Communist government in the USSR, 1917-85 Flashcards
When did the Bolsheviks take power?
October 1917
Who was formally given power at the October revolution?
All Russian Congress of Soviets
What government did the All Russian Congress of Soviets create in October 1917?
Sovnarkom
Who was elected head of Sovnarkom in October 1917?
Lenin
What percentage of seats in the Constituent Assembly did the Bolsheviks win in the November 1917 election?
25%
Name the 3 main Bolshevik decrees of 1917?
1 - decree of land
2 - decree of peace
3 - decree to establish a new government
What did the Decree of Land decree 1917?
Peasants could seize land from nobility + church and redistribute it
What did the Decree of Peace decree 1917?
promised to pursue a peaceful end to ww1 involvement
What new government was decreed in 1917?
Sovnarkom to be at the top, with the All Russian Congress of Soviets made up of representatives from soviets in villages, cities etc.
What were the two main points of the Worker’s Decree 1917?
8 hour max work day
Minimum wage set
Civil War dates?
April 1918 - start of 1921
When was the 10th Party Congress held?
March 1921
What was decided at the 10th Party Congress in March 1921?
to change policy from war communism to the NEP (suggested by Lenin)
What were 3 factors towards the introduction of the NEP?
- Tambov peasant uprising - 50,000 peasants fighting the communists
- strikes across major cities earlier in 1921
- Kronstadt naval mutingy
From when did the Sovnarkom decline and become virtually powerless against the Politburo?
Power passed to Politburo in March 1919 so from 1920
When were opposition parties officially banned leading the Communist party to dominate the Soviets?
1921
Who banned factions within the Communist party?
Lenin
Who were the main 5 contenders in the power struggle from 1923-1928?
Stalin
Bukharin
Kamenev
Zinoviev
Trotsky
Who formed a troika against Trotsky in 1923?
Kamenev
Zinoviev
Stalin
When did Stalin’s alliance with Kamenev and Zinoviev collapse?
mid-1925
When did Lenin die?
January 1924
What had Lenin recommended be done about Stalin before his death?
He had wanted Stalin removed from his position due to his alarming growth of power and influence. Lenin also disliked that Stalin had coerced Republics into joining the USSR
How many people joined the communist party due to the Lenin enrolment of 1923 (led by Stalin)?
128,000
When was the 15th party congress held and what happened there?
In December 1927
Stalin’s major rivals were expelled from the party. Trotsky was exiled to Turkey
When was the peak of the ‘Great Terror?
1935-38
How many people died due to the Great Terror of the 1930s?
10 million ish
Where were dissidents imprisoned and what was a key purpose of this?
in the Gulags
A key purpose was the creation of a penal labour force
‘Nomenklatura’
Communist officials who received special treatment and lived in a higher level of luxury than the general population
In what years were show trials held?
1936, 37 and 38
Who was executed as part of the show trials?
Kamenev, Zinoviev and Bukharin - also Trotsky’s allies
What year was Trotsky assassinated?
1940
What were 5 major impacts of the ‘great terror’ for the USSR?
- less workers
- penal labour force
- less free speech
- army generals killed weakened force
- general fear created
What was one major difference of the communist party under Lenin vs. Stalin?
Lenin allowed and encouraged debate and listened to many viewpoints and visions for the country.
Stalin didn’t allow debate and used the party to create a personal dictatorship. Party Rule no longer existed
What were 4 main aspects of Stalin’s dictatorship?
- complete media control
- complete economic control
- widespread political terror
- extensive propaganda intended to win the hearts and minds of the people
What did Stalin take advantage of regarding the party and state to consolidate power?
The relationship between the Communist Party and Soviet State had been left somewhat vague by Lenin so it could be easily manipulated
How did Stalin use rivalry to his advantage in consolidating power?
By promoting rivals to similar positions - or parallel positions in the party and state - he ensured any political threats were distracted fighting each other and would not target him
How did the most powerful committee change from 1938-42? What was most powerful after WW2?
1938 - Politburo most power
1942 - State Defence Committee most power
post WW2 - Council of Ministers most power
Why did Stalin ensure that the centre of power changed regularly?
Growing committees could not rival him then.
He could make sure he was the only individual involved in all the top groups
When did Stalin die?
March 1953
When and what was the Leningrad Affair?
1949
Purge of Andrei Zhdanov and supporters from the Leningrad party. 100 killed, 2000 arrested and dismissed
When was Khrushchev leader of the USSR by?
1956
What were the 2 main goals of de-Stalinisation?
- to end personal rule
- to end the use of terror
In what months of 1953 were there amnesties for certain prisoners?
March and April
What percentage of regional party secretaries were replaced between 1953-1956?
What percentage of the Central Committee were replaced in the same period?
about 50% of regional secretaries
44% of the Central Committee
Where and when did Khrushchev make a speech criticising Stalin?
at the 20th party congress in 1956
Why was the secret speech secret?
So as not to undermine the party
- Khrushchev later backtracked believing the Soviet people were not ‘ready’ for the truth about Stalin
How did Khrushchev’s policy of ‘democratisation’ affect party membership?
Party membership grew from about 6.9 million in 1954 to 11 million in 1964
(4 million increase in party membership in 10 years)
By 1964, how many members of the Communist Party were workers or peasants?
60%
What did the policy of ‘de-centralisation’ entail?
Some central ministries were abolished
105 new economic councils ‘Sovnarkhozys’ were given economic powers
What group tried to oust Khrushchev in 1957?
‘the Anti-Party group’. Reforms had led to many officials being demoted or sacked but the group did not succeed because the Central Committee supported Khrushchev
What 2 major political reforms were introduced at the 22nd Party Congress in October 1961?
- party split into 2 wings - one for industry the other for agriculture. Each oblast would have its council split in two.
- all government jobs had fixed terms introduced in the hope of stopping stagnation
^ 16 years for the Central Committee
What aspect of de-stalinisation was approved at the 22nd party congress in 1961?
To remove Stalin’s body from the Lenin Mausoleum where it had been originally interred
In what way was de-Stalinisation not successful?
The government never publicly rejected Stalin’s legacy nor did they admit the extent of his crimes
In what ways was de-Stalinisation successful?
the use of terror against party officials had ended and the personal rule system was also ended.
When was Khrushchev forced to retire by senior officials who believed reform had gone too far?
October 1964
When was Brezhnev leader of the USSR?
1964-1982
What was Brezhnev’s ‘restoration’?
A reverse to de-centralisation which re-established all-union ministries and ended the governmental split between industry and agriculture
What was the ‘stability of cadres’ under Brezhnev?
- reversal of fixed-term positions
- controlled the party through stability of members instead of terror
- discouraged demotions or personnel changes, ensuring job security for Party members
Why was the nickname Gerontocracy given to Brezhnev’s government?
average age of the Politburo had risen from 58 in 1966 to 75 in 1982.
How many people were promoted to the Politburo between 1964-1972?
only 2
How did government efficiency change under Brezhnev?
the government became less efficient as it aged
What was one key factor to the increase in corruption under Brezhnev?
Little promotional opportunities provided no incentive for officials to work hard and no way to increase personal wealth from the work
What were the two main forms of corruption under Brezhnev?
bribes and the Black Market
What policy did Andropov replace when he became leader in 1982?
the stability of cadres
What percentage of senior officials did Andropov replace between 1982-84?
1/4
Who did Andropov’s anti-corruption campaign target?
Senior figures including Army Generals and the Minister of the Interior
When did Chernenko lead the USSR?
1984-85
What was the decline in moral enthusiasm under Brezhnev caused by?
He believed that the job of revolution had been done at home thus focused on encouraging revolution abroad. The soviet people saw the problems or corruption and economic stagnation and lost enthusiasm because of this
When did the Politburo have more power than the central committee?
under Stalin and under Brezhnev
