Civil War and the formation of the USSR

In 1918 Russia was divided into two factions:

• White Russians:. The counterrevolutionary elements,
• The Red Army. At the beginning of the civil war Lenin asked Leon Trotsky, a young Bolshevik leader, to create a new army from the Red Guards, an army of workers. Trosky created one of the best armies in history through discipline, organization and ideology. Futhermore, war communism was introduced. This meant the nationalization of industry, the collectivization of lands’ and requisition of all rural production. The whole Royal Family was executed

The  Bolsheviks finally won the Civil War in 1921.

The Bolsheviks expected communist revolutions to break out all over Europe but, except for a small one in Germany, they did not. However, communist parties did exist in other countries. As allies of the Soviet government, they worked for an international revolution from the Third International (Komintern).

The Krondstadt naval base mutinied. They wanted free speech and press, free elections for soviets, free trade unions, the sale of peasants' grain … but the Red Army ruled by Trotsky attacked them and put down the mutiny.

In 1921 Lenin introduced a New Economic Policy to restore order and increase prosperity after the chaos of Revolution, Civil War, and War Communism.

• Peasants could sell surplus food produce and pay tax on profits.

• It allowed small non-state-owned businesses (such as shops …) and they couldmake a profit.

• Vital industries (coal, iron, railways …) stayed in state hands.

By 1928 the economy recovered to the level of 1914.

In 1924 a new constitution established the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics). Each republic had a government but they all had to be communist, and the system was run centrally by the Politburo (senior council)

Lenin died in 1924.