Repression and Opposition under Lenin 1917-1924

Repression and Opposition under Lenin:

1917-1924

The Civil War 1917-22

The Reds and The Whites were created due to the opposition that faced Lenin's government.

The Whites

The Reds

The Whites

The Reds

Events

1917–1923

Anti-Bolshevism

Anti-Communism

Russian nationalism

Monarchism

Leaders

Alexander Kolchak (1918-early 1920)

Anton Denikin (1920)

Pyotr Wrangel (1920)

The Red Army operated as an army of the government.

Formed by combining the military force with the Cheka.

Mandatory conscription of the rural peasantry into the Red Army.

Violence and force was used to get people to sign up.

Former Tsarist officers were utilized as "military specialists 83% of all Red Army divisional and corps commanders were ex-Tsarist soldiers.

The establishment of the Comintern and the escape from the world war angered other countries which joined in the war against Bolsheviks

The war lasted 3 years.

White armies led by Generals Yudenich and Denikin attacked Russia from the west, Admiral Kolchak from the east.

The Tsar and his family were put to death.

The Red Army defeated Kolchak in 1919 – after this the British, American and French armies went home.

Caused shortages, famine and disease - millions died.

The last White army in Russia was defeated in the Crimea in 1920.

The Red Army invaded Poland in 1921, but was defeated and driven back.

In 1922 The Tenth Party Congress declared the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Red Terror

Lenin’s ruthless qualities when it came to his political cause could be seen in his dealings in the revolution as well as the civil war. He claimed the prevailing circumstances, demanded ‘iron discipline’ and an ‘iron party’. Such views translated into the repression seen under Lenin.

The Red Terror in Soviet Russia was a campaign of mass arrests, executions, and atrocities conducted by the Bolshevik government.

The Cheka was introduced as part of red terror, only as a temporary measure, however soon become a key feature of communist rule.

The Cheka

Lenin’s secret police founded in 1917 was headed by the Polish communist, Dzerzhinsky. ‘All-Russian Extraordinary Commission for Struggle against Counter-Revolution and Sabotage’

The Cheka were a very nasty and ruthless set of individuals, they implemented red terror.

Instantly the Cheka formed a reputation for savagery. The methods used by the Cheka included executions, imprisonment in labour camps, hostage taking and torture.

Censorship

The Bolsheviks were atheist-they banned the church from owning property, separated it from the state. Raids of the churches occurred by the red army, valuable objects were seized and resistance brutally repressed.

The Bolsheviks made use of the arts for propaganda purposes and were initially relatively relaxed.

Control of the arts tightened in the 1920’s and in 1922 was re-established as a more efficient force. Glavlit, as it was commonly known, formed.

After this time all items needed a licence from the Glavlit before they could appear, it also had responsibilities in repressing underground literature-here it worked closely with the Cheka.

How active opposition

was dealt with

Any opposition to the Bolsheviks were put down ruthlessly.

Lenin faced criticism of his New Economic Policy by many who thought it had capitalist elements. Lenin’s response to criticism was to stifle it. In 1921, a ban was introduced on the formation of factions within the party. This was followed by a major purge of the party’s members.

The Bolsheviks faced opposition in 1921, among 40,000 peasants in the countryside.

The red army's response, was brutal and extreme. Among other things, poisonous gas was used against the rebels, and thousands of wives and children were taken hostage.