Chapther 1: De-stalinisation 1953-64 Flashcards
Define the term de-Stalinisation ?
A term that was used in the west at this time to desribe attempts to remove the negative aspects of stalinism from sovient society, politcs and economy.
What are the key features of Stalinist legacy ?
- collectivised agricultural: individual peasants farms has been merged into collective farms meaning collectivisation was enforced
-an economy dominated be heavy industry: Stalin had brought rapid industrialisation through his planned economy
-centralised power and socialism in one country
-a cult of personality: the creation through propaganda of an attitude of extreme reverence towards a leader
-the dominance of socialist realism: a policy that required all art e.g. literature, film, music to educate the Soviet people about socialism and why it was good - a state protected by foreign invasion by a collection of buffer state in Eastern Europe, a strong military force and high defence spending
how many people lived on collective farms by 1953 ?
one third (1/3)
how was living conditions for the kolkhozes ?
- they lived in poverty and were extremely unproductive farmers this was due to agricultural being in crisis in 1953
how was living conditions for urban workers ?
-there was nowhere near enough housing in the cities and often several families shared a single cramped apartment
how was working conditions for urban workers ?
-working conditions were also difficult Stalin has made it a crime to be absent from work, and lack of safety equipment and workplace drunkenness meant accidents were common
- although women were equally as important in the workplace as men they were expected to do all domestic work too
how was the economy based ?
based on heavy industry such as iron and steel manufacture which depended on masses of workers most of whom were working quite inefficiently
what sector normally dominated most of soviet economy ?
the military sector
what were the normal common goods that were always supplied ?
bread, potatoes and vodka
what types of privileges did the elite obtain ?
lived in big apartments, travelled in chauffeur driven limousines and could purchase a wider range of products from special shops
under who’s expenses was the Stalin programme of industrialisation taken place?
agricultural
how did rural areas/ workers suffer from Stalin industrialisation programme ?
-by forcing peasant farmers into collective farms he ensured that the state could extract food products from the countryside very cheaply
- even during the famine year Stalin insisted that food be taken from starving countryside and delivered to the cities or exported for foreign currency
define the term gulag ?
the state organisation responsible for running the USSR system of force labour camps
what did Stalin attitude towards international politic meant for the USSR ?
it meant that the USSR was cut off from the world economy and from international research development
why did the soviet economy started to look outdated ?
their dependency in heavy industry started to look outdated due to western countries moving from heavy industry to chemicals and plastic
what was the bolshevick revolution and when did it take place?
- secure of politcial power in russian by lenin and bolsheviks
-october 1917
what were the sovient satellite state?
seven formally independant countries in eastern and central europe that were under haevy politcial and economic influence in the USSR
name four sovient satellite states?
bulgaria, albania, hungary, czechlovakia
what were the sovient socialist republics ?
15 sovient republics which signed the treaty of the formation of the USSR which set up a federal structure that would run the USSR
what was the idfference betwen the role of premier and the role of first secretary ?
permier wa a charimane of the council of ministers, the highest body in the sovient goverment
first secreatary was leader of the CPSU
in what year was the USSR founded ?
1922
