communist government

What was the decree of land and what impact did it have on the consolidation of power

November 1917 - abolished private ownership, peasants had the right to take land back from the nobility and church

• gained mass support from the countryside weakening opposition

What was the decree of workers control and what impact did it have on the consolidation of power

April 1918 - allowed workers committees to take control of factories, increasing worker’s autonomy within the workplace

• undermined capitalist opposition

• gained the support and loyalty of workers

How democratic was the Bolshevik government and why

• During 1918 still not a one party state and decrees still reflected peasants wants

Bolsheviks gained support on the belief that the CP would form a coalition with other socialist parties

How did the civil war change the nature of the communist party

Increased centralisation (economy and political) and increased power + emergence of a party state

How did Lenin centralise the economy and politics during the civil war

Economy - war communism

Politics - terror and nomenklatura

Why was the constituent assembly dissembled

In November 1917 SR’s won 16% more votes

How did the dissemblance of the consistent assembly help establish communist power

Weakened influence of other political parties ensuring only Bolsheviks had control over decicuon making

How was the one party state imposed

In February 1921 Cheka authorised to destroy opposition parties

• 22 leading SR’s were put on trial in early 1922 and sentenced to death of exiled

What was the the treaty of bresk litovsk and how did this benefit Bolsheviks

1918 ended Russias participation in the war, allowed bolsheviks to focus on internal opposition

• short term Russia faced humiliation and lost territory however they regained most of it back

What was the Tambov revolt

1920-21 - 50,000 Peasants in Tambov led by Antonov revolted against grain requisitioning and Cheka brutality

What was the red terror

1917 Cheka created to defend the revolution - responsible for resizing anarchist organisations and closing down newspapers

How was the Tambov revolt dealt with

Red army suppressed the rebellion by deporting 100,000 people to labour camps and using poisoned gas

How was the party state imposed throughout the country

Nomenklatura

What was the 1921 party conference

During this conference Lenin said ‘the flash that lit up reality’ referring to the Kronstadt rebellion

What was the Kronstadt rebellion

1921 - the Kronstadt sailors rebelled against the policy of war communism calling for greater political freedom

Why was the Kronstadt revolt so significant

the sailors were loyal supporters of the Bolsheviks showing how out of control the growing discontent for communism had got

Which factions did Lenin face opposition from

The workers opposition and democratic centralists

How did Lenin crush opposition within the party

On party unity 1921 party conference banning factions within the party, the punishment was being expelled from the party

How did the on party unity benefit Lenin

This made opposition to his policies more difficult to organise which strengthened his position within the party

How did Russia transform from a Soviet state to a party state after the civil war

Politburo had greater power (5-7 people meant quicker decisions) showing how the government was based of the communist party

Who were the nomenklatura

Government selected officials who ensured decisions made in the politburo were implemented across the country

• ensured trusted Bolsheviks took up important roles rather than people from other party’s

What was democratic centralism and why was it important

Implemented following the October revolution - political structure giving the illusion of a democratic system

• allowed for rapid decision making eg : during war communism, Tambov peasants

Who Participated in the power struggle

• Stalin - general secretary

• Trotsky - head of army

• Bukharin - supported the NEP

• Zinoviev - senior Bolshevik

What was the nature of the power struggle

1. Lenin’s support was based on authority not position which meant contenders had to prove they were a true Leninist

2. Battle for party support not public

Changes within the party to destroy the political authority of Stalins rivals

1. ideological orthodoxy

2. patronage system

3. party membership

4. authority at the top of the party

How did authority at the top of the party change Lenin to Stalin

Lenin had many with power bases, Stalin undermined this authority through his ideological orthodoxy and accusing rivals of starting a faction

Was Stalin the only person with authority in the party in 1928

Bukharin still held some authority but many of his policies were rejected

How did Stalin establish an ideological orthodoxy

Discredited ideas which were not his own as Trotskyite

1. Socialism in one country - Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev

2. Collectivisation and industrialisation - Burkharin

How did Stalins ideological orthodoxy change the nature of the party

Lenin had previously tolerated differences of view at the top of the government

How did Stalin change party membership in 1924

In 1924 Stalin issued the Lenin enrolment arguing the party needed more WC members, 128,000 people joined the communist party

What was Stalins approved list and how did this help him

1923 - 1/3 delegates were selected from his list giving him more control over party congress

How did Stalins change in party membership 1924 strengthen his position

only interested in obtaining well paid jobs which meant that they supported Stalin as he could promote them (general secretary)

Why did Stalins ability to promote and sack people benefit him

People were dependant on him so they supported his decisions (loyalty) he could also sack those perceived as a threat

How did Stalins ability to promote and sack members change the type of people in the party

Nomenklatura (enjoyed power and status)

• party used to be full of dedicated revolutionaries whilst now individuals were dedicated to their own careers

Why was Stalin concerned about his position within the party

Old rivals and current supporters could overthrow him

How did the murder of Kirov start the purges

Stalin argued that Kirovs murder was part of a conspiracy to take him down

• this mandated him to purge those internal and external to the party

Why did Stalin use the great terror to shift the blame of him for economic problems

by accusing workers and managers of being wreckers and saboteurs he could blame them for failures of the policies rather than taking responsibility

• he sent these people to gulags and use them to build factories

Why did Stalin use the great terror to remove threat within government to his economic polices

Senior figures were aware of the problems with economic polices which undermined his authority within government

Why was Kirov a threat to Stalin

In 1933 Kirov and the moderates argued for more realistic targets in the 2nd 5 year plan and greater emphasis on the production of consumer goods

The congress of victors

February 1934 Kirov gained 298 more votes than him indicating that he had a rival

What were the show trials

The show trials took place between 1936-38 and eliminated threats to Stalins authority

• the first Moscow trial in 1936 involved key leaders from Lenin’s regime such as Kamenev - false confession (plot to assassinate Stalin)

What was the purpose of the show trials

Destroyed rivals also keeping party members in line

What were the secret trials

Trial of red army leaders - 1937 8 leaders who had worked with Trotsky were executed

How did the great terror strengthen Stalins authority within the party

Removed a whole generation who had worked with Lenin, this meant no party member could claim authority independent from Stalin

Purges of the NKVD

Stalin feared the NKVD - led by Yezhov would turn against him Yezhov (blood thirsty dwarf) was executed in 1938

• Purges caused confusion and fear within the secret police - anyone could be purged

What were limits to Stalins power

Relied heavily on secret police loyalty

Why was the Leningrad affair launched

1. Concerned it was gaining independence

2. Zhdanov (a rival for Stalins position) was chief of Leningrad party, Beria may have encouraged the purge

What was the Lenin grad affair

Purged the Leningrad party, 100 shot and 2000 arrested

What was the doctors plot

1952-53 Jewish doctors were accused of attempting to poison Communist leaders

What was the relationship between the party and state under Lenin

Despite creating both, the relationship between the party and state was never defined. Stalin took advantage of this throughout the 1940s and 50s

How did WW2 lead to a change in government

Due to the purges in 1930 the government was inefficient, the war called for change

1. Ended mass terror

2. Created GKO (economic coordination and military production)

How did state power increase in WW2

State ministers joined politburo and members were given important jobs (politburo coordinated state activity as well as party activity)

How did Stalin create competition between state and party

Appointing rival personnel to key positions in the party and state eg : Zhdanov (Beria’s key rival) in charge of party supervision of Beria’s police

• this meant that they would compete with each other and not with Stalin

How did Stalin create competition between party and state to ensure neither would become too powerful

Shifting power from the party to the state then back agian. In 1938 politburo was most powerful but by 1943 GKO was the most powerful

• this meant that none of these senior committees grew to rival him

How did Stalin test the loyalty of his allies

Imprison or sack the wives and daughters of senior figures

• 1948 demanded politburo to expel Molotovs wife (he didn’t vote)

Who were Stalins successors

Malenkov, Beria and Khrushchev

Why was a power vacuum left behind after Stalins death

Stalins authority was unique, it didn’t rely on political position. He also left no testament

How did Malenkov and Khrushchev attempt to address the power vacuum

Shifting power away from the leader to the state and party

• restrict power of the MVD

Why did Beria reform the MVD

to calm the fear of his rivals that he would use the MVD against them

How did Beria reform the MVD

May 1953 - A party commission rehabilitated 5000 executed communists

March 1953 - amnesty for no political prisoners serving short sentences, this was extended to counter revolutionaries

What was the result of Berias reforms

Gulag population dropped to 1.6M in 1956 - undermined the power of MVD

How did Beria reform republics

1953 - introduced a measure requiring all senior party officials to speak the language of the republic they worked in

How did Berias reforms lead to his fall

1953 - accused by Khrushchev of handing Soviet secrets to the British government, he was tried and executed

How did Malenkov use Berias trial as a way to further weaken the MVD

accused Beria of using the MVD against the party - this restored the power of the party

How did Khrushchev use personnel changes to strengthen his position in government

Used his position as secretary of the central committee to replace 44% of the central committee, this filled top levels of the party with people who were loyal to him

How did Khrushchev weaken the power of the state

Anti bureaucracy campaign

Proposed cutting bureaucracy by shifting power from the Soviet government to republican governments, he cut central Soviet ministers from 55 to 25

• direct attack on Malenkovs power base

What was the result of Khrushchevs anti bureaucracy campaign

Soviet industry controlled by central government fell from 68% to 44%

What were the first steps within Destalinisation

Plans to turn Stalins dacha into a museum celebrating his life were scrapped and there were no official celebrations of Stalins birthday

Why was criticising Stalin so risky

Stalin was widely respected as a founder of the Soviet Union, criticising him would undermine the authority of the government and communism

What was the secret police

1956 20th party congress - spoke for 4 hours criticising Stalins cult of personality and revealed the extent of terror

• he accused Stalin of ‘flagrant abuses of power’

How did Khrushchev end the terror

By 1956 50,000 prisoners released from Gulag’s and by 1961 ½ executed by Stalin had been rehabilitated

What were the problems with de stalinisation

Led to unrest in the Soviet Union

Student demonstrations in favour of a multi party democracy at Moscow state university in 1957 - suppressed by communist authorities

Khrushchevs retreat from de Stalinisation

came to an end in 1957

Stalinists argued it destabilised the government and Khrushchev reformed too fast, he agreed arguing Soviet people were not ready to know the truth

• New Year’s Eve speech acknowledged that all communists were Stalinists

What was decentralisation

Khrushchev gave more power to local and regional authorities

• abolished central ministries which oversaw the economy and devolved power to 105 economic councils

What were the consequences of decentralisation

This was unsuccessful because the central planing coordination was destroyed, regional authorities didn’t have the experience leading to inefficiency

• unpopular meant communists forced to move away from Moscow

What was Democratisation

Designed to increase participation of lower level members of the party and working class

• fixed terms for senior communists

• Allowed an expansion of party membership

What were Khrushchevs fixed terms for senior communists

Ensured they were replaced regularly and didn’t gain too much power

• 2/3 of regional secretaries and the presidium were replaced between 1957 and 61

What was Khrushchevs expansion of party membership

Grew from 6.9 million in 1954 to 11 million in 1964 (made it more democratic) by 1964 60% peasants

Summary of Democratisation and decentralisation

Overall failure, despite reforming the party itself it created renewed criticism of Khrushchev, playing a role in both the anti party group and his overall down fall

quote from peasants

‘we built upon granite, but now the stone crumbles, dissolves and melts at our feet’

What was the crisis of 1957

The anti party group, including figures such as malenkov and Molotov attempted to remove Khrushchev from power because of his reforms.

• Ultimately they failed because Khrushchev argued the decision was at the hands of the politburo

• This event strengthened his authority, legitimising his leadership because it recognised that power of the party leader depended on the support of the central committee

Khrushchevs final reforms

22nd party congress October 1961

• built on democratisation introducing fixed terms for all jobs within the party (16 year term for all central committee members) - no one could get too powerful

• 1962 split the party in 2 (agriculture and industry) hoping it would boost economics growth

what was the downfall of Khrushchev

Due to his personality, failed economics reforms and Destalinisation internal opposition formed against Khrushchev eventually he was voted out and replaced by Brezhnev

What was the extent of Destalinisation

Success -

ended the terror both within the party and external to the party eg: he could retire

ended Stalins personal rule eg : his overthrow demonstrates this

Failure

cult of Stalin revived under Brezhnev (not as widespread)

he never publicly denounced Stalin

Why did Brezhnev opt for continuation of Lenin and Stalins ideas as opposed to reform

He believed communism had been reached 1917-30

Why did Brezhnev and Kosgin lead together

They ensured the two top jobs in government were not taken by the same person, this ensured a dictatorship wouldn’t emerge

• Brezhnev was the general secretary, kosgin was the premier

Why was the stability of cadres imposed

Ensured few battles over patronage, ensured support for Brezhnev and Kosygin as officials would have job security and replaced Khrushchevs unpopular policy

What was the stability of cadres

Discouraged promotions or demotions

• only 2 people were promoted to the politburo under Brezhnevs rule

How did Brezhnev centralise the party

He re-established the all union ministries Khrushchev had abolished and ended the split between agriculture and industry

What was more powerful under Brezhnev, the party or the state?

Article 6 of the new 1977 Soviet constitution officially recognised the party’s leading role in Soviet society

How did the stability of cadres cause corruption

officials used their position to grow rich as they could not do it through hard work and promotions, they also knew they were unlikely to get disciplined

What is an example of corruption caused by the stability of cadres

selling goods on the black market - Sokolov director of a major Moscow food store took bribes from rich customers for passing on luxury foods

What were the consequences of the stability of cadres

Gerontocracy

The party was dominated by old people

- couldn’t relate to society and therefore couldn’t meet its changing needs and challenges

- became ill and couldn’t do there jobs

Why did the stability of cadres cause stagnation lower down in the party

Middle ranking officials had no promotion prospect meaning there was no incentive to be innovative and work harder

What proportion of the central committee retained their jobs following party congresses

Between 1966 and 71 80-90%

Which reform did Andropov abolish

The stability of cadres

How did Andropov abolish corruption

Attacked senior figures such as the red army general and media exposes of corrupt officials