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Home , Cheka, Red Army, Red Terror, Russian Civil War, White Army

Knowledge Organiser: History Year 10 Title: Topic 2: The in power 1917-24

Key information Key information Key events Early consolidation of power, 1917–18 Opposition forces were divided – both politically and The Bolsheviks began to change Russia through geographically. This really weakened The : – General election to the Constituent a series of decrees. Assembly 1. Decree on Peace November– – Bolshevik decrees, early 2. Decree on Land reforms on land, workers’ rights and conditions. 3. Decree on Workers’ Rights – Meeting of Constituent Assembly broken 4. Decree on Nationalities up by Bolsheviks and closed. March 3rd 1918 – Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, Russia pulled The Bolsheviks allowed a general election out of WWI, lost a lot of land and resources to where 41.7 million people voted. They failed to – led to the start of the Russian Civil and the get sufficient votes in a general election and so economic policy, War . shut down the Constituent Assembly in Jan July 17th 1918 – Murder of the tsar and his family. 1918 which ended any hopes of . – SR Fanya Kaplan attempted to assassinate Lenin. The Bolsheviks pulled Russia out of the First – Feb 1919 – Red begins, World War, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was arrest and execute thousands of suspected opponents negotiated by Trotsky and German mainly SRs, 50,000 – 140,000 executed.

commanders – The Bolsheviks had delivered 1919 – Most foreign interventionists who were peace, however, this came at a high price: supporting the leave Russia e.g. USA, Russia Topic 2: The Reds had a number of advantages – and were skilful at • 74% of Russia’s coalmines were lost Britain, France and Japan. The Bolsheviks in making the most of them: • 62 million people – 26% of its population 1919 – Zhenotdel set to increase freedom, equality and power 1917-24 • The conscripted over 5 million soldiers. influence of women. Led by Alexandra Kollantai. • Had to pay 300 million gold roubles • Trotsky was a great leader of the Red Army March 1921 – , sailors of Kronstadt • Control over most of Russia’s industries and railways To stop any chance of Nicholas II leading a opposed Bolshevik policies, such as . • Control over central Russia, shorter distances to supply Trotsky sent in the 50,000 Red Army soldiers to destroy counter-revolution, The tsar and his entire their family were murdered in . the mutiny. 500 sailors executed by the Cheka • War Communism: economic policy fed the Red Army March 1921 – At the Tenth Party Congress the NEP is

The , 1918–21 introduced, Lenin bans factions – leading to a one-party The faced a number of disadvantages – and never Civil War broke out in Russia in opposition to state. overcame them: the way the Bolsheviks were running the 1922 – Show trial of SR leaders, other SRs are deported. • Fewer number in the White army: 250,000 soldiers max country, the Red Army, led by Trotsky fought off Mid 1923 – The “Scissor Crisis” meant that while food • No single leader led to disagreements and friction the Whites, Greens and foreign intervention prices were falling, the prices of manufactured goods • from countries such as Britain and France. Geographically very spread out from factories was rising too fast. The effects of the Civil War on the Bolshevik • Foreign intervention made the White Army an easy Jan 1924 – Lenin dies, a power struggle begins. party was profound, it meant an increase in propaganda target for the Bolsheviks 1924 – The lands of the old are renamed terror tactics by the Cheka during the Red the Union of Socialist Republics – often shortened Terror, discipline in the Red Army was used to to USSR or . ensure obedience, propaganda was used to The Reds had won the Civil War – but it was not at all consolidate the Bolshevik beliefs onto people clear what kind of Russia would develop in the and it led to political centralisation.

Knowledge Organiser: History Year 10 Title: Russia Topic 2: The Bolsheviks in power 1917-24

Key information Key information Key Terms and People Economic and social change, 1918–24 Decrees – laws set by governments War Communism was introduced to try to The communists introduced many changes that affected all Constituent Assembly – group of people democratically control the Russian economy. The government aspects of Russian society and culture. Such as: elected to discuss policies. controlled all parts of the economy, this meant • Women declared equal in 1917, “post-card” divorces Cheka – Lenin’s . that ’ crops were requisitioned by the made divorce easier for women – Event where the Cheka arrested, imprisoned Cheka. • Zhenotdel a women’s organisation was set up in the and executed thousands of opposition. government. Propaganda – biased information used to promote War Communism helped the Bolsheviks to win • By 1926, 58% of the population were now literate. political views or agendas. the Civil War, however it was an economic • as set up to control propaganda in art, Political centralisation – Making sure political decisions disaster: literature, film and music to promote communism. are made by a small number of people to keep the power • Food production had fallen to 37% of 1913 • Glavlit was set up to censor art and culture centralised. levels. • Many religions were persecuted and land was seized Conscripted – forced to fight in a war. • Food shortages led to (6 million from the War Communism – Economic policy which forced died) peasants to hand over crops to fed the Red Army. • Production in factories fell by 50% Moves towards Foreign intervention – During the Civil War, Britain, USA, • Peasants were angry with the Bolsheviks Russia – under Lenin – soon turned into a dictatorship. France and Japan supported the White Army with troops Lenin and the made all the key decisions, they and supplies. When War Communism failed, it was replaced made it look like there was democracy but in reality it was a Requisitioned – taken by force. Russia Topic 2: by the in 1921. Lenin one-party state with Lenin as the leader. New Economic Policy (NEP) – An economic policy which The Bolsheviks in allowed peasants to sell their crops on a free tried to recover the economy by introducing some power 1917-24 market. The Cheka was used to destroy any opposition, during the , such as a selling crops for profit. It had a fairly positive effect on the economy: Red Terror thousands were executed, imprisoned or sent to Politburo – part of the Communist Party that makes all • Food production began to increase – 19 labour camps. Any opposition seen as a threat was a target the main decisions. million tonnes extra grain between 1921-23 this included SRs, even the middle-classes. Factions – being part of a group that stands out against • Industrial production slowly increased. what others think. Opposition to dictatorship was revealed in the Kronstadt Totalitarian – someone in total control of the political, However: Mutiny of 1921. The sailors of Kronstadt were loyal economic and social aspects of a country or state. • As food prices decreased, prices for supporters throughout 1917, however, during War industrial goods increased, this was known Communism the sailors began to oppose the Bolsheviks. as the “scissor crisis”. This opposition was crushed by Lenin in 1921. Lenin then • NEP-men and NEP-women were making a banned factions in the government to make sure his beliefs lot of profit from selling goods, this went were the only ones that were discussed. against . Despite the official power of the soviets – power really lay Many Bolsheviks were against the NEP as it was with the Communist Party and mainly in the Politburo. too close to capitalism, however it had meant Lenin had begun to become a totalitarian, within a one- the recovery of the Russian economy after the party state. disaster of War Communism.