Establishing Communist Party control, 1917–24: the creation of a one-party…

The idea

After October 1917, Lenin's Bolsheviks moved from a coalition with Left SRs to a one-party state. The Constituent Assembly was dissolved in January 1918 after the Bolsheviks lost the election. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and Civil War (1918–21) accelerated centralisation: the Cheka, War Communism and the Red Army imposed control. The Tenth Party Congress (March 1921) banned factions within the party, ending internal debate, while the Kronstadt rebellion was crushed. Under Lenin, government combined Sovnarkom, the Politburo and the party apparatus; by 1924, power was increasingly centralised in the Politburo and the party Secretariat, with opposition suppressed. Lenin's illness and death in 1924 left a one-party state with centralised authority.

What earns the marks

• Explains how the Bolsheviks moved from coalition to one-party rule, including the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly in January 1918 and the removal of other parties.
• Analyses the significance of the Tenth Party Congress (1921) in banning factions and suppressing internal opposition, linking it to the creation of a one-party state.
• Assesses the nature of government under Lenin, including the roles of Sovnarkom, the Politburo, the Central Committee and the party Secretariat.
• Evaluates the growing centralisation of power through the Cheka, War Communism, the Red Army and the suppression of the Kronstadt rebellion.
• Uses specific evidence, such as the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (March 1918) and the Civil War (1918–21), to explain how external pressures increased party control.
• Develops a judgement on the extent to which Lenin's government was centralised by 1924, considering both party and state institutions.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Assuming the one-party state was created immediately in October 1917.

  Put it right: It emerged gradually through the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly, the exclusion of other parties and the ban on factions in 1921.

• Confusing the 1921 ban on factions with the elimination of rival political parties.

  Put it right: The ban on factions at the Tenth Party Congress applied internally to groups within the Communist Party, whereas rival parties had already been suppressed.

• Treating the Cheka as identical to the later NKVD.

  Put it right: The Cheka was established in December 1917 and was the first Soviet secret police, later reorganised under different names such as the GPU and OGPU during this period.

• Overlooking the role of the Politburo in centralising power.

  Put it right: The Politburo became the key decision-making body, superseding Sovnarkom, especially during Lenin's illness, and its importance grew by 1924.

Exam tips

• Plan your answer around the three clauses: creation of a one-party state, the 1921 party congress, and the nature and centralisation of government under Lenin.
• Use precise dates and terms, such as January 1918, March 1921, Sovnarkom, Politburo and Cheka, to support your analysis.
• Make a clear judgement about how far power was centralised by 1924, and support it with evidence from both party and state institutions.
• Link the Civil War and economic crisis to political centralisation, showing cause and consequence rather than listing events.