Chapter 20 Flashcards
Why was 1945-53 regarded as ‘High Stalinism’
Stalin’s leadership was undisputed
What new military strength made sure that during High Stalinism the USSR was seen as a world superpower
The possession of an atomic bomb in 1949
When was GKO dismantled
4th September 1945
How did Stalin ensure his power was certain after the end of the GPW
- Dissolved GKO on 4th September 1945
- Personally took over the role of Minister of Defense
- High-ranking officers were moved to inferior posts (e.g Zhukov)
Evidence of Stalin removing high-ranking officers to inferior posts after GPW to maintain his authority
Zhukov was sent to military command at Odessa, Ukraine
How did Stalin remove high-ranking potential political opponents from 1945-53
Manipulated them - Malenkov played off against Zhadov
How was Stalin able to exert direct central authority rather than use government or party bodies from 1945-53
Relied increasingly on his private secretariat to bypass both government and party
Evidence that the party was merely a chain of command without any authority 1945-53
No Party congresses held between 1939-52, and only six meetings of the Central Committee during this time
When did Zhadanovshchina (cultural purge) begin
1946
Evidence of freedoms given to artists to aid the war effort being restricted by Stalin after the GPW
- Anna Akhmatova’s poetry described as ‘poisonous’
- Shostakovich accused of ‘rootless cosmopolitanism’ despite his contributions to the seige of Leningrad
What was the focus for Stalin when dealing with cultural freedoms after GPW
Condemn anything Western as bourgeois and all things Russian as superior and uplifting
How did Stalin block Western culture entering USSR post-GPW
- Foreign papers unobtainable
- Radio transmissions jammed
- Only a few approved books were translated into Russian
- In 1947 a law was passed outlawing hotels and marriages to foreigners
How was anti-semitism represented in Stalinist culture post-GPW
- Last Jewish newspaper closed down
- Nazi atrocities were portrayed without mentioning Jews
Who was responsbile for the enforcement of repression from NKVD during High-Stalinism
Beria
How did Stalin deal with those who had fallen out of favour with him
Removed their existence from history by using airbrushing
Example of how Stalin removed those disgraced from existence from history by using airbrushing
Yezhov was removed after being tried and executed
Evidence of violence towards Jews post-GPW Stalinism
The director of a Jewish theatre in Moscow was mysteriously killed in a car accident in 1949 - almost certainly arranged by the MVD
How did the press encourage anti-semitism in post-GPW stalnism
non-Jews feared to enter hospitals so all Jewish professionals were shunned
How did Stalin’s victory in the GPW legitimise him to stand independant of Lenin
Took full credit as ‘the supreme war leader’
How was Stalin physically illustrated in depictions after the GPW
In white, giving the impression of a ‘god-like’ figure
What were the most major changes in Stalin’s cult of personality after GPW
Associating himself with Lenin+Marx to standing in his own right, and from ideology to motherland
Example of towns renamed after Stalin post-GPW
Stalino, Stalinabad, Stalinogorsk
What new type of depictions were established across the USSR to praise Stalin
Monuments
How was Stalin’s authority on the time of his death
Completely undisputed
