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| Exceptions to the great prosperity of the mirs in Russia with regards to acquiring land during land hunger. These people were the wealthier and more enterprising peasants. They became the “big farmers” and they stood out conspicuously from the more impoverished masses of peasants who disliked the kulaks. |
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| – Four fifths of the population were peasants who were free from former lords and lived in village communes called mirs. In most of these communes, the land would be divided among peasant households by agreement of villagers and no one could leave without permission. This was because the villagers still carried a considerable burden with paying redemption money from their emancipation in 1861. Peasants also paid high amounts of taxes. Felt a hunger for more land and flourished throughout Russia far faster that did individual buyers in acquiring land. |
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| Most of the revolutionary intelligentsia were populists. Generally had a mystical faith in the vast inchoate might of the Russian people and were especially interested in peasant problems and peasant welfare. Believed that a great native revolutionary tradition existed in Russia for peasant rebellion. Admired the mirs and greatly respected Marx and Engels, though they did not believe that urban proletariat was only revolutionary class. |
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| Russian Marxist faction that supported Lenin and differed from Mensheviks on matters of organization and tactics. Thought party should be a small revolutionary elite of hard core of reliable and zealous workers. Wanted a strong and centralized party without autonomy for national or other component groups. Demanded strong authority at the top so the central committee would determine the doctrine and levels of organization. Party should strengthen by purges and expelling the weaker members. Eventually would impose their views through dictatorship of the proletariat. |
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| Also a Russian Marxist faction whose members favored a larger and more open party with memberships for mere sympathizers. Favored a greater degree of influence by the membership as a whole. Favored covering up or bridging over all but the most influential disagreements and came to recommend cooperation with liberals, progressives, and bourgeois democrats. Came to resemble the Marxists of western Europe that became possible under Russia’s conditions. |
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| Greatly stressed the importance of a small and powerful group of devoted members who would control through dictatorship. Those within the party that were deemed to develop deviations from party opinions would also be routinely purged in order to maintain the best group of zealous members. There would be a very strong authority of the party and not many cooperation or backing down of power/demands. Accepted and added little to Marx’s governing ideas and believed that capitalism exploited the workers with history being influenced by economic conditions. |
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| According to the changes Lenin made to Marx’s philosophy, imperialism was the uneven development of capitalism. Imperialism was also a product of monopoly capitalism, which was capitalism in its highest and final stage and can develop differently at different times in other countries. Bent on exporting surplus capital and investing it in underdeveloped areas for greater profits as a result of unceasing drive for colonies and markets in a world already partitioned and led to imperialist wars. |
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| Factory workers had made a petition asking for better working conditions and pay, and many unarmed crowed together before the tsar’s Winter Palace on Sunday in January 1905. The tsar was not in the city and his officials were fearful, ordering troops to fire at the demonstrators. It snapped the moral bond upon which all stable government rests and many developed negative sentiments toward the tsar. This caused much hate for the autocracy and many political strikes broke out. |
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| Social Democrats appeared to give revolutionary direction to these movements. Councils or soviets of workers were formed in major cities. Peasants began to spontaneously erupt, overrunning the lands and burning down manors. St. Petersburg Soviet or worker’s council was created in this period and was led by the Mensheviks. They declared a general strike that spread throughout the entire country and led to the October Manifesto. |
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| When the government became paralyzed after the strikes in October, the tsar issued the October Manifesto that promised a constitution, civil liberties, and a Duma to be elected by all classes to enact laws and control administration. It was intended to divide the opposition and many of the Social Democrats felt secure with the creation of the Duma. Many of the different factions wanted various things that dissolved their united front against the tsar. |
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| Retained by the tsar as a principal minister and became the first one to dissolve the first two Dumas. Believed that the best way to keep power in hands of the monarchy was to attract those who were more moderate and reasonable and quell revolutionary movements. Aim was to build up the propertied classes as friends of the state. Believed that a state actively supported by a widespread private property had little to fear from doctrinaire intellectuals, etc. Favored and broadened powers of the provincial zemstovs. |
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| Proclaimed holy man who was greatly trusted by the tsarina. She thought he had supernatural powers because he was able to cure the heir of his hemophilia. Consequently, he came to have influence and voice in appointments of high office. All who wished an audience with the tsar had to go through him. Many people protested against the influence of Rasputin and disliked him greatly. Eventually Rasputin was assassinated by nobles at the court. |
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| Represented the revolutionary forces arising by spontaneous upsurge. Played a role in 1917 that was like that of the Paris Commune earlier in which it constantly pushed te supposedly higher and more nationwide authority to the left. Became the public auditorium and administrative center of the working-class upheaval. Generally socialist in its outlook, and all the socialists tried to win it over and utilize it for their own ends. |
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| Duma committee, under pressure from the Petrograd Soviet set up a Provisional Government under Prince Lvov. The Duma liberals also accepted one socialist to the new government as part of a concession. Demanded the abdication of the tsar, Nicholas II, which led to Russia becoming a Republic. Called for elections by universal male suffrage to a Constituent Asssembly which was to prepare a new constitution. Biggest mistake was to continue the war when Petrograd Soviet had demanded its termination and soldiers/peasants were unhappy. |
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| Lenin needed to win over soldiers, peasants, and workers by promising them peace, land, and bread. With this program, and by infiltrating and parliamentary stratagems, as well as by their accuracy as political prophets, the Bolsheviks won a majority in the Petrograd Soviet and in soviets all over the country. In doing so, Lenin insured that he would be able to maintain power over the other socialist factions vying for power in the Soviet. |
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| The first institution founded under the new order was a political police, an Extraordinary All-Russian Commission of Struggle Against Counterrevolution, Speculation, and Sabotage. Later without basic change of methods or purpose became under other names NKVD, MVD, KGB. Established in December 1917. |
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| Bolsheviks contended themselves with mixture of principle and expediency known as _______ because they did not have long term plans at first. Nationalized some of the largest industrial enterprises but left the bulk under the control of workers’ committees. Pressing problem was to find food, as production had ended. The government ended up levying requisitions and required peasants to make stated deliveries and invited labor unions to send armed detachments into the country to produce food by force. |
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| Named as war commissioner and virtually creator of the Red Army. Shaped the Red Army into a disciplined and effective unit by recruiting members, organizing it, unifying it, and equipping it. He also assigned political commissars to watch it and assured that trustworthy officers occupied its high command. His management ensured the success of the Red Army. |
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| Russian Civil War/Red Army |
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| Civil war lasted until 1920, and became confused melee in which the Bolsheviks struggled against Russian opponents, independence-minded nationalities, and foreign intervention. Red Army fought in Ukraine first against the Germans and then against the French. Eventually reconquered Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan and also put to flight a hundred thousand counterrevolutionaries of White Army. |
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| During civil wars that Red Terror broke out in Russia as part of a response to civil and foreign war. Thousands were shot in Russia merely as hostages and other thousands were killed without even the summary formalities of revolutionary tribunals. Aimed at the physical extermination of all who opposed the new regime and the Cheka was used to be the most formidable political police that had yet appeared. |
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| Government in the Union followed a pattern worked out during the revolution and written into the constitutions, which in theory was a principle of __________. There was the state and the party would parallel it, though it was not part of the state technically. The close interlocking relationship between the two made the parallelism virtually meaningless because the party actually controlled all of the state institutions. |
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| ithin the party the apex of power was the Central Committee and its members varied from in number throughout the years. Politburo was within the Central Committee |
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| An organization within the Central Committee. It was a political bureau of about a dozen members who dominated discussion of policy and personnel. |
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| The office that Stalin virtually established and it was extraordinarily powerful. Stalin dominated the entire structure and apparatus with authority over appointments, assignments, and decisions at all levels. |
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| Lenin advocated a compromise with capitalism, which was a strategic retreat. Most of the decade of the 1920s saw a relaxation of tempo for most people in the USSR. While the state controlled the commanding heights of the economy, maintaining state ownership of the basic productive industries, it allowed a great deal of private trading for private profit. Aimed to restore trade between town and country. |
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| General secretary of the party whom Lenin had warned against, but was drawing all the strings of party control into his own hands. Stalin wove a web of support so that 95% of the delegates in the Central Committee voted for Stalin. Was a great advocate for having complete control of the many levels of the party. Stalin dominated the entire structure and apparatus with authority over appointments, assignments, and decisions at all levels. |
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