ussr government

• 1921 the bolsheviks had a one party state where other groups were banned
• left wing opposition- SR and Mensheviks. Bolsheviks gained 175 seats with over 9 mill votes but the SR had 410 seats
• Treaty of Brest litvosk - Peace treaty signed on 3rd March 1918. Russia lost control over Baltic states e.g Finland. this hurt Russian pride
• Nature of gov under Lenin- Sovnarkom which was the council of people commissioners. Politburo was most important and consisted of 7-9 members. Bolsheviks claimed their gov was based on Democratic centralism BUT the soviets were not involved in decision making , they were undermined as soon as the Bolsheviks arrived.
• Centralisation of power: Lenin- chair of Sovnarkom. The nomenklatura system helped Bolsheviks gain greater control and ensured loyalty.
• The use of terror: Cheka could torture and execute prisoners. 1917-23 cheka executed 200,000 ppl
• Cheka became OGPU in 1922