Dictatorship and Conflict In The USSR 1924-1953 Flashcards
1
Q
what did it say about Stalin and Trotsky in Lenin’s testament? /2
A
1.suggested Stalin would not make a good replacement, and that he was rude; “not sure that he will always use that power with sufficient care”. 2.Described Trotsky as “most capable” but also “excessive self confidence”
2
Q
what was the Lenin enrolment? /1
A
Stalin launched a programme to encourage membership to the party, he packed the congresses with his supporters.
3
Q
why was General sectary an important role? /1
A
it gave Stalin influence, and a foundation for power, as well as a seat at the politburo.
4
Q
what policy did the left side of the party back about foreign policy and why was it backed? /2
A
1.world wide revolution.
2.Helped by cominterm, Marks idea that “communism has no international boarders”
5
Q
why was Lenin funeral important? /2
A
1.Trotsky wants there which made it look like he didn’t care about Lenin and that he was arrogant.
2.Stalin took opportunity to carry coffin and make speeches to look like chief mourner.
6
Q
what policy did the right side of the party back about foreign policy and why was it backed? /2
A
1.socialism in one country.
2.patriotic and encouragement for workers to rise up. rely on soviet strength.
7
Q
what policy did the left side of the party back about economy and why was it backed? /2
A
1.rapid industrialisation.
2.True communist, to turn Soviet Union into industrial powerhouse.
8
Q
what policy did the right side of the party back about economy and why was it backed? /2
A
1.NEP (new economic plan).
2.permanent policy. nationalise large industries, peasants were taxed by small industries and peasants could sell surplus as profit.
9
Q
when was Trotsky removed? /1
A
1924
10
Q
when was Zinoviev and Kamenev removed? /1
A
1927
11
Q
when was Bukharin removed? /1
A
1928
12
Q
how did his opponents underestimate Stalin? /1
A
didn’t take position as general secretary seriously. “comrade card index” “the grey blur”.
13
Q
what was Stalins personality? /1
A
“man of the people”. Ruthless and brutal.
14
Q
what was the political reasons for the 5 year plans? /1
A
backed rapid industrialisation to remove Bukharin.
15
Q
what was Stalins motives for the 5 year plans? /2
A
1.USSR was behind the west.
2.He was concerned that the west would destroy communism -Churchill “red plague”.
16
Q
what are the economic aims for the 5 year plans? /3
A
1.to make the USSR economy self sufficient and prepare for way in the future.
2. Enable the USSR economy to compete with west.
3.make USSR economy more modern and industrialised based on heavy industry and highly mechanised farms.
17
Q
why did Stalin have a fear of invasion? /2
A
1.Stalin had increased paranoia.
2.USSR could not stand up against western powers.
18
Q
what was the ideological reasons for the 5 year plans? /2
A
- peasants and small industries making profit was not communist.
2.Stalin wanted a purer form of communism.
19
Q
name some examples of Gigantomania? /3
A
1.Magnitogorsk
2.Dnieper dam
3 White Sea canal
20
Q
Why did Stalin want to gain support from peasants? /1
A
the main support of communism was from the working class but most of the population were peasants.
21
Q
how did Stalin gain support from the peasants and what were the consequences? /3
A
1.they built factories, dams and cities such as Magnitogorsk (gigantomania)
2.which drew millions of poor peasants into towns who needed jobs.
3.caused massive overcrowding as only a few new houses were built.
22
Q
when were all the 5 year plans? /5
A
- 1928-1932
2.1933-1927
3.1938-1941
4.1946-1950
5.1950-1955
23
Q
how were the 5 year plans achieved? /7
A
1.Gosplan set targets.
2.workers bombarded with propaganda.
3.foreign experts brought in.
4.workers fined if targets were not met.
5.day care centres opened do mothers could work.
6.big engineering projects.
7.concentration on heavy industry.
24
Q
what were the successes of the 5 year plans? /5
A
1.able to resist hitlers army.
2.improvements in cities, transport and production.
3.no unemployment.
4.more doctors and medicine.
5.better education.
25
stats for production from 1927-32-37 in million tonnes. /4
1. coal, 35,64,128
2. steel, 3,6,18
3. oil, 12,21,26
4. electricity, 18,20,80
26
what were the failures of the 5 year plans? /6
1.corruption and poor planning.
2.high human cost.
3.no human rights.
4.secret police sent people to gulags for having political opinions which didn't back Stalin.
5.wages fell.
6. few consumer goods and bed living conditions.
27
why did the 5 year plans fail? /3
1.work force unskilled as kulaks and managers were sent to gulags.
2.unrealistic targets meant they were not met.
3.quantity was put before quality.
28
how many people were in Magnitogorsk by 1932?
250,000
29
how many people died making Magnitogorsk?
10,000
30
when was Dnieper Dam opened?
1932
31
how long was the White Sea Canal/ Belomor Canal
227km
32
how many slave labourers died making the White Sea/Belomor Canal?
100,000
33
what did Stalin want to do with the money made from collectivisation?
-pay for equipment and industrial infrastructure (mechanisation)
-use grain to feed workers
34
what was the increase in people living in cities from 1922 to 1940
22 million to 63 million
35
what did Stalin blame the crisis within the soviet economy on?(due to collectivisation)
-the kulaks who had emerged as a new capitalist class as a result of the NEP
36
what did the politburo do to get enough grain to feed the workers?
grain was seized from the peasants
37
what were the policies introduced in 1928-9 similar to?
war communism
38
what did the policies encourage poor peasants to do?
persecute their wealthy neighbours
39
in mid 1929 what percent of peasants were on collectives?
5%
40
what 3 things were used to carry out collectivisation (F, T, P)
-force
-terror
-propoganda
41
how did the state buy and sell the grain produced in collective farms?
-bought from peasants at low prices
-sold at higher prices to villages
42
how many peasant families were forced into collectivisation between nov 1929- oct 1930?
11 million
43
what % increase did Stalin expect in grain production from collectivisation?
50%
44
what happened to peasants who usually worked hard during collectivisation?
became lazy, apathetic and demotivated
45
what happened to peasants equipment and livestock during collectivisation?
-equipment was stolen and often broken by other peasants
-prize livestock was stolen by other peasants or left to die
46
what was rationed in the cities and why was it dangerous?
-meat and bread rationed
-dangerous because it could cause unrest
47
what happened to the kulaks?
-blamed for hoarding
-thousands arrested, deported and sent to gulags
48
what were there not enough of to carry out a high speed collectivisation programme?
-tractors
-combine harvesters
-agricultural experts
-fertilisers
49
what was the machine and tractor services (MTS) and what did they do?
-hire out and maintain agricultural machinery
-each MTS had a political department to root out anti-soviet elements and trouble makers
-also made sure all the collectives handed over grain
50
what were the 'twenty-five thousanders'?
25,000 recited urban party activists to oversee collectivisation
51
what did the 'twenty-five thousanders' do?
-they would find kulaks and the middle and poor peasants to sign a register demanding to be collectivised
-land, tools and equipment would be taken from kulaks to be used on collectives
52
what did Stalin announce in dec 1929 (kulaks)?
the liquidation of the kulak as a class
53
what did each region have to do in 'dekulakisation'?
find and denounce a certain amount t of kulaks whether they existed or not
54
how many people were deported to the gulags in Siberia at the end of collectivisation?
up to 10 million
55
how many people were exiled during dekulakisation?
9.5-10 million
56
how many kulak families were deported in 1929, 1930 and 1931
1929-150k
1930-240k
1931-285k
57
what did 'peasant resistance' lead to?
-riots and armed resistance
-peasants burnt crops, tools and houses rather than hand it over to the state
-mainly slaughtering animals
58
what was the decrease in cattle form 1928-1933?
70 million to 38million
59
what was the decrease in pigs form 1928-1933?
26 million to 12 million
60
what was the decrease in horses form 1928-1933?
36 million to 21 million
61
what weather crisis happened in 1931?
drought
62
when was the great famine?
1932-33
63
what did the government do to stop peasants fleeing the countryside to the cities?
internal passports
64
what was the Holodomor?
-a genocide in Ukraine
-Stalin stopped sending over food
-'to kill through starvation'
-attempt to eliminate the Ukrainian independence movement
65
how many peasant house holds were collectivised in 1934 and 1936?
1934-70%
1936-90%
66
when did grain production exceed pre-collectivisation levels?
1935
67
when did meat production exceed pre-collectivisation levels?
1953
68
what were 2 contributing reasons to Stalins reign of terror?
-paranoia
-urgency (catch up with west)
-to unify the whole country
69
give 3 features of Stalins terror
-purges
-show trials
-NKVD
70
what was Stalins justification for the purges?
Kirov's murder in Leningrad
71
why did Stalin not like Kirov
-saw him as an opponent
-at the 17th party congress Kirov spoke brilliantly and received as much applause as Stalin
-was supposed to celebrate Stalin
72
what happened to the man who shot Kirov and what did it cause/set off?
-executed without a trail
-caused Moscow show trials
73
when was the first show trial?
-the trail of the 16
-august 1936
74
what were the trials really for?
to enforce Stalins power and control over the party
75
how were the trails shown to the public?
broadcasted on radio and filmed
76
which two politicians from the power struggle were in the trial of the 16?
Zinoviev and Kamenev
77
what charge did the trial of the 16 get and what was the result?
charge- Kirov's murder, sabotage 5 year plans
result-all guilty and shot
78
who was tried in the trial of the 17?
17 high ranking officials
79
what charge did the trial of the 17 get and what was the result?
charge- 'links to Trotsky' and sabotage of 5 year plan
result- 13 shot, 4 in gulag
80
which marshal was purged in the purge of the armed forces?
Tukhachevsky
81
when was the trial of the 17?
1937
82
when was the purge if the armed forces?
1937
83
what was the military charged for?
spying for Germany and Japan
84
how long was the purge of the armed forces?
over a year
85
how many of the army marshals was merged during the purge of the armed forces?
3/5
86
how many of the army commanders was merged during the purge of the armed forces?
7/8
87
how many junior officers were purged during the purge of the army?
35,000
88
how much of the navy admirals and air force senior commanders was purged?
ALL (one 1 air force)
89
who and when was the trial of the 21?
1938, Bukharin and Rykov (+19)
90
when did terror increase? (who was brought in)
when Genrikh Yagoda was made head of NKVD
91
who was Yezhov and what was his nickname?
-brought in after Yagoda was purged
-poison dwarf
92
how many of the 1996 people that attended the 17th party conference were purged?
1108
93
what percent of the central committee were executed?
70%
94
how many prisoners were in concentration camps in 1932, 1937 and 1938?
32- 2 mil
37- 6 mil
38- 8 mil
95
how did these camps help Stalin? (2)
-build infrastructure for his new industrialised country (free)
-remove opponents
96
what percent of people died in the gulags each year?
20%
97
what was the social impact of the purges? (4)
-relatives and friends were targeted
-bonds of friendship broke down in climate of fear
-skilled workers, managers and intelligentsia were targeted
-church was hit 100,000 presets and nuns purged in 1937-8
98
what was the economic impact of the purges? (4)
-shortage of skilled labour
-corruption and falsification of production
-purges of Gosplan left little planning possible
-economic growth slows markedly after 1937
99
what was the political impact of the purges? (3)
-Stalin wanted political dominance, created a totalitarian leadership
-any who opposed him was either dead or in the gulags
-replaced army leaders with more compliant, pro Stalin officers who wouldn't overthrow him
100
what was the cult of personality?
an extreme version of propaganda where anything good that ever happened to the USSR was because of Stalin.
101
state the 'nickname' Stalin was called during the cult of personality
-'father of the nation'.
102
what painting is an example of the cult of personality?
'Roses for Stalin'
103
what was socialist realism?
-a kind of art that instead on a largely photographic style of representation
-meant to be optimistic and not portray ugliness
104
what ensured that artists did what they were told?
fear and censorship
105
what did the cult if personality portray Stalin as?
-Lenins succsessor
-genius, best man for the job
106
how did the cult of personality help the people? (3)
-after the confusion of collectivisation and the 5 year plans it gave the people comfort
-sense of unity
-allowed the people to complain about events without being critical of Stalin
107
A)who invented the 1936 constitution?
B)what was it? -why?
A)Bukharin
B)structure of 2 houses which between them would elect a presidium who would be Head of State
-sheer propaganda as Stalin was keen to look like a leader who cared about his people
-and improve his imagine about
108
how were women treated compared to men in the USSR?
just as harshly as men
109
could women get divorced and what was the law about wedding rings?
-could get divorced easily
-wearing wedding rings was illegal
110
how many women were in the workforce in 1928 and 1940?
1928- 3 mil
1940- 13 mil
111
how many women in the USSR fought in the red army during WW2?
800,000
112
how many women held an important position in government during Stalins years of power?
not one
113
how were young children indoctrinated by the communist party before the age of 9?
the 'little octoberists'
114
after the age of 9 what did the children join-what did they do?
-the 'young pioneers'
-where they were politically organised educational and recreational activities
115
what did they children join after the 'young pioneers' and what did they do?
-the Komosol
-encouraged sports, education, ext..
116
what were children who participated in the communist party organisations more like to have?
better jobs
117
how did the amount of schools and university students change when Stalin was in power?
increased
118
what happened to uniform and discipline when Stalin was in power?
-became very strict
e.g. girls hair in pigtails
119
what age was the compulsory attendance in schools when Stalin was in power?
3-15 years
120
what was the most important subject?
politics
121
by 1940 what percent of undergraduates were women?
60%
122
by 1935 the USSR had one of the most ........ education systems in the world
advanced
123
what did communist want ti do to religions in the USSR?
-eradicate/remove
124
what were priest accused of being?
spys
125
what happened to religious services and festivals?
banned
126
what religion were 'good communists' supposed to have?
-none
-atheist
127
what and when was the family code
-1936
-introduced so family's would return to traditional family values
128
name 4 things the family code included
-abortion was illegal
-divorce was expensive
-gay was made illegal
-men who walked out on their family had to provide for them financially
129
why did Stalin have to bring in the family code? (4)
-rise In divorce rates
-gangs of parentless children roamed the streets
-birth rate fell
-serious problem because he wanted to build up economy
130
A)what happened to birth rate after the family code?
B)what was the difference by 1940?
-increased
-from 25 per 1000 people to 31 to 1000 people
131
what was Russification?
-forcing the ethnic minorities to adopt Russian culture and language
-Russian became the main language in schools, the army and the government
132
why was Stalin worried about the ethnic minorities?
-worried about their loyalty to the USSR if they were attacked as many lives on the border
133
what was the purpose of Russification?
to turn all the minorities into loyal soviet citizens no matter what their nationality was
134
when was Operation Barbarossa?
22nd June 1941
135
why did Stalin not think the nazis would attack him?
-they signed a non-aggression pact in 1939
-and thought they were preoccupied with the war against the British empire
136
why was Hitler alarmed by the Soviet Union and what made him confident he could easily defeat them?
-Soviet Union sent troops against Finland and Romania (Germanys biggest oil suppliers) which alarmed Hitler
-he was confident because during the 'winter war' Finland only lost 22,000 soldiers and the red army lost 120,000
137
how many men, tanks and aircraft did the Germans attack with on the 22nd of June 1941?
-3 mil men
-3,600 tanks
-2,700 aircraft
138
how many kms a day did Hitlers army advance during 1941?
-80kms
139
state 4 reasons why the Germans had initial victory when first invading the soviet union
-ignored warnings from Britain which caught red army by surprise
-the purges had removed many skilled officers which left the army poorly led
-Stalin refused retreat which meant thousands of the red army were captured
-the Germans were equipped with modern weapons and were well trained and confident
140
how many men were lost in June and early July 1941 in Minsk?
400,000
141
how many ,en were captured at Smolensk during July 1941?
300,000
142
what new form of welfare did the Germans come up with and how did they carry it out?
- 'Blitzkrieg' (lightning war)
- they made maximum use pf their tanks and air power against the USSR who had no defence
143
what happened in the first week? (3)
-Stalin retreated to his country house just outside of Moscow
-where he had an armoured train to retreat in when the nazis arrived
-leaving the county leaderless
144
what did Stalin say when he retreated to his countryside house?
he is reputed to have said 'everything is lost. I give up. Lenin founded our state and I have screwed it up'
145
why was the operation 5 weeks later than it was meant to and what did this mean?
-Hitler had to help out his ally (Italy) and invade Yugoslavia
-meant that much of the good weather was lost
146
how was the weather helpful to Stalin?
-slowed down the Germans
147
what was the weather like in November and October and how did it benefit the Soviets?
-the rains of October and November turned the poor roads into impassable quagmires which slowed the Germans
-the extreme cold from November onwards effectively stopped the Germans
148
why did the cold and rain stop the Germans?
-their diesel engines were difficult to use in the cold
-German army were not equipped for cold conditions so many froze to death
149
which General lead a counter attack which pushed the Germans in December 1941?
Zhukov
150
why was Zhukov able to use troops from Siberia?- why were they useful?
-a spy in Tokyo gave him confidence that the Japanese would not attack
-these troops were well equipped for winter warfare unlike the Germans who weren't able to attack until the spring
151
which 5-year-plan had created industrial centres to the eat of the Ural mountains (away from the Germans) so they could continue producing armaments?
third
152
how many factories were moved to the east?
1560
153
how did Stalin change his propaganda message away from the cult of the personality?
-the new message was patriotism
-encouraging soviets to defend the 'motherland'
-referred to it as the 'great patriotic war'
154
when was Stalins speech encouraging the soviet people?
-3rd July 1941
155
what proportion of soviet soldiers died on the eastern front during the war?
4/5
156
what was 'Tankograd' (Chelyabinsk) before Turing intone tank factory?
-when was it built?
a tractor factory built in 1933 during the second 5-year-plan
157
by 1944 how many workers were in Tankograd and how many tanks did they build during the course of the war?
-60,000 workers
-18,000 tanks
158
how long did the battle of Stalingrad last?
from August 1942- February 1943
159
why is the battle of Stalingrad important?
-Germanys first serous defeat
-was the turning point of the war
160
how many soviet soldiers died in the battle of Stalingrad?
half a million
161
how many German soldiers were captured and killed in the battle of Stalingrad?
-147,000 killed
-91,000 captured (of which only 6,000 would ever see Germany again)
162
what title did Stalin give himself and Zhukov after the battle of Stalingrad?
-he gave himself 'Marshal of the Soviet Union'
and Zhukov 'Field Marshal'
163
what title did the city of Stalingrad get after the battle? + why?
-'hero city'
-in recognition of their dogged determination
164
state a few of the 10 reasons why the Soviet Union won the 'great patriotic war'
-Russian winter
-Nazis underestimated the resilience of the soviet people
-Stalins propoganda
-Stalins strong leadership
-organisation of red army
-Fear and terror
-hatred of Nazis
-better weapons
-industrial production
-aid from what
165
how many deaths were there in the 'great patriotic war' (just from the soviets)
27 million
166
how did Stalins propaganda help win the war?
-made campaigns to raise moral
-fight for the 'motherland'
-loosened up restrictions such as the persecution of the church
167
give an example of how Stalin's patriotic propaganda payed off?
siege of Leningrad
168
how long was the siege of Leningrad?
900 days
169
how did Stalins leadership help the soviets win the war? (compare to Hitler)
-delegated military responsibility to Zhukov to conduct the war
-unlike Hitler who constantly meddled in military plans
170
how was the red army reorganised into a modern fighting force
-had special units
-such as 'tank armies' and 'shock armies'
171
how did Stalins terror help win the war?
-people would fight even if they didn't want to because if they didn't they would be shot
-Order 227 meant that retreat was forbidden
172
how many Red army soldiers were executed by the Soviet Union?
300,000
173
give an example of a weaponry that the USSR produced which helped them win the war?
-T34 tank which was mass-produced
-the best tank of WW2
174
what was the aid from the west called for the Soviet Union?
the 'lend-lease'
175
what percent of trains came from the USA (lend-lease)?
95%
176
what percent of jeeps came from the USA (lend-lease)?
75%
177
what percent of food came from the USA (lend-lease)?
17%
178
what percent of aeroplanes came from the USA (lend-lease)?
12%
179
what policy could no longer be the rationale after the war?
socialism in one country
180
after the war what did the USSR become?
a 'superpower'
181
what had to happen after the Nazis destroyed much of the soviet territory?
-how did he do this?
-reconstruction
-through 2 more 5 year plans
182
A)what percent of industrial production had been lost?
B) name one of the major show pieces built by Stalin which was destroyed
-70%
-dneipier dam
183
how could the USSR economically exploit its new political sphere of influence in Eastern Europe?
(give example in Germany)
-stripping Germany of industrial machinery
-such as the Opel Car Factory
-which was packed up into 56 train loads and sent to Moscow
184
by 1952 had the gain levels retuned to pre-war levels?
no
185
why was it hard to rebuild farms?
-little mechanisation
-due to shortage of horses and machinery destroyed
186
why was there little sensitive for the peasants to work hard? (2)
-treated as a second class citizen
-got payed 1/6 of a factory worker
187
what type of foreign policy did Stalin have after the war?
confrontational
188
how did Stalin use the Yalta and Potsdam conferences?
to assert Soviet claims over occupied Europe
189
due to the 27million deaths what was there a shortage of?
-so what did they do?
-manpower
-so the women and elderly did what they could
190
what did Stalin feel about the amount of fighting each superpower?
he felt that the USSR did most of the fighting
191
as Truman and Churchill started too see Stalin as a threat what action did they take to contain communism?
Churchill -iron curtain (1946)
Truman- truman doctrine (1947)
192
when was Comintern abolished?
1943
193
how did Stalin increase the USSR's influence over the satellite states?
-through Comecon (1949)
-and Cominform (1947)
194
what cooperation did Comecon and Cominform create?
Comecon- economic
Cominform- political
195
what propaganda message did Stalin return to after the war?
cult of personality
196
how did the number of the gulag population change from 1942-1946?
1942-1.6 mil
1946- 4.7. mil
197
what did Stalin view the 1.5 million war prisoners as?
-what happened to them?
-criminals and traitors
-sent to gulgas or executed if they has a high enough rank
198
how many Ukrainians were deported after the war?
300,000
199
how many people from the baltic states were deported after the war?
400,000
200
what was the Leningrad affair? (2)
-Stalin was paranoid and considered the Leningrad communist party as too popular and strong
-so he removed 2,000 officials and sent them to prison camps or were deported
201
what happened to the jews in the USSR after the war?
-leading jews were sent to the gulag or executed
202
what was the doctors plot? (3)
- in 1953 Stalins paranoia peaked
-he thought his doctors were trying to kill him
-he even had a personal food taster
-over 30 top doctors (mainly Jewish) were arrested on charged of trying to assassinate Stalin
