The Bolshevik Consolidation of Power 1918-21
The Bolsheviks under Lenin, when they came into power in October 1917,
faced immense problems in trying to consolidate their hold over the
ex-tsarist empire. Firstly, how were the Bolsheviks, in view of their
military resources, to extend their hold over the nation at large? The
second, was how could they achieve a speedy end to the war and effect
a rapid withdrawal of the German army, which was currently occupying
the western part of Russia. Thirdly, how quickly would they be able to
stage an economic recovery?
Beset by internal and external enemies, the Bolsheviks were engaged in
a desperate struggle for survival. Pre-1917, they had been spent in
preparing plans for the revolution, and less attention was given to
the details of how affairs would be organised once this had been
achieved. Trotsky had expressed this simple faith at his time of
appointment as commissar for foreign affairs, when h e said that all
that was required to be done was 'to issue a few decrees, then shut up
shop and go home'.
An internal threat occurred in 1918, in the form of a civil war,
fought between 1918 and 1920, in which the Bolsheviks (the Reds) were
confronted by a loose combination of anti-Bolshevik forces (the
whites); the external threat came from abroad in 1918-19, with a
series of military interventions by a number of foreign powers,
including Britain, France, the USA and Japan.
1 The Dissolution of A Constituent Assembly
For Lenin, true democracy was the rule of the Bolshevik Party, the
voice of the revolutionary masses. This particular interpretation of
democracy, often referred to ...
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...a committee and demanded new elections, freedom of
speech and press, assembly, trade unions, more political parties, the
release of left-wing prisoners, the end of food rations, the removal
of commissars from factories, and the allowance of food transfers.
They wanted collective human rights. The fact that the people who were
revolting against communism were the very people who founded it, meant
that Trotsky had to sit up and take note. Trotsky ordered 60,000 red
troops to storm the base, where ruthless fighting took place, and the
workers and soldiers eventually surrendered; this marked the height of
the political unrest.
The leaders of the demonstration were said to be Whites (whether this
was true or not is unclear), and they were executed. Lenin decided
that it was time to be more lenient of war communism ideals.
The Seizure of Power by the Bolsheviks in 1917. How did the Bolsheviks seize power of the Russian Empire in 1917? They were able to do this as a result of taking advantage of the current political and social situations in the country at the time. Through such decisions as disbanding the army and siding with the majority. the peasants, through such promises as land, food, equality and peace.
The Failure of the Provisional Government and the Rise of the Bolsheviks i. Subject of investigation. How did the failure of the Provisional Government allow for the rise of the Bolsheviks? ii. Methods to be used.
The Effect of the Bolshevik Rule on Russian Culture Bolshevik cultural policy was based on spreading their values to the population. They attempted to promote equality to create a classless society. In addition to removing class differences they attempted to give equal status to women and to young people. In order to encourage women to work state funded crèches were established and laws passed to give women parity in terms of pay with men. The state tried to destroy the old concept of families by legalising abortion and enabling people to obtain divorces much more simply.
The Transformation of Bolshevik Position Between February and October 1917 Most historians think that the Bolshevik’s position went from playing almost no role in February 1917; they had only 150 members in the Pultilov Works which had 20,000 workers, to taking control of the country in October by a combination of luck and skill. It was said of the Bolshevik party in early 1917 that “The Communist Party existed solely in the leaders.” Many historians think Lenin’s leadership was the joint main reason for making the party into the leading revolutionary group in Russia, along with the luck the Bolsheviks had in the circumstances under the Provisional Government. A few historians claim Germany played a major role in the Bolshevik’s road to power. The Germans helped many previously exiled revolutionaries to get back to Russia when the Tsar abdicated and the Provisional Government came to power from March onwards, in the hope that they would end the war.
Trotsky's Contribution to the Success of the Bolsheviks Up to 1922 1.a) Trotsky’s contribution to the success of the Bolsheviks up to 1922 was mainly through the military; Trotsky was a close friend of Lenin which helped Trotsky get the place at the head of the Military Revolution committee of the Petrograd soviet. Under Trotsky’s leadership, the military revolutionary committee was actually planning to seize power of the government in 1917. Trotsky was placed in a very powerful position in the Military and he desperately wanted to take power of the government. Trotsky then helped the Bolsheviks take power, and then an anti-communist group known as the whites had formed an army to fight against Trotsky.
The Success of the Bolsheviks in Gaining Power in Russia by 1922 In February 1917, the Bolshevik party was small and irrelevant. The leadership was abroad and there was little consistency of purpose among the party in Russia. However, by the summer of 1922, the Bolsheviks had become the dominant force, and a new communist state had emerged from their success. The purpose of this essay is to explain this transformation.
so a treaty would be a minor set back if Germany lost the war to
There are many people who have lived through and within the Bolshevik Revolution, so there are a multitudinous variety of perspectives, thoughts, and insights about the revolution. The Bolshevik Revolution is known for many things; some say that the revolution helped women become free of control, and others proclaim that it did nothing but continue to hold women captive of their desired rights. The Bolshevik Revolution article states the side of a history professor Richard Stites, who argues yes the revolution benefited the women whilst the other side is declared no the revolution did no justice for women at all, which was argued by a Russian scholar, Lesly A. Rimmel. The opposing arguments both create an effective view on the revolution, and
On March 3, 1918 Russia lost 1/3 of its fertile farm lands, 1/3 of its
The Similarities of Tsarist and Communist Rule in Russia Both forms of government did depend on high degree of central control. However, some Tsars and Stalin exerted more central controls than others. Stalin’s stronger use of central control created differences between the two forms of government. The Tsars used different levels of central control.
The Nature of Tsarism and the Policies of Nicholas II as the Cause for the Revolution of February in Russia 1917
How significant was Lenin’s leadership in the Bolshevik Consolidation of power in 1924? Lenin's leadership was a crucial factor in consolidating Bolshevik power up until his death in 1924. His pragmatic leadership helped gain some initial support as well as giving him unquestioned authority within the party. Furthermore, his push for the signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk to help save the revolution from foreign invasion was crucial and his practicality was further exemplified through War Communism and the introduction of the New Economic Policy (NEP). The use of terror under Lenin's rule was also highly effective in removing political dissidents and exerting Bolshevik authority through coercive measures like the Cheka and the Red Terror.
Account For the Success of the Bolsheviks in October 1917 At the beginning of 1917 most of the Bolsheviks were in exile but by the end of 1917 the Bolshevik party had not only consolidated control of Moscow and Petrograd, but they were also advancing on the rest of the country. This success was due to several linked factors; the Bolshevik policy of non-cooperation, weakness of the Provisional Government, division of alternative opposition, Lenin's leadership skills, the power of the Petrograd Soviet and Trotsky as its leader, failure on deliver of land reform and the oppressed, armed workers in Petrograd. Bolshevik success is dictated by whether they met their aims; these included the establishment of a Socialist government over the whole of Russia, which would be ruled by a centralised democracy achieved through a Proletarian Revolution. Lenin returned from exile in 1917, the same year as the Bolshevik success, which immediately implicates him as vital to the Bolshevik victory.
The Reasons for Success of the Bolsheviks in 1917 There are a number of different reasons, why the Bolsheviks seized power in 1917. The Tsar took personal command of the army in the summer of 1915 and left the government in the hands of his wife, the hated Tsarina (who also had the misfortune of being German). She was called "the German woman". The offensive of 1916 had cost the Russians a million casualties and discontent was rife in the army. The soldiers lacked proper military training and the supply of arms and artillery were inadequate.
The Conditions for Workers and Peasants Under the Bolsheviks and Under the Tsar's Rule Conditions for workers and peasants were deplorable under the rule of the Tsars, but not to the extent they were under the Bolsheviks. Despite the Bolsheviks claiming their policies were entirely in favour of the proletariat, peasants were forced to face horrific famine and a vast decline in living standards under rule by Lenin and the Bolsheviks. When Alexander II came to power in 1855 he realised that in order to modernise Russia and improve the weakening economy he needed to make dramatic reforms. In 1861 Alexander issued his Emancipation Manifesto, proposing 17 legislative acts that would free the serfs in Russia. Even though this new-found freedom in some ways seemed to place a greater burden on the peasants due to heavy redemption payments on their land and little improvement regarding agricultural methods in Russia, the act made the now-freed serfs feel that progress was being made towards a fairer social system in Russia and gave them some hope for more affirmative reforms in the future.