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Lenin's Consolidation of Bolshevik Rule in Russia

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Lenin's Consolidation of Bolshevik Rule in Russia
Lenin was able to consolidate Bolshevik rule in Russia by combining popular policies and repression: To what extent do you agree with this statement.

I do agree with this statement and i will be explaining why in this essay. Lenins main policies consisted of; war communism this was seen as repressive, the treaty of Brest Litovsk ending Russia’s involvement in WW1. The NEP 9 new economic policy.

Lenin defined his movement by the slogan “all power to the soviets” Lenin believed he could make a new revolution in a way the old one happened by starting large street demonstrations. The soviets were giving lenin little support, but lenin believed he could manipulate them for his own purposes. Lenin tried to sieve power for the bolsheviks using anything he had. The first attempt was in April, where there was a disagreement between the provisional government and the petrograd soviets how they could get out of world war 1. Because of this the Bolsheviks tried to agitate the army by saying they could overthrow the provisional government. But no group was formed. The russian leaders were hesitating to pull Russia out of world war 1, lenin recogized this as a weakness and was willing to exploit it. The army was ready to come home and were on the verge of revolting. Lenin demanded that Russia were to be taken out of the war while the government were discussing an small war reporations. Lenin received a lot of support, from the Russian armed forces, which will be key to lenin seizing power.

White armies sprang up who wanted to combat Lenins Reds. Although some pledged their devotion to Nicholas the II, some to Kerensky’s government but they were united for their opposition against the Bolsheviks. Soldiers from the U.S, Frence and Britain a]jad come to some of Russians ports , they wanted to put an end to “temporary madness” of Bolshevism and wanted to bring Russia back into the war. This is when the Russian Civil War began, Lenin, his revolutionaries battled a group if

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