Chapter 20 Flashcards
Political authority 1945-53
Why is the period following the Second World War referred to as ‘High Stalinism’?
These were the years that Stalin’s authority over State and Party, as well as the cult of personality, reached its pinnacle
How had the USSR become a ‘world superpower’?
The USSR had grown larger with the annexation of new territory, as well as the establishment of satellite states and its new military strength
Why had wartime developments worried Stalin?
Increased party memberships had made the Party potentially unreliable and the Soviet military’s reputation was too strong
How did Stalin respond to these wartime developments?
Wartime institutions were dismantled and the GKO was dissolved. The military hierarchy was downgraded and Stalin became Minister of Defence
Which was the most notorious of Stalin’s post-war demotions?
Marshal Zhukov
Who replaced Georgii Malenov as Stalin’s closest wartime aide?
Andrei Zhdanov, who later launched the Zhdanovshchina
How were Party institutions undermined during High Stalinism?
It no longer had any real supervisory role over the government, Party Congresses were not held between 1939 and 1942, only six Central Committees were held
By 1952, how many members were there of the Party and the Komosol?
Nearly 7 million members and around 16 million Komosol members
What were the views and position of the ‘new men’ who replaced the ‘old guard’?
They accepted the Party as a way of life and were cautious in both their political and personal lives - becoming faceless bureaucrats
What was the Zhdanovshchina?
A movement that stressed conformity to Socialist ideals and promoted Stalin’s cult of personality. It dismissed Western ideals as bourgeois
What were the first two literary journals purged under the Zhdanovshchina?
The Adventures of a Monkey by Mikhail Zoshchenko and a journal of Anna Akhmatova’s poetry
In what ways did culture once again reflect socialist realism?
Novels, plays and films that denigrated American commercialism, conveyed the treachery of the West or extolled Russian achievements were favoured
What form of bigotry particularly flourished in this period?
Anti-Semitism, as many Jewish critics disappeared and Nazi atrocities were portrayed without mentioning Jewish people
Which surprising fields of study were also governed by Marxist principles?
Maths, Physics and Chemistry
How was Western influence completely blocked?
Non-Communist foreign papers were unobtainable, foreign radio transmissions were jammed and only pro-Soviet foreign writers and artists were allowed to visit both the USSR and West
What law was passed in February 1947 which was reminiscent of previous Terror laws?
A law was passed outlawing hotels and marriages to foreigners. The police also watched restaurants and embassies to find Soviet girls meeting with foreign men
What two ministries were under the control of the NKVD post-war?
The MVD (Ministry of Internal Affairs) controlled domestic security and the gulags, while the MGB (Ministry of State Security) controlled counter-intelligence and espionage
How many citizens were sent to labour camps during High Stalinism?
Around 12 million
What photograph did Stalin famously airbrush to remove them from history?
A photography with Yezhov and Molotov, in which both of their images were removed
What was the result of the 1949 Leningrad Case?
Several leading officials were arrested due the Party’s independent views and actions
How did Anti-Semitism change from the end of the war?
Stalin’s fear that Jewish people were potential enemies meant that prominent Jewish people, including Solomon Mikhoels, were killed
What purge during 1951-52 was meant to weaken Beria’s powers?
The Mingrelian Case (Georgian Purge)
How did the Doctors’ Plot of 1952 grow largely anti-semitic?
The nine doctors were duly arrested, but were so hundreds of other innocent doctors as well as thousands of Jewish people - supported by the media
How was Stalin treated as having a god-like status post-war?
He was portrayed as the world’s greatest living genius in all fields, his image was carefully cultivated in all aspects of the media as a ‘man of the people’
What names were used by towns in order to show their devotion to Stalin?
Stalingrad, Stalino, Stalinsk, Stalinabad, and Stalinogorsk
Why was Stalin’s request to be relieved of his position refused by Party delegates in 1952?
Both Khrushchev and Malenkov were unsure of Stalin’s intentions for a successor as this remained vague his entire career
