Chapter 17- Communist Control And Terror Flashcards
Who were the three main oppositions identified by the Bolshevik’s at the start of their days in power
Other political groups
Former tsarist officials and supporters
Bourgeoisie, upper classes
How did the SR’s and Mensheviks destroy themselves in October 1917
Walkout of the Soviet congress leaving bolsheviks with a monopoly of power
What did the Sovnarkom order on 27 October 1917
Banned opposition press
Ordered for the arrest of Kadet, Menshevik and SR leaders
When was the Cheka established
December 1917
What did the Cheka become in 1922
GPU
What did the GPU become in 1923
OGPU
When was the OGPU put under the control of the NKVD
1934-43
When did the red terror start and what caused it
August 1918- attempted assassination of Lenin and assassination of Cheka leader Moisei Uritsky
What did the Sovnarkom give the Cheka in 1918
Authority to destroy the families of any traitors
What did the chairman of the Bolshevik central committee say about the red terror
Said it was a ‘merciless mass terror against all opponents of the revolution’
How many SR’s and Mensheviks were shot in Petrograd in 1918
500
Why did the red terror escalate
Local Cheka agents wanted to show willingness so took matters into their own hands
What were the implications of the red terror for people of religion
They were persecuted but to a lesser extent than ‘class enemies’ etc
How many priests were executed in 1921 for failing to hand over church land
8000
How many people were shot between 1918-21
Between 500,000 and 1 million
Many more were tortured or sent to labour camps where many died
What was Lenin’s ‘ban of factions’ in 1921
All party members had to accept the decisions of the central committee
What are examples of Stalin scapegoating to explain the poor state of Russia
Shakhty show trial 1928
‘Industrial party’ show trial 1930
Metro-Vickers trial 1933
What was the Shakhty show trial
53 engineers from the Shakhty coal mine were accused of ‘counter revolutionary activity’ due to a drop in production
There was a show trial
44 were given long sentences and 5 were executed
What was a problem with prisons in 1929
Could not cope with the number of ‘opposition’ that were being arrested
What did Yaghoda do to prevent overcrowding in prisons
Made corrective labour camps (gulags) in Siberia where inmates were made to mine for precious metals
What did Figes say ‘unhinged’ Stalin in 1932
The suicide of his wife
What two opposition groups formed within the Bolshevik party in 1932
‘Old Bolshevik’s’ lead by Leonid Smirnov
‘Ryutin platform’
What happened to the opposing old bolsheviks in 1932
Arrested and expelled from the party
What happened to the Ryutin platform members in 1932
Arrested
Stalin called for their execution but this was overruled by the Politburo with Kirov being the main figure in this
Ryutin sentenced to 10 years in prison
Members of the platform and people who knew about existence were expelled and exiled (24 people)
Ryutin killed on stalins orders in 1937
What did Stalin announce in April 1933
General purge of the party
How many members of the party were purged in 1933
18%
What happened to ‘former people’ and party members in 1935
11,000 former people arrested
250,000 party members called anti-Leninist and expelled
What show trial happened in 1936 and what was the outcome of it
Zinoviev, kamanev and 14 others put on show trial for a ‘Trotsky- inspired plot’ to kill Stalin and other politburo members
All 16 were executed
What show trial happened in 1937 and what was the result
17 prominent communists including Radek tried for Trotsky-inspired sabotage
13 were executed
What happened to ‘heroes of the civil war’ in 1937
8 were captured tortured and forced to sign confessions and shot
How many were affected do by the military purge of 1937
512 of the 767 high command were killed
What was the biggest show trial of the purges
1938-
21 Bolshevik’s interrogated
Yagohda, Bukrhain and Rykov and 13 others were shot for Trotsky-inspired sabotage
What was the Yezovshchina
Purge of ordinary citizens
When was the Yezovshchina
1937-1938
Why did the Yezovshchina end
Yezhov replaced by Lavrenti Beria as head of NKVD
How many people were put on an arrest list made by the Politburo in 1937
250,000
What was Yezhov’s nickname
The bloodthirsty dwarf
What did the 18th party declare in 1938
‘Mass cleansings’ were no longer needed
What did the end of the purges cause
1.5 million cases to be reviewed
128,000 cases closed
30,000 released from gaol
327,000 released from gulags
Yezhov and Trotsky killed in 1940
what was the issue with prisons by 1929
could not hold all prisoners
when did the NKVD gain ownership of gulags
1934
how many people were killed during the yezhovshchina
700k
