Now that the Bolsheviks were firmly in power they still had many problems to face. One problem which needed to be dealt with rather urgently was World War One as it was draining Russia of her resources. Lenin had negotiation talks with Germany to try and stop the war, however the Social Revolutionaries assasinated the German Ambassador to try and unsettle talks. This was a problem for the Bolsheviks as they were the only party in Russia who actually wanted to end the war. Lenin had to pay a heavy price when it came to negotiating with the Germans, and unfortunately Lenin was negotiating from a point of weakness. Germany wanted Russia to pay heavy concessions, Lenin was prepared to do this, however the rest of the Bolshevik party was not. Eventually the party backed Lenin because the Germans wished to focus more on the Western front. Lenin signed the Treaty of Brest Litovsk in March 1918 which was a major problem for the Bolsheviks in itself.
The Treaty of Brest Litovsk was a problem for the Bolsheviks who were now in power. It took away 34% of Russian population, especially the Ukraine. The Ukraine was a vital producer of food and other resources such as coal. One third of Russian agricultural land was ripped away while half of her industrial capacity, which included other parts of Russia as well as the Ukraine, was also taken by the Germans.
Even without the Treaty of Brest Litovsk, the Bolsheviks faced a major problem, there was a huge demand for food and a lack of transport which had to be ressolved if they wanted to stay in power. Huge famine and lack of transport were two of the main reasons why people joined the Civil War. Famine provided the backdrop to the Civil War. The dislocation of supplies that had occurred during the war against Germany persisted and until this was remedied whole areas of Russia remained in desparate economic plight, which did not help the Bolshevik’s situation. The Bolsheviks caused themselves problems as they failed to end the hunger which is an important factor when looking at why military opposition initially opposed them in 1918. In addition to a fractured transport system, the Bolsheviks were also faced with the loss to Germany of Russia’s main wheat supply area, the Ukraine. Food was so rare that the bread rationing in Petrograd reached its lowest ever allocation of 50g per day. This caused another problem for the Bolsheviks, because by June 1918 the workforce in Petrograd had shrunk by 60% and the overall population had declined from 3m to 2million people. A visitor to Petrograd described it as “entering a metropolis of cold, of hunger, of hatred, of endurance”. The famine and lack of transport was a problem in itself for the Bolsheviks, however it was also a main reason for the Civil War starting in Russian.
The Civil War began in the summer of 1918. It was not just a matter of the Bolsheviks facing their political enemies in a military struggle, it was a very complex affair. The Bolsheviks presented it as a class war, however it was never this. The Bolsheviks had to face the sheer size of Russia, and her national minorities who were a problem. The Ukranians and Georgians (who were known as the “Greens”) want to establish their independence from Russia while various political parties formed “the whites” to try and overthrow the Bolsheviks. Armed resistance to the Bolsheviks had occurred sporadically in various parts of Russia since October 1917. The Civil War was a war of movement, largely dictated by the layout of Russia’s railway system.
Internal opposition was great within Russian society and proved to be another problem that the Bolsheviks had to face. The “Whites” were a loosely organised group of politically and militarily opposed parties, they included many ex-Tsarist officers. The “Whites” were financed by the West who was scared of the Bolshevik party, their policies and what they could do. The “Whites” were glady financed by the West as they wanted to re-start the war with Germany, and so did the West so that pressure could be taken off their front. So as we can see the Bolsheviks did not only face internal opposition but external opposition too.
It appeared to the Bolsheviks that Britain and her allies were intent on destroying them. This was matched by the allie’s view that in making a spearate peace with Germnay the Bolsheviks had acted as “arch-traitors”. Following the signing of the Treaty of Brest Litovsk British, French and American forces occupied the ports of Murmansk in the Arctic and Archangel in the White Sea. This was another problem which the Bolsheviks had to face.
In conclusion, as we can see, throughout the first eighteen months of power the Bolsheviks had to over come many great problems, some of which had been facing Russia for years since earlier Tsars had been in power, for example lack of food and poor transport systems. However, even though the Bolsheviks faced great opposition and many problems they were still able to remain in power. Problems such as internal and external hositility, elections and the Civil War were all tough problems however it did not deter the Bolsheviks from their objectives of being and remaining in power.