Key Topic 3 - The Nature Of Stalin's Dictatorship, 1924-39

Question 1

How did Stalin become involved in the Bolshevik Party?

Answer 1

In 1922 he took the place as General Secretary of the Bolshevik Party - no one else wanted the role as it was thought to be boring and unexciting

Question 2

Why did Stalin become General Secretary?

Answer 2

1. It promoted him to one of the most important posts in the Bolshevik Party - third most important man in Russia
2. He got to hear about everything, including all vacant job posts, meetings held, and decisions made.
3. He could choose who got jobs so people tried to please him in order to get jobs
4. He could fill every post with someone loyal to him and ensure every decision/meeting went his way

Question 3

What was Lenin’s political testament?

Answer 3

Lenin dictated his Testament to his wife in 1922, ordering her to read it after his death at the Congress of Soviets.
It stated that he saw two contenders for leadership of the Communist Party - Trotsky and Stalin. He stated that Trotsky should succeed him after his death and that Stalin should be removed because he’s too rude and incapable of handling power cautiously.

Question 4

What were the characteristics of Stalin?

Answer 4

He was clever and a good organizer - ensured loyalty all around Russia.
He was charming, but had a short temper and sudden changes of mind for no reason.
He was also a suspicious character.
He did all that he could to seem like Lenin’s favourite and made sure his job kept him close to Moscow.

Question 5

Who were the Politburo?

Answer 5

The committee that ran the Communist Party, consisted of seven people:
Zinoviev, Trotsky, Stalin, Rykov, Kamenev, Bukharin and Tomsky

Question 6

Why didn’t Trotksy succeed Lenin? Why wasn’t Stalin expelled?

Answer 6

The other Bolshevik leaders kept the Testament a secret because they didn’t want Trotsky to succeed Lenin. Zinoviev and Kamanev persuaded the rest of the Politburo not to expel Stalin.

Question 7

How did Stalin get rid of Trotsky?

Answer 7

Trotsky was already unpopular within the Politburo due to his arrogance. He was cut out of decisions after Lenin’s death, and rumors were spread about him by Stalin - he said that he had never had Lenin’s approval and disrupted the Politburo’s work.
AHe wasn’t in Moscow for Lenin’s funeral - it’s assumed that Stalin gave him the wrong date so that Stalin could give the speech and lead the March instead, and seem like Lenin’s favourite.
Trotsky didn’t help the situation when he criticized Lenin and the NEP in a book in 1924.

Question 8

How was Trotsky removed?

Answer 8

1925 - resigned as Commissar of War 
1926 - expelled from the Politburo
1927 - expelled from the Communist Party
1928 - exiled to Kazakhstan 
1929 - exiled from the Soviet Union

Question 9

What did Stalin do to gain ultimate power?

Answer 9

He made an alliance with Bukharin and Rykov to get rid of Kamenev and Zinoviev. He spread rumors of their disloyalty to the Communist Party, so they formed an alliance with Trotksy and lost their jobs as well.
He then turned against Bukharin and Rykov once the others were gone.
He assumed total control in 1928.

Question 10

Who were the OGPU?

Answer 10

The secret police (replacing the Cheka). They dealt with opposition to the state - wanting their opponents to be scared to speak out.
They could to torture for confessions and imprison people without a trial, or even organize trials with the verdict of guilty already pre-decided.

Question 11

What was the terror under Stalin?

Answer 11

The OGPU encouraged people to inform of traitorous neighbors, friends and family members. By 1930, the prison camps had grown so much that a special department was needed to run them. There were roughly 30,000 people in camps during 1928 and 7 million in 1938. The GULAG were the department running the camps.

Question 12

What were the 1930s Purges?

Answer 12

In 1934 Stalin started to get rid of anyone that opposed him - either executed or exiled to labour camps (Gulags).
Whenever there were farming or industrial failures, the state suspected sabotage rather than human error - purged those involved.

Question 13

What was the Great Terror?

Answer 13

The period between 1936-38 when the Purges were extremely harsh and millions were purged.

Question 14

Who was purged?

Answer 14

The Politburo
The Communist Party
Teachers, Engineers, Scientists and Industrial Workers
Armed forces
Some secret police members
Anyone creative that might have ideas Stalin didn’t like

Question 15

What were the Show Trials?

Answer 15

‘Old Bolsheviks’ from the 1917 revolution were forced to confess to crimes they didn’t commit - they were accused of sabotage and treason, so every one of them was shot.
This was in attempt to rid of the old Bolsheviks that knew about Lenin and Stalin’s relationship. Also, he wanted to destroy Trotsky’s reputation.
These trials were corrupted - they only lasted for a few minutes and all ended guilty - people were either shot or sent to Gulags.

Question 16

What was the importance of the Show Trials?

Answer 16

1. Ordinary people didn’t know how fixed they were - they were told it was a fair trial
2. The people always confessed so it seemed believable (but this was because they were told their families would be safe if they did)
3. Trials scared people and made them less likely to criticize Stalin
4. People thought there was going to be a revolution from within the Soviet Union - made people more likely to stay behind Stalin

Question 17

What were the effects of the 1930s Purges?

Answer 17

1. The Red Army lost almost all its experienced officers - weaker country and army
2. An atmosphere of fear and suspicion was created - people didn’t know who to trust. This enforced obedience but also resentment
3. It took away trust in the justice System
4. New inventions were stopped
5. Only Stalin’s favourite form of art, Socialist Realism, was accepted
6. About 7 million people sent to prison, 1 million killed
7. Government and Communist Party was almost completely loyal to Stalin

Question 18

How did Stalin use propaganda?

Answer 18

1. He rewrote the history of Russia - made himself more important in the years before he gained power
2. Textbooks and encyclopedias were altered or destroyed - children had to paste over the pages in their books with new versions of what happened - teachers purged if they didn’t teach the Stalinist view
3. Officials were sent all around Russia with propaganda films to give talks in the towns and villages, stressing how important it is to work with Stalin
4. All new policies came with propaganda campaigns
5. Stalin was photographed with smiling children or workers to show how popular he was
6. Foreign visitors were taken to ‘show’ places so they wouldn’t see the true horrors

Question 19

Why did Stalin use such propaganda?

Answer 19

He wanted to destroy the reputations of the other Bolshevik leaders, especially Trotsky.
He claimed that he had been responsible for the successes in the Civil War from 1918-20

Question 20

What was the Cult of Lenin?

Answer 20

Stalin didn’t want to discredit Lenin as he was loved and respected after his death. He wanted to make it seem as if him and Lenin had been very good friends. He built up this cult, making Lenin more important and make people believe Stalin was the right successor.

Question 21

What was the Cult of Stalin?

Answer 21

Stalin built himself up to be seen as a superman that never made mistakes - all powerful so no one would oppose his ideas. His face was put all over the towns and reforms written about how his reforms were in effort to improve the country.

People were told he was never wrong and was the wisest man. He made sure everyone knew about his success and held rallies in his honor. He was also made out as fitter and taller than he actually was

People wrote to him asking for help and he answered sometimes to make it seem as if he cared - this made him seem more popular.

Question 22

What was the 1936 Constitution (Stalin’s Constitution)?

Answer 22

A new constitution that guaranteed democracy, equality, freedom of worship, political freedom, everyone could vote, and everyone was guaranteed rights to work, education and healthcare.
It was praised as the most democratic system in the world.
But it didn’t amount to anything - the needs of the Communist Party could still override the constitution, such as the freedom of arrest being revoked.
The Supreme Soviet ran the country, but the Politburo still had ultimate power - the Supreme Soviet only met a few days a year.

Question 23

How effective was Stalin’s control of the Soviet Union?

Answer 23

He inspired fear amongst the people in Russia - led many officials to lie to stay in his good books.
There was an increase of crime, alcoholism and divorce.

Question 24

What was censorship?

Answer 24

Forced people to produce easy to understand work - if they didn’t they were arrested as enemies of state.
He had his favourite painters and musicians and invited them to private screenings and performances - he could turn on them if they annoyed Stalin.

Question 25

State an example of Stalin’s censorship on films.

Answer 25

Sergei Eisenstein (a film-maker) was criticized as being suspicious for touring Europe and making too difficult to understand content, and making a cartoon with reference to Trotsky. He had to produce easier to understand content or be arrested.

Question 26

How did Stalin censor the past?

Answer 26

He destroyed many books, documents and photos - altering what had happened to favour himself and disfavour those that opposed him