Glossary. Flashcards
Absolute monarch โฆ
A monarch who wields unrestricted political power over the State and its people.
Agrarian socialism โฆ
Taking estates from landowners and dividing the land between the peasants to be farmed communally.
Anti-Semitic โฆ
Being prejudiced against and persecuting Jews.
Apparat โฆ
The Party โapparatusโ or administrative system.
Autocratic โฆ
Having no limits on a rulerโs power.
Black Hundreds โฆ
Nationalist gangs, devoted to โTsar, Church and Motherlandโ.
Bureaucracy โฆ
A system of government in which most of the important decisions are taken by officials rather than by elected representatives.
Burzhui โฆ
Anyone considered a hinderance to worker or peasant prosperity.
Capital accumulation โฆ
Building up money reserves in order to invest.
Capitalism โฆ
Private enterprise, which includes making money out of a โcapitalโ investment.
Central committee โฆ
Elected by the Party congress and, in turn, elected the Politburo between each Party congress.
Cheka โฆ
The name given to the Bolshevik secret police.
Civil servant โฆ
Someone working for the government.
Civil society/institutions and rule of law โฆ
All members of society a society where all members can enjoy the protection of law, which are applied equally and fairly, while organisations exist in which the people of the country can express their views and influence decisions.
Closed court session โฆ
A trial held in secret to which no observers were permitted and where no reporting was allowed.
Command economy โฆ
Making the government responsible for economic coordination.
Conscription โฆ
Compulsory enlistment of a person into military service.
Constitution โฆ
Set of rules by which a country is governed.
Constitutional monarch โฆ
A monarch who rules in conjunction with an elected assembly and whose powers are limited by that assembly.
Cottage industry โฆ
Work done in the workerโs own home or small workshop.
Dacha โฆ
A second home in the country, often used by Russians in the summer.
Democratic centralism โฆ
Communist idea of democracy whereby members of the local soviets were elected who, in turn, chose who would sit on higher-level soviets and the All-Russian Congress of Soviets.
Dual power โฆ
Whereby Russia was governed by an alliance of the Professional Government and the Soviet.
Duma โฆ
An elected governing assembly; a state or national Duma is usually capitalised, while town Dumas are lower-case.
Edict โฆ
An official order issued by a person of authority. (Russian = ukaz).
Electoral colleges โฆ
In a system of electoral colleges, individuals vote for others who then vote on their behalf.
Emancipation โฆ
Freeing from bondage.
Former people โฆ
Dispossessed old elites who had no place in the new Russia.
General strikes โฆ
A strike that involves all workers so that the country is brought to a standstill.
Gosplan โฆ
The State Council Planning Commission (1921-91); helped coordinate the economic development and from 1925, drafted economic plans.
Great Turn โฆ
The move from NEP to the 5-year plans and collectivisation of agriculture entitled a move to central planning and a โcommand economyโ.
Gulags โฆ
Economic colonies where millions of prisoners were used to dig mines and canals, build railways and clear forests.
Holy Synod โฆ
A group of bishops, which forms the ruling body of the Orthodox Church.
Indirect voting โฆ
A citizen elects a delegate to vote in the general election on their behalf.
Intelligentsia โฆ
The more educated members of Russian society, including writers and philosophers with both humanitarian and nationalist concerns.
Internal market demand โฆ
The desire and ability to buy the products of manufacturing within the country.
Kolkhoz โฆ
A collective operated by a number of peasant families on state-owned land.