The
Rise of Soviet Russia
Lenin’s
Political policies, 1917-1921
| GRADE LEVEL | THEME | TOPIC | DURATION |
| 12 | WORLD HISTORY | POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS IN RUSSIA, 1917 - 1939 | 7 x LESSONS |
The
Rise of Soviet Russia |
Bolshevik
Reforms
Picture A: Russian peasants. Following the Bolshevik Revolution Lenin and his communist government initiated many reforms. They took land owned by the Tsar, the church, nobles and other landlords, and redistributed it among the peasants. Working conditions were improved and work hours limited to a maximum of eight hours a day, and forty hours a week. Lenin emphasised free education, especially for adults. He introduced evening classes for workers. This education included a strong element of the merits of communism.
Picture B: Alexandra Kollontai. A Women’s Rights Department, headed by Alexandra Kollontai, a member of the Bolshevik Central committee, was also launched. This department addressed issues like the inequalities in employment and education of women. Women had not been allowed to occupy senior positions or access to education. Lenin wanted to see this changed by having both women and men attending classes together united by the philosophy of communism. During this reform period the Bolshevik Party changed its name to the Communist Party, and took steps to restrict all political opposition. Independent newspapers outside of state control were banned. Leaders of the main opposition Liberal Party, a party that had launched most of the communist leaders including Lenin, were banned. The Constitutional Democrats was banned and its leadership arrested. A commission to fight counter-revolution and espionage, called Cheka was established. Cheka was a secret police force that reported directly to Lenin on all illegal activities against communism. This body ensured that people who did not support communism were recommended for expulsion from Russia or imprisoned for life. Its workforce grew to 30 000 members in a bid to crush all opposition. Moscow became the new capital city in a move based on the belief that it was more central than Petrograd. The Communist Party adopted a calendar which was later followed by many countries in Western Europe. Learning Outcomes: Demonstrate the ability to work independently, formulating enquiry questions and gathering, analysing, interpreting and evaluating relevant evidence to answer questions. Synthesise information about the past to develop, sustain and defend an independent line of historical argument, and communicate and present information reliably and accurately in writing and verbally.
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Activity
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