Was Lenin a dictator

‘On party unity’

Measure taken to get NEP, banning factions in the party effectively removing all meaningful debate of ideas.

Ended constituent assembly

First democratic body in Russian, the Bolsheviks did not win a majority due to the peasants backing of the SRs so Lenin shut it down after only a few months that had been plagued with violence from Bolshevik sailors.

Nomenklatura system

Corrupt system used by Lenin to name people he wanted promotions for and others he wanted removed from the party.

Article 6 of the constitution

This officially established the Bolshevik (now Communist) party as the only legal part setting up a one party state.

Grain requisition

The people hated this and it led to huge famine, but Lenin did not listen instead deciding to use Cheka to force it’s implementation.

Ordered execution of 100 peasants and handling of Tambov

As an intellectual who had spent barely any time of his adult life living in Russia, Lenin was more concerned with ideology than practicality. The huge peasant base was abused to favour the Proletariat and those that resisted were hung or gassed in the case of Tambov.

Red Terror

200,00 people were executed and huge number more were arrested. Kronstadt and Tambov were violently put down. Those in Tambov were gassed and in Kronstadt they were executed into mass graves in a forest.

Censorship and propaganda

The printing press was nationalized and radio was monopolized by the government as the technology was new and expensive. This removed all opportunity for the spreading of dissidence.

Party cleansing

OGPU removed 1/3 of the party using non-violent methods. However, it is likely Lenin chose a large portion to be removed as they did not follow his line.

Cult of Lenin

Mainly appeared after his assassination attempt. He was not a fan of this, but let it continue as a necessary measure to control the masses.

Ended elections

After the disaster of the constituent assembly the national elections were wiped out and the people would only have a say in their official at the most absolutely local level possible

Lenin chaired the Sovnarkom and was a member of the Politburo.

Therefore, there was no separation of powers and Lenin could exercise complete control over the country

Forced through Brest Litovsk and NEP

These hugely unpopular measures required him to threaten to resign to force them through the resistant politburo

Democratic centralism

Although this was deeply corrupt, it did allow for democracy at the lowest levels to feed into the highest levels

Geographical limitations

As Lenin was in Moscow it would have been nearly impossible for him to effectively govern the far east of Russia made worse by resource loss.

Lenin was more of a first among equals

He did not have absolute power over the country and the politburo was quite large and discussion was frequent and encouraged. His threat to resign couldn’t work infinitely and decision went against him

Power was spread

Lenin gave the commissars a good amount of power in their area and later Stalin was given great power in the party in the form of being general party secretary as Lenin broke his own power down further.

Discouraged his own cult

He hated the religious aspects it adopted and he ended the Proletkult art movement as it was too fanatical

Allowed trade unions to continue in a weaker form

Although he did weaken them, he let them have a say which can’t be said for other leaders

Structure of government made removal possible

The need for politburo approval for the number one meant a large enough majority from them or from the step below could remove him.

His reforms made him genuinely popular

Land, workers, and women’s rights were all on his revolutionary agenda and his changes had a lot of support. His pragmatic approach also allowed for changes where needed to prevent widespread resentment