Part 2 - The Soviet Union, 1917-64
Section 1: The emergence of Communist dictatorship, 1917-41
Chapter 5: Lenin to Stalin 1917-28
How did Lenin and the Bolsheviks overcome opposition, 1981-22?
Ideology was supremely important to the Bolsheviks. While hiding in Finland, in the summer
of 1917, Lenin had written ‘The State and Revolution’ - his ideas on how the transition to
socialism would be achieved once the Bolsheviks were in power. However, such optimistic
expectations were just that: optimistic. Bankers, civil servants and managers actively
obstructed the Bolsheviks, the economy deteriorated rapidly and Lenin countered with a
return to labour discipline and one person management. One of the tasks of the Cheka was
to deal with ‘sabotage’ which came to mean disrupting the economy. Lenin had to admit that
Russia was not on the threshold of socialism.
The challenge of ending the war
The Bolsheviks were sure that other countries in Europe would follow the lead set by the
degree of peace, element that war would collapse into a series of civil wars in European
countries as the working class fought with the bourgeoisie following the example of the
workers’ revolution in Russia. But, revolutions in other countries failed to materialize. As the
Army became incapable of fighting successfully, Trotsky was dispatched to negotiate a
peace settlement with Germany at Brest-Litovsk in December 1917. The terms the Germans
proposed were harsh, involving a loss of territory and people. Trotsky kept negotiations as
long as he could, hoping that revolution would break out in Germany and Austria.
Lenin believed that peace was essential to ensure the survival of the regime. There was no
army to fight the Germans and when they began to advance into Ukraine, Leninin feared that
they might move into Petrograd and throw the Bolsheviks out.
‘Germany is only pregnant with revolution and we have already given birth to a healthy child.
In Russia’. He continued, ‘we must make sure of throttling the bourgeoisie, and for this we
need both hands free’.
One of the few people in the Party who agreed with Lenin was Stalin. However, Bukharin
and the Left communists, sticking to their ideological position, wanted to turn the war into a
revolutionary war to encourage a European socialist revolution. So Lenin's plea for a
1
,Dates / Key Facts / Key Statistics / Key people
separate peace with Germany was vigorously opposed. The Germans resumed their
advance and within just 5 days had progressed 150 miles - further than in the previous 3
years of fighting. Harsh peace terms had to be accepted - but only after Lenin’s threat of
resignation. Trotsky resigned as Foreign commissioner. On March 3rd, The Treaty of
Brest-Litovsk was signed.
Consequences of the Best-Litovsk treaty:
- Seen throughout Russia as a ‘shameful peace’
- No other political party would have acceded to such terms, so much so that no
leading Bolshevik was prepared to put their name towards it
- Within this, half the human, industrial and agricultural resources of Nicholas II’s
empire was lost: exacerbating the severe grain shortages in the cities
- The treaty also encouraged the patriotic Russians to join anti-bolshevik forces and
made Civil war almost inevitable
- The Left Social Revolutionaries favoured a revolutionary war and resigned from
Sovnarkon in protest at the treaty
- There was a short period of intense and arguably free debate within the Party -
however, after the Brest Litovsk had been ratified in the 7th Party Congress, the Left
Communists faded and a potentially disastrous split in the Party was prevented
- The Party Congress resolved that a general tightening up was essential
- In the historian Mawdskey’s view, “never again would such a major issue be fought
out in public, never again would Lenion be so deeply challenged”
STATS
- Lost 62 million people (⅙ of the
population)
- Lost 27% of farm land
- Lost 74% of iron ore and coal reserves
- Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania became
independent republics
- Germans set up semi-independent
governments in Belarus, Ukraine and
Georgia
The Civil War: Why was there a Civil War and what was it’s impact?
2
,Dates / Key Facts / Key Statistics / Key people
Even before the Bolsheviks seized power Lenin stated, “Who does not know that the world
history of all revolutions leads not accidentally but inevitably to civil war’ - indeed from mat
1918, the Bolsheviks were fighting on numerous fronts
See Diagram Below before referring to:
- In October 1919, Petrograd and Moscow were threatened by the white armies
- However, once Trotsky had established an effective defence of the main region
around those cities, he exploited Red control of the railways to the full and the whites
were beaten back
- This continued through 1920 until Wrangel, who succeeded Deniken in April (the last
surviving White general) was defeated in the Crimea in November, finally ending the
- Some argue that Trotsky’s contributions may have been exaggerated by some
historians, but regarding organisation and the ability to inspire his troops he was far
superior to anyone on the white side
- The Bolsheviks had a clear ideology: presenting the war as a class war and pursued
it rigorously
- The Whites most serious weakness was their lack of political programme in which to
appeal to the peasantry
3
, Dates / Key Facts / Key Statistics / Key people
Why did the Reds Win? Why did the Whites lose?
Geographical - Had a central area (incl. Petrograd and - Scattered around the edges of the
factors Moscow) central areas, separated by large
- Red conscript army outnumbered the distances
Whites - Made communications and
- Had industrial resources, armaments coordination difficult
4
Section 1: The emergence of Communist dictatorship, 1917-41
Chapter 5: Lenin to Stalin 1917-28
How did Lenin and the Bolsheviks overcome opposition, 1981-22?
Ideology was supremely important to the Bolsheviks. While hiding in Finland, in the summer
of 1917, Lenin had written ‘The State and Revolution’ - his ideas on how the transition to
socialism would be achieved once the Bolsheviks were in power. However, such optimistic
expectations were just that: optimistic. Bankers, civil servants and managers actively
obstructed the Bolsheviks, the economy deteriorated rapidly and Lenin countered with a
return to labour discipline and one person management. One of the tasks of the Cheka was
to deal with ‘sabotage’ which came to mean disrupting the economy. Lenin had to admit that
Russia was not on the threshold of socialism.
The challenge of ending the war
The Bolsheviks were sure that other countries in Europe would follow the lead set by the
degree of peace, element that war would collapse into a series of civil wars in European
countries as the working class fought with the bourgeoisie following the example of the
workers’ revolution in Russia. But, revolutions in other countries failed to materialize. As the
Army became incapable of fighting successfully, Trotsky was dispatched to negotiate a
peace settlement with Germany at Brest-Litovsk in December 1917. The terms the Germans
proposed were harsh, involving a loss of territory and people. Trotsky kept negotiations as
long as he could, hoping that revolution would break out in Germany and Austria.
Lenin believed that peace was essential to ensure the survival of the regime. There was no
army to fight the Germans and when they began to advance into Ukraine, Leninin feared that
they might move into Petrograd and throw the Bolsheviks out.
‘Germany is only pregnant with revolution and we have already given birth to a healthy child.
In Russia’. He continued, ‘we must make sure of throttling the bourgeoisie, and for this we
need both hands free’.
One of the few people in the Party who agreed with Lenin was Stalin. However, Bukharin
and the Left communists, sticking to their ideological position, wanted to turn the war into a
revolutionary war to encourage a European socialist revolution. So Lenin's plea for a
1
,Dates / Key Facts / Key Statistics / Key people
separate peace with Germany was vigorously opposed. The Germans resumed their
advance and within just 5 days had progressed 150 miles - further than in the previous 3
years of fighting. Harsh peace terms had to be accepted - but only after Lenin’s threat of
resignation. Trotsky resigned as Foreign commissioner. On March 3rd, The Treaty of
Brest-Litovsk was signed.
Consequences of the Best-Litovsk treaty:
- Seen throughout Russia as a ‘shameful peace’
- No other political party would have acceded to such terms, so much so that no
leading Bolshevik was prepared to put their name towards it
- Within this, half the human, industrial and agricultural resources of Nicholas II’s
empire was lost: exacerbating the severe grain shortages in the cities
- The treaty also encouraged the patriotic Russians to join anti-bolshevik forces and
made Civil war almost inevitable
- The Left Social Revolutionaries favoured a revolutionary war and resigned from
Sovnarkon in protest at the treaty
- There was a short period of intense and arguably free debate within the Party -
however, after the Brest Litovsk had been ratified in the 7th Party Congress, the Left
Communists faded and a potentially disastrous split in the Party was prevented
- The Party Congress resolved that a general tightening up was essential
- In the historian Mawdskey’s view, “never again would such a major issue be fought
out in public, never again would Lenion be so deeply challenged”
STATS
- Lost 62 million people (⅙ of the
population)
- Lost 27% of farm land
- Lost 74% of iron ore and coal reserves
- Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania became
independent republics
- Germans set up semi-independent
governments in Belarus, Ukraine and
Georgia
The Civil War: Why was there a Civil War and what was it’s impact?
2
,Dates / Key Facts / Key Statistics / Key people
Even before the Bolsheviks seized power Lenin stated, “Who does not know that the world
history of all revolutions leads not accidentally but inevitably to civil war’ - indeed from mat
1918, the Bolsheviks were fighting on numerous fronts
See Diagram Below before referring to:
- In October 1919, Petrograd and Moscow were threatened by the white armies
- However, once Trotsky had established an effective defence of the main region
around those cities, he exploited Red control of the railways to the full and the whites
were beaten back
- This continued through 1920 until Wrangel, who succeeded Deniken in April (the last
surviving White general) was defeated in the Crimea in November, finally ending the
- Some argue that Trotsky’s contributions may have been exaggerated by some
historians, but regarding organisation and the ability to inspire his troops he was far
superior to anyone on the white side
- The Bolsheviks had a clear ideology: presenting the war as a class war and pursued
it rigorously
- The Whites most serious weakness was their lack of political programme in which to
appeal to the peasantry
3
, Dates / Key Facts / Key Statistics / Key people
Why did the Reds Win? Why did the Whites lose?
Geographical - Had a central area (incl. Petrograd and - Scattered around the edges of the
factors Moscow) central areas, separated by large
- Red conscript army outnumbered the distances
Whites - Made communications and
- Had industrial resources, armaments coordination difficult
4
