1929-1941 Flashcards
stalin was eager to build ‘socialism in…
one country
what was the emphasis on in all of the five year plans?
heavy industry- coal, iron and steel, oil, machinery and electricity
electricity output trebled by..
1932
what was neglected throughout the 1930s?
consumer goods
what were the positive benefits of the Dneiper Dam?
it increased soviet electricity production by five times when it was completed
what were the main features of collectivisation?
•the amalgamation of several villages into collective farms, with all equipment and livestock pooled
•the procurement of grain to feed the expanding industrial workforce and pay for imports of industrial equipment
•thousands of party activists, backed up by soldiers and secret police, implemented the policy of forced collectivisation
•the destruction of the kulaks in order to force the peasantry into submission
•increase in control over the peasantry by the state, classifying all who opposed collectivisation as ‘kulaks’
by march 1930 what percentage of the peasants had been collectivised?
over half, 50%
what percentage of peasants had been collectivised by 1939?
90%
what were some of the results of collectivisation?
•massive opposition (eg burning crops and killing livestock rather than hand them over)
•many collectives were run ineffectively by managers who knew little of farming
•decline in food production, although state procurement and exports of grain increased
•famine in Ukraine (1932-33) leading to over 3 million deaths
•the soviet union did not recover pre-war levels of grain production until 1939
•millions were driven off the land, many forced into labour camps to build the new industrial soviet union
•stalin achieved his aim of feeding the industrial workforce and exporting grain
•destruction of traditional peasant way of life, based on family farm, the commune and the church
what type of living did Stalin encourage?
communal living, with families sharing kitchens and toilets
why was leadership so keen to engage in the purges?
because the attempt to abolish private life led to many hiding behind a mask of conformity in order to preserve their own identity. they were keen to unmask potential enemies.
how did stalin change the working conditions?
he implemented a seven day working week and longer working hours
what was introduced in the 1930s in terms of pay to increase productivity?
bonuses and payment by results were introduced to increase productivity
what did the Stakhanovite movement contribute to?
the emergence of a labour elite with higher pay and better housing
what happened to living conditions during collectivisation?
•living conditions in the countryside deteriorated dramatically
•overcrowding and poor sanitation characterised urban living
what did the communist revolution promise for women?
greater opportunities, such as access to a job and help with childcare
what happened to divorce and abortion?
divorce was made easier and abortion was legalised
what did propaganda at the time convey stalin and women as?
stalin was conveyed as a father figure and women as mothers rather than workers
what percentage of the soviet workforce was women in 1940?
43%
what were students encouraged to report to their parents?
any staff or other people holding ‘anti- soviet’ views
what percentage of people under 50 were literate by 1941?
about 90%
what did Stalin do to religion?
engaged the destruction of rural churches and the confiscating of bells, icons and relics aroused huge opposition and religious protesters were branded as ‘kulaks’
by 1940 how many churches were open for worship?
500 churches, 1% of the number in 1917
how did Stalin attempt to eliminate minorities?
he made the soviet union into a more centralised state and, from 1938, Russian had to be taught in all schools and became the sole language of the Red army
from what year was Russian taught in all schools?
1938
what purpose did Stalin say culture should serve?
he believed culture should serve a social and political role, above all to promote socialist values
what did stalin believe writers were?
‘engineers of the human soul’, that art was not about free expression but about shaping soviet society
what forms of propaganda did Stalin exploit?
posters, cinema and radio
how was Stalin conveyed in propaganda?
he was portrayed as the worthy successor to Lenin, as the hero and saviour of the Soviet people, a father figure guiding them through the years of collectivisation and industrialisation with the promise of a socialist paradise to come
what was the difference between Stalin and Lenin’s portrayal in propaganda?
Lenin had not sought to be an icon but Stalin definitely did
in eliminating actual or potential opponents, how did Stalin go further than Lenin?
Stalin also included fellow members of the central committee, which Lenin had never done
what did Stalin fear after 1932?
following the suicide of his wife in 1932 and growing criticism from within the party and government of the speed of collectivisation, Stalin increasingly feared that even his closest colleagues could betray him
when were the 5 dates of the main purges?
•1934
•1936
•1937
•1938
•1940
what happened in the 1934 purge?
Kirov, a popular figure and potential rival to Stalin, was killed. Stalin used this as the pretext for the arrest of members of what he called the Trotskyite and Zinoviev- Kamenev factions. those purged were replaced with loyal Stalinist’s
what year was Kirov killed?
1934
what happened in the 1936 purge?
Zinoviev and Kamenev, and 14 other Bolsheviks, were shot after a ‘show trial’ in which they confessed to treason and the involvement in the murder of Kirov
what happened in the 1937 purge?
Several Bolshevik leaders and most of the military and naval high command were shot
what happened in the 1938 purge?
Bukharin, Rykov and more senior Bolsheviks along with the former head of the NKVD were shot
what happened in the 1940 purge?
Trotsky was assassinated in Mexico
what proportion of the soviet population were arrested during the purges?
one in eighteen
what was a less known element of the purges?
the campaign to deport national minorities, such as poles and germans, from regions near the Soviet Union’s western boarders
why did Stalin want to deport minorities?
due to fears that they might join an invading army
how many poles were shot during the deportation campaign?
over 100,000
when did Stalin call a halt to the terror?
November 1938
what were the outcomes of Stalin’s use of terror?
•the purges left most of the population frightened and bewildered
•Stalin had achieved his aim of eliminating all rivals, replacing them with devout Stalinist’s and attaining absolute control over the party and the people
what were Stalin’s feelings towards Lenin?
he identified loyalty to Lenin as loyalty to the party, which then made opposition to him appear like opposition to Lenin, the party and the revolution
what are 4 key features that had been established by Lenin and continued by Stalin?
•one-party rule
•the secret police
•the use of terror
•showtrials
what type of warfare did Stalin continue from Lenin?
‘class warfare’
who was the class warfare directed towards?
it was particularly directed against the kulaks and the bourgeoisie
what initiative of Stalin’s differed greatly from Lenin’s rule
the purges constituted a complete break with the Bolshevik revolution and Lenin’s regime, leading to the development of a highly personal form of rule
who did Stalin replace old Bolsheviks with?
•the nomenklatura
•new class officials, who were completely loyal to him
what was the relationship between Stalin and the party congress which met in 1939?
the party was completely subservient to Stalin and had no loyalty to the Bolshevik revolution- just Stalin and his needs
how did the economy change under stalin?
it was fast becoming an industrialised, urban society with developments of large building projects and large building projects
what did agriculture fail to recover from?
the crisis of collectivisation and they were still not producing as much grain in 1941 than they had been under the NEP
how did moving to cities benefit some peasants?
they became educated and benefited from state welfare services
what priority shift caused a decline in living conditions?
with priority given to rearmament from the late 1930s, living and working conditions became harsher
was society under Stalin classless?
no, it became hierarchical. a privileged elite of party and government officials, military and police officers and Stakhanovites rewarded with higher pay and other benefits
how many soviet lives were lost in the ‘Winter War’?
200,000
how many polish officers were shot?
4,400
how did stalin try to appease hitler?
•he wished to win hitlers confidence
•he sent Germany natural materials, especially oil, which had been promised in the two treaties of 1941
what were stalin’s expectations if Hitler tried to invade?
that germany would immediately be crushed by the Red army
that they would ‘crush the army on his territory’
how many soviet fighter planes were destroyed within the first few hours of the German- Soviet war?
900
what percentage of peasant households had joined the kolkhoz by 1932?
60%
what percentage of peasant households had joined the kolkhoz under the NEP?
1%
what (quote) did collectivisation yield?
a ‘harvest of sorrow’
what did the USSR do about the Ukraine famine?
they tried to prevent the news from reaching the outside world
why did Stalin dislike the kulaks in his pursuit of socialism?
he feared they would soon be strong enough to turn Russia back to capitalism
what percentage of the rural population were Kulaks?
3.9%
what did Ascher say Stalin wanted to turn the population into?
employees of the State
when was the revolution from above launched?
1928
what did total production rise to within the first 5 year plan?
it rose by 236%
how did Stalin respond to peasant resentment of collectivisation?
•2 million were forcibly deported from the countryside
•this lead to reduced agricultural output and caused widespread famines (ukraine)
how many people roughly lost their lives during the 5 year collectivisations?
five million
when did Stalin acknowledge that things were moving too quickly?
•in 1930, Stalin published an article called ‘dizzy with success’ and stated that progress had happened too rapidly and stated that force should not be used to compel the peasants
what collectivisation principles deviated from socialism?
•peasants had the option to enter two types of collectivised lands
•this deviated from the principles of socialism and demonstrated the effectiveness of economic incentives
what percentage of the land was under private ownership and how much food did that produce?
•3% of land was privately owned
•hey this sector produced roughly a third of the country’s food
how did the transportation system contribute to a lack of food?
and since the transportation system was highly primitive, a high percentage of food rotted before it ever reached the market
when did the cheka become the NKVD?
in 1934
