(f) The nature of government under Lenin

Why did Lenin believe a new system of state administration was necessary?

The government administration before had fallen into chaos and he wanted to create a system that suited his revolutionary purposes.

Why did governing Russia require a strong and clear line of authority?

Because of Russias size, and decisions needed to be made and enforced quickly and effectively.

Which organisations originally represented the proletariat?

Soviets, trade unions and factory committees.

What did the Bolsheviks do to these proletarian organisations?

They brought them under Bolshevik control and then sidelined them.

What political system replaced genuine proletarian representation?

A system of representative bodies linked to the All-Russian Congress of Soviets.

What was the Sovnarkom?

The Council of People’s Commissars, which acted as the Bolshevik government’s cabinet

The body at the head of the Soviet system of government.

What powers did the Sovnarkom have?

It was responsible for making key decisions and issuing government orders.

How was the Sovnarkom structured?

It had about 20 members, elected by the Central Executive Committee.

What did the Sovnarkom do day to day?

It was a small group that could make quick decisions and it met on a daily basis during the civil war.

What was the central executive committee?

• a larger group elected by the Congress of Soviets

• ts task was to oversee the work of the government and its administration.

What was the All-Russian Congress of Soviets?

the supreme law-making body of the state.
All laws issued by the Sovnarkom had to be approved by the Congress. It was, in theory, a highly representative body made up of members elected by local soviets, all those citizens engaged in 'useful work'

How were provincial and city soviets formed?

They were made up of representatives from local soviets.

What was the role of provincial and city soviets?

They carried out government administration at the local level.

Why was the Bolshevik system described as democratic in theory?

Because it was based on elected soviets representing workers and peasants.

Why was the system not democratic in practice during the civil war?

The Bolsheviks used their control of the Sovnarkom to issue orders that were simply rubber-stamped by the Congress of Soviets and imposed on the country.

What was the Politburo?

A small group of 7–9 leading Bolsheviks chosen by the Central Committee to make key policy decisions.

Why was the Politburo created?

The Central Committee was too large and unmanageable for effective decision-making.

How important was the Politburo under Lenin?

It met daily and became more powerful than the Sovnarkom.

Who were the main members of the early Politburo?

Lenin, Zinoviev, Kamenev, Trotsky and Stalin.

What was the role of the Central Committee after 1917?

It was a 30–40 member body chosen by the Party Congress to represent Party members, but after 1919 its power declined as decision-making was increasingly delegated to the Politburo.

What was the role of the Party Congress, and how did its influence change after 1921?

The Party Congress was made up of representatives from local Party branches and debated the Party’s overall programme. Although debates were intense at the Ninth and Tenth Congresses (1920–21), the 1921 ban on factions under On Party Unity stifled debate, leading to a decline in its influence over policy. It met annually under Lenin from 1917 to 1926.

What role did local Party branches and Party secretaries play in Bolshevik power?

Local Party branches were led by Party secretaries who could be very powerful, especially in key cities or provinces. Figures such as Kamenev in Petrograd and Zinoviev in Moscow used their strong local power bases to influence the struggle to succeed Lenin.

How did the relationship between the Party and the state change after 1917?

Party organisations mirrored state structures, but real power lay with the Party. The Party controlled decision-making, while the state became mainly an administrative body, implementing decisions rather than shaping policy.

What evidence shows the dominance of the Party over the state by 1919?

State bodies such as the Congress of Soviets, Central Executive Committee and Sovnarkom met less frequently. Leading Bolsheviks prioritised Party roles, sending deputies to state meetings, and in 1919 the secret police were made directly responsible to the Politburo rather than the Sovnarkom.

What role were soviets supposed to play in Bolshevik Russia?

Soviets were meant to represent workers at a local level and express their wishes through representative organisations to higher decision-making bodies.

How was decision-making meant to work through the soviet system?

Decisions would be made in the interests of “the people” at the centre and then passed down to regional and local levels for implementation.

How did the Bolsheviks present the soviet system?

As evidence that their system of government was highly democratic, a claim later echoed by other communist regimes.

What happened to the soviets after the Bolsheviks took power?

They were quickly undermined and excluded from real decision-making due to the Bolsheviks ruling by decree.

How did Bolshevik control affect the functioning of soviets?

Soviets continued to exist but were dominated by Bolsheviks and no longer responded to pressure from the workers they were meant to represent.

What was the real role of local soviets in practice?

They became rubber-stamping bodies controlled by local Party bosses, simply carrying out orders from the centre.

The structures of party and state under Lenin