Control of the People - Lenin - Revision Cards in A Level and IB History

Mass Media

The Decree on the Press November 1917: gave the Bolsheviks emergency powers to shut down any newspapers that didn't support the revolution.
Pravda was the Bolshevik newspaper. It was the highest circulating publication by the early 1920s.
War Communism gave the Bolsheviks control over ink and paper supplies.
Lenin shut down all non-socialist newspapers. 575 printing presses closed, as well as 2,000 newspapers by 1921.
A law was passed giving the Bolsheviks control over adverts, allowing them to control revenue and essentially the newspapers themselves.
The Petrograd Telegraph Agency was nationalised in November 1917, which gave the Bolsheviks control over electronic communication.
Revolutionary Tribunal of the Press was set up in January 1918. This gave the Bolsheviks the power to fine or imprison journalists who didn't support the revolution.
In 1922, Glavlit was set up, which made the censorship of media more efficient. They were in control of creating lists of banned books and purging libraries.

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The 'cult of Lenin' was set up in order to make Lenin the personification of Communist ideals. He was an inspiration to the Russian people and the cult helped to gain support for the Bolsheviks. Busts and statues of Lenin were erected.
Lenin disapproved of the cult of personality, but accepted that it was a necessary evil in order to strengthen Bolshevik control.
After Lenin survived an assassination attempt in August 1918, the cult twisted the event to prove Lenin's willingness to sacrifice himself for the Communist cause, and making his survival appear 'miraculous' and almost Christ-like.
From 1920, Lenin was presented as more of an ordinary man. He was often pictured wearing a simple cap in order to appeal to the workers

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Lenin believed that terror was necessary in order to consolidate Communist power after the October Revolution and during the Civil War. He intended for it to end after the Russian Civil War.
Lenin set up the secret police force known as the Cheka. They enforced War Communism by hunting down peasants who were hoarding grain and monitoring private trade
Under the NEP, the Cheka kept an eye on the private market place, persecuted priests, young people who listened to jazz, traders and women who wore Western style clothing.
During the NEP, they reported on issues of morality, such as drunkenness and gambling.
The Cheka was used to forcibly shut down the Constituent Assembly in January 1918.
From 1922, Lenin ordered trials of political opponents, who were mostly Social Revolutionaries. They were accused of treason, sabotage and plotting against the government. All were sentenced to death, but most were imprisoned and killed under Stalin.

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Bukharin and Lunacharsky promoted the idea of Proletkult, which was a form of art that reflected the life of the working class, not the elite.
An organisation was set up to support the movement. By 1920 it had 84,000 members and 300 art studios had opened for the working class.
A monthly magazine started called 'Gorn.'
However, Lenin was suspicious of this as he didn't think art should solely reflect one class, no matter which one. It was brought under Bolshevik control in 1920 and funding was cut.
Lenin believed that cinema would be the most important art form of the 20th century. After the Russian Civil War, he encouraged its growth and it flourished in the 1920s. Vertov produced 'A Man With a Movie Camera' in 1929, along with other experimental films.
Lenin supported Agitprop, which was a form of art that inspired support for the Bolsheviks. An organisation was set up to support it in 1920. Famous works include 'Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge' and 'Monument for the Third International.'

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Russia was very religious when Lenin came to power. Most people were Russian Orthodox Christians, but there was a large Muslim population too.
Lenin believed in the Marxist view that religion was controlling the people, and it was fundamental that he freed them from it.
Terror was using sparingly against Muslims to begin with, because they were a minority and there were no associations with Tsarism. After the Russian Civil War, terror increased as pilgrimages were discouraged, mosques were ransacked and turned into storage spaces and campaigns were launched against traditional dress
The Decree on Land in 1917 allowed peasants to seize property from the Church. The Decree Concerning the Separation of Church and State in January 1918 removed the special privileges of the Russian Orthodox Church. All property was nationalised, government funding ended and religious education was banned.
Terror was used against the Russian Orthodox Church. In November 1917, Archbishop Kochurov was murdered. In January 1918 there was a massacre of priests in Moscow. In November 1918 there was a mass execution of priests.
Terror was used more sparingly against Catholics, who were deported at first by executed during the Russian Civil War.
The Living Church was set up by Lenin in 1923? which was supposed to be a reformed Russian Orthodox church but instead was a way for the Bolsheviks to control more of the population.

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