russia

% of Russians peasants in 1917

80%

What forces helped keep Nicholas II in power?

The Okhrana (secret police), the Imperial Guard and the Cossacks

Who were the opposition groups to Nicholas II in 1917?

Social Democrats - Bolsheviks and Mensheviks, Social Revolutionaries - Left and Right, Liberals - Oktoberists and Kadets

What was inflation in 1917 and why was it caused?

300% and caused by abandonment of the Gold Standard and printing excess money for WW1

How many people on strike and where in October 1916?

100,000 in Petrograd

What happened to wages and food prices between 1914 - 1916?

Food prices quadrupled but wages only doubled.

By 1916 how much of their food and fuel requirements were Moscow and Petrograd receiving?

1/3

What problems did urbanisation cause in 1917?

Overcrowding, disease, poor living conditions.

Which bodies should have given workers a voice in government but didn't?

Zemstva and Duma

What and when was the Lena Goldfields Massacre and what did it lead to?

1912, goldminers in Lena went on strike due to poor working conditions and hundreds shot by Imperial Guard - led to 3 million workers striking in the 2 years leading up to WW1.

In what year did Nicholas II go to the army and in what position?

1915, Commander in Chief

Who did Nicholas II leave in charge while he was at war and what problems did this cause?

Tsarina Alexandria, who was highly influenced by the disreputable mystic Rasputin who supposedly cured Alexi of haemophilia - rumours of scandal made Tsar look weak.

What was the change in the cost of the war from 1914 to 1918?

In 1914 cost 1.5billion rubles, by 1918 cost 14.5 billion rubles

How many Russian conscripts in WW1?

15 million

What happened on 18th February 1917?

20,000 workers from the Putilov steel works went on strike in Petrograd

What happened on the 23rd February 1917?

International Womens Day - tens of thousands of women joined strikers in Petrograd

What happened on the 25th February 1917?

Petrograd virtually in general strike as 200,000 workers join strike - Head of police, Shalfeev killed while trying to hold back protestors.

Who was the President of the Duma and when did he refuse to shut it down?

Rodzianko - 26th February 1917.

What and when did the Duma become during the February Revolution and who was it led by?

27th February 1917 - Provisional Committee, headed by Kerensky.

When and how did the Tsar lose support from the army during Feb Revolution 1917?

On 27th February 1917 the Volynskii regiment mutinied and on 28th February 1917 Krondstadt sailors mutinied.

What happened on the 28th February 1917?

Soviets formed the Provisional Executive Committee, the Tsar's train diverted by railworkers, Krondstadt sailors mutinied and Order No 1 declared Petrograd Soviets had authority over soldiers and sailors, not Provisional Government.

When did Tsar Nicholas II abdicate?

2nd March 1917

When and by whom was Rasputin killed?

December 1916, by a group of conservative nobles.

How much did goods distributed by rail fall by from 1913 to 1917?

30 million tonnes of goods distributed by rail in 1913, fell to 19 million tonnes by 1917

How many working railway trains were there running in 1914 compared to 1917?

20,000 working railway engines 1914, 9,200 by 1917.

Population rise in Petrograd between 1914 - 1917?

2.1 million in 1914 - 2.7 million in 1917

How many went on strike in Moscow and Petrograd in January 1916?

30,000 in Moscow, 145,000 in Petrograd

What was the Dual Authority made up of?

Provisional Government and Petrograd Soviets

Why was the Provisional Government weakened from the beginning?

No elected so lacked legitimacy, too cautious to act against social, economic and war problems.

Successes of Dual Authority

Removed Okhrana and created a people's militia, wanted a democratic Constituent Assembly election, created civil and religious rights, recognised trade unions and amnesty for the Tsar's political prisoners.

When did Lenin return to Russia the first time?

3rd April 1917

Goals of the April Theses

Abandon cooperation with other parties as Bolsheviks only true revolutionaries, overthrow Provisional Government, transfer power to the workers, all authority passed to Soviets.

Popular slogans of the April Theses

'Peace, Bread, Land!' 'All Power to the Soviets!'

When was the July Days?

3rd - 6th July 1917

What happened at the July Days?

Large scale demonstration against the Provisional Government in Petrograd led by the Bolsheviks - chaotic and troops scattered them easily. Following this Kerensky became Prime Minister, Lenin fled to Finland and Kamenev and Trotsky arrested.

When was the Kornilov Affair?

August 1917

Who was Kornilov?

Commander in Chief of the Home Army in 1917

What happened at the Kornilov Affair?

Kornilov attempted to attack Petrograd with loyal troops, to save the Provisional Government from being overthrown and to disperse Bolsheviks and Soviets. Kerensky publicly condemned Kornilov's actions and fearing a military right wing coup, placed Petrograd under martial law, freed and armed citizens and Bolsheviks. Kornilov surrendered when railway workers would not operate his trains.

How much did Bolshevik members increase in the Soviet by from June to December 1917?

164%

How many newspapers were the Soviets producing in October 1917?

41

How many deserters from the army were there between March and May 1917 and what was an incentive to come home?

365,000 - Provisional Government did not address the Land Issue of peasants rioting and seizing land off landowners so soldiers came home to seize their share.

When and what was the Kerensky Offensive?

June 1917 - Kerensky led an attack on Austro-German forces which showed the extent of the disintegration of the army. Many troops refused to come out of the trenches in large scale mutiny and suffered a huge counterattack that met little resistance and forced further retreat. Led to even more desertions.

When did the Bolsheviks become the largest party in both the Moscow and Petrograd Soviets?

September 1917

When and what did Trotsky set up which controlled armed forces loyal to the Soviet?

October 9th set up Military Revolutionary Council

How many people were in the MRC?

200,000 Red Guards, 150,000 soldiers

How did Kerensky help start the October Revolution?

On 23rd October he sent armed guards into Bolshevik centres and Pravda, arrested leaders, shut down newspapers. - provoked uprising.

When was the October Revolution?

25th - 27th October 1917

Why did Bolsheviks choose October to rise up?

Prime state of instability as noone officially elected yet - wanted to do it before Congress of Soviets met in late October and Constituent Assembly election in November.

When did Lenin return to Russia the second time?

7th October 1917

When did the Bolshevik Central Committee vote for an uprising?

10th October - Zinoviev and Kamenev opposed (10 - 2)

Who fought for the Provisional Government in the October Revolution?

Remnants of Petrograd garrison - some Cossacks and the Women's Battalion of Death.

How many killed during October Revolution?

6 Red Guards

When did the Bolsheviks authorise their power after October Revolution

At the All-Russian Congress of Soviets on 25th-26th October 1917, Kamenev announced the new Sovnarkom would only have Bolsheviks on the committee - Social Revolutionaries and Mensheviks walked out and Kerensky fled to USA.

Initial problems for the Bolsheviks in power

WWI, land ownership issue, dealing with opposition, the economy, national minorities

What is democratic centralism

Lenin's government system of organisation that members take part in policy discussions and elections at all levels but must follow decisions made at higher levels.

How did Lenin create an illusion of democracy after October Revolution?

Sovnarkom was appointed by the All Russian Congress of Soviets so looked democratic - however Kamenev as Chairman forced them to do this.

Bolsheviks primary power base after October Revolution

Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party

What and when were the three decrees Lenin issued after October Revolution?

Decree on Peace - October 1917 - appeal to warring nations to enter into peace talks. Decree on Land - November 1917 - private ownership of land abolished and land taken from the nobles and clergy and distributed amongst peasants. Decree on Worker's Control - November 1917 - allowed workers' committees to take over the factories to but tried to make the committees more efficient.

What was Vesenkha and when was it set up?

Set up in December 1917 to take control of economic institutions and ran the economy under State Capitalism principles.

What were Vesenkha's first measures?

Nationalised banks and railways, cancelled foreign debts (especially relevant to the French), improved the transport system.

State Capitalism

Transitional stage of Marxism from pure Capitalism to Socialism and Communism.

What happened in the November 1917 Constituent Assembly Elections?

Bolsheviks outvoted by the Social Revlutionaries almost 2 to 1. Bolsheviks only won 24% of the vote and gained 1/4 of the seats.

How and when did Lenin dissolve the Constituent Assembly?

January 1918 - claimed the Social Revolutionaries had rigged the elections and that there was no longer any need for democratic elections as democracy had been achieved when the Tsar was overthrown.

When was the Cheka set up?

7th December 1917

How did the Bolsheviks deal with opposition when they first came to power?

Closed down all non-Bolshevik newspapers, imprisoned Social Revolutionary, Menshevik and Kadet leaders, set up the Cheka, encouraged class warfare, abolished legal system and set up violent revolutionary justice.

When and what treaty was signed to end Russian involvement in WWI?

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk - 1918

What were Russia's losses from the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?

Lost 1/3 of its European territory, including the Ukraine, a major grain source; this 1 million square km contained 45 million Russians, and 3 million rubles reparations.

When was the Russian Civil War?

1918 - 1921

What was the bread ration in Petrograd in March 1918?

50g a day

When was the Tsar and his family killed?

June 1918

Number of deaths caused by the Cheka between 1918 - 1920

300,000

What force did Czechoslovakia set up in the Civil War to try and gain independence?

The Czech Legion - 40,000 Czech troops who fought for the Whites

When did the Czech Legion withdraw from the Civil War?

October 1918 after they gained independence

Who made up the Red Army in the Civil War?

Kronstadt sailors, the Red Guards and volunteers from the old army

When and why did Bolsheviks change to Communists?

1918 during the Civil War to appear as a movement with a goal of equality rather than a political party

When was conscription introduced to the Red Army?

May 1918

Strengths of the Reds in Civil War

Controlled Moscow and Petrograd, controlled the railways, used effective propaganda, Trotsky good leader and introduced conscription, moved their capital to Moscow, peasants supported them due to Decree on Land

Who was the White army made up of?

Former Tsarists, nationalists, liberals, Social Revolutionaries and other anti-Bolshevik groups

Why were the Whites divided in the Civil War?

Social Revolutionaries wanted a Constituent Assembly to run Russia, whereas many wanted military coup and dictatorship until previous law and order reinstated.

Who was the Green army made up of?

Peasants and national minorities

By how much were the Whites outnumbered by the Reds in the Civil War?

600,000 men

How many men in the Red Army?

3 million

What position did Trotsky hold during Civil War?

Commissar for War from 1918

Strengths of Trotsky in the Civil War

Reorganised army so more disciplined, gave Tsarist officers their former roles back, travelled in an armed train to boost morale at the front, created elite battalion to reinforce army and boost morale of peasants, brains behind propaganda

What was the Sovnarkom replaced by after the Civil War?

Politburo and Orgburo

British involvement in Civil War

March 1918 - end of 1920. Wanted to prevent Communism from spreading and wanted to reopen Russian front in WWI. Backed the Baltic states and achieved independence for Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and troops joined Japanese in Vladivostock in August 1918

USA involvement in Civil War

August 1918 - end of 1919. Wanted to prevent Communism from spreading and wanted to reopen Russian front in WWI. Joined the UK and Japan in Vladivostock in 1918 and troops occupied parts of Siberia in 1919.

French involvement in Civil War

December 1918 - end of 1919. Wanted to regain assets they had invested in but had been nationalised by the Bolsheviks. Established land base in Crimea, had warships in the Black Sea and joined UK, USA and Japan at Vladivostock

Japanese involvement in Civil War

August 1918 - 1922. Wanted to gain territory in East Russia. Established themselves in Vladivostock

Reasons for failure of foreign forces in Civil War

Not coordinated and little cooperation between countries, troops come from WWI so low morale and not in their best interests, WWI ended before they could reopen the Russian front against Germany.

What was War Communism and when was it introduced?

Summer 1918 - all economic resources focused on winning the Civil War.

When and what was the Decree on Nationalisation?

June 1918 - All major industries under state control, run by Vesenkha.

When did grain requisitioning and kulak class warfare start?

Summer 1918 - government blamed low production of grain during Civil War on hoarders and hung 100 kulaks as a Cheka terror tactic.

What did War Communism do about money?

Banned private trade and the use of money following hyperinflation.

When was the Civil War famine and how many died in it?

1921 Famine - 5 million died from famine over Civil War

Difference in grain harvests between 1913 and 1921

1921 grain harvests a quarter of 1913 levels.

What foreign aid did Bolsheviks accept during 1921 famine?

American Relief Association fed 10 million Russians.

When was the Kronstadt Rising and what did they demand?

February 1921 - Bolshevik members Alexander Shlyapnikov and Alexandra Kollontai led workers opposition protest against War Communism, creating Kronstadt Manifesto, demanding more workers rights and freedom of speech and press.

How did Lenin crush the Kronstadt Rising?

Sent 60,000 Red Army troops to storm the Kronstadt base.

When was NEP introduced and how long did it last for?

March 1921 - 1928