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Success of Opposition Pre-1917 (Elections to the constituent assembly…
Success of Opposition Pre-1917
Opposition to Tsarism
Divided
Those who wanted to overthrow the system
Those that wanted change within the system
Despite the October Manifesto, the Fundamental Laws of 1906 essentially voided this
Romanov Dynasty remained intact until Nicholas II's reign
The Lack of effective opposition was largely down to the control exerted by successive Tsars
Could also be down to the lack of unity within or between revolutionary groups
Opposition to the Provisional Government
Despite a climate of collaboration and democracy, the Provisional Government experienced a similar degree of opposition to the Tsars
The Bolsheviks dominated the opposition
By the end of September 1917, there was little to suggest that the Bolsheviks would attempt to seize power
The main concern for the provisional government was the workers committee's (Soviet's) such as the Petrograd Soviet
The vast majority of members were against the interim government and where prepared to listen to the likes of the Bolsheviks
It is most likely the opposition from workers that paved the way for the Bolshevik coup, rather than the organisation of the Bolsheviks themselves
Elections to the constituent assembly
Although the Bolsheviks had started to claim
De Facto Rule
they failed to win a majority in elections to the Constituent Assembly
Rules as a matter of fact or circumstances rather than rule gained by legal means
SR's got 17,490,000 votes
Bolsheviks got 9,844,000
National Minorities got 8,257,000
Left SR's (pro-Bolshevik) got 2,861,000
Lenin didn't believe that the Bolsheviks could consolidate power through future elections, and so chose to end it by military force
The official reasoning was that the 'elections had been rigged'
Opposition towards the Bolsheviks remained rife and many in the party were concerned about Lenin's methods
The Left-SR's (amongst others) saw Lenin's want to leave the First World War as a traitorous act
Civil War
Some historians believe that Lenin invited the civil war, because it provided an opportunity to destroy opposition
Indeed, the groups that made up the White Armies were all opposition groups of the Constituent Assembly
The emergence of Green Armies suggest that the war wasn't merely about politics, but also nationalities and regions
After the Red Army victory, Lenin presented a "On Party Unity" in 1921
This would make all other parties illegal and ban factionalism inside the Bolshevik party
Russia remained a One-Party state from 1921 to 1964 (and beyond)