SGQ5

QW's:

1. “The aims and policies of single-party state rulers rarely followed their declared ideology.” To what extent do you agree with this assertion?
2. Compare and contrast the rise to power of two rulers of single-party states, each chosen from a different region.

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
ii. Social Revolutionary seats - 370
iii. Mensheviks seats - 15
iv. "left wing" groups - 40
v. nationality groups - 80
vi. Kadets - 17

b. How did Lenin respond to the election results?
He broke up the Constituent assembly with the Red Guards and created the
Sovnarkam (Council of People's Commissars)with himself as chairman and 15
Bolsheviks members.
II. What was the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, and what were its conditions?
a. It was a treaty between...
Russia and Germany
b. Russia gave up
i. 1/3 of her framing land and 2/3 of her coal mines
ii. 1/3 of her population
iii. 1/2 her heavy industry

III. Why did the Bolsheviks resort to violence?
a. Violence from others
i. Petrograd and Moscow - Severe food shortages occurred. Lenin blamed the kulaks who horded food and used the Cheka to deal with them.
ii. Ukraine - The loss of the Ukraine added to the food shortages.
iii. Social Revolutionaries - Did their best to wreck the treaty, assassinated German ambassador and Bolshevik government official.
iv. violence aimed at Bolshevik leaders - Head of Cheka assassinated, Lenin shot (but survived)

b. Lenin's flawed reasoning
i. Marx's predictions
1. Middle class would overthrow autocracy and create parliamentary democracy
2. Industrialization, industry workers become new majority, overthrow and create classless system
ii. Russia's reality
1. Lenin thought these two revolutions could be combined
2. Small government came to power without industrial majority, instead had to cater to the peasants
iii. Lenin's expectations for the rest of Europe
Thought that Soviets would be supported by neighboring European communist countries
c. Liberal historical interpretation
Lenin and Trotsky were always committed to use of violence, Cheka set up while Soviets were only government, wanted the death penalty
IV. The Red Terror
a. against peasants - over 6000 executed, against those with "surplus"
b. against political opponents - Round up and shot like the peasants
c. against the former Tsar - Entire royal family killed

V. Civil War
a. Which groups made up the "Whites"? Social Revolutinaries, Mensheviks, tsarist officers and any other opponents of the Bolsheviks.
b. What was the Whites' main goal? To set up a democratic government on Western ideals.
c. What was the role of other nations? Russia's WWI allies intervened to help the Whites.
d. What was the result of the Civil War? The Bolsheviks defeated the Whites.
e. How were the communists able to win the Civil War?
i. The Whites were unorganized.
ii. The Red armies outnumbered the Whites by about 10 to one, and were better armed.
iii. Lenin implemented War Communism, which was successful in providing food and materials for the armies.
iv. Lenin was able to link the Reds with "nationalism" and mark the Whites as foreign in people's minds.

VI. What were the effects of the Civil War?
a. civilian deaths - 8 million from war or disease, four times the amount of WWI
b. economic changes - The state was now more centralized

VII. What was done about economic problems?
a. effects of war communism
i. Put the NEP into effect
ii. Brought back old managers and foriegn trade
b. reforms of the New Economic Policy
i. Sale of surplus was allowed
ii. Small industries restored to state ownership
iii. Foreign investment encouraged
c. successes of the NEP
i. Production levels improved
ii. Industrial workers paid real wages
iii. Peasants enjoyed a higher standard of living