1.3b How did the use of the secret police change through 1917-85?

Question 1

What was the HQ of the Secret Police called in from 1917-53?

Answer 1

Labyenka

Question 2

What tool were the secret police provided with from 1917-53?

Answer 2

Torture handbook

Question 3

At what time of the day were arrests made from 1917-53 and why?

Answer 3

At night to disorientate the accused

Question 4

From 1917-53, what happened in high profile cases of dissident activity?

Answer 4

Show trials, requiring a public confession

Question 5

In which order were the main 3 leaders of the Secret Police?

Answer 5

Yagoda
Yezhov
Beria

Question 6

What was the change of emphasis of terror under Yagoda?

Answer 6

Changed focus from ideology to economics

Question 7

What reform did Yagoda introduce?

Answer 7

Rapidly expanding the Gulag system to use slave labour to industrialise

Question 8

Under Yezhov, what happened to the number of people in Gulags?

Answer 8

Increased further

Question 9

What did the focus of terror change to under Yezhov?

Answer 9

Meeting a quota

Question 10

What increased under Yezhov to monitor citizen attitudes?

Answer 10

Surveillance

Question 11

Why was Yezhov removed?

Answer 11

Stalin decided that his terror was too excessive

Question 12

What happened to terror as Beria came into power?

Answer 12

It switched back to more conventional methods and levels

Question 13

What change was made to show trials under Beria?

Answer 13

They were only held with evidence

Question 14

What did Beria do to the Gulags to increase the productivity of slave labour?

Answer 14

Increased rations

Question 15

What role were the secret police given during WW2?

Answer 15

control of deportation and departments rooting out traitors

Question 16

After WW2, what did Stalin do?

Answer 16

A huge purge of party officials

Question 17

After WW2, Stalin’s health began to decline, what happened as a result?

Answer 17

A power struggle whereby Beria gained a lot of political influence

Question 18

By the mid 1970s, how many political prisoners was it estimated there were?

Answer 18

10,000

Question 19

What did the ‘new criminal code’ of 1960 abolish?

Answer 19

Night time interrogations

Question 20

What did article 70 of the ‘new criminal code’ say?

Answer 20

The secret police could deal with ‘anti soviet agitation and propaganda’

Question 21

What did Andropov change the priority of government action to and from?

Answer 21

From: repression
To: prevention

Question 22

Under Andropov, how many people received a letter from the KGB, warning them not to continue dissident activity?

Answer 22

70,000

Question 23

The KGB estimated that how many dissident groups were stopped?

Answer 23

2000

Question 24

How were the KGB made less corrupt?

Answer 24

Banned for officers to accept gifts and had to declare their financial assets

Question 25

What happened to a KGB officers whose family broke the law?

Answer 25

They were sacked

Question 26

What was the 1979 ‘Law and order campaign?’

Answer 26

A stricter policy in anticipation of increased dissident activity

Question 27

What event made the 1979 ‘Law and order campaign’ necessary?

Answer 27

1980 Moscow Olympics

Question 28

Why was it important for Russia to be seen acting ethically during the 1980 Moscow Olympics?

Answer 28

International media coverage

Question 29

When was the Helsinki agreement?

Answer 29

1975

Question 30

What did the 1975 Helsinki agreement agree to?

Answer 30

Human rights

Question 31

Why did the 1975 Helsinki agreement offer an opportunity for dissidents?

Answer 31

They knew they could force the government to adhere to human rights and could leak breaches to try and force change

Question 32

What were some high profile international dissidents allowed to do?

Answer 32

Emigrate from the USSR

Question 33

How many high profile international dissidents emigrated from the USSR?

Answer 33

100,000

Question 34

Where were less well known dissidents sent?

Answer 34

Psychiatric wards

Question 35

Under which leader did dissidents start being sent to psychiatric wards and why?

Answer 35

Andropov

It was much more discreet

Question 36

What was the government’s reason for using psychiatric wards?

Answer 36

Anti-Soviet action was a mental illness

Question 37

How did Andropov try to personally monitor discontent?

Answer 37

Visited farms and factories to talk to workers

Question 38

Why did Andropov personally visiting farms and factories not work?

Answer 38

People were too scared to be critical of the former head of the KGB

Question 39

What did Andropov do with the media to monitor popular discontent?

Answer 39

Surrounded himself with journalists who were in touch with discontent

Question 40

Name the 4 main groups of dissenters

Answer 40

Intellectuals
Political Dissidents
Nationalists
Religious Dissidents

Question 41

How could intellectuals be potentially harmful to the government?

Answer 41

Meeting with foreign colleagues and exchanging ideas

Question 42

How could political dissidents be potentially harmful to the government?

Answer 42

They tried to hold the government to their own laws

Question 43

What specific religious dissident group were there?

Answer 43

The Refusniks (Soviet Jews)

Question 44

What happened to the Refusniks?

Answer 44

They were denied immigration to Israel, despite having strong support from Congress