The making of a totalitarian state

The making of a totalitarian state

1. The consolidation of power

   • The problems facing Lenin after the October revolution
     • The Bolsheviks were not very popular. They had support of only 1/4 of the Russian electorate.
     • Peasants were seizing land.
     • Unemployment and inflation rising
     • Russia was still fighting a war with Germany, occupying forces controlled most of Western Russia - German army within 100 miles of Petrograd.
   • Forming a government
     • Peace decree - took steps to end the war with Germany.
     • Decree of Land - all private and now belonged to peasants. Ultimately they wanted all private land under their control
     • Third decree - set up organisation of the new government, the Sovnarkom, with Lenin as chairman.
     • The government closed down newspapers which were critical of them.
   • Ending the war
     • This was a key slogan of their campaign "Peace, bread, land!"
     • They realised that the war played a major part in the Provisional Government's downfall.
     • They needed their resources to fight internal enemies.
     • Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
       • Loss of territory and economic wealth
       • Loss of 1/3 of the population and agricultural land and 1/2 of industry.
       • Once the war ended they annulled the treaty - looking weak.
   • The constituent assembly
     • After the November elections, the socialist revolutionary party became the largest party in Russia
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