bolshevik consolidation 1918-1924

• The new government established by Lenin faced a number of issues
• Russia was still at war with Germany, which effectively caused the October Revolution in the first place
• The Bolsheviks were popular in the cities but not in the countryside, so it was still an urban movement and not a nationwide movement
• There were still food shortages and a large number of strikes, so working conditions did not automatically improve
• Steps taken by Lenin and the Bolsheviks to consolidate the communist dictatorship

  1. Create a one-party state

  2. Replace ministers with people's commissars

  3. Establish a secret police (the Cheka)

  4. Remove the Constituent Assembly
• One-party state


  A single ruling political party
• People's commissars


  Replaced ministers, communist terminology
• People's commissars


  Replaced ministers, communist terminology
• Cheka


  All-Russian Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution and Sabotage, secret police
• The Cheka grew from 120 employees in March 1918 to 143,000 by 1921, making it difficult for other political parties to form
• The Bolsheviks only secured 24% of the vote in the elections for the Constituent Assembly, which was dominated by the Social Revolutionaries
• The Cheka grew from 120 employees in March 1918 to 143,000 by 1921, making it difficult for other political parties to form
• Lenin's actions to remove the Constituent Assembly

  1. Demanded it be subservient to the Sovnarkom and Soviets

  2. When the Constituent Assembly refused, ordered the Red Guards to surround the building and block representatives from entering or leaving
• The Bolsheviks only secured 24% of the vote in the elections for the Constituent Assembly, which was dominated by the Social Revolutionaries
• Lenin's justification for removing the Constituent Assembly


  • Claimed the election was based on old party lines and did not reflect the will of the people
  • Argued the Soviet system was a form of direct democracy, more democratic than the "bourgeois democracy" of the Constituent Assembly
• Lenin's actions to remove the Constituent Assembly

  1. Demanded it be subservient to the Sovnarkom and Soviets

  2. When the Constituent Assembly refused, ordered the Red Guards to surround the building and block representatives from entering or leaving
• The removal of the Constituent Assembly and the establishment of the one-party state led to the outbreak of the Russian Civil War
• Lenin's justification for removing the Constituent Assembly


  • Claimed the election was based on old party lines and did not reflect the will of the people
  • Argued the Soviet system was a form of direct democracy, more democratic than the "bourgeois democracy" of the Constituent Assembly
• lenins reasons for wanting to end war:

  • war was unpopular - led to feb and oct revolution
  • would help economy recover as war was expensive
  • possible that decision could be influenced by germany as they had involvement in lenins finances
• treaty of brest-litovsk

  • ended russias involvement in the first world war
  • signed on 3rd march 1918 by trotsky
  • was intitally incredibly unpopular and loss suport for gov
• terms for peace treaty

  germany wanted:

  • ukraine poland and the baltic states
  • cosequences of this :
  • loss of 75 % of russian coal and iron mines
  • 33% of factories
  • 32% of arable land - land for crops
• russian civil war:

  • took place between late 1918 and early 1921
  • between the bolsheviks - the reds and the opponents - the whites
• geographical advantages reds vs whites

  • reds had control of most densley populated areas - petrograd and moscow - so more workers
  • these were also the most industrial areas - so had control of railway lines - so can transport troops , weapons ammunition etc
  • whites had acess to less densley populated areas
  • also less industrialised - so fewer factories - so less ability to produce munitions
  • regions were divided - sp difficult to coordinate
• tsar nicholas 2nd was killed on 17th july 1918

  they were sent to siberia after his abdication

  communists worried the tsar be a rallying point for the whites

  so the tsar and his family were shot / killed
• role of trotsky in civil war:

  • commissar for war
  • he turned the red army into an effective fighting force
  • by bringing back 50,000 former tsarist officers to train them - people who already had experience
  • used fear to install dicipline - held families of soldiers hostage
  • inspired the men in the army - moved from front to front in his famous armoured train and rallies toops with inspirational messages
• aim :

  the reds saw the war as an ideological conflict against the bourgiese - this increased their discipline - all fighting for a common cause

  the whites only common aim was to get rid of the bolsheviks - lacked a sense of unity
• role of cheka in civil war:

  • eliminated political opposition in bolshevik controlled areas - so no rebellion etc
  • used for discipline - low rates of dersertion - soldiers shot if they did
• war communism:

  a policy created to ensure survival of russian economy during war

  its aims were:

  • high levels of industrial production
  • workers allcated efficiently
  • increase / maintain food production
• implementation of war communism:

  • grain requisitioning - seizing grain from peasants in return for very little - done by cheka
  • rationing - the grain that was collected was rationed - largest rations went to workers and soldiers
  • private trade made illegal
  • alll businesses taken over by state
  • war communism was fairly successful
• economic problems after civil war led to 2 revolts:

  • tambov revolt
  • kronstadt rising
• tambov revolt:

  • began in autumn 1920
  • peasants began rebellion agains policy of grain requistioning - communist party would take grain without giving anything
• kronstadt rising:

  • series of reforms demanded by sailors
  • soviet without communists
  • complained about constant fear of cheka
• effects of the revolts:

  socialists lost faith in bolshevik revolution

  lenin realised he would have to relax war communism

  creation of the new economic policy
• nep:

  • introduced in march 1921
  • mixed economy
  • end to grain requisitioning
  • money reintroduced
• impact of nep on agriculture:

  ending of grain requisitioning extremely popular among peasantry

  peasants more motivated to grow food due to free market - this ended the famine in 1921
• successes of nep:

  grain output increases from 38 m tonnes to 72 m tonnes

  increase in support from party from peasantry
• weaknesses of nep:

  industrial output still slow

  created divisions within party

  led to scissors crisis - industrial prices very high , agricultural prices low - so peasants income fell - couldnt buy goods - didnt want to sell grain
• comintern:

  formed in 1919

  called for workers across the world to support the regime by any means including revolution

  attempts at revolution failed in germany and hungary
• treat of rapallo:

  treaty between germany and russia signed in 1922

  both agreed to co operate over economic matters

  re established diplomatic relations

  allowed germany to train troop and develop weapons on russian soil
• lenins death:

  • lenin died in jan 1924
  • he didnt name a successor - this led to a power struggle