How successfully did Lenin establish Communist rule 1918-1924?

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How successfully did Lenin establish Communist rule 1918-1924?

Lenin used many different means to attempt to make his Communist ideal work in Russia. He, effectively, utilised propaganda, pragmatism and a certain amount of good luck to keep his reign secure, and also to make sure that it was likely to stay secure for a good many years to come. His pragmatism was shown in his quick change of economic policy after the Kronstadt mutiny, even though it meant him turning away from the basic tenets of the Communist idea. The fact that Communism actually lasted until the late 1980s show that his initial work in establishing it was, by definition, successful.

One of the things that made Lenin such a successful leader of Communism was the fact that he was able to change his ideas to suit what he needed to do with the country, disregarding the protests of others to do what was best for the regime. An excellent example of this is his change from War Communism to the NEP (New Economic Policy). War communism caused the peasants to manufacture less food for the State, as they had no incentive to make any surplus due to the fact that it would all be taken away no matter if they worked hard or not. It was also causing ructions in the armed forces, Lenin’s staunchest supporters, culminating in the mutiny at the Kronstadt naval base. This caused Lenin to realise that a change of policy was called for. In March 1921, he introduced the NEP, which was a dramatic change in policy. It encouraged trade between peasants, and was in essence a very Capitalist idea. By doing this, Lenin gave the peasants the incentive to work which under war communism they had not had, as they had the chance to earn money. Despite being seen as a betrayal of communism by many of his comrades, it was actually a very astute move, as it gained the support of the peasants again.

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One way that Lenin established Communism so successfully was by reversing many of the Tsar’s and the Provisional Government’s decisions. One such example was when he came to power in 1918. Russia was in the midst of World War I, and things were going very badly. Due to the failures of the previous two administrations to pull out of the war, Lenin was faced with a dire situation when he came to power. He immediately pulled out of the war, believing it was better to cut their losses than to try and get them back and possibly lose more. ...

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