Joseph Stalin Flashcards
Who did Stalin come to power after
Lenin
what was Stalin’s propaganda centred around?
building a ‘cult of personality’
‘cult of personality’ quote
“everywhere in Moscow one sees nothing but Lenin and Stalin became a personification of that sanctity”
What was controlled by Stalin and the Communist party?
newspaper, radio and cinema
what were artists and writers expected to do?
to adhere to guidelines issued by the communist party
what was the failure of Stalin’s economic policies put down to?
spies and sabotages
what did the media say about the 5 year plans?
they exaggerated the results to the mainstream population
What other forms of propaganda was used?
-towns and cities were named after him
-statues erected of him
-posters and pictures hung in every town
what did his cult of personality depict him as?
a “god-like figure”, who could do no wrong
what was done to history?
-it was rewritten to portray Stalin in a more prominent light
-he was given a more prominent role in the October revolutions
what did the 1st 5 Year Plan focus on?
The industrialisation of the country (emphasis on heavy industry: coal,iron,etc.)
were the goals set out for the 5 Year Plans realistic?
they were highly unrealistic (330% increase in heavy industry production)
What did propaganda say about the 5 Year Plans?
they hailed them as a success
what did the media ignore about the 5 Year Plans?
that the large emphasis led to food shortages and a reduction in the quality of life in industrial cities
what was a key element to the 5 Year Plans?
public work schemes e.g Railway System in Moscow
what was used to motivate workers?
terror + propaganda
what was used to reward efficient workers?
propaganda
who was Aleksei Stakhanaov?
a worker who was said to have produced 102 tonnes of coal in one shift
What happened over a 10 year period in the USSR?
the country transformed from an over-reliance on agriculture to an industrial powerhouse
what was collectivisation?
an economic policy followed by Stalin to make agriculture more productive and efficient to growing population of the USSR
what did collectivisation mean?
small, individually owned peasant farms transformed into larger state-run farms
how did peasants react to collectivisation?
they resisted
How did Stalin react to the peasants resistance to collectivisation?
he instilled terror and fear into them
how did Stalin instill terror and fear into the peasants?
-they were arrested
-villages bombed
-5 million sent to gulags
-tortured them
How did the Kulaks resist collectivisation?
they slaughtered their own livestock and crops
what did Stalin label the Kulaks who refused to give up their farms?
“enemies of the workers”
how did Stalin respond to the Kulaks resistance?
he instigated a famine as state policy (Holodom Famine Ukraine 1932)
What were the Great Purges?
a reign of terror aimed at the communist party
what was the purpose of the Great Terror?
to remove any threat to Stalin’s power
what instigated the start of The Purges?
the murder of Sergei Kirov (used as an excuse to purge his own party)
what did Stalin claim publicly?
that there were many plots against his role, and that he would root out the “enemies” inside the party and out
What was Stalin’s police force called?
the NKVD
who did the NKVD replace?
the Cheka
what was the aim of the NKVD?
to root out “enemies of state”
what did the NKVD consist of?
secret police, border police, fire brigade and local police units
what did the NKVD do?
-used to state policy interrogation methods
-carried out unauthorised executions and arrests on citizens
what was the impact of interrogations and arrests?
they developed a culture of fear amongst the population
What were Gulags?
state labour campsdeveloped to support increasing industrialisation of the country
what were the prisoners of the gulags known as?
Zeks
how long did Zeks work for?
14 hours a day
what were the workers in the Gulags used for?
public work schemes (construction of the White Baltic Canal)
what were the Show Trials?
a series of propaganda trials held in Russia
Who was removed in the Show trials?
Zinoviev and Kamenev
what were the defendants accused of doing? (Show Trials)
fabricated accusations were made up
how were the defendants forced to plead gulty?
-they were tortured and beaten
-families theatened
who were the accused in the Show Trials?
-members of the public
-political opposition of Stalin (Zinoviev and Kamenev)
-members of the NKVD (Yagoda)
The defendants should be:
“shot like mad dogs”
what were defendants subjected to?
months of interrogations and isolation
what was used against the defendants families?
torture and threats
what was made to defendants?
false promises that if they confessed they would be spared execution and their families kept safe
what were the defendants charged on?
-murdering Kirov
-plotting to murder Stalin
-conspiring with foreign powers
-working with Trotsky
who was the prosecutor?
Andrei Vyshinsky
what was the propaganda success of the Show Trials?
Soviet authorities displayed the trials as triumphs for the state
what was developed as a result of the Trials?
a culture of fear was established (ordinary Russians were shocked by the brutality displayed against the defendants)
