How did the Bolsheviks centralise control in Russia between 1918-24?

1. How did the Bolsheviks centralise control in Russia between 1918-24?

2. Sovnakom created which bypassed the Soviet. This showed that the Bolsheviks were making the main decisions with little regard for other political groups. • The Civil war & the economy made it crucial that the Bolsheviks develop a centralised state.

4. Sovnakom • The Constitution gave Sovnakomthe right to put into practice "measures of extreme urgency" without reference to VTsIK. • During the various crises of 1919 - 1921 all measures could be regarded as being of extreme urgency. • The fact that Lenin was President of Sovnakomgave it greater prestige than VTsIK. • Thus from 1919 Sovnakomwas the effective government of Russia. It had full executive power and power to introduce legislation by decree. It also had full control over the economy through the Council of Labour and Defence (STG).

5. What were the problems with the All Russia Central Executive Committee (VTsIK)? • Became too unwieldy, its membership rose to 300 by 1920. • Originally been designed to remain in permanent session unlike the Congress but in fact its meetings became rarer. • In 1921 its meetings were limited to only three sessions a year. • In 1919, in an attempt to keep its power and its status VTsIK gave special powers to the management committee of the principal officers = the Praesidium. = In 1919 given the power to ratify the decisions of Sovnakomin between sittings of VTsIK; it could also veto those decisions. • It could also issue regulations in the name of VTsIK. This move weakened the power of VTsIK in that it gave the Praesidium virtually unlimited powers separate from VTsIK.

6. What were the problems with the All Russia Congress of Soviets? • Become too large and cumbersome to function and govern efficiently; it had over 1,000 delegates from all over the country. • Difficult for them to meet frequently enough to be effective. It was supposed to meet every three months but from 1918 it only met annually. • VTsIK tended to take over most of the functions of the Congress, The same thing happened in the local Soviets where the executive bodies wielded the real power.

8. Politburo Policy making part of the Bolshevik’s Central Committee.

9. Bolshevik Central Committee • Orgburo: After 1917 it was part of the Central Committee dealing with party organisation

10. The relationship of the government to the communist party? Key officials in the government were members of the Communist party. Senior members of the government were usually senior members of the party. Increasingly government bodies became instruments for carrying out policies made in the Politburo and higher levels of the party.

11. How did the Communist party become more centralised and less democratic?

12. Changing membership. • Towards end of 1919 party purged of undesirables. • 1920 – 22 new members recruited mainly of peasant background (joined to improve their life chances). Few had knowledge of Marxism and so were prepared to do as they were told. Loss of proletariat workforce. • Gone to fight in the civil war or joined the party bureaucracy. • By 1919 39% of party members were from the army. The majority were workers in the offices not factories.

13. Party became centralised and more hierarchical (which did not end when the civil war did). • The rank and file of the party accepted that centralisation was needed due to the civil war. • 1921- Ban on Factions – The party splits had angered Lenin (remember the worker’s opposition group). They distracted the party from the crises of 1921 (remember the famine, Tambov revolt, other revolts + Kronstadt mutiny). At the 10th Party Congress – agreed to pass ban. Once party policy agreed by the Central Committee then everyone had to accept it and not form “factions” – penalty was expulsion from the party. • Nomenklatura system – 1923 onwards. The leaders wanted to ensure that key personnel were Bolshevik or pro Bolshevik workers. So a list of c. 5500 designated party and governmental posts (nomenklatura). Post holders could only be appointed by central party bodies. Loyalty more important than expertise. These people in key posts became an elite.

14. So how did the Communist party begin to dominate the government at a local level?

15. At a local and district level the Communist Party organisations took control of all soviets. • After the October revolution the soviets took control of local government. • However not all the soviets were run by Bolshevik socialists. • Often they ignored the instructions coming from Moscow. • In order to get control of these soviets the Bolsheviks used intimidation and ballot rigging to win these elections. • The Bolsheviks ensured that the chairman and executive were party members. • This meant that the soviets were subordinate to the party. From 1919 the Communist’s Central Committee began to appoint its own “trusted” nominees to key position in soviets. • By 1920 non communist members were not allowed to stand for election.

16. How was all of Russia bought under Moscow’s control?

17. Jan 1918 – RSFSR – Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic. • July 1918 – Constitution = said the state was a dictatorship of the urban and rural proletariat. Its job to ensure the transition to a socialist system. Remember the quote: “He who does not work shall not eat”? • As the civil war progressed more land was taken into the RSFSR or a separate republic created e.g. Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Belorussia. These smaller republics caused arguments between Stalin and Lenin. • Stalin wanted the republics to be sub-ordinate to Moscow and obey its orders. Lenin wanted the republics to be on an equal footing with Russia and to form a federation. • 1922 – Lenin won = USSR established = Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. • Lenin did not want to be seen as creating an empire like the old Tsarist regime = uprisings. Tried to give the image that they were “brothers” and so encouraged the establishment of National identities (unlike Russification). • In reality the Republics were not 100% free to rule themselves. The Communist Party in these Republics were seen as areas of authority.

18. In conclusion…. By 1923, the authority of the Party over every aspect of policy and administration was openly acknowledged. At the top was the Politburo, the ultimate policy maker. Then Rabkrin supervised the administration. Then the Party members at all levels of the administration who were completely subject to Party discipline. Thus the "Dictatorship of the Proletariat" was established with the Communist Party acting as the vanguard of the proletariat. The Party was an elite that would lead the masses towards socialism, The members were less likely to debate or challenge the party leadership. Decision making was in increasingly small hands. Party detached from proletarian base.