Communist control and terror

Question 1

What political opposition did the Bolsheviks face initially?

Answer 1

Political groups- Menshevik and SR opposition destroyed themselves as they walked out leaving Bolsh’s in power
Sovnarkom banned opposition of press and Kadet, Menshevik + SR leaders

Question 2

Other opposition Bolshevik’s faced

Answer 2

Opponents throughout empire inc. peasants

Ideological oppositions inc. bourgeoisie + upper class

Question 3

Establishment of the Cheka

Answer 3

Dec ‘17, controlled units of Red Guard and military, most provinces had own Cheka branch w/ officials reporting directly to Lenin + politburo

Question 4

Lenin and class warfare

Answer 4

Intended to intimidate + get revenge on middle + upper classes
Bourgeois property confiscated, social privilege ended and discriminatory taxes levied on burzhui (enemies of the people)
Ideological opponents arrested, exiled or killed

Question 5

What event encouraged Red Terror to take off

Answer 5

August ‘18, attempt on Lenin’s life gave excuse for attack on bourgeois, Cheka pinned this label on thousands
Confessions and names of accomplices obtained by torture, beginning ‘Terror’
1/2 mil executed between ‘18 + ‘21

Question 6

Cheka September 1918

Answer 6

Sovnarkom gave them authority to find, question, arrest + destroy families of suspected traitors
All remaining SRs and Menshs branded traitors and 500 shot in Petrograd

Question 7

Red Terror and Tsar

Answer 7

Cheka often took matters into own hands
Killed Tsar and family 17th July ‘18
8000 priests executed ‘21

Question 8

Methods of torture under Lenin

Answer 8

Some execute immediately, others tortured and/or sent to labour camps where many died resulting from physically demanding work and lack of food
Put victims hands in boiling water until blisters so bad that skin peeled off
Cage of rats put over victims body, heated meaning rats ate through body to escape

Question 9

Lenin’s ban on factions

Answer 9

Serious disagreements about political and economic policy, demanding workers have more control over own affairs
Believed this weakened the party so banned factions in ‘21 meaning all party members had to agree w/ decisions of central committee, anyone who opposed threatened w/ expulsion

Question 10

Stalin and use of Terror

Answer 10

Extended use of Terror and class warfare as done so by Lenin, enforced collectivisation, destruction of kulaks and maintained harsh FYP
He sent 'bourgeois managers', specialists and engineers who he accused of machine breaking and sabotage to labour camps

Question 11

Shakhty show trail

Answer 11

‘28, 53 engineers at Shakhty mine accused of counter-revolutionary activity after there was decline in production there, given ‘show trail’ + forced to confess, 5 executed and rest sent to prison
Stalin wanted a scapegoat for his own economic failures

Question 12

Other show trails

Answer 12

Industrial Party show trial accused of sabotage

Metro-Vickers trial accused of wrecking activities

Question 13

Issue with Soviet prisons

Answer 13

Due to no. of kulaks, opponents etc., prisons couldn’t cope so Yagoda commissioned ‘29 to see how prison population could be put to better use

Question 14

What did Yagoda suggest?

Answer 14

Adding on Lenin’s corrective-labour camps, building new ones w/ 50,000 prisoners each in remote Siberia where minerals gold, diamond etc. were to be found (gulags)

Question 15

How were gulags to help economically?

Answer 15

By offering minimum funding and imposing economies of scale, believed the gulags could contribute to economic growth whilst simultaneously offering ‘correction’ for prisoners

Question 16

The White Sea Canal

Answer 16

Major gulag project, construction of White Sea Canal which was dug w/ axes, saws and hammers in freezing cold
100,000 prisoners employed but 25,000 died in ‘31-‘32 winter
Ended up being useless as only 12ft deep

Question 17

Stalin’s wife’s suicide

Answer 17

Nov ‘32. left note criticising Stalin’s policies + showed sympathy to his enemies
This ‘unhinged’ Stalin, he felt he could no longer trust anyone + over next year he excluded 1 million members from his party

Question 18

Kirov assassination

Answer 18

‘34 Kirov, popular figure + potential rival to Stalin was killed, Stalin used this as pretext to arrest for arrest of members of Trotskyite + Zinoviev-Kamanev factions
Those purged replaced w/ loyal stalinists

Question 19

Stalin’s political assassinations

Answer 19

‘36, Zinoviev + Kamanev and 14 other Bolsh’s shot after ‘show trial’ where they confessed to killing Kirov
‘37 Bolsh leaders + most of military and naval high command were shot
‘40 Trotsky tracked down and assassinated in Mexico

Question 20

Terror on ordinary citizens (purges)

Answer 20

‘38 onwards, terror directed at normal citizens, ppl encouraged to inform on ‘hidden enemies’, quotas of victims to be arrested in every region drawn up and hundreds of thousands executed or died in prison
1/18 arrested during purges

Question 21

Stalin and national minorities

Answer 21

Campaign to deport national minorities from regions near Soviet Union’s western borders over fears they might join invading armies
100,000 poles shot during this campaign

Question 22

Halt to purges

Answer 22

Stalin called halt ‘38 over fear of war but purges left people frightened
Stalin achieved aim of eliminating all rivals, replacing them w/ stalinists and attaining absolute control over the party and the people