High Stalinism-1945-1953 Flashcards
What was High Stalinism?
this was the culmination of Stalin’s regime in the years 1945-1953
When did Stalin’s authority over state, party and people and the cult of personality that was the face of the dictatorship at its peak?
1945-1953
Stalin’s dictatorship seemed unchallengeable, the embodiment of totalitarianism. What is totalistriarism?
a political system that demands absolute obedience to the state and that each is subject to central authority
What was the population of Russia?
175 million
Despite Stalin’s fearsome authority, 175 million people could never be entirely controlled by one man. Like most dictatorships, what did Stalin have in place?
he rested on the complex bureaucratic structure, a balancing act between the Party and the government and playing off key subordinates against each other
During the war there had been many appeals to the patriotism, national unity and ‘spirit of the people’ why was the fear of Stalin’s Great Terror almost ignored?
because of the more direct fear of the German invaders
Although wartime propaganda promised a better world affair victory, what was the reality?
any tendencies towards liberalisation were obstructed
What was the GKO?
the State Defence Committee
What was dissolved in 1945 which reflected the downgrade of the military system after the war?
the GKO, the State Defence Committee
How was Marshal Zhukov treated after the war?
he was demoted to a minor command at faraway Odessa
How was Stalin after the years from 1945? (3 words)
he was reclusive, capricious (sudden mood changes) and unpredictable
How old was Stalin in 1945?
66
By 1945 how long had Stalin been at the centre of power?
25 years
When did Stalin suffer a mild stoke?
1946
What may have been reason for Stalin’s increased paranoia?
his mild stroke in 1946
Although High Stalinism is a term usually applied to Stalin’s last years, what have many historians taken the view of?
that the developments of post 1945 were not new but a reversion of what had already existed in 1930s
What did historian Moshe Lewin suggest?
that high stalinism began in 1934 after the death of Kirov
Who are 3 examples of leading figures in the Party who fell in and out of favour with Stalin?
Zhukov, Beria, Molotov, Malenkov
Why did Malenkov lose his position as Party secretary during the war?
as Zhukov challenged his policy resulting in an investigation which condemned Malenkov’s actions.
What is a prominent example of how Stalin played leading figures against each other during the war?
Zhukov challenged the policy of Malenkov which resulted in an investigation which condemned his actions and lost him his position as Party Secretary. Malenkov and Beria then schemed against Zhdanov and engineered his political downfall in 1948.
When did Beria and Matlenjov secure Zhdanov’s political downfall ?
1948
Molotov held great power in the regime during and after the war but fell out of favour in what year?
1949
Between what years were no Party Congresses held?
1939-1952
What was not held between 1939-1952
Party Congresses
What undermined the Party and its institutions? (3)
the fact there were no Party Congresses from 1939-1952, Politburo was reduced to an advisory body to Stalin’s personal official line
What happened to the Politiburo after the war?
it was reduced to an advisory body to Stalin’s personal official line
Where were big decisions made after the Politburo was reduced to an advisory body?
they were made in ad hoc gatherings of Stalin’s inner circle
What happened to the members of the Party after 1945?
membership remained high, but individuals were unlikely to be committed ideologists from the ranks of peasants or workers. The ‘new men’ were obedient bureaucrats who avoided ideological debates
How did the ‘new men’ in the party’s membership differ to the memberships of the early Bolshevik take over?
they were obedient bureuacrats who avoided ideological debates as opposed to committed ideologists from the rants of peasants or workers
What was a key feature of high Stalinism?
inertia (leaving things as they were)
In what year did Beria and Malenkov organise the purge of the Party leadership in Leningrad?
1948
What happened to Malenkov after Stalin’s death?
he was briefly leader of the USSR until Khrushchev took over
Who was Mikoyan and why was he so significant?
as he was the only Old Bolshevik to remain high in the governing elite all the way through Lenin, Stalin and their successors
Along with Molotov, who was also saved by Stalin’s death during an intended purge?
Milkoyan, the only Old Bolshevik to remain high in the governing elite all the way through Lenin, Stalin and their successors
