to increase production.
Private enterprise
·
Small factories were handed back to their owners. People were
allowed to set up small private businesses.
·
Also – where War Communism had forced the peasants to hand over
ALL their surplus grain – Lenin let them sell their surplus, and pay a tax
instead. Some hard-working peasants became rich (the ‘Kulaks’).
Some of the Politburo (the inner cabinet of the government) opposed the NEP
because it allowed capitalism, but it restored prosperity – although production
levels only passed the 1914 level in 1928.
Key Question : How did Lenin
remain in power?
1—Lenin remained in power from
1917 until his death in 1924. How was he able to do this?
2 -- POSITIVE POLICIES –
Designed to win over people
(a)
Lenin used popular slogans to create the impression that he was creating
a new and better society – PEACE, BREAD AND LAND; ALL POWER TO THE SOVIETS
(b)
He kept his promise of PEACE, BREAD AND LAND to a certain extent:
n
PEACE – he forced Trotsky to go to Brest-Litovsk and meet the
Germans in order to end the war. Russia paid a heavy price in money and land,
but the soldiers were happy. This may have caused some bitterness but a year
later the Germans were defeated by the Allies and forced to give everything
back.
n
BREAD – he ensured that the people in the towns were fed by
sending squads into the countryside to seize food. Peasants who resisted were
shot. Lenin wanted to feed the town workers as they supported his party whereas
the peasants tended to be less receptive.
n
LAND – however Lenin had to try to win over the peasants as they
were the bulk of the population – passed LAND DECREE allowing them to own land
seized from former landowners – in reality peasants had already seized land and
this was merely to make it look as if Communists were on their side.
(c)
Other reforms – made divorce easier and increased women’s rights; used
seized wealth from church to provide education and health care, etc
(d)
Flexibility – Lenin prepared to abandon communist ideals to stay in power
– abandoned War Communism for NEP.
3 -- NEGATIVE POLICIES –
Designed to eliminatte rivals and opposition and to keep control
(a)
Set up secret police – CHEKA – killed more people in Lenin’s 7 years in
power than the Tsar’s Okhrana had killed in his 23 year reign.
(b)
Won Civil war – used Red Army to destroy Whites and murdered Imperial
Family
(c)
Force – sent Red Army to slaughter sailors at Kronstadt (once his loyal
supporters) after they opposed his policies; killed Imperial Family; hanged
peasants who opposed him; sent troops to shut down the parliament (Constituent
Assembly) after his party failed to win power
(d)
Censorship – used censorship to ban other newspapers and ensure only his
ideas got over to people
(e)
Propaganda – tried to enthuse people by making them believe that
hardships would give way to better society
(f)
Ban on Factionalism – Banned colleagues from discussing ideas once they
had been approved. Expeleed people from party – purged party.
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