Russian Revolution: From Tsarist Rule to Stalin’s Dictatorship
The Russian Revolution: From Tsarist Rule to Stalin’s Dictatorship
Forced to flee, ministers were detained, and with very little bloodshed, the Winter Palace, the former residence of the Tsars converted into the headquarters of the new government, was seized. After the victory, the new government, called the Town Council, made the first decisions on land, labor, and war after the peace of Brest-Litovsk in 1918. The Bolsheviks, led by Lenin and Trotsky, took the name Communist Party and founded the Third International in March 1919.
War Communism (1918-1921)
Between 1918 and 1921, Russia experienced a civil war between the Bolsheviks, who controlled the major cities and industrial areas, and the anti-Bolshevik White Army. The White Army was formed by supporters of the Tsar and conservative groups supported by the Orthodox clergy. They were also supported by the armies of neighboring countries and allies of various nationalities. The Bolsheviks won the war thanks to a series of factors:
- Support of peasants and workers.
- Disunity of adversaries.
- Creation of a strong army with great discipline, organized by Trotsky and known as the Red Army.
- Strong repression through the secret police called the Cheka, who persecuted political dissidents in a stage known as the Red Terror.
The Communist Party became the only political force allowed. War Communism was an economy based on the nationalization of industries and the countryside, whose aim was to supply the front. This led to revolts that were brutally suppressed.
NEP (New Economic Policy) 1921-1939
From 1921, Lenin’s policy changed after popular protests. The New Economic Policy consisted of:
- Land: Completed the nationalization. The peasants could dispose of their land freely and market the products in exchange for a tax. This even led to social inequalities, with some peasants becoming rich.
- Small industries: Ceased to be collective and returned to private ownership, improving the supply of cities.
This policy provoked a debate within the Communist Party between supporters and opponents (Trotsky and Stalin) who favored a pro-industry approach. At the political level, this stage served to reinforce the single party and create a federal system. In 1922, the USSR was born. Lenin died in 1924. The Communist Party leadership rested with the principal leaders of the Bolsheviks (Kamenev, Zinoviev, Bukharin, Stalin, and Trotsky). After 1929, Stalin’s government became a personal dictatorship, supported by the power of the Communist Party.
Stalin’s Dictatorship
In 1927, Stalin expelled Trotsky and other leaders from the Communist Party. After 1929, his attitude towards personal dictatorship was characterized by:
- Cult of personality: Stalin presented himself as a savior, placing statues and photos of himself across the USSR.
- Dictatorship: The party leaned towards a mass revolutionary party very different from the one Lenin had designed.
- Marxism-Leninism: Became the single ideology, and those who did not adhere to it were persecuted.
- Regime of terror: This extended to the Communist Party itself, with the famous purges where people were sent to prison, executed, or deported to forced labor camps in Siberia.