communist government

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

November 1917 - it abolished private ownership and redistributed land back to the peasants, removed land from the bourgeoisie

• 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

• During 1918 still not a one party state

• Decrees actually reflected what the peasants wanted (decree of land and workers control)

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

• ⬆ centralised (economy, politically using nomenklatura and red army)

• ⬆ powerful

Centralisation allowed the Bolsheviks to win the way but it took power away from workers soldiers and peasants (who they initially claimed to represent)

why was the consistent assembly dissembled

In November 1917 SR’s won 16% more votes threatening communist authority

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

Helped lay the foundations down for a totalitarian communist state

• other political party’s (SRs, Mensheviks) had little influence

• ensured decisions were made my Bolshevik leaders

What was the one party state

Feb 1921 - Cheka authorised to destroy opposition parties, 22 leading SRs were put on trial in early 1922 and sentenced to prison or exiled

• dominance of communist party

The treaty of bresk litovsk

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

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

How did the civil war help to consolidate power

• legitimised Bolshevik rule

• helped to eliminate political opposition

1921 party conference

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

• this rebellion was so significant Lenin knew major changes needed to happen in order to maintain communist rule

What was the Kronstadt rebellion

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

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

What was the nature of Lenin’s party

• driven by revolution

• one party rule

• use of terror

How did Lenin crush opposition within the party

On party unity 1921 party conference banning factions within the party

• punishment was being expelled from the party

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

The emergence of a party state during the civil war

At first described as a ‘Soviet state’ but during the war changed to ‘party state’

• Politburo : 5-7 members meant decisions could be made quicker and it contained his most loyal supporters

• Sovnarkom : simply approved decisions made by the politburo

• Nomenklatura

How did the red terror establish communist power

1917 Cheka was created

• closed down opposition newspapers and expelling opposition parties from the soviets

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

How did the nature of the communist party change in 1921

• full of MC (nomenklatura) for their skills

• one party state

What was the 1924 Soviet constitution

The formal establishment of the USSR

How did Lenin use terror

• Suppression of other political party’s

• Suppression of revolts

Who Participated in the power struggle

• Stalin - general secretary

• Trotsky - head of the red army

• Kamenev - senior Bolshevik

• Bukharin - supported the NEP

• Zinoviev - senior Bolshevik

Stalin emerged as leader after eliminating all opposition

What was authority like at the top of the party

Power was extremely concentrated - only few people had any control over decision making

• reinforced by cult of personality

• reflects his personal paranoia - he wasn’t a legitimate successor this reflects how authority was distributed

What was the nature of the power struggle

• Lenin’s leadership was based on his personality and his authority rather than his actual position, this created problems because each leader had to convince the communist party they were a true Leninist

• additionally the battle for lead ship was a battle for support within the party as opposed to the Soviet Union

Changes within the party in 1928

• ideological orthodoxy

• patronage system

• party membership

• authority at the top of the party

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

Under Lenin many people had authority (all those in power struggle) having power bases, Stalins strategy for emerging as undisputed leader was to destroy the authority of his opponents

• establishing a new ideological orthodoxy and branding his opponents as enemies of Leninism

• Accusing Burkrain, Zinoviev and Kamenev of forming a faction

ideological orthodoxy

In order to win the leadership struggle, Stalin had to convince the party he was a true Leninist this changed the nature of the party by establishing a new ideological orthodoxy

• Socialism in one country

• rapid industrialisation and collectivisation

Ideas discrediting these were labelled Trotsktie : Zinoviev, Kamenev and Trotsky arrested

what changed? Lenin had people in the party which shared different views whereas Stalin did not tolerate it

How did party membership change Lenin to Stalin

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

• uneducated not interested in revolution just their career

• Stalin could promote them within the party so they were more likely to support him

How did Stalins patronage system change the type of people in the party

increasingly privileged, nomenklatura filled up full time positions (enjoyed power and status due to their position and patronage)

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

Stalins patronage system

He maintained control by rewarding loyalty - senior jobs were given out as a reward, this meant that officials would support his decisions in order to stay in power

• People were dependant on him for their positions so they didn’t step out of line

• This ensured his circle was loyal and he stayed in control

What instruments of terror did Stalin use in the purges

• NKVD

• Show trials

• Gulags

Why was Stalin concerned about his position within the party

• his own supporters would challenge him

• old rivals could conspire against him and over throw 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 Stalins economic problems start the purges

• 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

The congress of victors

February 1934 Kirov gained 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

• keep party officials in line

• Kill rivals

What were consequences of the great terror

• elimination of Stalins rivals

• Communists who worked with Lenin were dead, new generation which owed their positions to him (loyalty)

Purges of the NKVD

Stalin feared the NKVD - led by Yezhov would turn against him

• yezhov (blood thirsty dwarf) who played a massive part in the purges was executed in 1938

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

What were limits of Stalins power

Despite having major influence, he still heavily relied on the loyalty and obedience of the secret police - they could potentially turn on him

• this explains why he purged them in 1938

What was the Lenin grad affair

The purge of prominent party officials in Leningrad in 1949, accused of disloyalty and plotting against Stalin

• Linked to his raging parinoia which stems from his fear of illegitimacy

• grew Stalins personal power

Post war terror

Linking to the Lenin grad affair, Stalin was still paranoid following the war lasting up until his death

• key purges include 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 the relationship between party and state

Reflected the need for a more efficient government during war time - 1941 Stalin became chair of sovnarkom

• by purging the senior levels of the state, party and military effectiveness of all aspects of government declines

• took leading position and promoted government efficiency in a few ways

1. Ending the mass terror - run smoothly without threat of terror

2. Allowed state power to grow

Competition between state and party under Stalin

1. Appointing rival personnel to key positions in the party and state eg : Zhdanov Berias key rival in change of party supervision of Berias secret policies

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

2. 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

Who were Stalins successors

Following his death in 1953, a power vacuum was left behind and the candidates included Malenkov, Beria and Khrushchev

What was Khrushchevs overall goals

he wanted to improve quality of life, create a humane version of communism, end cult of personality and carry on Lenin’s revolutionary vision

Why was a power vaccum left after Stalins death

Stalins power was personal, it didn’t come from his position but rather his willingness to use terror

What were Berias reforms of the MVD

Partly to calm the fears of his rivals but also to empower the power the party and government

• around 5000 executed communists were rehabilitated on the basis of forced confessions

• Gulag population dropped almost a million

Undermined the power and authority of the MVD

How did Berias reforms lead to his fall

Although his reforms had weakened the MVD this also weakened his power and other contenders were still parinoid so he was executed

How did Khrushchevs early reforms enhance his power and power of the party

• personnel changes - replaced Stalins supporters with his own 44% of the central committee was replaced

Destalinisation

In 1956 Khrushchev delivered the secret speech at the 20th party congress, criticising Stalin - most significantly his use of terror and cult of personality

• he accused Stalin of ‘flagrant abuses of power’

What were the problems with de stalinisation

Led to unrest in the Soviet Union

• leaked information was shocking and caused some to question the legitimacy of communist rule (Khrushchev supported Stalin now he was critisising)

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 de - stabilised 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

Khrushchev ending of the terror

As mentioned in his secret speech, he wanted to humanise communism

• in 1956 50,000 prisoners were released and by 1961 half of those Stalin executed had been rehabilitated

• the coup of 1957 (attempt to overthrow Khrushchev) - demonstrated that political terror would no longer be used against other members

What was decentralisation

In order to reverse Stalins highly centralised regime, Khrushchev gave more power to local and regional authorities

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

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 to ensure they were replaced regularly and didn’t gain too much power - extremely unpopular (lost jobs)

• Allowed an expansion of party membership 7M-11M in 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

• 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

• cult of Stalin revived under Brezhnev (not as widespread)

• he never publicly denounced Stalin

Why was the Brezhenev period so stagnant

Power was thrust upon Brezhnev as a gift of fate - didn’t have to fight for anything

• less willing to take risks

Return to stability under Brezhnev

Brezhnevs government is often associated with economic stagnation and political stability - this is because he avoided reforms and opted for a more stable leadership

• much more collective leadership less centralised towards one leader

Why did Brezhnev opt for more stable leadership/stagnant

He believed communism was reached between 1917-30 whereas Khrushchev thought it hadn’t been reached yet

• this led to negative consequences as there was little room for improvement

How did Brezhnev stabilise the party itself

Stability of cadres

• unlike Khrushchevs fixed terms, Brezhnev discouraged demotions or promotions (only 2 people were promoted to politburo)

• this caused gerontocracy however it ensured his circle was loyal and also avoided battles over patronage

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

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

• there was also no incentive to work harder so this reduced efficiency of party officials

Restoration of government reforms

• 2 jobs couldn’t be occupied by the same person - stopped the emergence of an all powerful leader

• party and state officials kept their job for long periods to avoid patronage

Restoration of the party reforms

• Centralisation - restored all union ministries that Khrushchev had abolished

• ended agriculture and industrial split

• Brezhenev constitution in 1977 recognised superiority of party over state

what was the growing oligarchy under Brezhnev

Due to the stability of cadres the government was run by a small group of older men causing highly concentrated power - relates back to Stalinist times