VCE History: Unit 3Consolidating Power

Challenging the Bolsheviks

“Our rising has been victorious. Now they tell us: Renounce your victory, yield, make a compromise. With whom? … You are bankrupt. You have played out your role. Go where you belong: to the dustbin of history!” – Trotsky

Although the October Revolution was swift and decisive, it was not supported by the whole population. Also, Lenin and Trotsky focused on gaining power not on formulating a clear direction once in power. The struggle continues…

Trotsky – ‘this is my serious face’

Moscow too?

• Lenin and Trotsky’s takeover secured control of Petrograd but membership of the Bolshevik Party was only 300,000 and it was difficult to extend their power.

• Conflict erupted immediately in Moscow, leading to more conflict (estimated 7000 casualties). The Bolsheviks secured control… but only just.

Second Congress of Soviets

• The opening session began on 25 October 1917 in the Smolny Institute in St Petersburg which later became the Bolshevik headquarters.

• Because the PG had struggled to convince the people of their right to rule, Lenin needed to allow a democratic vote. Despite growing anti-Bolshevik sentiment, the Congress approved the regime providing Lenin’s government with legitimacy.

Sovnarkom

• The Bolshevik’s described themselves as leaders of a nationwide movement of workers, soldiers and peasants.

• They called themselves ‘Peoples Commissars’ rather than ‘Ministers’ and the ‘Cabinet’ was renamed ‘Sovnarkom’.

• The Sovnarkom was made up of 15 Bolshevik leaders with control of specific government departments (e.g. Trotsky for Foreign Affairs).

• Although the Sovnarkom was meant to represent the Soviets it became openly and purely Bolshevik.

Sovnarkom – Executive Bodies

Politburo – policy making

Orgburo – organising

Secretariat – implement decisions

The Politburo

The Cheka

• The Cheka was a security police formed to establish political control. Originally they had no power for arrest but this quickly changed.

• Cheka is a Russian acronym meaning the ‘All Russian Extraordinary Commission to Fight Counter-Revolution, Sabotage and Speculation’. Who is that like?

• In January 1918 the Cheka was assigned armed units and in February to conduct trials and executions.

Dismissal of the Constituent Assembly

• The Bolsheviks allowed elections to proceed in November,1917 to avoid being seen as ‘undemocratic’.

• However, it was apparent that the Bolshevik’s did not have the popular support they claimed, with only 23.6% of the vote (mostly urban voters)

• Most people in the country supported the Socialist Revolutionaries who had promised land distribution.

The Promise of Land

• This was easy enough to achieve on an administrative level. The ‘Decree on Land’, 8 November 1917 stated that ‘private ownership of land shall be abolished forever’ and ‘pass into the use of those who cultivate it’.

The Promise of Bread

• This was more difficult because the Provisional Government had continued fighting in the war, so the economic crisis was terrible by the time that Lenin took power.

• This was compounded by a poor harvest in 1917.• This led to the policies of War Communism from 1918 to

1920.

The Promise of Peace

• The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March, 1918 (while the war was ongoing) imposed severe penalties on Russia including loss of fertile land, gold, demilitarisation and the release of POWs.

• Lenin demanded that the Russian’s submit to these demands because he had promised to leave the war. This was strongly contested within the Central Committee.

• The German army grew tired of Trotsky (foreign minister) stalling and launched an offensive on Petrograd in February 1918, which forced the signing on 3 March 1918.

How was society transformed?

• No private ownership of large houses.• Civil marriage not church marriage.• State education for all children.• Nationalised banks and gold deposits.• Move from the Julian to the Western Gregorian calender.• Pruning of the alphabet (now easy to read?).• Separation of church and state, freedom of religion.