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Edexcel History – Full Essay Answer
How important were terror and force for the Bolshevik regime maintaining its grip on power?
The use of force to crush opposition and dissuade dissent was a key factor in the Bolsheviks
maintaining their grip on power between 1917 and 1924. However, other factors also played a role
such as the Bolsheviks’ ability to win support with policies that appealed to significant proportions of
the population. Their effective use of propaganda and the weaknesses of their opponents also
contributed to the survival of the Bolsheviks.
After the October revolution, the Bolsheviks used terror and force during their first year in power.
For example, they set up the Cheka (a secret police) was set up (in December 1917). They would arrest
political opponents, break civil service strikes, and force bank clerks to hand over keys to vaults. After an
assassination attempt against Lenin in August 1918, the Cheka launched the ‘Red Terror’, a systematic
campaign of persecution that led to the arrest (and sometimes execution) of anyone suspected of
opposing the regime. Political dissent was also crushed by force as the Constituent Assembly was closed
by soldiers after the SRs won a majority in Jan 1918. The Kadets were also banned in Dec 1917 and many
non-Bolshevik newspapers were closed with force. The Bolsheviks also encouraged ‘class-warfare’.
Working class Russians were encouraged through propaganda to blame their economic hardships on
bourgeoisie (middle class) ‘parasites’. It was not uncommon for well-dressed people to be attacked in the
streets. The bourgeoisie were convenient scapegoats upon which to deflect the people’s anger over poor
living standards.
During the civil war the Bolshevik regime increased its use of force and terror to ensure a victory. For
example, within the army, Trotsky reintroduced conscription and strict discipline. Soldiers who attempted
to desert or sell their equipment on the black market would be shot. He also reintroduced former officers
from the tsar’s army as they had command experience. Some agreed to do so because they needed
money; others did so because Trotsky held their families hostage. Trotsky assigned each military unit a
commissar, who was referred to as ‘the eyes and ears of the Party.’ The commissars would monitor the
behaviour of officers for any hint of treachery. Terror was brought to the countryside by the Red Army
and Cheka who formed requisitioning squads, taking grain from the peasants at gunpoint. Factories were
also militarised in attempt to guarantee a constant supply of supplies for the Red Army. Workers would
be forced to work long hours with harsh punishments for absenteeism and lateness. The Bolsheviks
introduced internal passports. Urban workers who sought to escape the harsh conditions in the factories
by returning to the countryside would be turned back by the Cheka.
The use of force continued in the nep era, as economic liberalisation of the NEP was not matched with
political liberalisation but instead further repression which made opposing the regime very difficult. This
can be seen in the during the quelling of the Kronstadt uprising in 1921 after a 12-day military campaign
resulting in thousands of deaths. The Bolsheviks controlled the population using the Cheka, secret police,
set up in Dec 1917 who would harass and arrest political opponents. For example, they were used to
break the strikes of white-collar workers such as civil servants. After an assassination attempt against
Lenin in August 1918, the Cheka launched the ‘Red Terror’, a systematic campaign of persecution that led
to the arrest of anyone who spoke out or was even suspected of opposing the regime including
Mensheviks and the SRs which increased hostility. The Bolsheviks suppressed political dissidents by
shutting down hostile newspapers and subjecting all publications to preventive censorship. In 1922, they
set up a central censorship office, known for short as Glavlit, with final authority over printed materials as
well as the performing arts. There was pre-publication censorship which distilled information before it
was released and post-circulation censorship which included the removal and revisions of entire chapters
in literary works. In 1922, the Cheka was renamed the GPU which ended civil liberties from political rivals
such as intellectuals and anarchists such as nepmen. As a result, the number of concentration camps
increased from 84 in 1920 to 315 in 1923.
Edexcel History – Full Essay Answer
How important were terror and force for the Bolshevik regime maintaining its grip on power?
The use of force to crush opposition and dissuade dissent was a key factor in the Bolsheviks
maintaining their grip on power between 1917 and 1924. However, other factors also played a role
such as the Bolsheviks’ ability to win support with policies that appealed to significant proportions of
the population. Their effective use of propaganda and the weaknesses of their opponents also
contributed to the survival of the Bolsheviks.
After the October revolution, the Bolsheviks used terror and force during their first year in power.
For example, they set up the Cheka (a secret police) was set up (in December 1917). They would arrest
political opponents, break civil service strikes, and force bank clerks to hand over keys to vaults. After an
assassination attempt against Lenin in August 1918, the Cheka launched the ‘Red Terror’, a systematic
campaign of persecution that led to the arrest (and sometimes execution) of anyone suspected of
opposing the regime. Political dissent was also crushed by force as the Constituent Assembly was closed
by soldiers after the SRs won a majority in Jan 1918. The Kadets were also banned in Dec 1917 and many
non-Bolshevik newspapers were closed with force. The Bolsheviks also encouraged ‘class-warfare’.
Working class Russians were encouraged through propaganda to blame their economic hardships on
bourgeoisie (middle class) ‘parasites’. It was not uncommon for well-dressed people to be attacked in the
streets. The bourgeoisie were convenient scapegoats upon which to deflect the people’s anger over poor
living standards.
During the civil war the Bolshevik regime increased its use of force and terror to ensure a victory. For
example, within the army, Trotsky reintroduced conscription and strict discipline. Soldiers who attempted
to desert or sell their equipment on the black market would be shot. He also reintroduced former officers
from the tsar’s army as they had command experience. Some agreed to do so because they needed
money; others did so because Trotsky held their families hostage. Trotsky assigned each military unit a
commissar, who was referred to as ‘the eyes and ears of the Party.’ The commissars would monitor the
behaviour of officers for any hint of treachery. Terror was brought to the countryside by the Red Army
and Cheka who formed requisitioning squads, taking grain from the peasants at gunpoint. Factories were
also militarised in attempt to guarantee a constant supply of supplies for the Red Army. Workers would
be forced to work long hours with harsh punishments for absenteeism and lateness. The Bolsheviks
introduced internal passports. Urban workers who sought to escape the harsh conditions in the factories
by returning to the countryside would be turned back by the Cheka.
The use of force continued in the nep era, as economic liberalisation of the NEP was not matched with
political liberalisation but instead further repression which made opposing the regime very difficult. This
can be seen in the during the quelling of the Kronstadt uprising in 1921 after a 12-day military campaign
resulting in thousands of deaths. The Bolsheviks controlled the population using the Cheka, secret police,
set up in Dec 1917 who would harass and arrest political opponents. For example, they were used to
break the strikes of white-collar workers such as civil servants. After an assassination attempt against
Lenin in August 1918, the Cheka launched the ‘Red Terror’, a systematic campaign of persecution that led
to the arrest of anyone who spoke out or was even suspected of opposing the regime including
Mensheviks and the SRs which increased hostility. The Bolsheviks suppressed political dissidents by
shutting down hostile newspapers and subjecting all publications to preventive censorship. In 1922, they
set up a central censorship office, known for short as Glavlit, with final authority over printed materials as
well as the performing arts. There was pre-publication censorship which distilled information before it
was released and post-circulation censorship which included the removal and revisions of entire chapters
in literary works. In 1922, the Cheka was renamed the GPU which ended civil liberties from political rivals
such as intellectuals and anarchists such as nepmen. As a result, the number of concentration camps
increased from 84 in 1920 to 315 in 1923.
