Russia under Lenin

Dictatorship
Absolute rule – Does not need another
person’s opinions
 Russia under Lenin
•Land Reforms No freedom of press
land confiscated only Bolshevik
from upper class papers
redistributed to Secret Police, Cheka
peasants to suppress
•Factories under opposition
control of •Equality for women
elected •promotion of
committees of
education
workers •only peasants &
•Took over large
workers given voting
houses and
rights
moved poor
 Learn to Read
A poster by Alexei
Radakov "He who is
illiterate is like a blind
man. Failure and
misfortune lie in wait for
him on all sides" Poster
from the year 1920. One
of the first projects of the
new Communist power
was to teach huge
illiterate masses to read.
That campaign was very
successful and praised all
over the world.
 ‘PEACE AT ANY PRICE’:

The Treaty of
Brest-Litovsk

Note the places

that are darkened!
 Treaty of Brest Litovosk
Russia gave up Eastern part of Russia to
Germany
(Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland,
the Ukraine and Georgia)

80 % coal mines 50% industries

26% railways 26% population
25% land
hy did Lenin agree to such a harsh treat

1 To win popular support for Bolsheviks

continua-
tion of war will threaten Bolsheviks’
position
To gain political control of Russia Bolsheviks d
not have complete control of Russia Bolshevik
wanted to built up strength within Russia

Lenin : “breathing space”

 Civil War 1918 -1922
nternal Threats : WHITES Gave money,
supporters of Tsar, upper classsupplies &
landowners support
army officers to Whites
Social Revolutionaries
Mensheviks

External Threats
•Britain & France unhappy with withdrawal
from
war
•fear that Communism might spread
Reasons why the Reds won the Civil
War
•Reds had control of •Whites were dispersed
resources in rural areas
•cities, railway lines
•food & supplies thru
War Communism

•Red Army morale high •Whites disunited

•good military strategy •poor military co-
& ordination
•leadership under
Trotsky
•Communism offered a •Whites unpopular
new hope to workers & •worked with foreign
peasants countries
•associated with Tsarist
Leon Trotsky

1897 1937 exiled in Mexico

Trotsky addresses Red Army in Moscow 1918
 “Join the Red Forces
and get a better life”

A poster by Vladimir
Mayakovsky "If you want
something - Join up"
from the year 1921
During the Civil war the
Red army was persuad-
ing people to join them
by promising them better
conditions of life.
 To Horse,
proletarian 1919

What is the purpose of

this poster?
St George (Leon
Trotsky). Poster by
Victor Deni, 1920.
This Civil war poster
by Victor Deni
depicts Trotsky as
Saint George slaying
the counter-
revolutionary dragon.
Using Christian
imagery and
mythology to present
a revolutionary
message was
common in the
Soviet propaganda.
Trotsky on
Guard!
The image of Leon
Trotsky, the leader of
the Red army, was on
several of the
posters.

Coloured lithograph
by D. S. Moor, 1920/1.

Does the poster show

that Trotsky was a
great military leader?
 War Communism

Purpose :
•to control all production ( food & factory )

•to ensure that Red Army & cities get supplies

during Civil War

How?
•State took over all factories - nationalisation
•State took over food produced by peasant farmers
•food & supplies rationed according to priorities
•private trading banned
•State took over banks
•people paid in goods & services, no cash
 In d u s tr ia l P r o d u c tio n d u r in g W a r
C o m m u n is m

40 29
30
millions of tons

coa l
20 9
10 4 .2 p ig iro n
0 .1
0
1913 1920
What does the picture tell you about
the effects of War Communism?
 Effects of War Communism
otests by peasants
fused to give up crops & animals
led or burnt supplies •Famine 5
fused to grow million died
od production fell •economy
declined to
•industrial production worst than
fell Tsarist days
•shoddy production •opposition to
•transport system Communist
Kronstadt Mutiny
failed growing
sailors who supported the Bolsheviks
turned against authority
 New Economy Policy
Why ?
Failure of War Communism to gain support of
people
•Peasants paid tax, surplus
can be sold

•private ownership for small

Profit
business making
allowed
•heavy industries,
transport, banking under
State control
Effects
production increased
economy grew
 In d u s tria l & A g ric u ltu ra l p ro d u c tio n
R u s s ia

100
80
millions of tons

60 1913
40 1922
20
1925
0
1928
g ra in c a ttle p ig s c o a l p ig iro n
havest
 Impact of Lenin : Good or Bad?
•Founder of Communist Russia
•ended class structure - importance to
workers
•peasants own land
•equality for women
•promoted education
•use of Secret police - forced obedience
•dictatorship : no freedom - political or
speech

•War Communism an economic disaster

NEP - economic progress