1 How did the Bolsheviks stay in power up to 1921 (and 1990!) Context: extra-ordinary that tiny, weak Bolsheviks managed to stay in power Russian Rev in colour

2 How did Bolsheviks stay in power? 1.Good Bolshevik policies 2.Good Bolshevik leaders 3.Weakness of opponents 4.Geographical reasons

3 # 1 Good policies: What problems did the Bolsheviks face? 1.Consolidate revolution outside cities 2.Legitimise rule 3.Other opposition groups 4.Tsar and supporters still alive 5.WWI 6.Long term economic problems of Russia (eg debts to West, starvation in cities, peasants land shortage etc etc) What solutions do you think the Bolsheviks would choose?

4 How did the Bolsheviks stay in power? Legitimise their rule End WWI Control Russia Remove opposition

The Bolsheviks take power The Bolsheviks took control of the government in an almost bloodless coup between 24 th -26 th Oct The first decrees Peace Lenin ends the war sends Trotsky to negotiate with Germany. Treaty of Brest-Litvosk Established the CHEKA – State Police Force Factories ‘Decree on Workers’ Council’ All factories put under control of workers committees – ‘maintain the strictest discipline Land – ‘Decree on Land’ Land taken from Church, Nobility etc and given to peasants. Land not taken over by the State (yet) Press All non -Bolshevik papers were banned

6 How did Bolsheviks legitimise rule? Constituent Assembly elections Nov 1917 Aim to elect people to write a constitution SRs got 50%, Bolshs 24% So Lenin abolished it when it met Jan 1918 ? Necessary as Rev so weak Or evidence of Lenin = anti- democratic

7 How did Bolsheviks end WWI? War continued...Vital to end it But Brit, France etc threatened to invade if Russia made a separate peace Lenin wanted immediate peace (? German help, or thought allies would win?) Trotsky wanted a delay- so annoyed Germans at peace negotiations Finally signed Treaty of Brest-Litovsk 3 rd March 1918

8 How did Bolsheviks end WWI? Brest-Litovsk= Russia lost 1/3 of European Russia – including Ukraine 45 million people 3 billion roubles reparations Support of many Russians & Bolsheviks Lenin only survived because Germany collapsed- so got their lands back eventually

9 Why did the Bolsheviks change their name? March 1918, changed name: Russian Communist Party = more inclusive

10 How did Bolsheviks deal with opponents? Civil War Setting up of Cheka (secret police to replace Okhrana) ‘Red Terror’- executed Tsar Prosecutions without trials Convictions of whole classes rather than individuals Eg “ask him to which class he belongs… his education… to decide the fate of the prisoner”

11 How did the Bolsheviks deal with the Tsar and his family? moved east to Ekaterinburg July Lenin ordered the Cheka to depose of the Romanovs. = all shot bodies dumped in mine shaft, soaked in acid buried secretly

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13 Nicholas II

14 Why did the civil war happen? Most did not accept Communists’ government. 1.Eg Tsarists, Liberals, Mensheviks, Right SRs, middle classes, peasants, minorities, nationalists, foreign gov. 2.Britain, France, USA etc

15 Why did power slip away and opposition grow? price inflation food shortages; closure of Constituent Assembly, Treaty of Brest-Litovsk peasants now had the land, soldiers now had peace Nationalists broke away: Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, Estonia, Poland Foreign governments wanted to safeguard investments, arms, etc..

16 The 3 enemies The Whites Tsarists Liberals SRs Mensheviks foreigners the peasants The Reds The Communists. The Greens National Minorities e.g. Ukrainians and Georgians wanting independence

Lenin’s most pressing problem after the November Revolution was to deal with his opponents, who had mounted a full-scale civil war. These opponents were loosely called the “Whites”, while Lenin’s forces were known as the “Reds”. Lenin’s army was able to win this war by

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19 #3 Weak opponents Why did the Whites lose? scattered not Russian Didn’t control railways, cities, industry Disunity & un co-ordinated = different aims huge areas- little population no figurehead / single leader Peasants feared losing land they had seized in 1917 Didn’t support independence of countries Give an example / explanation for each, and rank to show importance

Why did the Peasants fight (Greens)? Famine loss of Ukraine to Germany (grain) March 1918 – Petrograd bread ration 50g day Workforce shrunk by 60% & pop down from 3 to 2 million 21

Why did the SRs fight? Driven from Gov after refusing Brest-Litovsk – organised Moscow coup = failed Revenge of SRs who were majority Terrorism against Lenin – 2 attempts on life (July & Aug) 22

Why did the Czechs fight? 40,000 Czech troops Fought for Russia in WW1 = in order to gain independence from Austria-Hungary stuck after Brest-Litovsk Went East to Vladivostok to join allies = fighting across Trans-Siberian railway 23

Leading to other resistance… S.Rs uprisings – established anti-Bolsh Volga ‘Republic’ in Samara. White volunteer army (Tsarists & Kadets) led by Denikin in Southern Russia Siberia – White Army leader Admiral Kolchak self proclaimed ‘Supreme Ruler of Russia’ Estonia – ex-Tsarist General Yudenich Speed of ‘White Army’ takeover just how limited Bolsh control was outside Petrograd and Moscow. 24

Reasons for the Red victory? Reds occupied centre Whites = on edge Different war aims

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27 # 2 Good Bolshevik leaders: Why did the Red leadership help them win? Trotsky created the Red Army from nothing Very active leader on armoured train used 48,000 ex-Tsarist officers to help lead it strict discipline imposed on Red Army ‘political commissars’ to keep them Red Conscription Good strategy = control railways defeated Czechs in 1918 and Yudenich in 1919.

28 Why did Reds fight fanatically? fighting for their lives willing to use terror tactics Eg threats to execute deserting soldiers White victory would have led to the execution of many Reds

29 How did Propaganda help Reds win? Posters Film trains – to encourage peasants

Look at the following posters Many of them are famous artistically as well How do they encourage Russians to support the Communists? 30

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Propaganda and Victory for the Reds Foreign intervention (8 western nations) = Reds = propaganda because could blamecommunism) & and practical ones (Lenin’s refusal to pay the Tsar’s debts). Left a legacy of suspicion and paranoia towards the West. By 1921, Civil War was over, but the Soviet land and economy were devastated, leading Lenin to introduce a programme of economic reform known as the NEP. He also re-named the country the USSR.

34 #1 Good policies How did War Communism help Bolsheviks to retain power? = Communist economic policy during Civil War = state control of industry. aim = “… destroy capitalism, feed the towns and divert most human and material resources to the front to win the Civil War.”

35 Good Policies: Why was War Communism needed? Complete economic collapse Food collapse because of conscription and terror in countryside Industry collapse because starvation, conscription & hyperinflation (prices 100x , train fares x 1 million) Failure of Bolshevik government to persuade peasants to work for them

36 What did War Communism do? nationalised main industries. Controlled businesses 10+ workers. private trade abolished. Requisition banks took grain & food from peasants Anyone caught “hoarding” - shot!

37 Did War Communism succeed? Industrial production fell. peasants hated Requisition banks & starvation. Agricultural output fell- no point in growing more than minimum food Production halved = Starvation = 10 million died. (20% hungry) Kronstadt Mutiny Feb/Mar 1921 = army, navy rebelled- wanted more freedom & food

38 Why was the New Economic Policy needed by 1921? Lenin “pragmatic” replaced War Communism when war won = incentive to grow food peasant sell whatever was left after the Reds had taken their fixed amount. Small businesses given freedom to buy and sell New rouble (Currency)

39 Did NEP work? 1923 private traders (Nepmen) controlled half of all trade in Russia industrial output was back to 1913 levels. Government stayed in control of larger industries.

40 Lenin’s views on the NEP “…one step backwards to take two steps forward.”

41 The end Lenin was shot and wounded in 1918 by Fanny Kaplan. He never fully recovered and was ill for much of his later years. He died in 1924.

42 Fanya Kaplan

43 Lenin’s body

44 Paying their last respects.

45 Future: = power struggle between Trotsky and Stalin, Stalin won cruel dictatorship great industrial and agricultural advances but at a huge price in human life and misery ? 40 million Eg Ukraine terror famine million dead

What factors best explain the victory of the Reds in the Civil War? Geographical advantages - Central area, short supply lines, most industry, most population, good communications Good leadership- Trotsky Lenin - Lenin- Brest-Litovsk treaty, Trotsky, tactics- railways, Propaganda, Red army: Tsar officers, political commissars, discipline, peasant support through land, War Communism Failures of the whites - many leaders, in-disciplined, different aims, far apart, peasants opposed -Brit, Fr, USA- just finished WWI Unity of reds - likely to die if captured, propaganda – fear of West, Terror Tactics Luck - surrender of Germany

47 Why did the Reds win? Explain- use info sheets to make a joint mind-map to explain these: Railways Concentrated Industrial Leaders United Peasants Whites War Communism Terror Foreigners