Unit 3: VCE History1917 to 1924

Unwelcome Democracy

CausePromise of elections

Lenin demanded control

Continuity or Change?

Dismissal of assembly/duma

Lenin had a vision

Analysis Bolsheviks represent

proletariat.

Democratic Centralism

Civil War

CauseTreaty of Brest-

Litovsk

War at home and abroad

Continuity or Change?

Lenin dismissed assembly

Revolution was divided

Terror was stronger

Analysis Lenin established

Bolshevik unity

Trotsky led the military

War Communism

Economic Breakdown

CauseConstant war and economic policies caused Civil War

Different to and worse than 1891

famine

Continuity or Change?

Both peasants and proletariat worse

under War Communism

NEP improved outlook but was it

communism?

AnalysisWar communism was

both a failure economically and

ideologically

Comprise of NEP needed but at a cost

Internal Dissent

CauseCriticisms from

within (Zinoviev and Kamenev)

Opposed treaty and lack of democracy

Kronstadt

Continuity or Change?

Internal dissent remained in Political

Will

Still a change from Tsarism, though

terror was worseAnalysis

Lenin’s attempts to unite were

unsuccessful

NEP debated by left-wing idealists

Imposed from above

Analysis Activity 1

1) I would argue for ruthless and self-confident but against fanatical. This was a thoughtfully planned takeover with longer term ambitions.

2) We will never know. Certainly the circumstances that allowed power to be gained made it very difficult for the ideal of communism to develop freely.

3) I wouldn’t agree with the takeover as being ‘criminal’ (it was dodgy but that’s politics!). However the terror used to maintain power and the famine caused by poor economic policies can be seen as an atrocity (arguably).

Analysis Activity 2

1) The Hammer and Sickle represents the peasants and the industrial workers. The red flag represents the Soviet. ‘CCCP’ represents the Council of People’s Commissar's (Sovnarkom). The book may represent the Communist Manifesto. The varied members of the working class represents the ‘friendship of peoples’.

2) That it is moving forward, there are sunny days ahead with everyone working together towards a better, communist USSR.

3) It represents the peasantry, the true victims of War Communism as their food was requisitioned and many died from famine.

4) That it was desperate and poor, the man is frail and starving.

http://riowang.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/for-birthday.html

SCAMPER

S Trotsky disagreed with the NEP. Would he have continued with the failed war communism policies? I don’t think so…

C I think that it would have faced considerable challenges following the war (think Weimar Germany). Yes, the political and social freedoms would have been granted but would economic stability have been possible?

A Disaster

M He would have lost control and the civil war may well have continued for an even longer period. By gaining control and then making compromises he was able to stop civil war but at the cost of pure communism.

P I think that they were a unified political power who would have had a strong influence. However, was a leader like Lenin ever likely to be a team player?

E Every possibility of a return to the old system. Yes, the social revolutionaries were a big part of the ‘Whites’ (and opposed to tsarism) but the leaders were the tsars generals. What if they had won?

R Hard to tell. The Kaiser may have supported a return to tsarism (even after his differences with Nicky) or even seen a weakness and invaded. They may have shown loyalty to Lenin and helped him to stay in power.