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How did the Bolsheviks consolidate their power after the October 1917 uprising?
Answer:
Answer by Student
After the October 1917 uprising, the Bolsheviks took several steps to consolidate their power:
- Nationalization: In November 1917, the Bolsheviks nationalized most industries and banks, effectively taking over their ownership and management.
- Land Reform: The Bolsheviks declared land as social property and allowed peasants to seize land from the nobility.
- Reorganization of Society : In cities, the Bolsheviks enforced the partition of large houses to accommodate families' needs. They also abolished the old titles of aristocracy, signaling a break from the past social order.
- Political Transformation : The Bolshevik Party was renamed the Russian Communist Party (Bolshevik). They conducted elections to the Constituent Assembly in November 1917, but when the Bolsheviks failed to gain majority support, they dismissed the Assembly in January 1918. Instead, they favored the All Russian Congress of Soviets, considering it a more democratic institution.
Detailed Answer by Teachoo
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Nationalization:
The Bolsheviks
nationalized
most industries and banks in November 1917, effectively taking over their ownership and management. This allowed the government to exert control over the economic resources of the country. Nationalization also meant that the profits from these enterprises would be used for the benefit of the people, rather than the capitalists.
- Land Reform: They declared land as social property and allowed peasants to seize land from the nobility. This redistribution of land aimed to gain support from the rural population and weaken the traditional aristocratic power base. The peasants were free to cultivate the land as they wished, either collectively or individually. The Bolsheviks also abolished rents and mortgages on land, relieving the peasants from debt and exploitation.
- Reorganization of Society: In cities, the Bolsheviks enforced the partition of large houses to accommodate families’ needs. They also abolished the old titles of aristocracy, signaling a break from the past social order. The partition of houses was meant to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor, and to provide decent living conditions for the workers. The abolition of aristocracy was a symbolic gesture to show that all people were equal in the new socialist society.
- Political Transformation : The Bolshevik Party was renamed the Russian Communist Party (Bolshevik). They conducted elections to the Constituent Assembly in November 1917, but when the Bolsheviks failed to gain majority support, they dismissed the Assembly in January 1918. Instead, they favored the All Russian Congress of Soviets, considering it a more democratic institution. The Constituent Assembly was seen as a relic of the old bourgeois system, while the Soviet Congress was seen as a true representation of the workers, peasants and soldiers. The Soviet Congress also gave more power to the local soviets (councils) that were formed by different groups of people across Russia.
*Write any two points.
