1.12) Stalin's rule, Collectivisation and the Purges Flashcards
What were collective farms?
- May 1929 5 year plan announced that 5 million households would be put into collective farms by 1932
- Peasants formed collective farms (‘Kolkhoz’), where all animals and tools were handed over and ran by a committee
- Some produce sold to the state and then the state funded the tools e.g tractors
Why did Stalin choose to collectivise?
- By introcuding collectivisation Stalin could improve the situation more at a time
- Stalin could get grain more easily from collective farms
- Stalin kept introducing machinary it meant more peasants could work in the cities as they werent needed
Why was collectivisation so urgent?
In the 1920s there were food crisises, bread and meat rationed 1928/9
How did Stalin carry out collectivisation?
- 1930 party officials and police sent to persuade peasants to be collectivised
- Animals, farms, and tools taken from Kulaks and combined
- If they refused there were named Kulaks and shot or sent to labour camps
- ‘Dekulakisation’ was essential, the govt created a class enemy and used them as a scapegoat
How did the peasants resist collectivisation?
- Peasants refused to hand over animals and preferred to kill them, eat them, or sell them
- Burnt crops, tools, and houses with them in them
- There were riots and armed resistance
What were the effects of forced collectivisation?
There were severe food shortages and in 1923 a famine
How many died in the 1923 famine?
At least 13 million
When did the purges begin?
1934
Who did Stalin target in the purges after 1936?
All people in the communist party who opposed Stalin, particularly Bolsheviks who had been important in the past. (loyal communists)
What happened in show trials?
Trials to crimes that the victims had not committed, which were broadcasted on radio. Fabricated evidence was submitted, and afterwards they were shot
What happened after a denunciation?
Denouncing someone in the party was a good way to get a better job within the party. Denunciation usually led to arrests and torture
How many party members had been expelled or shot by the end of the purges?
By the end of the purges around 1/5 of the members had been expelled or shot
What types of people were targeted in the purges?
Anyone Stain suspected was purged and the families of the victims. But Stalin particularly disliked poets and writers
How was Pavlik Morosov used by the party?
Pavlik Morozov (14 yrs) denounced his own father, then he was reverred as the perfect child of communism. Statues were put up of him and buildings named after him. He was then stabbed by his family members
Why did Stalin Purge the armed forces?
Anyone with the power to oppose Stalin e.g generals were removed.1937 Marshal Tukhachevsky and 7 other generals were executed and in the following months thousands of other army officers were executed. The navy and air force were also purged.
