How did the Bolsheviks tackle the problems confronting them in the government?

Sovnarkom: The Council of People's Commissars
1. Bolshevik governing body
2. 30-40 members
3. Exclusively Bolshevik
4. In effect, Russia was a one party state
The 3 main Decrees
1. Peace
  1. October 1917
  2. Needed for gov to survive
  3. Trotsky stalls peace talks, takes from Nov to March, hopes German soldiers will revolt
  4. "Without annexations"
    1. But lost 1/3 of European Russia...
2. Land
  1. Nov 1917
  2. "Private ownership of land shall be abolished forever"
  3. Gave Bolshevik approval to peasant overthrowal of land, legitimising the seizures
3. Workers' control
  1. Nov 1917
  2. Accepted workers take-over of factories
  3. Instructed worker's comms to maintain strictest order and discipline in the work place
The establishment of control
1. Sets up Cheka secret police DEC 1917
  1. Instrument of terror
  2. Scared into support
  3. Lenin set it up to remove all counter-revolutionary activity
    1. I.e. anyone against Lenin
      1. Marx- some control of proletariat needed
2. Censorship
  1. Closed down opp newspapers
3. Attacks parties
  1. Kadets denounced and outlawed
  2. Leading Kadets, Mensheviks, SR's imprisoned
4. Bank
  1. Would not provided finance- 10 days, threat of armed intervention before agreeing
5. Civil Service
  1. Refused to serve, threatening government mechanic breakdown: so there was purge of Civil Service
Dissolution of the Constituent Assembly
1. Nov elections, SR's 40% of vote, Bols 24% of vote
2. Met only for one day, 5th Jan 1918
3. Crowd demonstrating outside was fired upon by soldiers loyal to Sovnarkom
  1. Is Lenin a RED TSAR?

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How did the Bolsheviks tackle the problems confronting them in the government?

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	Created by Declan Wiseman almost 8 years ago