6.3 High Stalinism Flashcards
Why was terror renewed after 1945?
Stalin was becoming old (age 66 in 1945) and suffered a stroke in 1946, which may have increased his paranoia.
Stalin feared that the Great Patriotic War had led to ideological contamination.
The threat of the Cold War worsened Stalin’s paranoia.
How did terror change after 1945?
Harsh treatments were put in place for Prisoners of War and leading officers during the Great Patriotic War.
For example, commander Zhukov was demoted to a post in Odessa for the rest of Stalin’s rule.
Who was Beria?
He was head of security, chief of the NKVD superseding Yezhov, deputy prime minister, a full Politburo member and in charge of the development of the Soviet atomic bomb.
He was sadistic, psychopathic and sinister.
How did the NKVD change under Beria (1938 - 45)?
The NVKD was split into:
- The MVD: controlled domestic security and the GULAG system.
- The MGB: Dealt with counter intelligence and espionage (would become KGB)
Throughout his reign as head, less people were killed than during the Great Terror but 12 million were sent to labour camps.
What was Zhdanovism and the culture purge?
The Zhdanovshchina was a cultural purge launched in 1946.
Social Realism was once again asserted as the norm for literature, art and film etc
In 1948, Lysenko was put in-charge of the Academy of Sciences as part of the Zhdanovshcina to spur ideas using Marxist Principles. This inevitably led to a decline in the Soviet science development.
How was Stalin’s cult of personality post 1945?
Stalin was portrayed to the people as the world’s most powerful genius. He was given titles such as ‘Man of the People’ and ‘Best Friend of all Children’.
Stalin’s name was plastered everywhere. on posters, canals, cities etc
All literature had to acknowledge Stalin’s genius for the given subject in both the first and last paragraph.
What was the Leningrad affair in 1949?
Stalin had become jealous of the credit that the Leningrad branch of the party had received during the Great Patriotic War and Zhdanov’s ascendancy.
After Zhdanovs death, Malenkov and Beria under Stalin’s orders organised accusations against the leading members of the Leningrad Branch.
The leaders were subsequently put on trial and executed. 2,000 Leningrad officials lost their posts, and were replaced by Pro-Stalin communists.
What was the Doctors Plot, accused in 1952?
Stalin used a 1948 conspiracy letter to accuse the doctors monitoring Zhdanov of using poor methods to ensure Zhdanovs death.
He claimed that Jewish doctors were in the pay of the US and Israel.
This led to a rise in anti-Semitism as non-Jews feared using Jewish professionals.
1000s of Jews were subsequently arrested and nine senior doctors were condemned to death but survived as Stalin died beforehand.
