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
what principles of marxist-leninism did stalin upheld ?
- centrlaised goverment
- the ideology of class truggle both on domestic and global scale
what where the social features of stanalism ?
-no indepedant social or cultrual organisation permmitted
-terror used to control the population
-minimal rights for workers, low wages and poor working conditions
- low living standards
what were the political features of stanalism ?
-revival of traditional values in family, education and the arts
-great emphasis on the role of the leader on all knowing, omnipresent, god like feature
-a system of privelages used to keep the party elite
- the nomenklatura loyal to the leader
-highly centralised from Moscow over the party and the goverment
-extensvie use of propganda to put across an ideal image of the leader
-strong emphasis on nationalism and patriotism
-tremendous personal power in the hands of the leader
what were the cultural features of stanalism ?
-fear and terror used to control any potential opposition inside the party
-low priority given to citizens such as poor housing, few consumer goods and generally low standars of living
-strong empasis on nationalism and patriosimn
what were the economic features of stanalism ?
- a command economy and cnetralised planning system with the emphasis on heavy industry
who was Lavrenti Beria ?
- was appointed by stalin as head of the NVKD
-between 1941-1953 he was in charged of sovient security
what were Lavrenti Beria strengths ?
- had a very strong power base through his postion in the secutriy base and knew everything about everyone else in the party heirarchy
-was utterly ruthless and cunning
what wer Lavrenti Beria weaknesses ?
-his very power and ruthlessness made him feared and hated because he created insecurity, colleagues took the opportunity to unite against him
-was prone to understand his collegeaues and also humuliate them publically
who was Nicolai Bulganin ?
-before the revolution he had fough in the Tsar army
-regared as an economic expert
-during the 1930s he was active working with khrushchev and rose to become deputy head minister
What were nicolai bulganin strengths ?
- he was prominient in the party with an impressive record of service in key postion, especially moscow
what were nicolai bulganin weaknesses ?
- had powerful enemies such as malonkov
- lacked poltical skill or drive to outdo rivals
-compared to his rivals he was to naive and indecisive and lacked leadership qualities
who was nikita krushchev ?
- came from a working class orign
-fought for the reds in the civil war - was a poltical adviser during WW2
what were nikita khruschev strengths ?
- had a strong power base
- respectful of what people wanted and prepared to meet ordinary people
what were nikita krushchev weakness ?
-arrogant
-unsophiscated
-bad reputation with the purgess
who was georgi malenkov ?
- descendant from a long line of high ranking civil servants
-served as a young politcial officer in the red army during the civil war
-prominent party offical in the 1920s - prospered because he was friendly with both serbia and stalin
what were georgi malenkov strenghts ?
- was steadier and less concered with hogging the limelgiht than the more impeteous khrushchev
- appelaed to more intellectual wing party
-had been an ally of all powerful serbia
what were georgi malenkov weaknessess ?
- was hated by important colleagues such as motolov and kagnonch
-was regared as somwewhat colourless
-made some crucial errors of judgement for example playing more attention to state burrecracy than the party
who co-authored the communist manifesto in 1848?
Karl Marx and Fredrieck Erynells
what was the significanse of the communist manifesto in russia ?
led to the bolshevik revolution an uprsising against Tsar Nicholas who go overthrew
what is a command economy ?
the goverment own no private ownership
what happnede during the great purges of 1936-38?
several high ranking officials where sacked due to increase in stalinsation
name one strenghts and weakness that the SSR presented to the USSR ?
strenght : lots of culturla diversity
weakness: nationlist discontent
give three reason with the problems of stanlaist legacy ?
- contenders had to satisfy people
-poletriat supressed - created a cultured personality
what reforms did beria championed ?
-launched a campagin for sole leadership
- a million people were released from politcal camps in his orders
-considered a unified, non socilist germany in return for massive financial recompnese from the USA
how was beria agenda viewed ?
-berias reformist view upset party conservatives
- his sudden lurch towards moderate policies alarmed his rival contenders
how did the germany riots in june 1953 led to an opportunity for his rivals ?
- this convicted malenkov that berias idea were dangerous and give his rivals the opportunity thet been looking for
why was beria executed ?
- was accused for terrorism and treason against the USSR ina secrect trial
-knew everyones secrect and led the secrect police which purged the party before
what are the differences in malenkov khrushchev politcis ?
-malenkov aimed for a collective leadership and in reality not very like by the public, he was more of reformist with ideas such as the reducing power of secrect police, improve agriculture and shift focus from heavy to light industry
-khruschev was more domiant and used tactics like isolate the rivlas and put up their failures just like he did wiht malnevok in yugoslavia 1948. he positioned himself as someone who would reform but not push the bondries and followed heavy industry and traditional schemes
differecne between malenkov and khruschev economically ?
- khruschev starte to put forward his scheme to devlop heavy economy industry and placed the virgin land scheme as an alternative to malenkov new scheme in agriculture
-while malenkov wanted to focus on consumer goods and reduce tax in public plots
what strenghts did krushchev possess which enabled him to triump ?
- overcome the anti party group by usins stalin tactics (isolation)
- had a war recors the army truste him
-as a party secretary he had control of the communist party and important appointments
-adaptable to change
-he put his loyal supportters in key positions promotijg the into the regional party leadership
what was the anti party group and what were their aims ?
-malenvok and motolov instigated may 1957 poltical attak on khrushcev this was because they felt him attcking on stalin was wrong. a majority of the presidum voted against khrushcev however he used to his allies in the central committee to out vote the presidum.
- aimed to get rid of khrushcev
what was the impact of the anti party group ?
-malenkov was manager of power bus station
-molotov was sent to soveint embassy in mangolia
-khrushcevh took role of premier as well as party screctary
both moltov and malenkov got voted out of the presiduim and loss their roles
how did krushcev then remove zhukov and bulganin ?
used propganda campagin against him
