Defending the Revolution

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Defending the Revolution

• Smash the old order to forestall a
  Counter-Revolution

2
Rivals?

• After October, 1917 the Bolsheviks were far from
  secure. They had to consider threats from all
  sorts of rivals
• List the possible rivals for power?

3
Rivals?

• From the right
• The Bourgeoisie?
• Provisional Government
• Kadets
• Conservatives
• Monarchists
• The Army (at the front)

• From the left
• Mensheviks
• SRs
• Left SRs?
• Anarchists
• Greens
• Peasants?
• Internationally
• Non-Russians?
• Germans?
• Allies?

4
The Bolsheviks move fast to consolidate their
power

• Bolshevik dominated Second Soviet
• Gave land to peasants
• Why?
• Ended war with Germany
• Why?
• Worker Control Decree
• Why?
• Rights of the People of Russia Decree
• Why?
• Established Sovnarkom
• Bolshevik dominated (some Left SRs invited)

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The Constituent Assembly

• Already planned for Nov 12th by Provisional
  Government
• Hypocritical if Bolsheviks cancel them
• However, they could load the dice
• How?

7
The Constituent Assembly

• Already planned for Nov 12th by Provisional
  Government
• Hypocritical if Bolsheviks cancel them
• However, they could load the dice
• Outlaw freedom of Assembly
• Close down hostile Press
• Use government resources for Bolshevik Campaign

8

• Why were the Bolsheviks dismayed by these
  results?
• They immediately delayed the sitting of the
  Constituent Assembly until Jan 5th so that they
  could formulate a plan

9
The Opening (and Closing) of the Constituent
Assembly January 5th

• It could claim to be the legitimate voice of the
  will of the people
• Large group of protestors dispersed by Bolshevik
  forces before the meeting
• Hostile atmosphere
• Bolsheviks responsible for security?
• Bolshevik supporters allowed entry to public
  gallery
• Booed and hissed speakers
• Republic of Soviets Vote
• Including universal labour obligation
• Known to be unpopular
• Would make Constituent Assembly
• Bolsheviks lose vote 237 136
• Bolsheviks storm out claiming the Constituent
  Assembly a Bourgeois institution
• Bolshevik Guards take place of Bolshevik
  representatives
• Intimidate speakers
• Let speakers out, but not back in again.

10
Third Congress of Soviets

• January 8th
• Bolsheviks and Left SRs held 94 of seats in this
  loaded institution
• Token seats given to other socialists
• Declares Sovnarkom the legitimate government
• Passes all government business
• Contrast to Constituent Assembly
• Gives new name to country
• Russian Soviet Socialist Republic (RSSR)
• Changed to USSR in 1924 (United)
• Now Bolsheviks could claim that they were ruling
  on behalf of the Soviets
• Soviets represented the will of the proletariat

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Are the Bolsheviks here to stay?

• It seemed as if the Bolsheviks were more ruthless
  and determined than most people thought. It
  seemed as if only a Civil War would remove these
  fanatics
• Whites
• Reds
• Greens

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Who could have stood up to the Bolsheviks

• The Bureaucracy
• Identified as being Bourgeois or Petty Bourgeois
• But they had the expertise and knowledge of how
  government worked
• Transport, education, finance, military, etc
• White Collar Strike from November
• Lead to creation of Cheka
• Could not get money out of the banks!
• Constituent Assembly dissolution rips heart out
  of strike
• Bolsheviks are here to stay!

13
Who could have stood up to the Bolsheviks

• Kadets
• Outlawed after November election
• Mensheviks and SRs happy at the outlawing of a
  Bourgeois Party
• Many fled to fringes to join White Army

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Who could have stood up to the Bolsheviks

• Monarchists/Conservatives
• Weary
• Further disillusioned with execution of Royal
  Family July 17th 1918
• Most fled to fringes to fight with Whites

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Who could have stood up to the Bolsheviks

• Army
• Officer Corps weary of fighting Germans
• But not keen on surrendering and losing the war
• Soldiers content that war is over
• Return home
• Most officers join Whites
• But a surprising number fight for Reds!
• Savinkov Rebellion July 1918
• 16 day officer led fight in Iaroslaval
• First mass executions of 350 officers

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Who could have stood up to the Bolsheviks

• Provisional Government
• Kerensky had burnt all his bridges
• He goes to USA
• Dabbles in political intrigue from afar
• Remnants of government officials fight with
  Whites

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Who could have stood up to the Bolsheviks

• Socialists
• SRs
• Constituent Assembly elections deny them power
• Their powerful Soviet of Peasants was combined
  (subsumed) by the Bolshevik dominated Soldiers
  and Workers Soviet
• Given some token cabinet positions temporarily

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Who could have stood up to the Bolsheviks

• Socialists
• Left SRs
• At first loyal to Bolsheviks
• They like Revolution
• Not ruling
• Annoyed over Treaty of Brest Litovsk
• Assassinate German Ambassador
• With Cheka help
• Rise up and start serious insurrection
• July 4th 7th
• With Cheka help
• Caught Bolsheviks by total surprise
• Dzerzhinskii arrested
• Could have arrested Lenin himself
• Latvians put down revolt

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Who could have stood up to the Bolsheviks

• Socialists
• Mensheviks
• Declared illegal after success in 5th Soviet
  elections
• Bolsheviks gave themselves 5 votes each to get a
  majority in the Soviet
• Claimed that the Mensheviks had cheated
• Nobody left to protest at their removal

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Who could have stood up to the Bolsheviks

• Nationalist Minorities
• Most content with Bolshevik promise to allow them
  independence
• Remain neutral
• Except for Latvians
• Become Bolshevik Storm Troopers
• Very Loyal SDs
• Happy to fire on Russians
• Wish to see International Revolution spread
• Handsomely rewarded

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Who could have stood up to the Bolsheviks

• Peasants
• Happy at Land Decree
• Concerned at grain seizures
• Perturbed by Bolshevik Brutality
• Food Requisition Units
• Confused by weak stance of SRs
• Will revolt in large numbers
• But not in a coordinated manner
• Dislikes White and Reds
• A plague on both their houses

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Who could have stood up to the Bolsheviks

• Germans
• Temporary Armistice whilst Negotiating Treaty of
  Brest Litovsk
• Bolshevik prevarication
• Know that it will be unpopular
• Lenin isolated
• German Army resumes advance when negotiations
  stall
• Petrograd under threat
• Forced Labour Battalions
• Enemy Internment without Trial
• Lenin puts his foot down
• Bolsheviks need time to consolidate against Whites

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Who could have stood up to the Bolsheviks

• Allies
• Annoyed at losing Eastern Front
• Too busy to join in fully
• USA, Britain, France and Japan send limited
  soldiers for defensive purposes only
• To defend stores given to Imperial Russian Army
• Japanese and then USA to defend parts of
  Trans-Siberian Railway.
• Give some limited financial aid to Whites
• When Whites are doing well

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Who could have stood up to the Bolsheviks

• Czechs
• Ex-Prisoners of War
• Austro-Hungarian Army
• On way to France along Trans-Siberian Railway
• Trotsky accidentally starts off Civil War when he
  tells Czechs to hand over their armaments
• Allies ask them to stay in Russia to see if they
  can start a new front against Germans
• Very Highly motivated and well trained
• Take control of Imperial Russian Gold Reserves
• So very wealthy and can buy a lot of support
• Set up a rival government with SRs, Kadets and
  Constituent Assembly Members in Siberia

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Showing that the Bolsheviks are Serious The Red
Terror

• Left SR, Savinkov and Czech insurrections
• Fannie Kaplan Assassination attempt
• August 30th 1918 - Seriously wounded Lenin
• Lenin wanted Class War
• To remove internal rivals
• Counter-Revolutionary forces
• To say that there was no going back
• Were in this together ie Execution of Royal
  Family
• Decree on September 4th
• Hostage taking allowable to be executed in
  reprisal for future attacks on Bolsheviks
• Round the clock executions by Cheka
• Decree on September 5th
• Class enemies to be isolated in Gulags
• White Guardists to be executed immediately (no
  trial)
• Up to 140,000 victims between 1918 and 1920

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The One Party State! The Dictatorship of the
Proletariat

• Lenin insisted that the Bolshevik Party run the
  Russian Government
• They control the Soviets who run Russian
  Government
• If anything goes wrong, the Bolsheviks can blame
  the failure on the Government not the party
• Problem of not enough Bolsheviks!
• Massive increase in bureaucracy
• 1917 23,000
• 1919 250,000
• 1921 730,000
• Attracted by Party Card
• Given better housing, food and immunity from
  prosecution
• Old Timers versus Careerists

29
War Communisim

• Centrally Planned Economy (Pure Communism)
• Bukharin manages to outmanoeuvre the more
  pragmatic Lenin with Socialist Utopian Promises
• Government Monopolies
• Prices set centrally
• All Private Trade Banned
• Food to be requisitioned and rationed according
  to status
• Land equitably distributed
• Inheritance Outlawed
• Compulsory Labour
• Nationalisation of banks
• Defaulted on international debts
• Strikes outlawed, no collective bargaining
• Productivity Collapses, Hyperinflation takes off
• Why?

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War Communisim

• Reasons for failure
• Lack of Incentive to work
• Hoarding by Peasants
• Explosion in Black Economy
• Chaos of Civil War
• Difficulties and failures blamed on Civil War
• Hence the name War Communism
• Although planned before the War

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The Russian Civil War

• 1918 1920
• What strengths and weaknesses did each side have?
• Chapter 6 big red book
• Use Spider Diagrams

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Where was the fighting

• 3 Fronts
• Siberian Front
• Czechs started
• Disinterested after WW1
• Kolchak and remains of Constituent Assembly
• Uneasy alliance between Provisional Government
  supporters and socialists.
• Southern Front
• Denikin and Wrangel
• Cossacks heavy army
• Tsaritsyn
• Moscow Offensive
• Gets to within 200 miles of Moscow, October 1919
• Overstretched, lack of Polish support
• Retreat to Crimea (holds on to Crimea until 1920)
• Petrograd Front
• Iudenich
• Smallest but most professional army
• 150,000
• Reaches outskirts of city

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Bolsheviks hold on to power

• Why did the Reds win?
• United Command
• Geographically centralised
• Comms hub
• Rush troops to fronts
• Economic and population centres
• Red Army
• Harsh Discipline
• Trotsky
• Divided Enemies
• Whites, Greens, Poles, Allies, Nationalists
• Propaganda
• Promising utopia
• Fighting foreign invasion
• whites will confiscate land

• Why did the Whites Lose?
• Geographically isolated
• Lack of population, industry
• Lack of a clear Vision
• What were they fighting for?
• Empire? Tsar? Provisional Government?
  Constitutional Assembly? Etc
• Divided aims
• Eg Cossacks v Russians
• Weak international support
• Britain, France, Japan, USA
• Indiscipline
• Reliance on volunteers
• spoils of war
• Corruption

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Selling Communism

• Communist Party Activist
• Design a speech to win over proletariat converts
  to the Bolsheviks. Include
• Economic Situation
• Military Needs during war
• Longer term objectives of Communism
• Need for control of economy
• Harsh treatment of Bourgeoisie
• Importance of Grain Requisitioning
• Problems of workers committes and Trade Unions

• Toiling Masses
• Design questions to ask the Bolshevik spokesmen.
  Explain your personal circumstances Include
  questions on
• Civil War
• Post Civil War
• Food Product shortages
• Food requisitioning
• Representation
• Neighbours
• Repression
• Economic Situation

40
Bolshevik Problems continue even after the Civil
War

• By 1921 the Russian economy and infrastructure
  was in tatters. How did these help degrade
  facilities
• World War One
• Civil War
• War Communism
• Problems in the Countryside
• Bad Harvest in 1920
• Lack of Incentives
• Grain Requisitioning
• Peasants desperate to hold on to what little food
  they had
• Why were requisitions needed after the Civil war?
• Huge Rebellions eg Tambov region
• Problems in the City
• Food shortages
• Bread Rationing
• Terrible working conditions
• Compulsory labour
• Destruction of Union Power
• Bolshevik speakers not welcome

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Soviets without Communists

• Kronstadt Naval Base
• Anarchist sympathies
• Close contact with aggrieved Petrograd workers
• Happy with ridding the old Bourgeois government.
  Not happy with its replacement
• Mutinied from Bolshevik control
• Demanded multi-party democracy, civil rights
• Ferocious fighting as Red Army forced to reassert
  control

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Internal Bolshevik Divisions

• The Workers Opposition
• Alexandra Kollantai
• Left wing faction
• Wanted reinstatement of workers rights
• Criticised Trotskys plans for Trade Unions
• With external and internal dissent, Lenin
  realised that some relaxation of communist
  economic policies essential for the Bolsheviks to
  survive

43
New Economic Policy

• What was it? How similar/different was it from
  War Communism
• Pages 108- of Red Book
• How significant a change did the NEP represent
  for the Bolsheviks?