Chapter 17 Flashcards
Communist control and Terror
What were the three types of opposition Bolsheviks faced?
- other political groups on the left and right
- many opponents including former tsarist officers and capricious peasants
- ideological opposition from the upper class
How did the Sovnarkom secure its power?
the Sovnarkom banned the opposition press and ordered the arrest of Kadet, Menshevik and SR leaders
When and who was the Cheka established under?
In December 1917 and under Felix Dzerzhinsky
What were the various names of the Cheka?
Cheka, GPU, OGPU and the NKVD
Why did the ‘Red Terror’ begin?
An attempt on Lenin’s life in August 1917
How many SRs and Mensheviks were shot in Petrograd?
500
When were the Tsar and his family shot?
17th July 1918
Which groups suffered during the ‘Red Terror’?
Merchants, traders, professors, prostitutes and peasants
How many priests were executed and why?
8000 priests executed for failing to hand over Church possessions
What was an extreme method of torture used by the Cheka?
A cage of rats was heated so they would have to eat through their victim
Who ran the faction the ‘Workers’ Opposition’?
Aleksandr Shlyapkinov and Alexandra Kollontai
What was the effect of Lenin’s ban on factions in 1921?
All Party members had to accept the decisions of the Central Committee
What was the Shakhty show trial?
53 engineers were accused of counter-revolutionary activity ; 5 were executed and 44 imprisoned
What was another example of a show trial?
1933 Metro-Vickers trial, where British specialists were found guilty of wrecking
Who introduced labour camps in Soviet prisons?
Genrikh Yagoda
