Bolshevik Consolidation of Power - 1760 Words

How successful were the Bolsheviks in consolidating their power from 1917-1924? Was Communist ideology compromised during this period? On 24-26 October, the Bolshevik Party seized power from Kerensky’s Provisional Government. This was achieved with surprising ease. Retaining their newly acquired power, however, was to prove difficult. Nonetheless, the Bolsheviks proved successful in consolidating their power from 1917-1924, achieving this through a combination of pragmatic reforms and ruthless terror. This ultimately led the Bolsheviks far from their original goals and ideologies, and by 1924, the Soviet Union was a highly centralised one-party state. Immediately after the October revolution, the Bolsheviks consolidated their power using†¦show more content†¦The Bolsheviks also built a new police system and a ruling group that portrayed the same discipline and unity that had characterised Russia’s traditional ruling elites. As well as pragmatic reforms, the Bolsheviks also used terror in order to consolidate their power from 1917-1924. In December 1917, the Bolsheviks created a new secret police institution (the Cheka) to provide security, encourage class warfare and bring the army under tighter control. An attempt on Lenin’s life in August 1918 saw the Cheka take harsh reprisals against all suspected enemies in what became known as the ‘Red Terror’. The middle class, former nobility and the clergy were key targets. During the Civil War, the Kadet party was outlawed and its leaders arrested. Russia had become a one-party state. The Cheka also killed the Tsar and his family to prevent them being used as a symbolic rallying point for counter-revolution. Despite compromising Communist ideology, these ruthless measures were successful in suppressing internal opposition and thus consolidating Bolshevik power. War Communism was introduced in 1918 as a means of consolidating Bolshevik power. War Communism attempted to replace the free market with state control over all means of production and distribution. In the towns, private trade was banned,Show MoreRelatedThe Bolshevik Consolidation of Power 1918-21 Essay2585 Words   |  11 PagesThe Bolshevik Consolidation of Power 1918-21 The Bolsheviks under Lenin, when they came into power in October 1917, faced immense problems in trying to consolidate their hold over the ex-tsarist empire. Firstly, how were the Bolsheviks, in view of their military resources, to extend their hold over the nation at large? The second, was how could they achieve a speedy end to the war and effect a rapid withdrawal of the German army, which was currently occupying theRead MoreEssay about Bolshevik Consolidation of Power 19-17-19241549 Words   |  7 PagesFrom the initial seizure of power in 1917 until 1924, the Bolsheviks were confronted with a series of crises that threatened their ability to control and govern in Russia. 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