Bolsheviks/civil war

• What method did the Bolsheviks use to consolidate power after the October Revolution?

  Use of Terror
• How did class warfare contribute to the Bolsheviks' consolidation of power?

  It terrorized social groups opposing them
• What was the Red Terror?

  A campaign of political repression
• How many people were sent to the GULAGs during the Red Terror?

  500,000
• What was the role of the Cheka?

  Secret police enforcing Bolshevik policies
• What action did Lenin take to eliminate opposition to the Bolsheviks?

  He banned all other parties in 1921
• What was the first step taken by the Bolsheviks to consolidate power?

  Getting rid of the constituent assembly
• What measures did the Bolsheviks take against the press?

  They shut down newspapers
• What happened to party leaders who opposed the Bolsheviks?

  They were arrested or exiled
• What was the Sovnarkom?

  The new governing body of the USSR
• Who makes key decisions in the Bolshevik government?

  The Politburo, a small elite group
• What does "rule by decree" imply in the context of Bolshevik governance?

  Decisions made without legislative approval
• What happened to universities under Bolshevik rule?

  They lost their autonomy
• The Reds:

  • The Bolsheviks.
  • Their aim was to stay in power.
  • Red Army, under leadership of Trotsky,  made up of sailors from the Kronstadt naval base, the Red Guard, volunteers and workers
  • They controlled a small central area around Moscow and Petrograd (St Petersburg) 
• The Whites:

  • Anti Bolsheviks e.g. liberals, supporters of the Tsar, nationalists, SRs
  • Their aim was to get rid of the Bolsheviks but they disagreed on what would replace them
  • 3 main armies under Generals Yudenich and Denikin and Admiral Kolchak
• The Greens

  • Armed bands of peasants, often made up of deserters from other armies
  • Their aim was to protect their own area from other armies; some wanted to gain independence 
  • A number of small forces - the biggest was in the Ukraine
  • They were spread out across Russia
• In the treaty of brest-litovsk russia lost vast areas of land in the western country including latvia, finland and estonia
• Treaty of brest litovsk russia lost 34% of its population and 32% agricultural land and 54% of its industry and 89% of its coalmines
• Lenin described the Treaty as ‘peace at any cost’ - what did he mean?

  The war had been affecting Russia economically and therefore socially, Lenin was aware that dealing with the war would hasten the move towards a civil war / bring content to the populace of Russia who so desperately wanted to end the war and whose demands hadn’t been fulfilled by Tsar Nicholas or the provisional government. Therefore Lenin was willing to accept the harsh demands of the treaty or ‘any cost’ in order to achieve this peace and the end of the war.   
• How did the Treaty affect Russia's populace economically and socially?

  It caused food shortages and low living conditions
• What could worsen the already poor conditions in Russia after the Treaty?

  Failure to address food shortages and resources
• What previous event did the worsening conditions lead to?

  The fall of the Tsar
• How could the worsening conditions lead to civil war?

  If conditions worsen, unrest may increase
• What type of land was given to Germany in the Treaty?

  Land with valuable resources
• What resources were Russia already lacking that were given to Germany?

  Agricultural land, cotton, and heavy industry
• How much did Russia have to pay as part of the Treaty?

  300 million roubles
• How did patriotic Russians feel about the loss of land?

  They resented the loss of land
• What might be the long-term consequence of the Treaty on Russian society?

  Increased resentment could lead to civil war
• What was the chief cause of the Civil War?

  Bolshevik policies
• How did the reforming decrees affect the nobility and middle class?

  They were attacked as 'class enemies'
• Why was the Treaty of Brest Litovsk resented by patriotic Russians?

  It allowed Germany to focus on the Western Front
• Which countries were angered by the Treaty of Brest Litovsk?

  America, Britain, and France
• What was the impact of shutting down the Constituent Assembly?

  It angered opposition political parties
• What was the effect of centralizing political control in Sovnarkom?

  Opposition parties were excluded from government
• How did the use of terror and censorship affect perceptions of the Bolsheviks?

  It seemed like one autocracy replaced another
• What did national minorities fear regarding the Bolsheviks?

  Loss of independence gained from the Treaty
• In the spring of 1918, a civil war broke out between the Bolsheviks (Reds) and anti-Bolshevik forces (Whites). The Reds controlled a small central area of Russia, including Moscow and St Petersburg. The Whites had three large armies and were supported by the Allies. By the end of 1919, the Whites nearly captured Moscow and St Petersburg, but the Reds ultimately won.
• Term given to forcibly removing grain from peasants is REQUISTIONING