A* REVISION NOTES
1A: Establishing Communist Party Control, 1917-24
1. Background: Why Was Russia Ready for Revolution?
Before 1917, Russia was ruled by a Tsar (emperor) with absolute power. His subjects had no
political rights, no free speech and no vote.
Factor Detail
Economy Way behind Britain, Germany and USA. Only 2.4 million out of 140
million people worked in factories.
Poverty The vast majority of Russians were extremely poor with massive
inequality.
Political repression No rights, no vote, no freedom of speech. Opposition groups grew
as a result.
WW1 (from 1914) Russia's weak economy couldn't handle war pressure — food ran
short, army kept losing, Tsar proved incompetent.
EXAM TIP Always link the weak economy AND political repression together — examiners
want to see BOTH factors, not just one.
2. The Provisional Government and Lenin's Opportunity
After the Tsar was overthrown in the February Revolution 1917, the Provisional Government
took over. They introduced freedoms — speech, religion, assembly — and promised
democracy. But they made one fatal mistake:
"They kept fighting WW1."
Lenin returned from exile in April 1917 and offered the exhausted people a simple promise:
"Peace, Land and Bread"
Promise Why it appealed
Peace People were exhausted by WW1 — soldiers dying, army losing, economy
, collapsing.
Land Most Russians were peasants who desperately wanted land of their own.
Bread War had caused food shortages — people were literally going hungry.
By October 1917, Lenin had enough support to launch a coup and overthrow the Provisional
Government.
3. Lenin's New Government — Sovnarkom and the Early Decrees
Lenin set up Sovnarkom (a cabinet of 13 People's Commissars) to govern Russia day-to-day.
Key Figure Role
Lenin Chairman of Sovnarkom — the overall leader.
Trotsky Head of Foreign Affairs.
Stalin Head of Nationality Affairs.
Lenin immediately passed popular decrees to win support:
Decree What it did
Decree on Land (Oct 1917) Gave peasants the right to take land from the nobility and
Church.
Decree on Peace (Oct Committed the new government to withdrawing from WW1.
1917)
Workers' Decrees (Nov Established an 8-hour maximum working day and a minimum
1917) wage.
Decree of Workers' Control Allowed workers to elect committees to run factories.
(Apr 1918)
EXAM TIP Lenin passed these decrees quickly to WIN SUPPORT and PROVE the
Bolsheviks were different from the Tsar and Provisional Government — both of
whom had failed the people.
4. Was Lenin Actually Democratic?
Lenin claimed his government was more democratic than Britain or America. The evidence is
contradictory:
1A: Establishing Communist Party Control, 1917-24
1. Background: Why Was Russia Ready for Revolution?
Before 1917, Russia was ruled by a Tsar (emperor) with absolute power. His subjects had no
political rights, no free speech and no vote.
Factor Detail
Economy Way behind Britain, Germany and USA. Only 2.4 million out of 140
million people worked in factories.
Poverty The vast majority of Russians were extremely poor with massive
inequality.
Political repression No rights, no vote, no freedom of speech. Opposition groups grew
as a result.
WW1 (from 1914) Russia's weak economy couldn't handle war pressure — food ran
short, army kept losing, Tsar proved incompetent.
EXAM TIP Always link the weak economy AND political repression together — examiners
want to see BOTH factors, not just one.
2. The Provisional Government and Lenin's Opportunity
After the Tsar was overthrown in the February Revolution 1917, the Provisional Government
took over. They introduced freedoms — speech, religion, assembly — and promised
democracy. But they made one fatal mistake:
"They kept fighting WW1."
Lenin returned from exile in April 1917 and offered the exhausted people a simple promise:
"Peace, Land and Bread"
Promise Why it appealed
Peace People were exhausted by WW1 — soldiers dying, army losing, economy
, collapsing.
Land Most Russians were peasants who desperately wanted land of their own.
Bread War had caused food shortages — people were literally going hungry.
By October 1917, Lenin had enough support to launch a coup and overthrow the Provisional
Government.
3. Lenin's New Government — Sovnarkom and the Early Decrees
Lenin set up Sovnarkom (a cabinet of 13 People's Commissars) to govern Russia day-to-day.
Key Figure Role
Lenin Chairman of Sovnarkom — the overall leader.
Trotsky Head of Foreign Affairs.
Stalin Head of Nationality Affairs.
Lenin immediately passed popular decrees to win support:
Decree What it did
Decree on Land (Oct 1917) Gave peasants the right to take land from the nobility and
Church.
Decree on Peace (Oct Committed the new government to withdrawing from WW1.
1917)
Workers' Decrees (Nov Established an 8-hour maximum working day and a minimum
1917) wage.
Decree of Workers' Control Allowed workers to elect committees to run factories.
(Apr 1918)
EXAM TIP Lenin passed these decrees quickly to WIN SUPPORT and PROVE the
Bolsheviks were different from the Tsar and Provisional Government — both of
whom had failed the people.
4. Was Lenin Actually Democratic?
Lenin claimed his government was more democratic than Britain or America. The evidence is
contradictory:
