Russia and the Soviet Union

April Theses

Lenin's set of aims for the Bolshevik Party written in April 1917

Red Guard

The paramilitary force of the Bolshevik Party in the period between the two 1917 revolutions

Soviets

A Russian council composed of representatives from the workers and soldiers.

coup

a sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government

Congress of Soviets

the collective of soviets from across Russia

Pravda

The Communist Party newspaper.

Kronstadt sailors

Supporters of the Bolsheviks from a naval fortress located in a Russian seaport town, Kronstadt near the Gulf of Finland

Aurora

The battleship from which the shot was fired that started the Bolshevik (October) Revolution

Social Revolutionaries (SR)

A socialist (but not Marxist) political party in Russia

Decree on Peace

Lenin's declaration to end Russia's involvement in WWI

Decree on Land

Lenin's declaration that land should be taken away form the Tsar and the old landlords and distributed among the peasants.

All-Russian Central Executive Committee

The government created by the Bolsheviks after the October Revolution

Soviet of People's Commissars (Sovnarkom)

The body created to run the Bolshevik government in the same way a ministerial cabinet does

Marxism

the economic and political theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels hold that human actions and institutions are economically determined and that class struggle is needed to create historical change and that capitalism will ultimately be superseded.

Bolsheviks

A group of revolutionary Russian Marxists who took control of Russia's government in November 1917 whose English translated "the majority"

Mensheviks

The party which opposed to the Bolsheviks. Started in 1903 by Martov, after dispute with Lenin. The Mensheviks wanted a democratic party with mass membership.

Communism

A theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state.

Socialism

a political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.

Bourgeoisie

middle class

Proletariat

working class

Provisional Government

A temporary government created by the Duma after the abdication of the Tsar

Leninism

A political ideology developed by Russian Marxist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin that proposes the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat led by a revolutionary vanguard party as the political prelude to the establishment of communism.

Dictatorship of the Proletariat

Marx's theory of a proletariat controlled world following the taking from the wealthy; eventually it will wither away into a classless society.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

a separate peace treaty signed on 3 March 1918 between Russia and the Central Powers, that ended Russia's participation in World War I. The treaty was signed at German-controlled Brest-Litovsk, after two months of negotiations.

Civil war

conflict in which the Red Army successfully defended the newly formed Bolshevik government led by Vladimir I. Lenin against various Russian and interventionist anti-Bolshevik armies

Red Army

army of the Bolsheviks during the civil war period; initially a rabble, with the enthusiasm and organisational genius of Trotsky it became more disciplined and efficient

White Armies

forces that opposed the Bolsheviks during the civil war; lacked a common purpose and leadership, were scattered throughout Russia, and often fought among themselves

Green Armies

semi-organized local militias that opposed the Bolsheviks, Whites, and foreign interventionists, and fought to protect their communities from requisitions or reprisals carried out by third parties.

Czech Legion

a military formation of Czechs, Slovaks, exiles, and former prisoners of war organized in Russia in 1914 to fight in the First World War.

War Communism

the economic and political system that existed in Soviet Russia during the Russian Civil War from 1918 to 1921 - the first version of the Soviet planned economy

New Economic Policy (NEP)

reintroduced a measure of stability to the economy and allowed the Soviet people to recover from years of war, civil war, and governmental mismanagement

Kulaks

wealthy peasants who were seen as dubious characters in the village, characterised as greedy, they owned land and employed others to work for them

Constituent Assembly

a freely elected assembly promised by the Bolsheviks, but permanently disbanded after one day (January 18,1918) under Lenin orders after the Bolsheviks won less than one fourth of the elected delegates.

kadets

Advocates of a Russian constitutional democracy. This was attained in 1905. They made up most of the first Duma but were eventually declared illegal when the Bolsheviks took power. Looked to the British as a model

state capitalism

an economic and political system in which companies are privately owned but cooperate closely with the government

Decree on Workers' Control

The Workers' Decrees outlined measures for minimum wage, limitations on workers' hours, and the running of factories by elected workers' committees.

Cheka

The secret police under Lenin and his Communist Party

communist party of the soviet union

The party that ran the Soviet Union until its collapse in 1991.

politburo

A seven-member committee that became the leading policy-making body of the Communist Party in Russia

central committee

Supposedly the most important body in a communist party; its influence declined as it grew in size and the party needed daily leadership.

Lenin's Testament

The written document assessing of 6 of his party leaders which focused on the tense relationship between Trotsky and Stalin and the negative impacts it would have on the CPSU and would only be opened by him or his wife.

Kremlin

Eleventh-century fortress in the heart of Moscow that has been the historical seat of Russian state power

Orgburo

established during Lenin's reign to make important decisions about organisational work in the Soviet Union

General Secretary of the Communist Party

Stalin is appointed to this post with Lenin's approval

Comintern

Communist International, international association of communist parties led by the Soviet Union for the purpose of encouraging worldwide communist revolution

Troika

The alliance between Stalin, Zinoviev and Kamenev

Red Square

The area in central Moscow adjacent to the Kremlin. It is also the home of St. Basil's Cathedral and the tomb of Lenin.

GPU

The new secret police which replaced the Cheka in 1922.

Lenin Enrolment

A 1923-1925 campaign aimed at increasing the size of the CPSU and boosting membership among the proletariat.

Duumvirate

Stalin's alliance with Bukharin

United Opposition

Alliance between Trotsky, Zinoviev & Kamenev

Marxist-Leninism

Communist theory as derived from the writings of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, and their successors, which criticizes capitalism as a cause of class struggle, the exploitation of works, colonialism, and war

Stalinism

the ideology and policies adopted by Stalin, based on centralization, totalitarianism, and the pursuit of communism.

Dictatorship

A form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)

Collectivisation

policy of abolishing private farms and replacing them with state collective farms

Purges

Joseph Stalin's policy of exiling or killing millions of his opponents in the Soviet Union.

Traditional History

a series of events that have a linear, casual relationship and is progressive (that the human species is improving over the course of time, advancing in its moral, cultural and technological accomplishments)

Revisionist history

Returning to a historical theory and altering it or changing it based on newly discovered evidence OR omitting facts or evidence of the past to make a historical time or event fit one's agenda.

Decree on Party Unity

made lenin effectively and immediately dissolve all Bolshevik party factions to ensure strict discipline and unity under single party

red terror

period of mass political repression, violence, and executions carried out by the Bolshevik government and the Cheka between 1918 and 1922.

factionalism

formation of political factions or groups within a larger political party due to differing opinions or priorities

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)

was a federal socialist state that existed from 1922 to 1991, consisting of 15 republics in Eurasia. formed after Russian Revolution of 1917, run by Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU)

Grain procurement crisis

significant food shortages across the Soviet Union in 1928

Kolkhozy

small family-owned farms who were run by committees of peasants

Sovkhozy

often established from land that was confiscated by the state

Gulags

forced labor camps

Dekulakisation

removal of kulak class

Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU)

replaced the Cheka as the secret police in 1923 - violent and frequently arrested, imprisoned and deported kulaks to gulags

Motor Tractor Stations

state equipment repair stations

Treaty of Rapallo

an agreement signed on 16 April 1922 between the German Republic and Soviet Russia under which both renounced all territorial and financial claims against each other and opened friendly diplomatic relations.

Collective Security

system in which states have attempted to prevent or stop wars

Franco-Soviet Pact of Mutual Assistance

a bilateral treaty between France and the Soviet Union with the aim of enveloping Nazi Germany in 1935 to reduce the threat from Central Europe.

· Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact

an agreement of convenience between the two bitter ideological enemies. It permitted Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union to carve up spheres of influence in eastern Europe, while pledging not to attack each other for 10 years.