History- Lenin

feb 1917 revolution

• fall of tsar

• series of defeat at ww1, tsar at warfront- didn’t know struggles

• economic crisis + food shortage = rebellion

• women protested+ local army joined

• tsar abdicated for himself + his son to stop violence

oct revolution 1917

• Lenin campaigned against prov gov-’peace,bread,land’ wanted working class to have power

• oct 25th bolshevik revolution storming winter palace + Lenin announced overthrowing ofRussian gov

• Lenin in charge- one party state

opposition to bolsheviks

• other left wing groups- srs and mensheviks were denied a share of power

• right wing groups- tsarist supporters, challeneged rich and privellaged and social order, represented middle class, feared bolsheviks would take away buisnesses and political freedom

how did bolsheviks deal with opposition

• treatment of bourgeoise- lost right to vote

• restricted srs and mensheviks papers=no voice/message

• pulled out of war + use of force, banned and arrested opposition

bolshevik measures- 3 decrees

• land decree-gave peasants power to take land from nobility and church

• workers decree- established 8 hr working day+ minimum wage

• decree of workers control- workers committees to run factories instead of owners

impact of ww1

• lost land of 45m ppl- 26%of pop

• national humiliation

• could rely on support of us, fr and gb who wanted russia to keep fighting in war

russian civil war

• 1918-1921

• bolsheviks(reds) wanted a one party state vs tsarist supportersm(whites)

• at end of 1921, bolsheviks in charge

why did bolsheviks win civil war

• military regime under trotsky

• whites had no common purpose and poorly organised

• bolsheviks had conscription- no lack of ppl

• support of peasants- decrees

democratic centralism

• concerns of ppl could be fed up to higher levels of gov

• concerns dealt with in intrests ofppl and carried out at local level

• in reality-mostly bolsheviks

• rubber stamping

increased centralism- nomenklatura system

• increased members of party- most joined to increase career prospects rather than being devoted communists

• party would approve members suitable for jobs

• had to show loyalty to party for promotion

the red terror

• after failed assatination attempt by fanny keplan- sr agent

• war against counter revolutionaries- anyone could be a victim- install fear in the masses, terror tactics

• lenin ‘ rather 100 innocents diethan 1 guilty get away’

chistka

purge of party 1/3 members expelled

impact of ww1 on economy

• decrease in raw materials and investments- production at 2/3 level compared to 1914

• transport system collapsed

• inflation

• food crisis- decrease in grain

lenins vision

• power to the peasants

• workers no longer under bourgeoise control

• educated workers + modern tech

phase 1: state capitalism

• transitional period- couldnt get rid off all bourgoise experts-needed their skills

• creation on vesenkha- in prep for comm gov

key economic measures of state capitalism

• land decree- private ownership

• decree on workers control- factories run by workers councils

problems of state capitalism

• workers gave themselves huge pay rises- bolsheviks couldnt control them

• no managers-lack of efficient production- shortages-inflation

• civil war- lack of agricultural production- shortage- needed to feed army

phase 2: war communism- features

• decree on nationalistaion- companies under state control- vesenkha

• reintroduction of managers-managers vs workers

• 11 hour working day

• no longer paid in money- rations

• private trade banned

• requisition of grain-feed army

war communism: consequeces- economic collapse

• requisition of grain- decreased agricultural production- workers not getting paid, no incentive

• decreased industrial production- n incentive

• industrial workers left to rural areas to work on farms in hopes of food

• industrial workers fell from 3m in 1917 to 1.2m in 1922

war communism: consequences: growth of black market

lenin failed to abolish black market. 40% of food came from rationing and 60% from black market. workers forced to steal materials from gov to make into products and barter for food

eg: metal workers would steal scrap metal and fuel and make into lighters

war communism comsequences: poverty

• by 1921, russian econ on verge of collapse

• fuel shortage- gov ordered destruction of wooden buildings

• unemployment increased, harvests decreased

• 1921 harvest 46% of 1913

• famine in rural areas- 6m deaths

war communism consequences: political

• economic collapse+ food shortage- political crisis

• kronstadt sailors turned against gov demanding free trade and multi party elections

• march 1921, sailors mutinied and gov responded with force- military

the kronstadt uprising

• sailors helped lenin in oct rev

• believed theyd be better off with freedoms and no state

• thought bolsheviks betrayed revolution

• saw damage of food shortage- bodies pilled up in their villages

phase 3: NEP

• end to requsitioning

• no forced collectivisation

• small scale industry- privately owned

• only heavy industry, transport, banks= state owned= mixed econ

• lenin claimed they still controlled demanding heights of econ

key features of NEP

• financial incentives- not communist

• reintroduced rouble- currency

• legalised private trading to combat black market

successes of NEP (1)

• agriculture recovered quickly- decrease in prices

• gov reduced price of industrial products so peasants could afford them

• free trade encouraged peasants to grow more food-ended famine

successes of NEP(2)

• grain production increased from 1922

• higher industrial production-money reinvested into reopening factories

• by1926 most industrial production returned to 1913 level

failures of NEP (1)

• industry recovered much slower than agricultures- prices rose steadily

• crisis level gap between farmers income and industrial good- scissor crisis

• farmers couldnt afford industrial goods- no incentive to work harder- lack of agricultural production

failures of NEP (2)

• lack of production meant lack of money for industry

• nepmen provided nothing yet made money selling luxury goods

• farmers and industrial workers made nothing despite hard work

• increased corruption, gambling, drug dealing and prostitution due to wider social and economic problems

growing cenralisation of power- lenin

• resolution on party unity- lenin banned factions- strengthened his position

decline of power- lenin

• 1922 suffered a series of strokes- not strong enough to interfere and party factions reemerged