Russia- E2

Bolshevik Consolidation (1918-1924)

• One-Party Control: Lenin and the Bolsheviks opposed liberal democracy, favoring a dictatorship of the proletariat. Elections for the Constituent Assembly in November 1917 resulted in SR victory (53%) and Bolshevik (24%) votes. The Assembly was forcibly dissolved on January 5, 1918, leading to protests and casualties. All other political parties were banned by 1921.

• Ending WWI Involvement: Bolshevik leaders disagreed on peace terms. Lenin favored a temporary peace, believing revolution would spread to Germany. Trotsky's "neither peace nor war" tactic delayed negotiations. The Treaty of Brest-Litosk (March 1918) was signed, resulting in significant territorial losses (1/6 of population, 2 million sq km of land) and reparations to Germany.

• Consolidation of One-Party State: Decrees after January 1918 included worker control, army restructuring (Red Army), separation of church and state, nationalization of industry, and land socialization. The first Soviet constitution established the All-Russian Congress of Soviets as the supreme power, excluding former "exploiting classes" from voting.

The Civil War (Causes and Course)

• Causes: Opposition arose from various groups (right, middle, left). Former Tsarist sympathizers, SRs, and some national minorities opposed Bolshevik rule. Economic hardship further alienated segments of the population.

• Course: White armies (Denikin, Yudenich, Kolchak, Wrangel) fought the Bolsheviks. The Czech Legion's attack in Siberia triggered open conflict. The Bolsheviks held central Russia. Geographical advantages and organization favored their victory by 1920, though the conflict had a heavy human cost (10 million deaths).

Role of Trotsky

• Military Leadership: Trotsky directed the Red Army from a train, visiting commanders, ensuring supplies, and boosting morale. He integrated former Tsarist officers into the Red Army. Discipline was strict, with harsh penalties for disloyalty. He modernized the Red Army, introducing traditional ranks and conscription.

Murder of the Tsar

• Elimination: Bolsheviks feared the former Tsar as a source of resistance. In July 1918, the entire Tsarist family was executed without trial.

Red Victory Reasons

• Centralized Government: The totalitarian state, originating in the Civil War, centralized leadership. Party members (over half a million) fought, fostering obedience and a military mentality. This also led to a substantial growth in the soviet bureaucracy. The Politburo established in 1919 gradually assumed greater power.

Economic and Social Developments

• State Capitalism: An intermediate stage toward socialism. The Supreme Council of National Economy (Veshenska) and GOERLO (electricity production) were created as state organizations in this period.

• Conditions During Civil War: Industrial production, inflation, and urban strife increased. Food shortages, fuel scarcity, and basic necessities emerged, with the worst conditions in urban areas impacting the proletariat. Epidemics (typhus) further devastated the populace. Violence (especially in Ukraine) were factors as well.

• War Communism: The Bolsheviks treated the Russian economy as a single unit to maximize production. This included grain requisitioning (Prodrazvyorstka), nationalizing industries, restricting trade, and imposing labor discipline. These policies reduced output significantly. Rationing was based on social class, discriminating against former elites.

• Red Terror: The Bolsheviks implemented coercion to sustain their policies, using arbitrary terror against those who opposed them, including workers and peasants. The Cheka carried out class warfare and used concentration camps.

• Revolts (1920-1921): The Tambov revolt (peasants against grain requisitioning) and Kronstadt rising (naval sailors demanding democracy) highlighted dissent. These conflicts were brutally suppressed.

The NEP and its Impact

• Economic Impact: The New Economic Policy (NEP) ended grain requisitioning, permitted private trade, and allowed peasants to sell surplus produce. Small businesses flourished, and agricultural production improved, leading to economic recovery. However, imbalances and the scissors crisis emerged (the result of a large supply of goods and a significant lag in industrial output to produce consumer goods for the peasants), but the government resolved this with price capping.
• Political Impact: The NEP was presented as a temporary measure (Lenin's view). The ban on factions, increased censorship, creation of the Nomenklatura system, and persecution of religious groups were part of the new political landscape.

Foreign Intervention in the Civil War

• Limited Impact: Foreign intervention with Britain, France, Japan, and US support for the Whites was uncoordinated and ineffective.

Comintern and Russo-Polish War

• Comintern: The Third Communist International (Comintern) aimed to spread revolution globally. However, their ambitions waned as uprisings failed.
• Russo-Polish War: Poland fought against the Red Army, ultimately securing its borders with the Treaty of Riga. Lenin's prediction of a Polish revolution did not materialize.

Discussions Leading to the Rapallo Treaty

• Diplomatic Isolation: Russia sought out new diplomatic allies, eventually meeting with Germany at the Conference of Genoa. This facilitated the Treaty of Rapallo, re-establishing diplomatic relations and resolving WW1 debts

Recognition and the Zinoviev Letter

• Recognition: After the Civil War, Britain accepted de facto recognition of the Soviet State.
• Zinoviev Letter: A forged letter linked to Zionviev and the British Communist Party. It worsened Anglo-Soviet diplomatic relations, isolating Russia.