What happened on the island of Kronstadt?
The Kronstadt rebellion was an anti-Bolshevik uprising carried out by soldiers and sailors on the island fortress of Kronstadt, a few miles off the coast of Petrograd, in early 1921. The rebellion was a protest against Bolshevik economic policies, food shortages, political oppression and violence.
How many Kronstadt sailors were killed?
There are no reliable reports for rebel deaths, but one report estimated 600 dead, 1,000 wounded, and 2,500 imprisoned, though more were killed in vengeance as the battle subsided.
What is the meaning of Kronstadt?
Kronstadt (Russian: Кроншта́дт, romanized: Kronštádt [krɐnˈʂtat]), also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt or Kronštádt (from German: Krone for “crown” and Stadt for “city”; Estonian: Kroonlinn) is a Russian port city in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city of Saint Petersburg, located on Kotlin Island, 30 kilometres …
Why is Kronstadt a German name?
Kronstadt was founded on the 7th of May, 1704 (or 18th of May back when Russia was using the Julian calendar) of May, 1704 as the central part of fortifications built on the Gulf of Finland during the Northern war (between Russia and Sweden). The name comes from two German words — “Krone” (crown) and “Stadt” (city).
Who was in charge of the Cheka?
Feliz Dzerzhinsky
The Cheka was the Bolshevik security force or secret police. It was formed by Vladimir Lenin in a December 1917 decree and charged with identifying and dealing with potential counter-revolutionaries. 2. The Cheka was headed by Feliz Dzerzhinsky, a Bolshevik of Polish extraction.
What was the secret police of Russia called?
The Cheka
The Cheka (a forerunner of the notorious KGB), or political police, was formed in December 1917 to protect…… …a new secret police, the Cheka, which was given unlimited authority to arrest and shoot at its discretion…… The Cheka had carried out not a few summary executions in the first half of 1918.
What is meant by democratic centralism?
Democratic centralism is a practice in which political decisions reached by voting processes are binding upon all members of the political party.
What role did the NEPmen play?
The NEPmen’s role in the new economic climate was to help spread trade to the parts of the country the government could not reach. In fact, in 1922 the NEPmen accounted for almost 75% of the Soviet Union’s retail trade.
Where was Kronstadt located in the Soviet Union?
Located on Kotlin Island in the Gulf of Finland, Kronstadt defended the former capital city, Petrograd, as the base of the Baltic Fleet. For sixteen days in March 1921, rebels in Kronstadt’s naval fortress rose in opposition to the Soviet government they had helped to consolidate.
What did the Kronstadt seamen do during the revolt?
Convinced of the popularity of the reforms they were fighting for (which they partially tried to implement during the revolt), the Kronstadt seamen waited in vain for the support of the population in the rest of the country and rejected aid from emigrants.
What was the influence of the anarchists on Kronstadt?
Since 1917, anarchist ideas had a strong influence on Kronstadt. The island inhabitants favored the local soviet autonomy and considered central government interference undesirable and unnecessary.
Why was the Kronstadt rebellion so important to the Bolsheviks?
According to Lenin, the crisis was the most critical the Bolsheviks had yet faced, “undoubtedly more dangerous than Denikin, Yudenich, and Kolchak combined”. When the Russian Civil War dissipated in late 1920, the Bolsheviks presided over a nation in ruin.