Why_Were_Lenin_and_the_Bolsheviks_Able_to_Consolidate_Power_in_Russia_by_1924_

Why were Lenin and the Bolsheviks able to consolidate power in Russia by 1924' Lenin and the Bolsheviks were able to consolidate their power in Russia by 1924 through social and political reforms, ruthless pragmatism and brutal terror. The Bolsheviks in 1917 introduced a series of new reforms to support the peasants and working class. NEP consolidated Bolshevik power through its restoration of the economy. The Civil War allowed the Bolsheviks to defeat all their enemies and their ruthless pragmatism could not be matched by any opponent. The Bolsheviks introduced a series of new reforms aimed at consolidating their support among the peasants and working class. The Bolsheviks created a new Governing body, the Sovnakom that ruled by decree without going to the Soviet for approval. In key areas, the Bolsheviks compromised their principles to keep popular support.. The Land Decree gave peasants the right to take over the estates of the gentry and to decide for them the best way to divide it up. The peasants however were already doing this, so this decree only legalized their actions. Land could no longer be bought or sold and is belonged to the entire people. All land that was owned by the church, the Tsar and the nobles, was handed over to the peasants. The Workers Control Decree gave factory committees the right to control production and finance in workplaces and to "supervise" management. This idea was far away from socialist ideology, but they could not resist the worker's calls for reform. The maximum eight-hour working was introduced, along with unemployment pay, old age pensions and sickness benefits. Workers also received control of the factories and control of the railways. The Rights of the People of Russia Decree offered self-determination to the national minorities of the empire. These reforms were successful in consolidating the power of the new government during when the government was fragile and lacked power. NEP successfully consolidated Bolshevik power as it restored a shattered economy and rebuilt the proletariat. The introduction of NEP solved many of Russia’s economic problems. By 1925 the cultivation of arable land and industrial production had virtually recovered their 1913 levels, and food production increased to pre-WWI levels. The soviet government could also point to improvements in wages and standards of living. The NEP was therefore a successful measure used to consolidate Bolshevik power. The NEP was accompanied by repressive measures, as further attacks were made on political rivals, peasant revolts were harshly crushed, pre-publication censorship was introduced and the secret police grew in importance. The Cheka used the death penalty, harassment and arbitrary imprisonment to keep capitalist tendencies and social opposition under control. When the Civil War broke out in 1918, the Bolsheviks took ruthless action to crush their enemies. Victory in the Civil War would allow the Bolsheviks to be the lone ruler of Russia. There are many reasons why the Bolsheviks won the Civil War. The Whites were terribly divided and unorganized, geographically and ideologically. Contrary to this, the Bolsheviks controlled all the interior lines. This is what allowed the Bolsheviks to successfully coordinate their attacks and concentrates their forces to one enemy, the Whites. The Bolsheviks had gained control where most of the nations population, industrial and agricultural resources and transportation were found. War communism allowed the Bolsheviks to mobilize their resources better. The leadership of Trotsky was far better than the leadership of the Whites. Trotsky’s genius was vital to the victory. The Bolsheviks had won over the peasants, unlike the Whites, who returned the land the Bolsheviks had handed out. The Bolsheviks used terror very effectively against their opponents. The Whites used terror erratically, killing many innocent people. This lost them much support from the people of Russia. The Bolsheviks also had a propaganda advantage since; the Whites were supported by foreign powers. By the end of 1919, the Red Army had defeated the most potent of the White armies, driving the remnants into Siberia. By 1921, the Red Army had recaptured virtually all the territories of the Old Russian Empire. The Bolsheviks were willing to eliminate their own former supporters, when this became necessary, as happened during the Kronstadt Rebellion in 1921. Their opponents could not match this level of ruthless pragmatism. Although the Bolsheviks had won the civil war, it was with without damage. Ten million people had died. The Bolsheviks’ enemies had been eliminated but opposition was growing among former Bolshevik supporters. In 1921 the Kronstadt sailors revolted. They were demanding new elections to the soviets, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly for all left wing groups, a return to free trade unions and the release of left wing political prisoners. All polices the Bolsheviks had promised before they seized power in 1917. Lenin and Trotsky sent troops to crush the revolt. The Cheka, making a mockery of the Bolsheviks’ claims to represent the working class, shot hundreds of sailors. War Communism was introduced to replace the free market with state control over all means of production and distribution. Private trade was banned, industrial enterprises were nationalized, and rationing and strict labor discipline was introduced. War Communism involved systematic use of terror, with those who resisted the new measures were arrested, imprisoned or sent to newly established labour camps. War Communion destroyed the old ruling elite, fulfilled the promises contained in the Bolshevik Party program and was ideologically progressive, but in terms of consolidating Bolshevik power, War Communism was a failure. It resulted in massive drops in industrial production and worker productivity and led to mass famine. It eroded the base of the Bolshevik support as the peasants reacted with violence. However, despite all the criticisms, War Communism is justified by the fact that there was a complete absence of any alternative, for existing supply systems had collapsed. The policy did not succeed in consolidating Bolshevik power, instead generating much discontent from the Russian population and eroding the economy.