Communist Terror and Control Flashcards
What three types of opposition did Lenin face?
the bolsheviks faced 3 types of opposition:
1. other political groups L+R
2. former tsarist officers who resisted militarily
3. ideological opposition from the bourgeoisie + the upper class
How did Lenin deal with external opposition? (Red Terror)
September 1918 - Sovnarkom gave Cheka authority to arrest and destroy traitors
victims range from ordinary workers suspected of counter-revolutionary activities to the Tsars family (killed on 17th July 1918)
1918-1921 = Civil War = almost 1mil killed
1921 - religious persecution lead to 8000 priests executed
How did Lenin deal with internal opposition?
Lenin believed dissension was weakening the party
1921 ban on factions meant all party members had to accept decisions of the central committee
this led to a highly centralised authoritarian one-party state
opposition was virtually impossible
How did Stalin deal with opposition?
Stalin extended terror + class Warfare to enforce collectivization through dekulakisation
The Shakhty show trials of 1928 bourgeoise managers specialists and Engineers who were accused of counter-revolutionary activities
this is a clear indication of Stalin’s determination to find a scapegoat for the chaos caused by his own economic policies
What happened by 1929 and who was Yagoda?
By 1929 Soviet prisons couldn’t cope with the number of kulaks + bourgeoises
Yagoda was commissioned to find ways to put prisoners to better use and came up with Gulags in Siberia
He believed Gulags could contribute to economic growth whilst correcting prisoners
What were the consequences of the Gulags?
¼ of prisoners died whilst building the white sea canal
What was the crisis of 1932?
in November 1932 Stalin’s wife committed suicide
she left a note criticising Stalin’s policy and showed sympathy to his enemies
Stalin felt even those closest to him could betray him
the 1932 famine also led to a series of strikes by the workers who criticised Stalin’s leadership and his 5-year plans
How did opposition emerge in the party by 1932?
old bolsheviks such as Ryutin disapproved of Stalin’s political direction
Ryutin sent an appeal signed by a number of prominent communists to the Central committee urging Stalin’s removal
they were arrested and Stalin ordered the execution but this was overruled by the politburo which shows the precariousness of Stalin’s position
What happened in April 1933?
Stalin announced a Purge of The Party Over the next 2 years
18% of the party was purged
they were labelled Ryutinites
What happened with the title General secretary?
Stalin, Kirov + 2 others were given the title secretary of equal rank
Stalin supported this to share the responsibility of the economic crisis
however Stalin was now no more important than the other secretaries
What was the Kirov affair of 1934?
in the politburo, only 2 members firmly supported Stalin
Kirov spoke out about stopping forced grain requisitions and increasing workers’ rations
he received a standing ovation for his moderate speech
What happened to Kirov and what did Stalin do?
Kirov was murdered on the 1st of December 1934
Stalin was quick to claim this was a Trotskyite conspiracy and published a decree
the next day that gave Yagoda the power to arrest and execute anyone found guilty of terrorist plotting
6,500 ppl were arrested under this law in December
What happened in January 1935?
In January 1935, Zinoviev, Kamenev + others accused of instigating terrorism and arrested
250,000 party members were expelled as anti-Leninists
What were the great purges of 1936-38?
the purpose was to prove the existence of political conspiracies
Aug 1936 = Zinoviev, Kamenev + other prominent communists were executed for plotting to kill Stalin
May 1937 = Senior military commanders that were heroes of the civil war were arrested and forced to sign false confessions
What was the Yezhovchina 1936-38?
Named after Yezhov, leader of the NKVD
Directed at ordinary citizens and thousands executed
quota system meant each region was expected to find a proportion of oppositionist
surveillance with everywhere and people lived in
