just all USSR notes:

Lenin: 1917-1924

bolsheviks-wanted immediate revolution, led by Lenin and radical workers/soldiers supported them

mensheviks-favoured gradual revolution through collaboration between bourgeoisie and democratic methods, led by Julius Martov, supported by more moderate workers and intellectuals

then provisional government was established after the tsar abdicated. weaknesses that made if vulnerable to the bolsheviks:lack of legitimacy, divided leadership, failure to end war, economic instability, land reform decay

bolsheviks promised 3 things:peace', land and bread

events leading to october revolution:

feb 1917- feb revolution- protests force tsar nicolas II to abdicate→end of tasrist rule, beginning of provisional government

july 1917-july days-armed demonstrations against provisional gov by bolsheviks. prov gov weakened, bolsheviks gained support

october 25-26, 1917-oct revolution. bolsheviks seize key buildins and gov sites. bolsheviks take control, USSR established

bolsheviks created a new government, called the soviet government:

• chairman-head of soviet government (lenin)

• people’s commissars- headed various departments

• soviets-local councils representing workers, peasants and soldiers

march 1918-treaty of brest-litovsk-peace agreement (peace at any price policy) between russia and the central powers (germany, austria hungary, ottoman empire, bulgaria), marked russias withdrawal from ww1. resulted in:

• loss of territories:poland, ukraine, baltic states

• economic consequences due to loss of resources and industries (reparations)

• military-russian army demobilised

consequences:

• low morale

• strengthening bolshevik control

• reactions from allies-saw as a betrayal

• political rivals-mensheviks etc criticised political consessions and impact on russias sovereignty

ww1:

• military weakness

• economic strain

• political instability

russian civil war (1917-22) starts after bolsheviks/reds seize power in oct rev. they were opposed by the white armies, a coalition of diverse groups including the monarchists, liberals and former army officers. main causes:

• opposition to bolshevik rule

• economic hardships-war communism and the breakdown of trade fueled disconent

entente powers supported the whites hoping to have russia as ally against germany

War communism:

introduced during russian civil war to supply bolsheviks with food and resources, strict control over production and distribution

key policies:

• nationalisation (govt takes ownership and control) -all major industries under state control (banks, factories, land)

• forcible grain requisition-surplus grain seized from peasants

• labour conscription-mandatory work for specified tasks (aged 16-50 either work or fight (my memory))

key features:

• state controlled economic system

• trade-state monopoly

• grain requisition

• valueless currency

consequences:

• severe economic hardship and famine

• peasant resistance and revolts

• reduced agricultural production

Lenin’s main opposition:

• mensheviks-wanted democratic socialism (criticised)

• white army-anti-bolshevik (fought)

• peansants-wanted agrocultural autom=nomy which was taken away under war communism (requested grain requisitioning)

• religious groups-wanted to practice traditional faith-continued to practice faith against restrictions

Lenin’s strategies to suppress opposition:

• political repression-banning political parties such as the mensheviks-eliminated rival ideologies. between 1918 and 22, mensheviks etc were exiled to make russia a one-party state

• cheka use-using the secret police to arrest/execute suspected enemies. established in dec 1917. carried out tens of thousands of executions from 1918-22, arrested over 200,000 people -silenced opposition

• red terror (during civil war but 1918-19)-campaign of violence to instill fear and eliminate resistence-suppressed resistence, between 50,000 and 140,000 people killed and concentration camps were established on the solevetsky islands

• censorship-controlling media and information to prevent the spread of opposing views-prevented the spread

suppression led to a 1 party state where candidates where only bolsheviks

Cheka:

first secret police

terrorised enemies in red terror

first director-felix dzerzhinsky

renamed as GPU in 1922

renamed as OGPU in 1923

renamed as NKVD in 1934(stalin?)

renamed as KGB in 1954(khrushchev?)

decree=legal order issued by sov govt that had immediate force generally with revolutionary intent

in feb. 1918, bolshevik decrees became more extreme. the party could now force anyone to do hard labour and could execute anyone who resisted

Lenins decrees:

• Land decree-distributing land to peasants. eliminated priv ownership, supported rural population (increased bolshevik popularity, weakened power of nobility)

• decree on peace-ended russias involvement in ww1. immediate peace, reshaped foreign policy (gained widespread domestic support)

• worker’s control decree-gave workers control over factories. enhanced workers’ participation, restructured industrial management. factory management decisions required worker’s approval, workers had access to financial records (faced challenges in long run due to organisational issues)

• nationalization of industry-brought factories upon state ownership. increased state economic power, transformed industrial output

The Konstradt Mutiny:

soldiers were denounced as “Whites” and “counter-revolutionaries” by lenin

the sailors fought bacl but were defeated

many hundreds were killed

sailors werent really whites, they just believed that the bolsheviks went too far

state control:

• land-land decree, weakened noble power and increased bolshevik support

• industry-nationalisation of key industries, allowed central planning, s essential production

• trade-state monopoly (gov has complete control over production, distribution, and sale fo a good in a country) on foreign trade, controlled imports and exports, protected domestic industry

• finance-nationalisation of banks, centralized financial resources

• benefits:centralised planning for resource allocation, reduced econ. inequality, prioritised essential industries and public welfare

• drawbacks:bureaucratic inefficiencies, stifled innovation and competition, reduced consumer choice

+and- of Lenin’s policies:

+land decree boosted bolshevik support among peasants

+decree on peace ended russia’s participation in ww1 so stability and relief

+workers control decree→initially empowered workers

-however workers control decree led to chaos in the long-term

-nationalisation caused econ. disruption and shortages

-bureaucratic inefficiencies hindered economic growth

war communism, drought and civil war led to famine (1921-22), which led to NEP

NEP (new economic policy): (after famine)

introduced after civil war (close to end of war) in 1921, allowed some private ownership and market trade under state control

to rebuild the economy, increase production and maintain control

some elements of capitalism introduced

key features:

• mixed economy with state and private sectors

• allowed private trade and markets (private enterprise)

• farmers could sell surplus grain on open market

• reintroduction of money and stable currency after inflation

created to address these problems that war communism had created:

• econ. devastation, industrial output dropped by 70% from pre-war levels

• widespread famine

• peasant unrest. grain requisitioning→peasant revolts and resistance to bolshevik regime

impact:

• agricultural recovery-grain harvests increased from 46.1 million tons in 1922 to 76.8 million tons in 1925

• industrial revival-industrial output nearly doubled from 1921 to 1926

• increased availability of goods

• alleviated famine and food shortages

• encouraged private trade

• revitalised exports

• quicker economic recovery compared to war communism

• ideological clashes within party(elements of capitalism)

winners:

• urban workers and rural peasants

• NEPmen(private traders)

• kulaks(prosperous peasants)

• state employees

losers:

• lower-class urban workers

• unskilled urban workers

• those relying on state services

+and- of nationalisation:

+centralised resource allocation

+theoretically equitable distribution

+rapid industrialisation

-reduced innovation and efficiency

-bureaucratic hurdles in production

-forced collectivisation led to famine

Central planning in soviet economy:

economic system where govt makes all econ decisions

+rapid industrialisation

+strategic resource allocation

+relatively stable employment and income levels for workers

- inefficiencies in production and distribution

-lack of innovation and consumer choice

- difficulty adapting to changing consumer needs

-chronic shortages of goods and services

overall of all USSR history: (blurting before bed)

• october revolution 1917 bolsheviks take over and replace provisional government

• bolsheviks promise peace, land and bread (?)

• russian civil war between bolsheviks and mensheviks

• red terror by cheka in war-cheka led by felix something

• war communism-nationalisation (1917-22 or 21)

• women:zhenotdel led by alexandra kollontai. abortions, divorce, créches, work encouraged

• 1918-treaty of brest-litovsk (“peace at any price”??)

• NEP 1921(or 22?)-24(?)

• women:more traditional(?), creches not as available, more work for soldiers that came back i guess

• 1924-lenin dies

• stalin and trotsky (and someone else?) compete, stalin takes over

• stalins cult of personality and terror

• 5-year plans (how many?)

• collectivisation→famine (holodomor) (did collectivisation lead to it?)

• stalin dies suspiciously

• khrushchev-de-stalinization

• space race with usa

• cuban missile crisis

• was removed by politburo

• brezhnev-stagnation and corruption

• andropov and chernenko-idek they didnt last very long

• gorbachev-glasnost

• chernobyl(here orrr…? also they werent very open ab it so wheres the glasnost?)

• yeltsin-ussr falls apart

• capitalism