1. Consolidating control
Securing control
The CHEKA & the Red Terror
The Civil War
War Communism
New Economic Policy

2. How the Bolsheviks took control
A new government
Mensheviks & Social Revolutionaries walked out of Second Congress
Bolsheviks & allies now have majority.
Lenin set up a Council of People’s Commissars as new temp. govt.
Lenin = Chairman – he chose its members.
Govt. by decree:
Lenin’s new govt. ruled by decree. Aimed to…
Carry out pop. reforms.
Show that it was in charge.
Control opposition.

3. Land taken from Tsar, Church & other landlords & handed to peasants.
Peasants expected to have the land, Lenin decided not to follow Bolshevik policy & take it into State ownership.
Land
All put under control of elected committees.
Factories
All non-Bolshevik papers banned
The press
The first decrees
Peace
Negotiations to end war with Germany to begin at once
The Secret Police
New secret police force (the CHEKA) set up to deal with Bolshevik opponents

4. Other early reforms Abolition of classes and ranks
Separation of church and State
State socialism??
Suppression / abolition of Constituent Assembly
...

5. Initial Bolshevik decrees & the Sovnarkom

6. The Constituent Assembly
Prov Govt had arranged elections.
Nov 1917 – elections = Socialist Revolutionaries = most. pop. followed by Bs
Jan 1918 when CA met, Lenin refused to hand over power to SRs & ordered it to close.
Red Guards enforced order - >100 killed or wounded.

7. Peace with Germany Trotsky = Commissar (Minister) for Foreign Affairs
Spun out negotiations hoping for Socialist rev. in Germany & better terms.
By 1918, Germans threatened Petrograd, Lenin decided peace had to be made at any price in order to…
Keep army’s support
End hardship at home
Give B govt. ‘breathing space’
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (March 1918) – Russia had to accept very harsh terms.

8. The Treaty of Brest Litovsk

9. The Civil War –
Bs survived military threat from enemies at home and abroad.
They gained firm control…
Over much wider territories
Over nationalist groups that had declared independence
Millions died – battle, starvation, disease…
War communism – kept Red Army supplied during Civil War, devastating on pop.
New Economic Policy – partial reversion to capitalism + other changes – improvement.

11. The Red Terror The CHEKA Est. 6 weeks after Oct. Rev.
Tortured & killed B opponents (thousands).
Killed Tsar & family to prevent them becoming focus of opp.
Used terror tactics to frighten pop. into obedience to govt.
Leader = Felix Dzerzhinsky

13. The Communist state In 1918… By 1922…
Bolsheviks changed name to the Communist Party.
The Congress of Soviets approved a new constitution.
By 1922…
Communist Party only legal pol. party.
Lenin had banned opp. groups within the party itself.
Soviet Russia = one-party state ruled by a dictator.

14. Social changes Religion Work The Govt….
Suppressed religious worship
Persecuted priests & monks
Banned religious education in schools
Work
Labour Law (1922) gave workers…
Eight hour day
Two weeks paid holiday / year
Social insurance benefits (i.e. sick & unemployment pay
Social changes
Education
Literacy campaigns = more ppl. read & write.
Sciences encouraged & ‘useless subjects’ (i.e. history & ancient languages) banned
Marriage
Couples allowed non-religious weddings.
Divorce made easier
Free love
Abortion available on demand

15. The Communist Party & the Government
Govt. appeared = will of people as expressed through their Soviets (councils of workers, peasants, etc)
Reality = govt. controlled by Comm. Party.
Every level controlled by Party equivalent.

16. 1923 constitution
Russia = the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
USSR = Russia, Belorussia, Ukraine, Transcaucasian Federation (divided in into the Georgian, Azerbaijan, and Armenian republics).
Each of Republics in the Union ran own internal affairs (i.e. education & heath).
Central govt. Moscow dealt with national affairs (i.e. foreign policy & defence).

17. Where to from here? The Bolsheviks secure control The Civil War
War communism
The New Economic Policy
Lenin dies – RIP.
Stalin gains power, defeats leadership rivals.
Stalin’s regime
Collectivisation
5-year plans
World War 2

18. Main Source…
Mason, J (2001) Modern World History to GSCE. Oxford University Press; Singapore.