14. The communist dictatorship

Question 1

When was the ban on factions introduced?

Answer 1

April 1921

Question 2

When was the ‘nomenklatura’ system established?

Answer 2

1923

Question 3

How was the voting system weighted under the 1918 constitution?

Answer 3

5:1 workers-to-peasants ratio. Members of the ‘exploiting classes’ could not vote or hold public office.

Question 4

Who were the Czech Legion?

Answer 4

45,000 Czech nationalists. They seized some of the Trans-Siberian Railway in March 1918 and joined forces with the Whites.

Question 5

How many posts made up the nomenklatura in 1923?

Answer 5

About 5,500

Question 6

How much did Party membership grow between 1930 and 1933?

Answer 6

From 1.7m to 3.6m

Question 7

What was the ‘History of the All-Union Communist Party’ (or the ‘Short Course’)?

Answer 7

Main historical textbook from 1938. Portrayed Stalin as a major figure in the Oct Rev, and his enemies were removed from photos.