last resort crashout history revision russia and the soviet union early decrees and execution of tsar - women and ethnic minorities

the early decrees of the bolsheviks

decree on peace - all countries should seek it without land being seized or large fines

decree on land - land taken from wealthy landowners belonged to peasants

decree on workers rights - 8 hour day, unemployment insurance, worker’s committees run their own factories

decree on nationalities - all different people of old russian empire could have their own governments, however they remained under bolshevik control

abolition of constituent assembly

Lenin ordered the red guard to shut down the constituent assembly

all political parties other than the bolsheviks were banned

the cheka

set up on 7 December 1917

he said the revolution was under threat from higher class enemies and the bourgeoisie

the main way the bolsheviks used terror to consolidate their hold over russia

execution of the tsar

kept as prisoners by the bolsheviks

they were all killed on 17 july 1917

the treaty of brest-litovsk

lenin fulfilled his promise to end the war

trotsky demanded a peace treaty with no losses to russia

the germans ended the ceasefire and advanced into russia

lenin demanded that trotsky get a peace dela at any price

it was signed on 3 march 1918

russia lossed a huge area of its former western territories

(50 percent of its industry was gone)

reactions to the treaty of brest litovsk

soldiers were pleased the war was over

nationalists and conservatives didnt like the losses - formed the ‘white army’ to fight the bolsheviks (‘red army’)

left SRs assassinated the german ambassador in attempts to re spark the war as they hated the treaty

the civil war reasons

huge territorial losses from the treaty

nationalists and conservatives had everything to lsoe from the bolshevik’s plans for workers and peasants

mensheviks and some SRs opposed the dictatorship

nationalities within old russia wanted to break away from the russian empire

monarchists wanted to reinstate the tsar

different armies in the civil war

the red army - bolsheviks

the white army - any opposition

the green army - peasants and workers who wanted to break free of government control

effects fo the civil war on the boolsheviks

terror tactics to ensure control (cheka would hunt down any suspected opponents and execute them)

harsh discipline to ensure obedience in the army

ideological victory and increased morale (strengthened belief in the revolution)

centralised control (strengthened bolshevik belief in highly organised control from the centre)

russia under threat from foreign invasion due to involvement of former allies (france and britain)

bolshevik strengths in the civil war

war communism

red army conscription built the army up to a powerful fighting force of 5 million

trotsky reintroduced discipline, making it effective

propoganda

tactical alliances

control of most industries (railways, and weapons)

central russia contained most of the population which could be conscripted

control of central russia - less distance to send supplies

white weaknesses in the civil war

far fewer whites than reds

no single leader

everyone had different goals if they won so that tore them apart

weren’t popular with workers and peasants

did not control industrial areas

geographically spread out

did not have large populations

foreign interventions was propaganda gift to the reds

trotsky in civil war

organised the mobilistaiton

used experienced ex tsarist officers and kept families hostage to ensure loyalty

his commissars kept strict discipline

encouraged soldiers to learn to read and write and taught them of the aims of the bolsheviks

introduced the socialist military oath to ensure loyalty

civil war foreign intervention

british, french, japanese and us soldiers were all sent to help the whites

helped the whites for a while, made them seem stronger than they were

the red terror

a period of executions and arrests between september 1918 and february 1919

lenin introduced it after surviving an assassination attempt by an SR

Bolsheviks called on workers to report anyone who made any remarks against the soviets and their government

civil war - the cheka was sent into areas the reds won back to arrest anyone they suspected of working with the whites

the cheka shot any deserters of the red army

its methods never went away under bolshevik leadership

the cheka

grew rapidly during the civil war

1919 - 100 000 employees

enormous power - could arrest, imprison, torture or execute anyone whom they suspected

as many as 12 000 people were executed by the cheka between 1918 and 1920

the kronstadt mutiny

the kronstadt naval base guarded petrograd

it was a shock to the senior bolsheviks that they revolted as they fought in the february revolution, the july days and the october revolution

the sailors were sick of war communism and the red terror and lack of political freedom

trotsky sent 50 000 red army soldiers to take back the base

500 were executed by the cheka

the mutiny undermined the bolsheviks claim to be acting for the working class and peasants

there were consequently protests against them

how did the communist party work

members of the communist party elect the party congress who elect the central committee who elect the politburo

the politburo only had the 5 people closest to lenin in it

essentially, the soviets had no power at all

who was in the politburo in 1919

lenin, trotsky, zinoniev, kamenev and stalin

what was war communism

introduced in 1918, put the russian economy under government control

peasants were not allowed to sell their crops - the cheka requisitioned their crops for a fixed lwo price, and left the peasants a small amount for their own needs

industries were nationalised and given production targets by the government

peoples rights and freedoms were restricted - strikes were banned and any suspected political opposition was dealt with by the cheka

money was abolished and people were paid in goods and services rather than cash. labour was also conscripted - the government forced people to work.

reasons for war communism

• the bolsheviks needed control over the industry to supply the red army with weapons and resources

• the bolsheviks needed control over food supply in order to feed soldiers and workers

consequences of war communism

• farm production had fallen to 37 percent of 1913 levels

• numbers of people working in factories fell by half, and production halved too

• famine caused many deaths - in some areas people resorted to cannibalism

• industries produced no consumer goods, increasing hardships in cities

• in areas that reds did not control where money was still used, prices rose

political crisis after war communism and centralisation

• factory workers organised strikes

• kronstadt mutiny

• communist party members protested at how they were excluded from decisions

• peasant uprising in tambov province

reasons for NEP in 1921

• the disastrous economic consequences of war communism

• the political opposition caused by war communism

features of NEP

NEP reversed the socialist features that war communism had introduced to the USSR

• the free market was reintroduced.

• the state stopped requisitioning grain and other crops from the peasants - now they paid tax on what they sold

• money was reintroduced

• the state kept control of big factories, but small businesses and farms could be privately owned and run

• foreign experts were brought in to improve how factories were run

economic effects of NEP

• agricultural production increased as peasants began to produce more

• industrial growth increased but more slowly

• some traders (NEP-men) made profits form the shortages of food and manufactured goods. wealthier peasants also did well as they had the most surplus produce

• this led to inequality in the USSR which was not socialist

for and against NEP

peasants and traders were for - they wanted freedom to sell their own goods

many communist party members were against - it was a backwards step close rot capitalism

impacts of bolshevik policies on women 1918-24

GOOD

• post card divorces 1917 - made divorce easier and gave women more freedom. non religious marriages were also produced

• zhenotdel 1919 - a womens organisation set up to increase freedom, equality and influence of women

• abortion made legal 1920 - russia was one of the first countries to do this

BAD

• The leader of zhenotdel was limited because she opposed lenin by demanding more democracy in the communist party

• number of creches and factory work for women declined and they were expected to do domestic work, even if they had a job

communist education policies 1921-24

co education was introduced as a way of reducing discrimination

major literacy drive in the red army

by 1926 58 percent of the population was literate

communist cultural policies

• agitprop - agitation and propaganda section of the party

• used art, literature and films to promote communist ideas

controlling communist art

• 1920s were a great time for artist freedom. however the communist party censored artists to prioritise propaganda

how did stalin become a leader

• made sure everyone thought he was closest to Lenin by taking the lead role at his funeral (which trotsky was too ill to attend) and editing photos

• he worked with kamenev and zinoviev (with bukharins support) but when kamenev and zinoviev opposed bukharin, stalin criticised them for trying to split the party

• economic difficulties in 1927-28 put pressure on NEP, which Bukharin supported. Stalin switched to arguing for rapid industrialisation and the collectivisation of agriculture, Stalin won the party’s support and Bukharin lost his influence

what were the purges

• a continuation of bolshevik use of violence to eliminate political opposition

• murdered ex mensheviks, his closest ally Kirov, purged the communist party, did show trials and sent 8 million people to labour camps

consequences of the purges

• stalin is dominant - all of the old leninists were killed off, so everyone in the party owed their position to stalin. many were scared of him

• chaos in government and economy - loss of experienced managers and administrators lef the government and industry with skills shortages

• weakened armed forces - stalin killed off most experienced officers

what were the NKVD

• new secret police - intimidated, arrested, executed people

what were gulags

labour camps

what were the show trials (and when)

• 1936-38

• high profile leading party members

• public declarations of guilt were meant to make people believe the country was really under attack by enemies of the state

the new constitution of 1936

GOOD

• everyone was allowed to vote

• voting done in secret

• guaranteed workers rights to holidays, health care, housing, education and other benefits

BAD

• only one party to vote for

• workers rights easily ignored by secret police

• activities of all republics of the USSR were closely controlled by the communist party

• stalin ran the USSR like a dictatorship

the cult of stalin

• stalin as the ‘lenin of today’ - he portrayed himself as the person best able to understand Lenin’s ideas and put them into practise

• 'focus on stalin’s economic achievements - shown on posters by modern factories, successful collectivised farms and prosperous people

• ‘leader, teacher, friend’ - was given a friendly image

how was the cult of stalin achieved

art, propaganda messages, books, poems and plays

why did collectivisation happen

• came about because NEP was so opposed to communism and too close to capitalism, yields were low and not enough grain was collected in 1927-28

what was collectivisation

• the state owned the land, the equipment and everything the land produced

• each farm was told what to farm

• set price was paid by the state when they collected it

• all workers were given set hours

attack on kulaks

• during the grain crisis, grain was forcefully taken by the state from the peasants

• they were forced to join kolkhozes

• those who refused were labelled kulaks

• 1929 peasants were shot or sent to siberia who refused

• 30 000 kulaks died between 1930 and 1931

successes of collectivisation

• improvements in farming mechanisms

• grain production began to increase

• getting control over the countryside was a political sucess for stalin

failures of collectivisation

• the famine of 1932-33 - peasants who had destroyed their crops and livestock had nothing to eat, stalin refused to help them due to their opposition to collectivisation

• the liquidation of kulaks killed most experienced farmers

• too few tractors

• farmers did as little work as they could get away with

5 year plans

• first five year plan (1928-32) focused on increasing output of heavy industry

• second five year plan (1933-37) focused on increased output of heavy industry but with greater efficiency

• third five year plan (1938-41) focused on an increase in military production, and improvements to education

stakhanov

• coal miner who became famous for mining 14 times his quota

gosplan

• planning committee

• responsible for planning the targets for key industries to meet

• enormous pressure put on managers and workers to deliver the targets

• workers could be rewarded with higher wages if they met their targets

failures of industrialisation

• some production depended on slave labour from gulags

• factory conditions were bad

• living conditions did not improve - some live din basic tents

• targets meant quality was compromised and many goods broke easily

• productivity was low

• waste and confusion because of inefficient production techniques

successes of industrialisation

• the USSR was now a fully industrialised nation

• increase in the production of arms helped eventually to repel German invasion during WW2

• new towns and cities built

• no unemployment

• new factories

• communist party had more support from industrial workers than rural peasants