Topic 4

• What was the governing body created by Lenin to govern Russia in 1917?

  The Council of People’s Commissars (CPC)
• When were elections held for the Constituent Assembly?

  November 1917
• What were the promises made by the Bolsheviks that proved difficult to carry out?


  ‘Peace, bread and land’ and ‘all power to the soviets’
• Why was achieving peace difficult for the Bolsheviks?

  A peace deal would be very costly for Russia as the Germans knew they were desperate
• How did the Bolsheviks' promise of land conflict with their beliefs?

  Giving peasants land went against Bolshevik beliefs in state control
• What challenge did the Bolsheviks face regarding bread supply?

  If the peasants took land, it would be even more difficult to get bread
• What did giving power to the Soviets mean for the Bolsheviks?


  It would mean the Bolsheviks giving up control
• What series of decrees did the Bolsheviks introduce in November and December 1917?

  • Peace: Agreed to an armistice with Germany
  • Land: Land taken from landowners belonged to the state and would be given to peasants
  • Nationalities: Different nationalities could have their own governments
  • Worker’s Rights: 8-hour working day, unemployment insurance, factories under control of worker’s Soviets
• What percentage of the vote did the Bolsheviks receive in the Constituent Assembly elections?

  24%
• Who won the Constituent Assembly elections?

  The SRs (Social Revolutionaries)
• What happened when the Constituent Assembly met for the first time on January 5, 1918?

  It rejected all of the Bolshevik decrees
• How did Lenin respond to the rejection of Bolshevik decrees by the Constituent Assembly?

  He used it as an excuse to walk out of the assembly
• What action did the Bolsheviks take the day after walking out of the Constituent Assembly?

  The Red Guard was brought in to prevent the assembly from opening
• What happened to opposition parties after the Bolsheviks took control?

  Opposition parties were banned
• How long did Trotsky keep negotiations for a peace deal with Germany going?

  For 2 months
• What was Trotsky's response to the Germans during the peace negotiations?

  He refused to give the Germans anything
• What did Lenin demand from Trotsky regarding the peace negotiations?

  To accept peace ‘at any price’
• What was the outcome of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk for Russia?

  It took Russia out of the First World War but imposed very harsh terms
• What territories did Russia have to give up as a result of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?

  Ukraine, Baltic provinces, Finland, Georgia, and parts of Poland
• Why were the Russian people angry about the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?

  The loss of 27% of Russian farmland meant that food shortages became worse
• How many people had left Petrograd by June 1918?


  1 million people
• What was a major cause of the Civil War in Russia?

  The opposition to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk united Bolshevik enemies
• Who were the main factions in the Civil War in Russia?

  • The Reds: Bolshevik supporters
  • The Whites: Enemies of the Bolsheviks, including Tsarist supporters, SRs, and others
  • The Greens: Peasant armies fighting for control of their own areas
• Who supported the Whites during the Civil War?

  Foreign powers such as Japan, Czech Legion, and the USA
• Who organized the Red Guards into the Red Army?

  Trotsky, the Commissar for War
• How many men were in the Red Army by 1921?

  1. 4 million men
• How did Trotsky ensure loyalty among the officers he recruited from the Tsar's army?

  Each officer was supervised by a Bolshevik political commissar
• What were the reasons for the Reds' victory in the Civil War?

  • Unity: Reds had the same aim; Whites had different aims
  • Leadership: Trotsky was an excellent leader; Whites had many leaders
  • Discipline: Red Terror ensured loyalty; deserters were shot
  • Manpower: Reds had 5 million; Whites had 250,000
  • Popularity: Effective propaganda portrayed Whites as foreign invaders
  • War Communism: Economy geared to support the Red Army
• What happened to the royal family in July 1918?

  They were executed at Yekaterinburg