Government
v In 1922, the communists produced a constitution that was both democratic and socialist.
v This gave all citizens over the age of 18 the right to vote.
v The communist party ruled, though, not the people.
v The party used the army and secret police to enforce its will, just like the czars before them.
v This new government created the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
v The Soviet Union was made up diverse Europeans and Asian people.
The NEP
v Lenin gave up the “war communism” idea when it came to the economy. He did this because it caused to economy to nearly collapse.
v In 1921, Lenin adopted the New Economic Policy. It allowed some capitalist ventures.
v The state kept control of the bank, foreign trade, and large industries. But small businesses were allowed to open for private profit.
v Lenin’s compromise with the economy helped it recover. It also ended armed resistance to the government.
v By 1928, the industrial production and food had risen back to where they were pre war.
v The standard of living also improved.
v Lenin’s successor would soon put the Soviet Union back on the road to “pure” communism.
The November Revolution
By: Melissa Dowell
Lenin, a Marxist, and the Bolsheviks promised “Peace, Land, and Bread,” to the hungry, war-weary Russians. In November 1917, squads of armed factory workers joined sailors from the Russian fleet in attacking the provisional government. Then, in a matter of days, Lennin’s forces had overthrown a government that no longer had support. In Petrograd, there was a meeting at the Winter Palace. A cadet had run in to tell the government that the Bolsheviks were storming the palace. One politician announced that it was no use, and that they give up. They, for the most part, wanted no bloodshed.
Bolsheviks in Charge
v Moscow was considered the capital, and the Kremlin was their headquarters.
v They ended private ownership of land and distributed land to peasants.
v Workers were given control of the factories and mines.
v Millions of Russians thought they had at last won control of their lives.
v The Bolsheviks were renamed communists, and they would soon become their masters.
Allied Invasion
v Lenin wanted peace with Germany, so Russia signed the Treaty of BrestLitovsk in March of 1918.
v Russia gave up a huge chunk of territory and about a third of its population.
v For three years, the newly formed Red Army battled the Whites in civil war.
v Other countries that fought against the Red Army:
o Poland
o Estonia
o Latvia
o Lithuania
v Ukraine, Caucasus, and Central Asia were restrained eventually.
v The Allies (Britain, U.S. and France) sent help to the Whites, who wanted to continue fighting.
v The Allied forces failed and led to the distrust of the west from communists.
A Costly Triumph
v Counterrevolutionary forces slaughtered and captured communists and tried to assassinate Lenin.
v The communist then organized their own secret police; the Cheka.
v If ordinary citizens were ever suspected of counterrevolutionary they were executed.
v The communists adapted a policy known as “war communism,”
v That means they took over banks, mines, factories, and railroads.
v A man named Trotsky made a lot of passionate speeches which convinced many men to join the army.
v By 1921, the communists had defeated their foes.
v After the death of Lenin, the communist party officials and Joseph Stalin put his body of display in Red Square.