Russian Rulers: Lenin 1917-24

October 1917 2nd Congress of Soviets gave Bolsheviks their backing > Bolsheviks formed their government > SOVNARKOM (Soviet of Peoples' Commissars.) - Bolsheviks took power in Petrograd - politically significant, but didn't necessarily mean much in terms of greater Russia - SRs more popular with peasants...

Immediate Armistice: Planned long negotiations with Germany (in the hope that they would, in the meantime, lose the War.) General Dukhovin disagreed > his troops shot him, an example of the national desire for Peace.

April 1918 introduced the Cheka (secret police,) rounded up possible opposition (left SRs - Anarchists) & killed 50,000 people April-July. 

1918, 120 Cheka operatives. 1921, 150,000 Cheka operatives.

November 1917 Elections

• Supposedly democratic and fair..
• SRs 40% of vote.
• Bolsheviks 23% of vote.
• Nationalist groups 7.7% of vote - there were still some nationalists.

15th January 1918 Constituent Assembly met, led by SR Chernov, but Lenin closed it immediately, claiming democracy is 'bourgeois.' > An example of Lenin skipping a few of Marx's steps.

Lenin passed decrees: Peace (to be maintained), Land (to be shared), Housing (to be redistributed to the poor - in cities), Marriage & Divorce (to be made easier), Church (to be kept out of education), Protection of Mother & Child, Nationalities (to have self determination.)

Some industries nationalised, not all - Lenin though Russia wasn't quite ready for a full Communist economy.

Russia became Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) - new constitution under Lenin's instruction.

10th Party Congress, March 1921

1. Banned all other political parties.

2. Banned party factions.

Used by Stalin to purge those who disagreed with him.

1922 stroke, followed by another 2 > withdrew from public life.

Power vacuum on death in 1924 as he left no clear successor.

Had become a cult figure > The times in 1923 said 'people obeyed him out of pleasure, not fear.' Does this suggest that the end justified his means?

Bolsheviks nationalised a few indusries, but believed Russia wasn't ready for a new communist market > thought that the rest of Europe would soon become communist anyway, so economic reforms could be done together.

VESENKYA: The Supreme Council of National Economy. Nationalised large industry: Railways, Banks, larger factories & Ships. (REMEMBER: RBS - like the bank.)

But people weren't happy that the workers had seized control of some factories, so Lenin issued decrees to ban this in January & April of 1918.

State Capitalism failed to produce the goods needed, partly because of the Civil War, so there was much starvation > in the cities, the average person had 50g of bread per day > led to a mass exodus from cities to the countryside.

June 1918 ALL industry nationalised. All produce was aimed at war effort.

Factors: Allied blockade on Russia > no goods were coming in > industrial production collapsed > 1921 production only 31% of 1913 production (REMEMBER 13 reversed.) A Marxist idea.

Events: Party officials put in charge of factories (not Soviets). Grain Requisitioning, requisition squads too forceful & took seed as well as grain > peasants couldn't grow more. Peasants weren't incentivised to farm,  disliked Bolsheviks anyway (tended to be conservative or SRs) > destroyed crops rather than have them taken > worsened by drought of 1921 - famine, cannibalism, spread of typhoid & cholera. Peasant risings 1920-22 'The Greens,' inflation ran at 1,000,000% - workers paid in goods rather than money. 

Replaced 1921.

Introduced at the 10th Party Congress March 1921. 

Lenin called it 'a strategic retreat' > went away from communist principles, needed to first build a 'smychka' (alliance) with the peasants.

No grain requisitioning > peasants paid a 10% tax in kind of any surplus. 

New Rubel - buying and selling became easier.

Grain Market: peasants could sell grain as small business legalised > not all state controlled - but Lenin remained in control of the 'commanding heights' of the economy.

Peasants were happy > armed resistance ended. Workers returned to cities.

Better harvests 1922-23.

Conclusion: A roaring success, but a definite retreat from Marxist ideas.

Lenin: 'Let the peasants have their little bit of capitalism, as long as we keep power.'

Lenin had gained support through slogan, 'Bread, land and peace' promised to all - Provisional govt. unpopular because Karensky had continued the war. 

Decree on Peace November 1917, a peace 'without annexations and indemnities.' - Germans weren't happy with that.

2nd December, Armistice signed - Soviets wanted to end the war at any cost > Germans gave harsh terms > Sovnarkom said no > tried to drag out negotiations in the hope that Germany would lose the War in the meantime but February 1918, Germans strated fighting again > bombed Petrograd, so capital moved to Moscow.

Treaty of Brest-Ltovsk March 1918. Russia lost 1/3 of it's territory, including the Ukraine (Russia's 'bread basket.') SRs voiced their anger and were silenced by the Cheka > Lenin was happy to use Cheka when his authority was undermined.

Causes

• The Whites - had allied support > France sent 7million Francs to Cossacks, united only against Reds so much disagreement.
  • Nationalists unhappy with Treaty of Brest-Ltovsk & Decree on Nationalities > by June 1918 there were 33 sovereign govts, including Ukraine, Finland, Estonia & Latvia. Denikin called for 'Russia, one & indivisible.'
  • Disaffected leftists - SRs & Mensheviks.
  • Ex-Tsarists.
• The Greens
  • Comprised of peasants, SRs & anarchists.
  • Tension in the countryside.

Causes

• The Whites - had allied support > France sent 7million Francs to Cossacks, united only against Reds so much disagreement.
  • Nationalists unhappy with Treaty of Brest-Ltovsk & Decree on Nationalities > by June 1918 there were 33 sovereign govts, including Ukraine, Finland, Estonia & Latvia. Denikin called for 'Russia, one & indivisible.'
  • Disaffected leftists - SRs & Mensheviks.
  • Ex-Tsarists.
• The Greens
  • Comprised of peasants, SRs & anarchists.
  • Tension in the countryside.