KEY TERMS Flashcards
Varangians
Scandinavian Vikings that travelled East instead of West to settle in what is now modern-day Russia and therefore required a new name. They were conquerors, traders and settlers whom in the 9th Century founded the Medieval state of Kievan Rus’.
Veliky Novgorod
One of the oldest cities in Russia which goes back at least as far as the 9th Century and ruled by the legendary Rurik. It was also a strong Russian trading port thanks to its position on a river.
Rurik
Legendary Varangian chieftain who founded the Rurik dynasty in the 860s, whom settled near the city of Novgorod and was supposedly asked by its people to rule over them.
Kievan Rus’
Beginnings of the first “Russian” state founded by the Varangian prince of the Rus’ Oleg who succeeded Novgorod from Rurik and seized Kiev in 882, making it the capital of his newly formed state.
The Primary Chronicle (1113)
A medieval Kievan Rus’ historical work which gives a detailed account of early Eastern Slavic history to the 12th Century.
Yarlyk
Written commandment of the Mongolian conquerors who ruled their empire through the help of proxies. This document would allow the owner to wield legitimate power over their lands and people, making it a tool of administration.
The Kremlin
Kremlin by itself is essentially a translation of castle but THE Kremlin is a fortified complex in the heart of Moscow which was founded by the Rurik dynasty. It includes palaces, cathedrals, towers, and recently Lenin’s mummified corpse. It has remained a symbol of Russian and for a time Soviet power and authority.
St Basil’s Cathedral
An Orthodox church in Red Square of Moscow built by Ivan IV to showcase his victory over the Mongols at the battle of Kazan in 1552. Its beautiful architecture and bright colours have made it a popular icon of Russia and famed tourist attraction.
The Red Square
An important open market place and meeting point for centuries, named “Red” in Russian for its beauty, its political symbolism has continued through the ages and even now houses Lenin’s mausoleum.
Ivan IV “The Terrible”
The grand prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and became the first Tsar of Russia from 1547 to 1584 when his victories in the battle of Kazan allowed him to transform the region from a medieval state to an Empire although at a great cost to many. His paranoia and fits of rage led to him murdering his eldest son and his need for autocratic control lead to the murders of various nobility at the hands of his secret police, the Oprichnik.
Oprichnik
Ivan the Terrible’s secret police who carried out orders to repress members of the aristocracy through confiscation of property and land, and execution.
Boris Godunov
From humble beginnings as a member of the Oprichnik Boris ruled as a de facto regent as Ivan IV had killed his eldest leaving only a feeble son. The end of his reign was the start of the Time of Troubles as the death of his childless son Feodor sparked a dynastic dispute that engulfed Russia in violence.
Time of Troubles
A period of political crisis that followed the demise of the Rurik dynasty (1598) and ended at the start of the Romanov dynasty (1613). During this period there were 6 different Tsars and a famine strained the country even further.
Minin and Pozharsky
Kuzma Minin was a Russian merchant from Novgorod who together with prince Dmitry Pozharsky became national heroes for expelling the Poles in the 17th Century from the Moscow Kremlin. There is now a monument to them both in the Red Square
Tsar Pushka (the giant cannon)
Mostly symbolic as it was too large to be useful, famous for expelling the false Polish tsar (figuratively)
The Romanov Dynasty
Descended from Ivan the Terrible, the Romanovs ruled over Russia for an impressive three centuries before they were executed in 1917 Russian Revolution. Their ascension to power marked the end of the Times of Troubles in Russia.
Yermak Timofeyevich
A contemporary of Ivan the Terrible, he is a Russian hero in folklore and began the Russian conquest of Siberia when he captured the fortified town of Qasliq. This was primary fueled by the desire to obtain fur pelts which were a luxury trading commodity.
Siberia
A massive swathe of land traditionally beyond the Ural mountains. It is made of tundra, steppe, and the Tiaga forest. It is sparsely populated due to its geographical isolation. The Asian part of Russia
Taiga
A deep forest of the Artic region that stretches across Russia, it is very cold and very thick. The first inhabitants of this region used the plentiful wood to create beautiful buildings in traditional Russian style.
Steppe
Similar to a prairie and there are no trees due to its lack of water. If irrigation is possible, it can be useful for farming and grazing livestock. Roads here tend to get muddy in Springtime when the snow melts.
Buryats
Mongolian ethnic group residing in Siberia
Kalmycks
Mongolian ethnic group and are the only Buddhist nation in Europe
Tundra
Bitterly cold where even grass struggles to grow thanks to the lack of water to be found here. Desolate area where local people subside on reindeer that they can farm.
Samoyed - Self-Eaters’
Traveling nomads who raise reindeer in the Artic tundra. The slur Samoyed was given to them by other Russians who thought they were cannibals due to their style of living and custom of drinking reindeer blood.
Tsar Bomba
A thermonuclear aerial bomb that was the largest nuclear weapon ever created and tested.
Nenets Autonomous Okrug
A federal subject to Russia, this sparsely populated area is rich due to its plentiful oil reserves.
Chukchi
The unfortunate “butt of the joke” to Russian, considered backwards and stupid - these indigenous Siberian people live on the shores of the Chukchi sea
Rasputitsa
A season when due to melting snow, roads in Russia become completely unusable thanks to mud. This problem has plagued Russians for centuries and continues to do so today during the current Ukrainian invasion, and means that war can only be waged at certain times in the year.
Sasha Republic (Yakutia)
Largest Republic in Russia, mostly famous for its ginormous diamond mine which dwarfs one of its local towns.
Pyotr I “The Great”
Peter the Great: a man who sought to modernise Russia and make it more like the Western European nations by introducing a series of reforms which included changing the Russian alphabet (azbuka). Some were odd such as forbidding men from growing beards and would end up alienating him from those who were more traditional - the church especially. His love of ships also helped him turn Russia into a maritime power and he built a new city called St Petersburg which would act as a port (when it wasn’t frozen over).
Old Believers
The name for a religious group in Russia who disagreed with Peter’s reforms and continue to maintain the traditional practices of the Russian Orthodox church - can be recognised by their notable beards.
The “Bronze Horseman”
A mighty bronze statue of Peter the Great in St Petersburg and immortalizes the glory and power of the Russian state. The rock it stands on is also impressive because St Petersburg is built on swampland so the rock had to be hauled in by men. Pushkin writes a poem about this statue - stands for the Russian autocracy.
Ekaterina II “The Great”
Catherine the Great: also a great reformer but faced problems during her reign because of her German heritage, gender and questions regarding her legitimacy after her husband was assassinated. Catherine’s greatest accomplishments include establishing educational reform, championing the arts, and extending Russia’s borders in the largest territorial gain since Ivan the Terrible.
Pugachev Rebellion
Also referred to as the “Peasants’ War” and the “Cossack Rebellion” that occurred after Catherine took power in 1762 and was headed by an ex-lieutenant of the Imperial Russian army Yemelyan Pugachev. Began because of the treatment of serfs in Russia, whose conditions had worsened, it gained some early wins due to the government underestimating its power, but was eventually crushed and Pugachev executed.
Aleksandr Radishchev
Russian author and social critic, wrote a book about the Russian autocracy and serfdom “Journey from Moscow to St. Petersburg” which Catherine read and had him arrested and exiled to Siberia. Eventually committed suicide due to how his radical ideas were being perceived by the autocracy.
The Decemberists
Members of the Decemberist Revolt which occurred after the sudden death of Alexander I over who should succeed him and were primarily members of the upper classes with military backgrounds. They aimed at the abolition of serfdom and wanted a constitutional monarchy and protested the appointing of Nicholas I to the throne. The military coup failed and the Decemberists were imprisoned, executed, or exiled.
The Intelligensia
Members of the elite who were educated overseas and were regarded as possessing culture and political influence. Many fell into the trap of the “superfluous man” as those who were deemed to have radical ideas were often punished so many chose to languish in personal excess to avoid punishment.
“Fathers and Sons”
A book written by Ivan Turgenev, a member of the intelligentsia, which lamented the generational divide between traditionalist fathers and their sons who were sent overseas to be educated, only to return home and realise they had nothing in common with their parents.
Muzhik
A male peasant often subject to backbreaking labour
1861 - Abolition of Serfdom
The emancipation reform of 1861 in Russia, also known as the Edict of Emancipation of Russia, was the first and most important of the liberal reforms enacted during the reign of Emperor Alexander II of Russia. The reform effectively abolished serfdom throughout the Russian Empire. “It is better to abolish serfdom from above than to wait for the time when it will begin to abolish itself from below.”
Aleksandr II “Tsar-Liberator”
Famous for abolishing serfdom which had been halting the country’s economic development for decades as well as abolishing corporal punishment. He was assassinated despite his reforms and his son would lead a more conservative reign as a result, even reversing some of his more liberal reforms
The Great Reforms
A series of reforms introduced by Aleksandr II, the most important of which was the abolition of serfdom. Not really a social reform per se since his motives were mostly to fix the Russian economy that had fallen behind Western Europe. Rail and communication networks were also improved
Zemstvo - Provincial Government
A system of local assemblies to replace the authority of the nobles in administering local affairs established by Alexsandr II. It became a significant liberal influence within imperial Russia.
“The People’s Will”
19th-century Russian revolutionary organization that regarded terrorist activities as the best means of forcing political reform and overthrowing the tsarist autocracy - responsible for the assassination of Aleksandr II
Konstantin Pobedonostev
Private tutor of Nicholas II who despised democracy and believed that upholding the aristocracy was the only way to maintain order. Wrote a scathing opinion piece about mistake of placing the power into the hands of the illiterate people who would only be swayed by the most powerful speaker
Diaspora
Refers to a large group of people who share a cultural and regional origin but are living away from their traditional homeland. Diasporas come about through immigration and forced movements of people. The Jewish diaspora was their exile from their homeland of Isreal and spread to other areas of the globe
Ashkenaz
German Jews who can trace their ancestry to the Roman Empire and were expelled once Christianity became the new religion of the Empire - spread outwards towards France and Germany
Pale of Settlement
Jewish people were only to make permanent settlements in certain areas of Russia - mainly areas that were underdeveloped. Catherine the Great establishes the Pale of Settlement where Jewish communities are allowed to make permanent homes for themselves.
Shtetl
A Jewish village
Haskalah - Jewish Enlightenment
Much like the Enlightenment elsewhere, some Jewish thinkers believed that traditional Jewish beliefs needed to be tweaked to fit with the new world. “The Talmud speaks with the ideology of its own time, and for that time it was right. I speak from the higher ideology of my time and for this age I am right” - Samuel Holdeim
Reform Judaism
A highly liberal strand of Judaism, it is characterized by lessened stress on ritual and personal observance, regarding halakha (Jewish law) as non-binding and the individual Jew as autonomous, and great openness to external influences and progressive values
Yiddish
The informal speaking language of the Jews as opposed to the highly traditional writing of Hebrew. Think English vs Latin
Protocols of the Elders of Zion
An antisemitic book claiming that the worlds Jews were planning to take over the world through devilish ideas such as liberalism and socialism that became wildly influential despite its hateful lies and has been translated into varied assortment of languages - including Japanese
Pogrom
A pogrom is a violent riot incited with the aim of massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe 19th- and 20th-century attacks on Jews in the Russian Empire.
Kishinev Pogrom 1903
A terrible attack on a Jewish community that resulted in the deaths of 49 Jews, over 700 looted houses and almost 600 injured. Calls to violence had been perpetrated by antisemitic newspapers that had spread lies blaming Jews for various unrelated crimes (such as the murder of a young Christian boy by his father) - the event was especially infamous due to the lack of police or army action in quelling the violence and chaos
Beilis Trial
A Jewish man Beilis was accused of murdering a Christian boy in order to use his blood for Jewish Passover. These lies were fabricated and published by a local newspaper and despite his acquittal in court due to lack of evidence for these outlandish claims, he and his family had to flee Russia to escape persecution
Zionism
Zionism - Jewish group that believe in re-establishing a physical Jewish nation in Israel which became increasingly popular after Theodore Hetzl popularised the idea
The Bund
The Bund sought to unite all Jewish workers in the Russian Empire into a united socialist party, and also to ally itself with the wider Russian social democratic movement to achieve a democratic and socialist Russia.
Trans-SIberian Railroad
The Trans-Siberian Railway connects European Russia to the Russian Far East. Spanning a length of over 9,289 kilometers, it is the longest railway line in the world. It runs from the city of Moscow in the west to the city of Vladivostok in the east.
Battle of Tsushima
After the Japanese initiate a surprise attack on Port Arthur, Russia launches a campaign against Japan in Tsushima but suffer an embarrassing loss instead
Gregorii Gapon
Russian Orthodox priest and popular working class leader who wrote a petition to the Tsar (Nicolas II) calling for an 8 day work week, equal pay for women, and elections by a constituent assembly. Led a peaceful protest in St. Petersburg which was fired upon by the imperial army - an event known as Bloody Sunday
“Bloody Sunday”
A group of workers and their supporters marched to the Winter Palace to make their demands but were fired upon by the Royal guards (including children!), marks a turning point in the revolution
1905 Revolution
The first Russian Revolution (the REAL one) which involved all members of society in a joint effort to replace the Tsar with a constitutional monarchy instead of unbridled autocratic power
The Duma
An elected consultative Parliament which was created as a result of the 1905 Revolution. The coming up of Duma did not lead to the Tsar giving up power in Russia. The Tsar still had the final say in the laws of the country.
Pyotr Stolypin
Russian politician famous for his peasant land reforms which took the land from small village community’s and gave them to individual peasants as private land. Fiercely protective of the state ordering would be dissenters be executed and his assassination in 1911 was seen by some to spell out ruin for the Romanov Dynasty
The “Stolypin Necktie”
Stolypin also ordered the repression of militant workers and political groups. His actions increased government executions to such an extent that the hangman’s noose was dubbed Stolypinskie galstuki (‘Stolypin’s necktie’)
Stolypin Wagon
Originally designed to help migrating peasants transport their livestock with them on the trains, eventually used to cart prisoners of war around
“Wager on the strong and sober”
Pytor Stolypin’s message to the Duma in 1908 - Stolypin believed that tying the peasants to their own private (the strongest ones, not drunkards) land-holdings would produce profit-minded and politically conservative farmers like those living in parts of western Europe.
Grigorii Rasputin
A Russian mystic and self-proclaimed holy man. He is best-known for having befriended the royal family of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, through whom he gained considerable influence in the later years of the Russian Empire.
Russian Provisional Government
A provisional government of the Russian Republic, announced two days before and established immediately after the abdication of Nicholas II. The intention of the provisional government was the organization of elections to the Russian Constituent Assembly and its convention. Temporary. Led by Alexander Kerensky
Aleksandr Kerensky
The leading political figure in the first months after the February Revolution and became the Russian Revolution’s first cult of personality. He was renowned for his stirring and emotional oratory, his commitment to coalition government, and to Russia’s continued engagement in the war.
“February Revolution”
The first stage of the Russian Revolution of 1917, in which the monarchy was overthrown and replaced by the Provisional Government.
“October Revolution”
Bolshevik party seized power in Russia’s capital, starting the communist October Revolution and leading to the founding of the Soviet Union
The Sejm
Polish Parliament that any noble could be a part of
Liberum Veto
To pass any bill all members had to agree unanimously - meant that progress and decision-making was very slow
“Poland is not yet lost…”
National anthem of Poland -written to inspire confidence in Polish exiles that they would regain their state again and that Poland had not died as long as its people endured and fought in its name
Partitions of Poland
Breaking up of Poland during the 18th C to the point that it stopped being a state after it had continued to be a problem for so long. Perpetrated by Russia, Austria, and Prussia
“For your freedom and ours”
Polish ideology that the freedom of the Polish people from tyranny would free others - a slogan that has cropped up time and time again
Great Emigration
The emigration of thousands of intellectual Poles and Lithuanians (famously Chopin!), particularly from the political and cultural élites, from 1831 to 1870, after the failure of the November Uprising of 1830–1831 and of other uprisings such as the Kraków uprising of 1846 and the January Uprising of 1863–1864.
Katorga
A system of penal labor in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. Prisoners were sent to remote penal colonies in vast uninhabited areas of Siberia and Russian Far East where voluntary settlers and workers were never available in sufficient numbers.
Vilnius
Lithuania’s capital and currently the largest city in the Baltic states - multiethnic city
“Lithuania, you are like health…”
Adam Mickiewicz writes a play and the opening lines are lamenting that he only realised what he had once he had lost it, living in exile
Jozef Pilsudski
Prominent socialist - even wrote a book on the topic - fought for an independent Poland and devoted himself to protecting Poland against the Russian Red Army, which was trying to fight its way into Germany in order to consolidate the revolution there. He led the Polish forces far to the east, occupying large areas that had belonged to Poland before the 18th-century partitions.
Oath Crisis
German King tries to get Polish troops to swear loyalty to him angering Pilsudski
Ignacy Paderewski
A Polish pianist, composer and politician who was a spokesman for Polish independence. In 1919, he was the nation’s prime minister and foreign minister during which he signed the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I. Terrible pogroms against Jews during his reign that he was unsympathic towards
The Second Polish Republic
At the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 11 November 1918 and 17 September 1939. The state was established at the end of the First World War
Polish-Soviet War (1919-1921)
Primarily fought between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic in the aftermath of World War I and the Russian Revolution, on territories which were formerly held by the Russian Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Battle of Warsaw
The Battle of Warsaw, also known as the Miracle on the Vistula, was a series of battles that resulted in a decisive Polish victory in 1920 during the Polish–Soviet War. Poland, on the verge of total defeat, repulsed and defeated the Red Army.
Vladimir Lenin
Russian revolutionary who headed the Bolshevik party and its Red Army against the opposition. Famously abroad in Switzerland when the initial revolution broke out along with Trotsky who was in the States. Managed to convince the German authorities to let him pass through their territory, they allowed it thinking his presence in Russia would weaken the Russian war effort - accused of being a German spy.
“What is to be done?”
A revolutionary writing piece by Lenin about the movement - called for limited membership to protect the party from Tsarist spies. Named after a novel by the name name - which gave him the inspiration for a “professional revolutionary”
Leon Trotsky
Revolutionary born to a wealthy Jewish family who embraced Marxism - headed the Red Army as the People’s Commissar and led the Bolsheviks to victory
“All power to the Soviets!”
Slogan that can be translated as ‘all power to the councils’ which the Bolsheviks held a lot of sway over. They had formed in the power vacuum created when the Tsarist state fell - includes nationalist, religious, and socialist councils. Slogan basically says that the Provisional government was illegitimate and that power belonged to the councils - direct democracy
“Peace, Land, Bread”
Lenin’s slogan party promise: end of the ‘Imperial War’ with Germany, land to the peasantry through the expropriation of land from landowners, bread for the towns
“Neither war nor peace”
Trotsky while stalling for time with Germany at peace talks - essentially refused their demands but publicly withdrew from the war - embarrassingly Germany decides to advance and claim territory in the face of the Russian retreat and Trotsky is forced to sign a deal. Germany had assumed that because Russia wanted to talk peace that they had won and wanted to annex several areas. Trotsky thinking that because Germany was so technologically advanced, they too would soon break out in revolution.
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Trotsky’s plan fails and he is forced to sign demands on behalf of Russia anyway - Russia is forced to ceded large swaths of land that would include Ukraine, Latvia, and Lithuania. These lands are technically independent states but in reality act more like puppet states to Germany. When Germany loses WWI it is forced to give up these territories, leaving a power vacuum which becomes the stage for the Russian civil war
Cheka - “Emergency Commission”
The secret police of the Bolsheviks who would eliminate enemies of the revolution by any means necessary (often through execution). The Bolshevik’s willingness to shed blood is partly why they won the civil war
Russian Famine of 1921-22
Horrific famine that befell Russia which was only exasperated by the revolution, civil war, and ineffective railway systems. Arguably peasantry were the worst affected as soldiers from both White and Red armies would raid their supplies to feed their own
New Economic Policy (NEP)
Peasants were allowed to keep control of their grain and sell it as they will, making a direct profit. Reintroduced a measure of stability to the economy and allowed the Soviet people to recover from years of war, civil war, and governmental mismanagement. The small businessmen and managers who flourished in this period became known as NEP men - popular with peasants as it allowed for open markets once again - not the most socialist image as some became quite wealthy from this
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)
A transcontinental country spanning most of northern Eurasia that existed from 30 December 1922 to 26 December 1991. Some Russian exiles were upset by this: “where is Russia?” Lenin does not care for “Russian chauvinism” since he felt true equality could only be achieved by acknowledging different nationalities in their own states
Autonomous S.S. Republic (ASSR)
Various ‘autonomous’ members of the USSR that were essentially smaller states within the Russian one in every way but name
Likbez
‘Liquidation of Illiteracy’ movement to educate all members of the Soviet Union (including those in the Urals) how to read and write. Primarily a way to better spread the propaganda of the new government but also to bring Russia into the future
Comintern
Communist International - Lenin’s plan for spreading communism globally - beyond nationalities: A global revolutionary movement! Leads to a difference in meaning between ‘socialism’ and ‘communism’ becomes ‘pro-moscow’ and ‘anti-moscow’ outside of Russia
Communal apartments
One of the many efforts from the Bolshevik government to eradicate inequality by taking from the wealthy - in this case by commandeering rooms from one large apartment owner and turning them into multiple apartments
Inner Mongolia
Parts of Mongolia that reside in hotly contested areas in Northern China. Very close to the city of Beijing - this is because the threat of pillaging Mongolians was so high China placed its capital city there so that it could administrate a defence - keep an eye out: even build walls to keep them out
Genghis Khan
Mighty ruler of the Golden Horde, his conquests were considered a golden age for the Mongols due to the wealth his pillaging hordes brought back to Mongolia, and he introduced literacy to his people
Yurt = Ger
Mobile huts that nomad Mongolians would use to get around. This is because the Steppe which they lived on had very low rainfall which meant the primary source of food was through grazing animals which required them to be mobile and become experienced horseback riders - giving them an edge in battle before the advent of guns
Urga = Ulaan Baatar
Now the capital of Mongolia, it was once the nomadic Buddhist centre and became a permanent site in the 18th C once the town nearby continued to grow thanks to trade. Religious sites and temples were some of the first permanent structures in Mongolia so it makes sense that cities would grow around them. Also important as it lay on important trade routes, passage for Chinese and Russian influence
Bogd Khan
Reincarnated great lord of the Mongols - inherited through death from 1635 - 1924 (8 generations). Chinese influence in the palace he resides in as well as Chinese guards. “We will govern on behalf of the inferior Mongols who have no real culture”
Chinese Revolution of 1911
Manchu dynasty overthrown, replaced with a National Assembly. Chinese flag changes to represent the many peoples of China but also wanted to assimilate Mongols and Muslims. In reality, non-Han ethnic groups go their separate ways and Mongol declares its independence. Russo-Chinese agreement means a loss for China since they must respect the autonomy of Outer Mongolia and are not allowed to involve themselves in Mongolian affairs - Mongolia for the Mongols! China also wary that Russia might use this agreement to send troops through Mongolia to China
Bogd Khaanate (1911-1924)
The government of Outer Mongolia between 1911 and 1919 and again from 1921 to 1924 after Mongolia decleared independence from China after its revolution.
Far Eastern Republic
Set up by the White army and sometimes called the Chita Republic, was a nominally independent state that existed from April 1920 to November 1922 in the easternmost part of the Russian Far East. Trans-Siberian railroad cuts through this territory meaning it is under control of the Whites. Russian civil war means that Russia is no longer able to intervene on behalf of Mongolia, China takes advantage of this and takes over Outer Mongolia and abolish Mongolian Autonomy - put their own administrators in charge again
Baron Ungern-Sternberg
A psychopathic Buddhist warrior-king (raised an army of his own to fight on behalf of the Mongols) with a German background who saw himself as the reincarnation of Genghis Khan, the former Tsarist general Baron von Ungern-Sternberg had a dream for Mongolia. Captures the Bogd Khan from his palace, attacks the Chinese garrison and slaughters them all - becomes lord of Urga. Continues to go around Mongolia massacring anyone he pleases, Jews, his own soldiers etc. Staunchly anti-communist. Wayward White generals are partly why they lost the war
Damdin Sukhbaatar
Leader of Socialist Mongolia. Thought that existing laws no longer fit with the current atmosphere, thought everything EXCEPT RELIGION should be subject to change. Not radical enough and replaced with Choibalsan
Khorloogiin Choibalsan
Replaced Sukhbaatar as the sole leader of the Mongolian People’s Republic and Marshal of the Mongolian People’s Army. Attacks existing monasteries and massacres lots of people. Adopts the Stalin cult.
Gregory Zhukov
Great war general of the Soviet Army - led to the success of many decisive battles
Khalkhin Gol (Nomonhan)
The decisive engagements of the undeclared Soviet–Japanese border conflicts involving the Soviet Union, Mongolia, Japan and Manchukuo in 1939. Signifies the end of Japanese expansion towards Russia and instead turns south which brings it into conflict with the United States. The conflict was named after the river Khalkhin Gol, which passes through the battlefield. It produced a key Japanese defeat which protected the Soviet Union from a two-front war after the German invasion.
Joseph Stalin
Outmanoeuvres Trotsky for power after Lenin’s death. Despite Trosky’s slander, Stalin had extraordinary personal charisma. Lenin’s final will showed he thought that Stalin was incapable of welding power with sufficient caution. Introduces the Five Year Plan so that Soviet nations will surpass capitalist ones. Also brings a reign of terror with mass deportations - the breaker of nations. Cult of Stalin emerged after he rose to power
Five Year Plan
Stalin’s plan to improve industry and boost the economy by utilising technology and meeting insane quotas.
Alexey Stakhanov
Coal worker who became a model citizen for surpassing his daily quota and was widely celebrated for his (hugely exaggerated) feat.
Stakhanovite
A badge of honour (literally) for anyone who excelled in productivity - encompasses the culture of the 5 year plan
Kolkhoz
Translates to Collective Farm, means no more individual land ownership, land belongs to everyone. Supposedly to make mass production possible in agriculture. Peasants were not keen on this since they enjoyed having their own land and having the means to sell their own goods - even commit to killing their own livestock to that it won’t fall into the hands of the state. Mass famine as a result of the disruption to agriculture during these land raids and mass deportation
Kulak
Those who resisted collectivisation of land were accused of being kulaks - synonymous with bourgeoises or enemy of the people. Translates to “being tight fisted” with money. Almost 2 million accused kulaks were deported to labour camps but less than 1.5 million arrived
Kirov affair
Sergei Kirov was assassinated (some think by Stalin) but Stalin orders a thorough investigation into his death. NKVD arrest, interogate, and torture many high-ranking officials in connection to Kirov’s murder - NO MERCY to these “rabid dogs”. Many of those arrested ended up confessing to numerous improbable crimes and were executed, despite showing unwavering loyalty to the party. The start of Stalin’s Great Purges
NKVD
Lenin’s secret police the “Cheka” gained such a reputation for shedding blood that they were dissolved and replaced with the NKVD under Stalin.
KGB
Secret Police force had a name change after ‘Cheka’ and ‘NKVD’ became synonymous with violence
Moscow trials
Trials for the party members accused of murdering Kirov and plotting the end of the Bolshevik state
Nikolai Yezhov
Minister of the NKVD during Stalin’s Purges - would eventually fall to his own purge
Yezhovshchina = “The Great Terror”
Named after the minister of the NKVD at the time - Stalin’s great purge of millions of people, including high ranking party officials
