Key Dates Flashcards
Lenin Leadership
1917-26
Stalin Leadership
1926-1953
Khrushchev leadership
1953-64
Brezhnev leadership
1964-82
Andropov Leadership
1982-84
Chernenko leadership
1984-85
Russian revolution
1917
Lenin’s Decrees (Land, Workers control, nationalisation of banks)
1917
Constituent Assembly closed after 1 meeting due to the Bolsheviks losing vote
1918
Treaty of Brest Litovsk to leave WW1
1918
Russian Civil War
1918-21
Tambov peasant Uprisings
1920-22
Kronstadt sailor mutiny
1921
Ban on Factions introduced at the 10th party congress
1921
The Cheka (Secret police) created to seek out counter-revolutionaries led by Feliz Dzerzhinsky
1917
Secret Police becomes GPU and then OGPU
1922
1923
Lenin becomes unwell after suffering from strokes
1922-1924
Decree on Freedom of Conscience introduced to restrict the Russian Orhtodox church’s priviledges
1918
Red Terror purges kill 50,000 people; including Tsar and family
1918-22
Stalin becomes General Secretary
1922
Lenin Dies, The USSR is created
1924
The Lenin Enrollment takes place to increase party membership. 50,000 new recruits
1923-25
Leadership Struggle for Lenin’s successor - Stalin outmanouvers his opponents
1924-1928
1st Five Year Plan = Growth in heavy industry, consumer goods neglected
1928 - 1932
2nd Five Year Plan = Continued first but with higher focus on military goods
1933-37
3rd Five Year Plan (cut short from War) = Geared for military development for war
1938-41
The holodomor famine in Ukraine has 3.9 million deaths
1932-1933
Great Purged begin
1928
Secret Police is renamed the NKVD. Yagoda is appointed its head
1934
Yezhov appointed head of the NKVD
1936
Beria appointed head of NKVD, Yezhov blamed for mass purges of Yezhovchina
1938
Soviet Constitution issued. A seemingly democratic document that is used to gain allies for WW2.
1936
Murder of Kirov. Political figure Kirov is assasinated under suspicious circumstances, Zinoviev and Kamanev take the fall
1934
Germany Invade the USSR. Grain falls from 94 million to 30 million.
1941
4th Five Year Plan = Focus on quick regrowth following WW2
1946- 1950
5th Five Year Plan = Focus on regrowth at a slower pace
1951- 1955
Volga- Don Canal completed. Presents Stalins cult of personality as his statues lines its banks
1952
Creation of the commissariat of Enlightenment = A ministry of culture to support an encourage artists
1917
Trial of Sixteen: Show Trial for Kamenev and Zinoviev
1936
Trial of Seventeen: Party officials accused for working for Trotsky and purged
1937
Trial of Twenty-One: Trial against rightists such as Bukharin and Rykov. Criticised economic policies
1938
Red Army purged
1937-1938
Mingrelian Affair: Stalin targets the Mingrelian ethnicity (ethnicity of Beria, head of secret police)
1951
Doctors Plot: Group of doctors arrested as part of Purge against Jewish people
1953
Stalin dies
1953
Liberman plan: A plan made to address the issues of underperformance in the USSR.
1962
First satellite in space, Sputnik.
1957
First Man in Space, Yuri Gagarin
1961
Seven Year Plan: focused on fuel, chemicals and consumer goods.
1959-1965
Annual growth is 7.1 %
1950s
Poor harvest and lack of government support cause a lack of food. End up import from the North America and Australia
1963
Virgin Lands Scheme: Tried to plant in a semi-dessert area to enhance production.
1953
Kogysin Reforms: Serious reforms by Alexei Kogysin that encouraged creativity within decision-making body to encourage productivity.
1965
Recentralised Khrushchev’s reforms. 105 Regional economic councils were abandoned
1965
9th 5YP: Focuses on consumer goods.
1971-1975
Major industrial complexes joined with scientific research to keep technology up to date
1973.
However, many of this new technology was barely used.
System for targets centralised to focus on cost and profit
1974
80% of families had a TV by this date, 70% had washing machines
By 1980
Kogysin sidlined by Brezhnev, meant to be working together
1968
Beria is killed, he had gained too much power
1953
Khrushchev begins destalinisation
1953
Khrushchev’s secret speech; privately denounces Stalin’s use of terror and cult of personality.
1956
Crisis of ____: “Anti-Party” group attempt to remove Khrushchev from power for his policies that make them lose power. K calls for a central committee meeting, which is full of his allies, and is allowed to remain.
1957
Khrushchev becomes prime minister
1958