Lenin's Russia: Ideology + Change

• Lenin wrote State and Revolution in 1917 which explained his ideology.
• Lenin was concerned about the transition to socialism when the Bolsheviks achieved power.
• Lenin's ideology was determined over circumstances but the state did develop into a socialist state.
• Lenin followed the Marxist view that the government should be in the "hands of the people" and Lenin hoped for democracy.
• Most Russians, along with Lenin believed a revolution was all about ending all social privileges.
• The peasants distributed out the nobles' land.
• Workers took control of factories in the cities and they responded to Lenin's call of "looting the looters".
• Workers confiscated property from the bourgeoisie and it was shared.
• The wealthy were forced to do manual labour under the workers.
• Lenin and Trotsky believed a world revolution would create a socialist society and they hoped this would emerge from the Great War.
• The socialists took on the employers and former PG supporters in a civil war and this was important because it strengthened Marxism.
• "Dictatorship of the Proletariat" was a Marxist idea based on societies such as those in Germany and Britain.
• Dictatorship of the proletariat meant that urban workers were a "majority" but not one and 80% of the Russian population were peasants during WW1.
• The German military advance continued during WW1.
• The Bolsheviks promised peace to Russians and they were forced to sign an armistice.
• Trotsky played for time in German treaty negotiations as he was hoping for a revolution in the West.
• Lenin insisted that Russia accepts the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk but some did not like it because it was humiliating for Russia.
• Lenin believed a Russian revolution was more important than an international revolution which created the foundation of "Socialism in One Country" for Stalin.
• Lenin believed the Bolsheviks should exercise the "dictatorship of the proletariat" movement.
• Lenin had no interest in sharing power with other socialists and he closed the Constituent Assembly to show this.
• Lenin increasingly bypassed the Petrograd Soviet to show no enthusiasm in socialists.
• The Sovnarkom was only run by the Bolsheviks after March 1918 as remaining SRs left the Sovnarkom at this time.
• The Bolsheviks became the Communist Party in March 1918.
• The Civil War had a huge impact on the development of the Communist Party and government became more centralised as a result.
• The Communist Party resorted to terror in order to enforce laws.
• A highly centralised government could be portrayed as one fulfilling socialist goals like the Communist Party.
• War Communism allowed for the New Economic Policy (NEP) which allowed more capitalist practices.
• Lenin inflicted the "ban on factions" on the Party for tight unity and Stalin later used this to defeat his rivals.
• The church was persecuted under Lenin.
• The powers of the secret police were extended under Lenin.
• Show trials were used to condemn SRs.
• The Central Committee and the Politburo were organisations that shaped policy under Lenin.
• 7 members were in the Politburo including Stalin, Lenin and Trotsky.
• The post of General Secretary was created in order to co-ordinate Party work and was filled by Stalin.
• Historian D. Volkogonov argued the Bolshevik system embodied "Lenin's own personality".