How far did Lenin adhere to his ideological aims during his consolidation of power 1917-1924

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  • How far did Lenin adhere to his ideological aims during his consolidation of power 1917-1924
    • he primarily used the Bolshevik party to act as a vanguard of the proletariat and initiate a socialist revolution
      • by May 1918, the Bolshevik party politically consolidated their power as Lenin expelled opposition parties from the Central Executive Committee to declare that the Bolshevik ‘party stands at the head of soviet power’
      • Bolshevik party was thus the political vanguard that would act in the best interest of the proletarians and prevent the bourgeois from exploiting them; Lenin’s ideological aim
      • Lenin’s power was further consolidated politically through his Ban on Factions 1921, eliminating factionalism and any dissent against policy
        • If members were accused of factionalism, they would consequently be expelled from the party, an example is the Workers’ Truth in December 1923.
    • Lenin defined the characteristics of Marxism-Leninism through dismantling external opposition through the creation of the CHEKA, 1917 lead by Dzerzhinksy
      • Marx proclaimed a ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’ to protect the revolution from any counter-revolutionary tendencies and ensure the reordering of society in a socialist fashion
        • This ideological theory was adopted through Lenin’s power and use of the CHEKA consolidating his power as he believed ‘coercion is necessary for the transition from capitalism to socialism’
      • By 1924, 250,000 opponents had been liquidated which conveys how effective the CHEKA was and credential for Lenin’s consolidation of power
    • when Lenin came into power in 1917; Russia was in crippling situation with a shortage of raw materials and agricultural production was scarce with grain supplies 13 tonnes short. Lenin immediately enforced his ideological values by November through the Decree on Land and Workers Control
      • consolidated Lenin’s power as he appealed to the mass majority, whilst also adhering to his initial ideological aims of: ‘Peace, Land and Bread’
        • Peace was shown through the Brest-Litovsk peace treaty, despite its harsh conditions of Russia ceding Finland, the Baltic states and Poland- a million square kilometres of territory
        • Lenin used his concept of the ‘telescoped revolution’, the notion that the final two stages of revolution, bourgeois and proletarian could be compressed into one, and during the Civil War he introduced War Communism, 1918-21
          • One interpretation of War Communism is that it was a wider ideological predisposition of the Bolsheviks towards dictatorship and creation of a new social order in a rapid amount of time.
          • War Communism introduced the banning of private trade, nationalisation of business, labour discipline and grain requisitioning
          • This was apart of Lenin adhering to his ideological aims as February 1918 he spoke of a ‘ruthless war against the kulaks’ and by 1920 Lenin ordered for 100 of them to be hanged in public order to terrify the population for ‘hundreds of miles around
          • labour. Lenin’s loyalty to Marxist theory meant he desired for a stateless society and believed after the bourgeois revolution the state would ‘wither away’
          • War Communism was thus a way for Lenin to enforce the concept of the ‘telescoped revolution’ ; adhering to his ideological aims as the 1917 revolution was premature and Russia needed more encouragement and discipline to develop into a natural socialist society
        • Lenin’s success in the Civil War creates the illusion that he adhered to his ideological aims and drove Russia to socialism, but in fact it is purely due to the geographical and strategic advantage which they held
    • A basic premise of Marxism was that political systems were determined by the economic structure which they rested. With the economy being integral to the advancement of socialism, Lenin arguably adhered to his ideological aim through the introduction of the New Economic Policy (NEP)
      • Lenin introduced NEP at the Tenth Party Congress in 1921 whereby he announced that: Figes ‘ “Only in countries of developed capitalism” was it possible to make an ‘immediate transition to socialism”
        • This lead to Lenin adopting the slogan ‘more market, more socialism
      • It can thus be argued that Lenin intentionally created a market of capitalism to develop Russia’s industry and create socialism at the same time.
        • This also follows his concept of a ‘telescoped revolution’ as he believed the proletariat revolution could be the byproduct of the bourgeois (capitalist) revolution
          • War Communism was thus a way for Lenin to enforce the concept of the ‘telescoped revolution’ ; adhering to his ideological aims as the 1917 revolution was premature and Russia needed more encouragement and discipline to develop into a natural socialist society
      • Factory output increased by 200%, 1920-23 which shows how Lenin consolidated his power through economically improving Russia whilst adhering to his ideological aim of socialism
    • Lenin had to adapt to a situation in which Bolshevik Russia became an isolated revolutionary state, with internal and external enemies. Lenin responded to this by adjusting his Marxist theory
      • Marx had taught that proletarian revolution would be an international class movement
        • This was not the case and Lenin pragmatically overthrew of the Provisional Government which demonstrates how he was willing to change his theories in order to consolidate power: disregarding Marxist theory of historical epochs and the revolutionary proletariat
    • by 1921 Lenin adjusted his policies and introduced NEP, diverting away from the policies of War Communism
      • March 1921 Kronstadt Mutiny which showed illusion of the Bolshevik regime: 16,000 soldiers signed a petition with the slogan “Soviets without Bolsheviks”
        • The Mutiny was brutally crushed by the Red Army and several hundred ring leaders were hanged with over 15,000 sailors expelled from the fleet
        • The importance of the Kronstadt Mutiny is that it demonstrates that Lenin pragmatically adjusted his policies due to the situational state of Russia, in order to continue to achieve his ideological aims
        • If the mutiny had not occurred, the policies of War Communism may have continued as they were described to have been a ‘direct route to socialism”
      • Historian J. Nettl stated: “Lenin has often been described as a superb tactician and his enemies have accused him of being willing to sacrifice his principles to practical advantage whenever necessary”
        • proved through NEP which returned to capitalistic principles, but achieved great success in driving Russia’s economy forward
        • NEP permitted private ownership of small scale industry and ended grain requisitioning in favour of tax in kind, conveying how Lenin was not ideologically committed to his aims but rather, power
    • Overall, Lenin was more pragmatic in his consolidation of power as he was faced with a nation of chaos and instability thus unable to completely adhere to his ideological aims. Lenin was more concerned in maintaining power, hence why he was so willing to adapt his policiestled
    • Lenin was more pragmatic in his consolidation of power and his ideological aims were irrelevant in comparison to the vast size of Russia
      • In 1919, Russia was at the height of Civil war and the Bolsheviks were attacked by three of the white armies in Denikin, Kolchak and Yudenitch which had in total over 250,000 troops united by the hatred of the Bolsheviks and desire to restart the war against Germany
      • To further complicate the situation, Russia’s old allies Britain and France took control of Murmansk and Archangel in the North whilst the Americans attacked from the far east, helping Japan take control of Vladivostok
      • The Bolsheviks lost almost 3/4 of Russia and the White Army’s bases were 10,500 km apart, in comparison to the Red Army which held Moscow and Petrograd
      • Lenin’s success in the Civil War creates the illusion that he adhered to his ideological aims and drove Russia to socialism, but in fact it is purely due to the geographical and strategic advantage which they held
      • This is argued by Lynch: ‘the sheer size of Russia meant that local and regional considerations predominated over large ideological issues.”
  • Lenin used his concept of the ‘telescoped revolution’, the notion that the final two stages of revolution, bourgeois and proletarian could be compressed into one, and during the Civil War he introduced War Communism, 1918-21
    • One interpretation of War Communism is that it was a wider ideological predisposition of the Bolsheviks towards dictatorship and creation of a new social order in a rapid amount of time.
    • War Communism introduced the banning of private trade, nationalisation of business, labour discipline and grain requisitioning
    • This was apart of Lenin adhering to his ideological aims as February 1918 he spoke of a ‘ruthless war against the kulaks’ and by 1920 Lenin ordered for 100 of them to be hanged in public order to terrify the population for ‘hundreds of miles around
    • labour. Lenin’s loyalty to Marxist theory meant he desired for a stateless society and believed after the bourgeois revolution the state would ‘wither away’

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