did the civil war turn russia into a disctatorship?

decrees oct-dec 1917: pre-war actions

• land, peace, nationalization, workers control

• at least some attempt to create a “democratic state”

cheka (dec): pre-war actions

• authoritarion

• police state

sovnarkom: pre-war actions

• governing body

• 14 members bolshevik

• authoritarian

dissolution of constituent assembly (jan 1918): pre-war actions

“the formal liquidation of democracy in the name of the revolutionary dictatorship”

treaty of Brest Litorsk (march 1918): pre-war actions

• puutive peace

• fulfilled “decree on peace”

• necessary evil to allow bolshevik state to live in Russia

• Lenin saw B.L to live in russia as temporary

• triggger for civil war

causes of the civil war

• anti-bolshevik feeling: liberals, SRs, ex-tsarist

• ideological opponents

• bolshevik actions 1917-1918

• treaty of brest-litorsk: economic + political impact

red army

• bolshevik dorces

• head of state: lenin

• red army created by trotsky: “father of red army”

• established strict discipline, revoked the decree on ranks + reintroduced hierarchy- to help run army (pragmatist)

• employs ex-tsarist officers (families as hostages)

• death penalty introduced

whites

• liberals, former-tsarists, nationalists, separists, SRs

• anti-bolshevik

• wanted constituent assembly

• deeply divided- white armies fought each other

white generals

• kornilov (southern volunteer army): replaced by denikin/wrangel

• kolchak (omsk govt, east samara)

• yudenich (north)

greens

• peasant armies- deserters from other armies

• protecting own area from marauding armies

• nester makhno: anarchist in ukraine- became ally of bolsheviks

• ukrainians fighting for own idependance

• some were bandits

1918 timeline

january: red army is established

march: treaty of brest litsosk, first british troops land at murmanst

may: conscription into red army introduced , czech legion rebels and captures a large section of trans-siberion railway

june: murder of tsar and family, SRs govt established at samara

August: americans land in north russia and east british land at arch angel and establish anti- bolshevik govt

november: kolchak control in omsk

december: french lands at odessa

1919 timeline

february: red army occupies kiev, denkin control supreme command south east

march: kolchak forces cross urals and repulsed by red army, growing discontent in french and british forces

april: french evacuate odessa

june: denkin and southern army take kharkov

july: denkin captures tsaritsyn, criticism of trotsky because of losses, resigns but resign refused

september: allies evacuate odessa, archangel

october: denkin takes orel but forced back, yudenich reaches petrograd

november: yudenich defeated, denkin pushed back

1920

february: kolchak executed by bolsheviks, red army invades georgia

april: denkin succeeded by wrangel

May: polish army invades russia and occupies kiev

july: tukhachevsky mounts red army counter offensive against poles

august: red army defeated by poles outside warsaw

november: wrangel, last surviving white general defeated in crimea

1921 timeline

march: treaty of riga: peace between Poland and Soviet russiaz

why did the communists win: the opposition

• disunited - no central ideology, no unifying cause, impact on morale, no central comman structure

• behavior- ill disciplined, treatment of people- atrocities, poor leadership

why did the communists win: geography

• bolsheviks held central area (petrograd/ moscow): railway, network (easier to tranport), factories (produced war materials), heavily populated (conscript large numbers)

• whites scattered around edges with large distances: communication difficult, difficulty co-ordinating attacks

why did communists won: communist organisation

• bolsheviks had single unified command structure

• trotsky organised army into effective fighting force

• whites made of different groups with different beliefs

• difficult to co-operate and develop political strategy

• white generals would not work together because they didnt trust each other

• split by views on national minorities

why did communists win: support

• peasant inclined to support reds because they were promised land

• whites lost support of nationalist groups: wanted to restore russian empire- lost support of ukrainians and georgians

• bolsheviks had core support group of some workers and supporters: workers and peasants wanted to protect gains of 1917

why did communists win: leadership

• trotsky inspired and rallied men

• discipline harsh in red army, death penalty used frequently

• white leaders were cruel and treated men with contempt

• little support for white leaders

• many soldiers deserted

• indiscipline and corruption in white armies

• uniforms and ammunition given by foreign powers were sold on black market

• officers lived in brothels on cocaine and vodka

why did the communists win: other factors

• foreign intervention was half-hearted and inneffective: gave bolsheviks a propaganda coup

• whites had weak propaganda

• red propaganda: - whites would take away land from peasants, foreign invaders were supporting whites, reds offered a new society for workers and peasants

party structure

• based on annual congress

• elected by mass membership (met every year)

• central committees shaped actual policies and decisions

Politburo (1919)

• 7 to 9 men: first elected Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin

• the govt caried out the Politburo policies

Orgburo (1919

• organisational bureau which supervised the work of locan party committees

local soviets

• a place for workers and peasants to have a voice

• decreed to exist solely of party members

Lenins ban on factions (1921)

• passed to remove internal debate

• decisions had to be accepted by wholr party or power of expulsion

general secretary

• created to co-ordinate partys workings

• april 1922: made and filled by Lenin

• already acted as general secretary

Nomenklatura

• category of key adminstrative positions in the party and govt

• granted with approval of regional communist party

• offcial lists of 5500 posts drawn up

• appointments depended on agreement of party central committe

• created a new loyal party elite

By lenins death in 1924, key features of Stalin authoritarion state already in place

• creation of ogburo

• removal of other political parties

• civil war victory and red terror

• dissolution of constituent assembly

• 1921 ban on factions

• creation of cheka

• purge of civil service

• centralised decisions in Politburo

• 1918 constitution

• restricted press

lenins constitution in theory

• supreme piwer rests with congress elected by soviets

• central committee is accountable and elected by congress

• decentralisation of power so each republic had it’s own congress/ federal state

lenins constitution in practice

• vote restricted to “talking masses”; i.e workers (peasants couldnt vote)

• power excercised by politburo by 1919 as congress sidelined