16. Stalinist dictatorship and terror Flashcards
Which structures established by Lenin were perpetuated by Stalin
Rule by one party and centralised control
What influence did Stalin assert
An increasingly dominant personal influence
What did the party contribute to predominate over
State institutions
What was control ensured through.
Parallel structures and most levels and the dual membership of party and gov offices held by trusted members of nomenklatura
What did Stalin grow increasingly concerned about and what did this lead to
The party reflecting his wishes- led to party congresses being called less frequently
What appointments did Stalin control through his position as general secretary
The more important appointments to the party apparat
What controlled the nomenklatura and what did this mean
The apparatchiki controlled the nomenklatura- meant Stalin commanded vast patronage over all important positions throughout soviet society
What did Stalin prefer to work with than the politburo
Personally selected commities
What did Stalin use his power of appointment to do
Build up the party memebership and develop an elaborate bureaucracy of loyal servants
How did an expansion in oarty membership begin
With the Lenin enrolment 1924-25 in commemoration of his death
By how much did party membership increase under the Lenin enrolment
Almost doubled to one million
Where did most new oarty members tend to be drawn from
Younger and less well educated urban workers and ex peasants who were less interested in ideological debate and more concerned with their own careers
What were New party memebers often attracted by
Stalin’s more nationalist energetic and sometimes brutal policies and knew that loyalty could bring benefits for themselves and their families
Who was the 1936 constitution drafted by
Bukharin
What did Stalin claim that the 1936 constitution was
The most democratic in the world
What did the 1936 constitution proclaim
The USSR to be a federation of eleven soviet republics
What was the all Russian congress of soviets replaced by under 1936 constitution
A new supreme soviet made up of the soviet of the union and the soviet of nationalities
What did each republic have if it’s own under the 1936 constitution
Supreme soviet
What did the 1936 constitution promise to ethnic groups
Local autonomy and support for national cultures and languages
What did 1936 constitutions promise (elections)
Four yearly elections with right to vote for all over 18 including former people
What statement of civil rights was the 1936 constitution accompanied with
Freedom from arbitrary arrest and right to free speech
What may the 1936 consitituonbs main intention have been
To impress foreigners
What did the verbal control exercised over the republics budgets unsure
The primacy of union laws and little real regional independence
What happened despite the consitituon acknowledging the right of any union republic to leave union
Party leaders in Georgia’s planned succession in 1951 purged
Why did the supreme soviet only meet for a few days twice a year
Said to be so that members could continue regular employment but it meant the body provided more of a sense of participation than any actual involvement in policy making
How was the supreme soviet viewed by the oarty
As a forum for imparting decisions back to localities rather than for electors to present their views to the centre
From when did Stalin consciously develop his own cult
December 1929, he’s 50th bday
What image of himself did Stalin oromote and why
An image that helped to noire confidence during a period of rapid change
How was Stalin universally portrayed
As Lenin’s true disciple and companion
What were produced to glorify Stalin’s role
Paintings and posters
In what years was Stalin’s cult fully established
1933-39
What was produced as the main historical textbook for all institutions in 1938
The all union communist Party
what did stalin assume a major role in the all union communist party
the October revolution, while Trotsky and other old Bolsheviks portrayed as enemies of the people
how were photographs doctored in the all union communist party
to remove stalins enemies and show stalin at the side of lenin
what did the adulation stalin received show
the strength of support he had acquired within soviet union
why did people praise stalin
because they benefiited from his rule or hoped to benefitted in the future and needed to be assured of his patronage
who was stalin seen as a father to
his people
what had stalin been referred to as
the red tsar and a god like figure
how was stalins rule different from lenins
stalins rule was personal, he was above the party and no longer depended on it
How did collectivisation strengthen Stalin’s position
The atmosphere of crisis brought about by Stalin’s enforced collectivisation and his new economic plans for industry helped increase his power
How did propaganda increase Stalin’s power
It celebrated his image
Who did he purge elites to replace them with
A new, younger group of officials
What placed a limitation on Stalin’s power
The inefficiency of the bureaucracy at local level
What did Stalins rise to the leadership position give him oppurtunity to do
show his skill in out-manouvering and defeating those who opposed him
why did stalin extend the use of terror and class warfare
to enforce collectivisation through the destruction of the kulaks and maintain his 5 year plans for industry
who did he send to labour campls
‘bourgeouis managers’. specialists and engineers who he accused of machine breaking and sabotage
when was the shakty show trial
1928
what was the shakty show trial a clear indication of
stalins determination to find a scapegoat for the chaos caused by his own economic policies
what message did the shakty show trial give out
the regime had to maintain its vigilence against those who were set to destroy it
when was the industrial party show trial
november 1930
what happened in the industrial party show trial of 1930
a group of industrialists were accused of sabotage
when was the metro vickers trial
1933
what happneed in the metro vickers trial of 1933
british specialists found guilty of wrecking activities
what was happening by 1929 as a result of so many prisoners
soviet prisons could no longer cope with numbers of ‘opponents’ in prisons
who was commissioned in 1929 to investigate ways in which the prison population could be put to better use
yagoda
what did yagodas proposal for prisons involve
building on the corrective-labour camps established by lenin in remote areas of the north and siberia
how was it believed that gulags could contribute to economic growth
by offering minimum per capita funding and imposing economies of scale
who were the gulags to be placed under the direct authority of
OGPU
when did stalins wife commit suicide
november 1932
what did stalins wife leave a suicide note saying
criticising stalins policies and showing her sympathy for stalins poltical enemies
what effect did stalins wife suicide have on him according to figes
it unhinged him- he now felt that even those closest to him could be betraying him behind his back
why was stalins position insecure in 1932
bukharin had been relected to the central committee in june 1930
which two opposition groups emerged within party elite in 1932
- informal group of old bolsheviks
- ryutin platform
what did old bolsheviks (opposition) meetings discuss
debated stalins removal
what happened to the old bolsheviks
they were quickly arrested and Smirnov expelled from the party
what did the ryutin platform disapprove of
stalins political direction and personality
what did ryutin send to the central committee
an appeal urging stalins removal
what happened to ryutins circle
arrested
suggested stalin called for immediate execution but overruled by poltiburo and kirov
why were zinvoiev and kamenev expelled from the party and exiled
for knowing of the opposition groups’ existence and failing to report it to police
what was ryutin sentenced to and what happened to him
sentenced to 10 years in prison
shot on stalins orders 1937
what did stalin announce in april 1933 as a result of ryutin platform
general purge of the party
what percentage of party membership were branded ryutinites
18%
what did stlain announce at the 17th party congress in 1934
that the anti leninist opposition had been defeated
whart did stalin mean by anti leninist opposition
those who opposed his own policies and leadership
why did bukharin, rykov, tomsky, radek and others who had challenged stalin in leadership struggle admit their ‘errors’
to give the impression of unity at the top
how many negative votes did stalin receive in the elections to the central committee
150- only 3 officially recorded
who did a split open up between following central committee elections
those who wanted to maintain the pace of industrialisation and others within politburo
what did kirov speak about regarding industrialisation
stopping forcible grain seizures and increasing workers rations
why did stalin feel threatned by kirov despite being close to him
only 2 of politburo formally supported stalin whereas kirov received a long standing ovation after his more moderate speech
what other issue arose from the 17th party congress
abolition of the title of general secretary
stalin and kirov given title of secretary of equal rank
why may stalin have supported him and kirov being given title of secretary of equal rank
in order to spread responsibility for economic crisis
what did the titles of secretary of equal rank mean in theory
that stalin was no more important than the other secretaries
when was kirov murdered
december 1934
what was stalin quick to claim after suspicious murder of kirov
that it was part of a trotskyite conspiracy led by zinovievites to overthrow party
what decree was published the day after kirovs murder
giving Yagoda powers to arrestand execute anyone found guilty of terrorist plotting
why were zinoviev, kamenev and 17 others arrested in january 1935
accused of instigating terrorism
sentenced to 5-10 years in prison
how many former associates of zinoviev were arrested
843
how many former people arrested, exiled or placed in camps in 1935
11,000
why was there a purge of kremlin employees
to uncover reputed ‘foreign spies’
what were 250,000 party members expelled as in 1935
anit-leninists
why was the chairman of the central committee expelled in 1935
for helping oppositionists find emplyoement in the kremlin
what was the purpose of the show trial in august 1936 involving zinoviev, kamenev and 14 others
- to give confessions and convictions
- prove existence of poltiical conspiracies
when were all 16 of august 1936 show trial found guilty of
involvement in a trotsky inspired plot to muder stalin and all were executed
who was yagoda replaed by in september 1936
yezhov
why was yagoda replaced
he had not been active enough in uncovering this conspiracy of zinoviev etc
what was staged in january 1937
a further show trial of 17 prominent communists
what were the defendents in january 1937 show trial accused of
plotting with trotdky to sabotage industry and to spy
what did yezhov accuse bukharin of
knowing about january 1937 conspiracy
what happened to bukharin when he refused to confess
he was expelled from the party and arrested
what happened to eight senior military commanders in may/june 1937
they were arrested, tortured and made to sign false confessions
how were the senior military commanders tired anf what were they convicted of
tried in secret in a military tribunal and convicted of espionage and of participating in a trotskyite rightist anti soviet conspiracy and shot
what happnened to the 767 members of high command in further ourge of military personel
- 512 execucuted
- 29 died in prison
- 13 committed suicide
- 59 jailed
when did the third and largest polticial show trial take place
march 1938
what happened in third show trial
21 bolsheviks interrogated and bukharin,rykov and yaghoda and 13 others senteced to be shot
what did the great purges merge with in 1937-38
the yezhovshcina
what was the great terror directed at
ordinary citizens
when did the persecution of ordinary citizens reach its height
mid 1937
what did a politburo resolution condemn in mid 1937
anti soviet elements in russian society
arrest list of over 250,000 drawn up
what were ordinary citizens encouraged to do
root out hidden enemies
how did the NKVD maintain a strict vigilence
emplying ‘reliables’ in offices, unis and factories
when did the pace of the purges slow down
after the end of 1938 when yeshov was replaced by beria
negative impact of yezhovchina
threatned to destabalise state and industry and administration suffered
how did stalin use yezhov as a scapegoat
accusing him of excessive zeal
what did the 18th party congress declare were no longer needed
the mass cleansings
what happened to yezhoxv
arrested and shot feb 1940
what also happened in 1940
hired assassin murdered trotsky in mexico
what position was stalin in by the end of the purges
a position of supreme power
why was stalin in a position of supreme power by end of purges
poltical rivals gone and quuashing of sentences helped restore faith in system and its leader
