SGQ 8 Russian 349-358

MWH 349-358

How successfully did Lenin and the Bolsheviks deal with their problems (1917-1924?)

I. How much support did the Bolsheviks have from the people?

a. the elections of November 1917

i. Bolshevik seats - 175 seats

ii. Social Revolutionary seats - 370 steats

iii. Mensheviks seats - 15 seats

iv. "left wing" groups - 40 seats

v. nationality groups - 80 seats

vi. Kadets - 17 seats

b. How did Lenin respond to the election results?

He was determined for the Bolsheviks to win and stay in power and refused to share power with any other group.

II. What was the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, and what were its conditions?

a. It was a treaty between...

Germany and Russia

b. Russia gave up

i.Russia lost Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, the Ukraine, Georgia and Finland.

ii.A third of Russia's farming land, a third of her populations

iii. And lost two-thirds of her coalmines and half her heavy industry.

III. Why did the Bolsheviks resort to violence?

a. Violence from others

i. Petrograd and Moscow - Lenin was convinced that the kulaks were hoarding food since there was shortages so he had his secret police the Cheka to find evidence and punish the kulaks.

ii. Ukraine - Because they lost the important wheat source.

iii. Social Revolutionaries - They assassinated the German ambassador, leading Bolshevik member's of the Petrograd soviet and there was evidence that the Social Revolutionaries were planning a revolution.

iv. violence aimed at Bolshevik leaders - the head of the Petrograd leader was assassinated and Lenin was shot by a woman twice but was able to heal.

b. Lenin's flawed reasoning

i. Marx's predictions

1.One that the middle class capitalists would overthrow the autocratic and the monarchy to set up systems of parliamentary democracy.

2. When industrialization was complete the industrial workers (proletarait) will overthrow the bourgeois capitalists and set up a classless society.

ii. Russia's reality

1.One Russia was not fully industrialized and the proletariat was the majority.

2. The Russian's could have two revolutions the bourgeois and proletarian

iii. Lenin's expectations for the rest of Europe

Lenin's expectations were that once Russia had a successful revolution that it would become a worldwide socialist revolution and was convinced Russia would be able to get help from all neighboring governments but none of this happened.

c. Liberal historical interpretation

That Lenin wanted a violent revolution and used Trotsky to train his men in order to take over the goverment.

IV. The Red Terror

a. against peasants - The peasants were suspected of having surpluses while the Cheka slaugtered any peasants who were suspected of this by 1919 there was 123,000 executions.

b. against political opponents - All political opposition was rounded up and shot

c. against the former Tsar - The Tsar his family and people working in his house was killed.

V. Civil War

a. Which groups made up the "Whites"?
The Bolsheviks opposition was the Whites which was consisted of Social Revolutionaries, Mensheviks, and ex-tsarists.

b. What was the Whites' main goal?
Set up a democratic government.

c. What was the role of other nations?
Siberia, Caucasus and the Czech Legion was going to attack the Bolsheviks

d. What was the result of the Civil War?
The communist party emerged victorious.

e. How were the communists able to win the Civil War?

i.The White were not organized and as they drew nearer to Moscow lost contact.

ii. The Red Armies had 3 million men which was about 10 to 1.

iii.Lenin took control of everything, factories, grain, to feed town workers

iv.He used the fact that most of the Whites were foreigners adn that he was riding Russian of foreign interference.

VI. What were the effects of the Civil War?

a. civilian deaths -8 million dead

b. economic changes -the economy was in ruins.

VII. What was done about economic problems?

a. effects of war communism

i.Peasants were yo keep some of the grain and be compensated for the others.

ii. Taxable

b. reforms of the New Economic Policy

i.reintroduction of private trade.

ii.revived incentive

iii. food production increases

c. successes of the NEP

i. Economy began to restore .

ii. less food shortages

iii. Happier peasants.