Lenin in Power

1. What was the Sovnarkom?
The people's commission under Lenin, with a number of decrees regarding the increase of power and control of stability over the people. Peace with Germany, giving the Tsar's and nobles lands peasants and the control of factories of the workers were some of these decrees.
2. Why was the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk bad for Russia?
This treaty lost a large amount of land to germany, but even more so in industry, agriculture and natural resources, ending up without half of what it had before, as well as loosing a third of the population and owing germany 300 million roubles.
3. Who were the "Whites"?
The whites were the army of the provisional government, fighting to protect the power the the Tsar had left with what had been left of his court.
4.. Read Source 3. What evidence does it provide of Lenin's
a) political skill
This source makes the rich, bourgiousis appear hostile to the government, that the Bolsheviks are trying to reconstruct factories and save people from famine. Direct propaganda.
b) ruthlessness
Would accuse a high social class of sabotage due to greed, to get a majority to mass together against such a group.
5. Use Sources 5 and 7 to describe how the Civil War affected ordinary people.
It is as if two countries fight for control over a third party that lacks power. both require similar resources, and take them from peasants in similar manners. And the people simply have no power to look up to, that governs them, as oppression is from both options.
6. "Most Russians saw the Bolsheviks as the lesser of two evils." With reference to Sources 5, 7, 13 and 16 explain whether or not you agree with this statement or not.
i agree with this statement, with the statistics and figures, and also the fact that the Bolsheviks had been chosen. both the Reds and White may be seen as evil, but definite preference was for Lenin. Source 5 suggests the at Bolsheviks were rutheless, killing many for grain, that the soldiers must do so, or be killed themselves, and all resulting in famine within the cities. the White, suggested in source 7, however, would completely strip towns of resources, burning a path of destruction and punishing based on location, not individuals. Source 13 supports Lenin, expressing that freedom had been achieved from the capitalists and Tsar, ridding people of sovereignty, while sill providing many jobs to Russians. As for the lesser of two evils, statistics in source 16 point out that the Whites had killed twice that of the Reds.