JWST 303 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Cheka, Mensheviks, Bolsheviks
4 Apr 2017
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Early politicians had no solid plan when setting up state, thus resulting policies were not inevitable/intensely premeditated. Covers foreign affairs, internal affairs, educ, labor, nationalities. In practice a rubber stamp for comm party decisions. In 1917 elections, jews mostly vote for jewish parties (zionists, bundists) if not mensheviks. Bolsheviks dont win majority outside largest cities. Sept 1918, in wake of assassination attempts, bolshevik violence kicks off--red terror. Way for bolsheviks to obtain resources (food) Kulak--term meaning rich peasant created to provide new category of enemy. Quite flexible, meaning twisted to serve needs. Comms believed nationality was tool of boug. Polish, armenian, lithuanian, estonian, muslim, jewish national (evkom) all part of group. Before civ war, lenin hates nationality, then changes mind to believe that before nationality can be extinguished it must be fostered. Wants to foster nationality to create contrast to tsarists. Federalist system--soviet syst consisting of federation of diff nations each w some degree of autonomy.
