How Did the Bolsheviks Consolidate Power By 1921 PDF

Preview

Summary

A topical essay focusing on the variety of reasons as to how and why the Bolshevik Party managed to consolidate power in Post Tsarist Russia....

Description

Reaction, Reform and Revolution: Russia. How Did the Bolsheviks consolidate power by 1921? In October 1917, the Bolshevik Party, led by Vladimir Lenin, took power in Russia. It faced an enormous task. The Bolsheviks were a minority party trying to impose their will on Russia and facing fierce opposition within the nation and from outside. The eventual consolidation of power achieved by Lenin’s party has been argued amongst historians as to whether it was mere chance and luck or that the mastery of the party was so great, it simply could not be stopped. What is often thought of as the first step towards the Bolsheviks consolidating their power, were a series of decrees issued in the November of 1917, various decrees on land, peace and on workers control helped stabilise Russian society to a more controlled state. Historian Michael Lynch agrees that the decrees “were the first major step taken by the Bolsheviks to help further their public support as well as giving the state more controls over the general citizenship”1 With a majorly declining economy, to which over 80% of hard industry had dropped 250% in its value over the past 4 years, a conflicted society to who were demanding large social reform and finally a deteriorated and distraught army and navy, it can be seen as obvious for these decrees to of taken place. As well as this, the decision taken by the Bolshevik party to accept the terms laid out by the Germans in order to bring the first world war to a close, despite favouring Germany massively, much of Russia’s inhabitants had wanted to see the Treaty of Brest-Litosvk signed months ago. When pen came to paper in December of 1917 “There was great jubilation in the streets of Moscow and Petrograd, finally, the nation could breathe for peace had been achieved.”2 In addition to this, the creation of the Cheka, a series of security organisations set up at all levels of government and society. This was the first attempt by the Bolsheviks to help sure up their power using force, the various Cheka committees were responsible for enforcing communist ideals into their local Guberniya (area). However, by 1921, this organisation had grown to such enormous standards that Adam. B. Ulam states “Be it gulags, labour camps, prison blocks or just a set of apartments, you could guarantee a member of Cheka was lurking ready to arrest or abuse.”3 Similar in part to that of Hitler’s SA, these enforcers of Bolshevik ideals played a major part in consolidating the party’s power. It could be argued that Lenin’s original organisation of the Bolsehvik government, what was known as the Sovnarkom, helped to consolidate power by bringing together the two main political concepts that many Russians sought after. A centralised government of ministers with an executive (Lenin) to whom “Was never afraid to make a decision, be it a mediocre choice or a great one, the Russian people were pleased that at least decisions WERE in fact being made.” 4 The creation of an all-Russian congress of soviets helped involve public appointment of local soviets and thereby have a say in the members of the congress and the points that they can bring to the attention of the Sovnarkom and the executive, Lenin. This was a drastic change from the autocratic stylings of Tsar Nicholas II, to which public discontent at the lack of local representation and local government were two key issues solved (in part) by Lenin and the Bolsheviks. This was all in cohesion with Lenin’s theory of democratic centralisation, a key political strategy that helped solidify Bolshevik rule until the eventual coming to power of Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin in 1922.

1 Lynch. M. Bolshevik and Stalinist Russia 1918-1956. (Hodder Murray pub. 2005) 2 Ulam. B. A. The Bolsheviks: The intellectual and political triumph of Communism in Russia. (Harvard University Press. 1998) 3 Ulam. B. A. The Bolsheviks: The intellectual and political triumph of Communism in Russia. (Harvard University Press. 1998) 4 Brovkin. N. V. The Bolsheviks in Russian Society: The Revolution and Civil Wars. (Yale University Press. 1997)

This leads to analysing the personal prowess of Lenin having a large part to play in consolidating Bolshevik rule. In simple, Lenin’s leadership and solid commitment to Marxist ideals helped formulate the perfect combination for a leftist revolution. The Bolsheviks required a strong leader who could appeal to the masses yet still overcome huge administrative and political obstacles, historian A. Bogdanov states “For without Lenin, the Bolsheviks would have never achieved the heights of political success as they did under his leadership, he was the man that much of Russia had waited for over many generations.”5 Despite this slightly bias quote/opinion, Lenin’s personal leadership and planning skills cannot be underestimated when it comes to understanding the pretences of why and how the Bolsheviks managed to seize and consolidate power as they did. The eventual creation of the Vesenkha (Supreme Council of the National Economy) to which was set up to “take charge of all existing institutions for the improving and regulation of economic life” 6. With this new government department established in December of 1917 shows historians and others that the Bolsheviks did try to end the crippling economic downfall that had plagued Russia since the beginning of the First World War, to an extent this was achieved. The need for more agricultural projects to end the starvation of millions of Russians was dealt with by the Vesenkha, the department worked with the Central committee for agricultural advancements to “Implement agrarian reforms to remove the threat of starvation and further the popularity of the Bolsheviks.” 7 Reforms were made across all sectors of society under the Bolsheviks during the first year of their governance, including giving married women equal rights to men, creation of state schools, as well as updating Russia’s outdated calendar in line with that of the advanced world. These reforms were largely accepted and “helped grow support for the Bolsheviks fourfold across all of Russian society” 8. By appealing to the general Russian public and increasing support for the Bolshevik cause, this then helped to form a solid foundation of supporters to “Combat those who would prefer to live in the days of old, of Tsar and God before anything.”9 This leads to the next point as to how the Bolshevik’s consolidated power, arguably the most vital, the initiation of civil war within Russia. In January of 1918, the issue of other political opponents constantly harassing the political movements of the Bolsheviks came to a head when Lenin ordered members of the Red Guards to stop the meeting of the Constituent Assembly and dissolve the department completely. This, in the eyes of historians such as Marc Ferro was “Lenin’s first proper step to absolute rule for the Soviets, the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly and banning of other parties undoubtedly set Lenin on the path to totalitarianism .”10 Lenin after all was a revolutionary, he cared little for political opponents and saw a quick civil war to be better for his political party then years of constant political backlash from his opponents. The decision to pursue policies in 1918 that made civil war inevitable gave Lenin and the Bolsheviks what they wanted, war. In Lenin’s opinion, to truly dominate the political and social landscape of Russia the Bolsheviks “Must follow the colour of our political ideology, Russia must be painted red to bring about our socialist utopia”. 11 The largest opposition to Bolshevik rule was not that of monarchists or even foreign interventionists, rather the Party Of Socialist Revolutionaries, on countless occasions did this left wing party attempt multiple Coup-deetat’s against Bolshevik rule, to which, like most of the Bolsheviks opponents ended in bloodshed. The use of violence and in particular the appointment of Trotsky as head of the newly formed Red army, gave the Bolsheviks the advantage of brutality over its opponents. The simple fact they were more willing to commit to conflict and war to remain in charge was a defining factor in why and how the Bolsheviks won the civil war. Lenin himself stated four defining factors that helped give the Reds 5 Bogdanov. A. Red Star: The First Bolshevik Utopia. (Indiana University Press. 2006) 6 Lynch. M. Bolshevik and Stalinist Russia 1918-1956. (Hodder Murray pub. 2005) 7 Carr. H. E. The Bolshevik Revolution 1917-1923. (Norton Paperbacks, 1985) 8 Carr. H. E. The Bolshevik Revolution 1917-1923. (Norton Paperbacks, 1985) 9 Ferro. M. Bolshevik Revolution: Social History of the Russian Revolution (Routledge Pub. 1985) 10 Ferro. M. Bolshevik Revolution: Social History of the Russian Revolution (Routledge Pub. 1985) 11 Lenin. I. V. The State and Revolution. (1918)

an advantage during the civil war “Our determination and stratagem will out play our opponents, they do not have our morale nor our sense of purpose, their lack of unity will also play a part in their downfall.”12 Alongside the ongoing Civil war, the Bolshevik’s aimed to remove all internal issues within its party and initiate a terror program to scare its opponents and help sure its position as head of the ‘New Russia.’ The ‘Red Terror’ as it was known was an official state policy introduced by the Bolsheviks in the February of 1918, during this time “Russia experienced great turmoil that was only exacerbated by the decision to initiate the Red Terror”13 the true horror of this violent state code was seen on the 16th-17th of July 1918, when the Tsar and his family were murdered by members of the Cheka. This did not only launch a public statement that there was nothing the Bolsheviks wouldn’t do to remain in power but also the fact that this forced many monarchists to give up the fight for the whites due to a sense of lost cause. To Conclude, be it social reforms that appealed to most lower class workers and peasants, the introduction of economic centralisation, the brutal victory of the civil war or perhaps the personal abilities of Lenin as a leader, there was no singular reason for Bolshevik dominance by 1921. A combination of these factors helped the Bolsheviks, newly named Communist party (1919) to consolidate their power and bring about a “New Socialist utopia to which had been the dream of many Bolsheviks for decades. By 1921, this had started to become a reality.” 14 This quote summarises the consolidation of power by exemplifying that the Bolsheviks had in fact achieved a great deal in less than 4 years.

Bibliography. Bogdanov. A. Red Star: The First Bolshevik Utopia. (Indiana University Press. 2006) Brovkin. N. V. The Bolsheviks in Russian Society: The Revolution and Civil Wars. (Yale University Press. 1997) Carr. H. E. The Bolshevik Revolution 1917-1923. (Norton Paperbacks, 1985) Ferro. M. Bolshevik Revolution: Social History of the Russian Revolution (Routledge Pub. 1985) Lenin. I. V. The State and Revolution. (1918) Lynch. M. Bolshevik and Stalinist Russia 1918-1956. (Hodder Murray pub. 2005) Pipes. R. Russia Under the Bolshevik Regime. (New York Publishing. 1983) Ulam. B. A. The Bolsheviks: The intellectual and political triumph of Communism in Russia. (Harvard University Press. 1998)

12 Lenin. I. V. The State and Revolution. (1918) 13 Pipes. R. Russia Under the Bolshevik Regime. (New York Publishing. 1983) 14 Pipes. R. Russia Under the Bolshevik Regime. (New York Publishing. 1983)...