1.2 Stalinism Flashcards
Lenin Enrollment
1924-25
Organisation under Stalin’s control to increase Party membership
Over 500,000 members recruited, doubling membership
New members were working class & politically naive: grateful to Stalin for opportunity
Power Struggle 1924-28
Won by Stalin
Used trickery, campaigned that he was Lenin’s successor
Against Trotsky (expelled from Politburo 1927), Zinoviev and Kamenev, Bukharin, Tomsky, Rykov
Leon Trotsky
General during Civil War, made propaganda for Lenin
Very intelligent but arrogant, not popular within Party
Expelled from Politburo 1927, exiled to Mexico, assassinated 1940
The Great Purges 1930s
Wave of terror to remove enemies
Show Trials: trials of key state enemies, public and shown in cinemas
Secret Police: OGPU->NKVD became increasingly bureaucratic and controlled police
Purges of Party Members
Chitska 1932-35: removed anyone who questioned ‘Five Year Plan’: 22% of Party removed
Left Opposition attached as enemies of the state
Stalin’s policies advocated by 1928
Rapid industrialisation, collectivisation, ‘Socialism in one country’ vs spreading communism to the world (like Left Opposition wanted)
CAUSE OF GREAT PURGE: 1932 Crisis
Stalin’s wife committed suicide and criticised his policies in final letter
1932 bad political & economic year due to famine resulting in strikes and criticism of Stalin
Stalin was insecure about power hold and angry e.g Ryutin Affair
CAUSE OF GREAT PURGE: Kirov Affair, 1934
17th Party Congress on Lenin’s death anniversary: ‘Anti-Lenin Opposition’ (Trotsky&Co) forced to admit to fake crimes -> impression of unity
Kirov gave speech in favour of slowing industrialisation (party was split)
December 1934 Kirov assassinated
All party secretaries given same title -> “unity”
CAUSE OF GREAT PURGE: Zinoviev & Kamenev, 1935
Arrested for terrorism along with 17 others and sentenced to 10 years
250,000 party members expelled, 843 associated with Z&K arrested (purge of Kremlin employees)
Z&K had been in favour of Kirov
CAUSE OF GREAT PURGE: Economic
‘Five Year Plan’ opposition: kulaks sent to labour camps which overflowed by 1929
Yagoda created new camps in remote areas to mine… to promote economic growth
Camps ran under OGPU
Ryutin Affair 1932
Secret group within party conspiring to remove Stalin
Martemyan Ryutin highly critical of 5 year plan
CONSEQUENCE OF PURGES: Trial of the Sixteenth
Purges led to Show Trials
August 1936, Zinoviev and Kamenev forced to confess to Kirov’s murder (could not have done it as they were in prison)
CONSEQUENCE OF PURGES: Trial of the Seventeenth
1937m purge of Party members who had criticised 5 year plan
Accused of conspiring with Trostky
CONSEQUENCE OF PURGES: Trial of Twenty-One
1938 purge of “right wing” Bukharin and Rykov forced to confess to being ‘Trostkyite-Rightist’
Bukharin had written an article criticising on plan
CONSEQUENCE OF PURGES: Purge of Red Army
Rearmament —> army grown too powerful
Most soldiers demoralised by collectivisation (peasants)
40,000 officers shot/imprisoned, 60% of Marshalls purged
CONSEQUENCE OF PURGES: Local level and Secret Police
Denunciations of officials encouraged:
Purgers had grown too powerful: Yezhov purged 3000 of his own personnel in ‘Yeshovschina’
Yezhov expelled 1938, arrested 1939
40,000 army officers purged, NKVD had quotas to ensure enough killings
Stalin’s control over the Politburo 1930s
able to ensure members followed his orders by appointing ‘cronies’
meetings became less frequent (weekly in 1920s roto 9 times / year 1930s)
Stalin exercised his power over subgroups outside
Soviet Constitution 1936
need for second constitutions shows failure of democratic institutions
classes abolished, everyone could vote but there was only one party
freedom of press, religion… etc but it was fake
Personal limits on Stalin’s power
He had to delegate and prioritise (could not control everything all the time)
5 year plan was not as successful as predicted
Limits on Stalin’s leadership
Politburo sometimes opposed his actions as some members were concerned about 5 year plan (made Stalin re-draft it)
Some cronies ha d private agenda
Politburo refused Ryutin’s execution
WW2
terror reduced, generals released from camps for expertise e.g Zhukov.
propaganda used (Stalin as symbol for unity)
GKO : State defence committee for state administration
Stavka: supreme command for military administration
Beria
NKVD leader from 1938-36, one of longest serving and most influential
Removed with “old Bolsheviks”
Malenkov
Powerful party and politburo member
Succeeded Stalin as Head of State (Premier)
Zhdanov
Established high levels of control and propaganda during High Stalinism
Zhdanovschina
High Stalinism 1945-53
‘Cult of personality’: unique power and position Stalin had, God-like status
‘Stalin Cult’ established during 1933-39 and leaked during High Stalinism
E,g ‘History of the All Union Communist Party’
(Textbook manipulating facts)
HS: New Generation of Bolsheviks
Younger generation rose and challenged Stalin e.g Beria and Malenkov
Politburo renamed presidium and members increased from 9 to 36 to bring in more of Stalin’s supporters
HS: Zhdanovschina
Cultural policy after WW2 and during Cold War calling for stricter government control
Extreme Anti-Western bias
HS: Reassertion of Party power
terror relaxed during war (e.g. concessions to the Orthodox Church)
1945 concessions withdrawn
HS: Leningrad Affair late 1940s-50s
Major Soviet party purge by Stalin, Malenkov and Beria
700 deaths, 2000 arrests
HS: Mingrelian Affair 1951
purge of party targeting Mingrelian ethnic group removing Beria’s allies in Georgia
Stalin was unable to fire B&M’s allies showing weakness
Politburo increased to bring in people without links to B/M
HS: Doctor’s Plot
Stalin’s doctors arrested for ‘attempted assassination’
Prelude to campaign to remove Beria and Soviet Jews, but Stalin died before the purge
HS: Stalin’s Personality
‘Cult of personality’ peaked post-1945
Had power over institutions
Illusion, Stalin’s health was in decline
Lenin->Stalin
Supreme Soviet replaced All-Russian Congress, met x2 a year
By 1936 there were 11 republics, in 1922 only 7
1924 constitution excluded kulaks from vote, but they were included with 1936 class abolishment
Lenin->Stalin: People’s Power
Supreme Soviet replaced All-Russian Congress, which gave power to the people (in theory), but only met x2 a year
