Bolsheviks and Mensheviks

• Karl Marx outlined stages for reaching communism.
• The Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party (RDLP) was formed in 1898 and split in 1903.

Bolsheviks

• A majority group within the RDLP.
• Led by Lenin.
• Advocated a centralized and hierarchical structure.
• Focused on educating the working class about socialism before revolution.
• Aimed for a rapid revolution.

Mensheviks

• A minority group within the RDLP.
• Led by Martov.
• Favored open membership and a democratic approach.
• Prioritized improving conditions for the Russian working class, aligning more closely with traditional Marxism.
• Believed revolution would be a gradual process.

Bolshevik Ideology

• Largely agreed with Marxism but disagreed with the need to follow each stage of societal development.
• Lenin believed a revolution could be expedited through human agency and agitation.
• Trotsky's idea of a "Permanent Revolution" supported this.
• Lenin aimed to eliminate bureaucracy, continue repression through the state, and destroy old state machinery.
• He promised reforms like peace, land redistribution, and confiscation of profits to gain support.
• A primary aim was internationalism of communism to protect the new government.
• Businesses were to be controlled by industrial workers under state direction.
• Coercion was deemed necessary against internal and external enemies.
• The combination of democracy and coercion formed the "dictatorship of the proletariat".

October Coup 1917

• Lenin aimed for a "second stage" after the March Revolution, with soviets replacing the Provisional Government.
• He opposed the Provisional Government for ignoring pressing issues and serving bourgeois interests.
• Lenin's programs, including land redistribution and exit from World War I, had broad support.
• His April Theses promoted socialist revolution under Bolshevik leadership, rejecting parliamentary democracy for Soviet authority.
• The slogan "Peace, Bread, and Land" unified the populace by addressing their key grievances.
• Led by Lenin and Trotsky, the Bolsheviks seized control of key Petrograd sites with minimal military opposition.

Early Soviet Government

• By the end of 1917, the Bolsheviks controlled a small area including Moscow.
• A government was established with Lenin as head and Trotsky as Commissar of Foreign Affairs, known as Sovnarkom.
• Sovnarkom had 16 members
• Lenin implemented Bolshevik propaganda and was faced with whether to have a liberal or authoritarian government .

First 6 Months of Bolshevik Rule

• Some groups welcomed the new regime, while others sought its destruction.

Sovnarkom Control Measures

• The Constituent Assembly was declared counter-revolutionary.
• Opposition newspapers were shut down.
• Various political parties were banned.
• The Cheka was established in December 1917, evolving into a secret police force.
• Dzerzhinsky, known as the "Iron Court," led the Cheka, exceeding the Okhrana in brutality.
• The Cheka was used for fear, intimidation, and committed atrocities, initiating the Red Terror.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

• Lenin prioritized peace with Germany, leading to Russia's withdrawal from World War I with significant territorial and resource losses: 62 million people, 32% of agricultural land, 89% of iron and coal reserves, 54% of industrial enterprises, and 26% of railways.
• Allied troops attempted to persuade Russia back into the war, also aiming to destabilize the Bolshevik government.
• The British feared the consequences of further conflict and the spread of communism.

Russian Civil War

• Lasted from mid-1918 to 1921.
• Both the Red and White armies were guilty of atrocities.
• Involved both full-scale battles and guerrilla warfare.
• Fought between the Reds and Whites.

Reds

• Outnumbered by the Whites but had some advantages.
• Had more unity.
• Controlled key factors like communication and railways.
• Had more experienced generals.

Whites

• Faced internal and external disunity.