How did Lenin create a One-Party State?

The Bolsheviks faced enormous difficulties in attempting to secure their hold in power. What groups opposed Bolshevik rule?

• Other left wing groups who were denied a share of power by the Bolsheviks

• Groups of the right and liberal groups who often represented the interests of the middle class and feared the Bolsheviks would take away their businesses and deny them political freedoms

• Nationalist groups with the Russian Empire who saw the collapse of the Tsarist regime as a chance to assert their independence

What did the other left wing groups want? How did Lenin respond?

The SRs and Mensheviks called for a socialist coalition. Even some leading Bolsheviks such as Lev Kamenev called for a coalition government. Lenin made it clear there would be no sharing of power and swiftly and firmly rejected these calls.

What was the Constituent Assembly?

A parliament elected by the people of Russia.

What happened in January 1918?

The constituent assembly was called, which was to be democratically elected.

The results were not to the Bolsheviks favour. They gained 175 seats in the Assembly with over 9 million votes but the SRs emerged as the largest single party with 410 seats and 210 million votes.

How did Lenin respond to the results of the election?

To use the assembly as a national parliament would clearly pose a threat to continued Bolshevik rule. Lenin therefore dissolved the Assembly after only one meeting and condemned it was an instrument of the Bourgeoise.

What did Lenin replace the assembly with?

The All-Russian Congress of Soviets which was a body where the Bolsheviks had more influence.

What did the Bolshevik party rename itself in March 1918?

The communist party

What happened in 1921 to other political parties?

By 1921 all other political parties were effectively banned. In April Lenin declared: ‘The place for the Mensheviks and SRs is in prison’. During the first 3 months of 1921 5,000 Mensheviks were arrested.

What was the Treaty of Brest Litovsk in 1918?

The treaty took Russia out of the war but at a great cost. Russia lost control over the Baltic states of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, Finland, Ukraine and parts of the Caucasus region. This was a national humiliation for the conservatives and military officers who had served in the Tsar’s army.

What response did the Treaty cause in Russia?

It spurred a group known as the Whites to fight against the Bolsheviks. The allied powers of Britain, France, the USA and Japan were anxious to keep Russia in WW1 and were willing to provide resources to troops who would ensure Russia would rejoin the fight.

Why did Lenin sign the Treaty if it increased opposition?

Russia could not afford to stay in the war. It sapped the energy and resources of the government with little chance of military success.