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Bolshevik Consolidation Of Power

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To What Extent was the NEP responsible for Bolshevik Consolidation of power
After the Bolsheviks came to power in October 1917 it was a combination of factors which allowed them to establish a new government and consolidate their power throughout Russia. The Bolsheviks, lead by Lenin wanted to put into place a socialist society based on Marxist principles. The first six months proved to be a crucial time as they implemented various social and political reforms, aiming to establish a new government The ensuing Civil War placed huge burdens on the Russian population and instilled a sense of dissatisfaction and frustration towards the government. The Bolsheviks were forced to lay the foundation of a new social order known as “war communism”, which …show more content…

Lenin introduced the policy in an effort to stabilise the disrupted Russian economy. The government began to exercise total control over the Russian population, including the control of businesses and factories. Grain requisitioning was a key element of War communism and caused great financial burdens, provoking anger and resistance. Peasants are forced to give up any surplus produce to the government, and at times the bare minimums that they needed for food were also confiscated in order to meet the requirements of the army and sustain the workers. To further consolidate their power during the civil war, the Bolsheviks established a machinery of persuasion. The Bolsheviks created one of the most sophisticated propaganda machines of the early 20th century, establishing a wide range of government newspapers, while banning all counter revolutionary papers. This allowed them to develop and garner the support they needed to consolidate the regime. The implementation of a coercive machinery of power was crucial to their consolidation efforts. The building of a new army, police system, a disciplined ruling group and fiscal machinery necessary to support their regime. The evolution of the Red army showed clearly how the government were forced to abandon the idea of a “people’s army” and created an authoritarian style rule. Although then Bolsheviks were victorious in the civil war, the economy was in ruins, the infrastructure was destroyed and Russia was experiencing one of the most severe famines of the century with 5 million dead. The Russian economy had collapsed with production decreasing and the number of employees in industries had dropped from 3.5 million to around 1.5 million in 1921. The harvests of 1920, were 54% of the pre-war levels. Though in the long term War Communism created unrest, during the Civil War it gave the Bolsheviks

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