Modern History 3B Flashcards
Explain the new economic policy?
Policy occurred after Lenin realised change was needed after the Kronstadt mutiny.
March 1921, at the party congress, Lenin announced the NEP, this effectively brought pack capitalism for some sections of Russian society.
-Peasants were allowed to sell surplus for profit
-Would be taxed
- gov only took 50% of what they made
Seen by Bolsheviks as betrayal of communism but Lenin won argument, and food production rose steadily
Explain the War Communism government?
War communism was the name given to the harsh economic measures the bolsheviks adopted during the civil war.
Two main aims were to put communism practices by redistributing wealth and to help war effort by supplying reds and towns with grain and weapons
Production became planned and organised by the government, angered peasants as everything they grew was taken away by the government.
Peasants refused to cooperate by producing less grain leading to food shortages and than to famine in 1920 and 1921.
-Saw as sabotage and took away survival food
- 7 million died and cannibalism
Sparked mutiny at Kronstadt naval base, lenin realise change was needed
Lenin and his dictatorship?
Promised free elections to the new constitute assembly \, held late 1917
Bolsheviks did not win majority, there rivals the peasant based socialist revolutionaries were the biggest party when the assembly opened
Lenin solved this by direct style, send red gaurds to close down the assembly
lasted less than 24 hours
Lenin and the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?
Promised to make peace
Put Trotsky in-charge of negotiation, and try to spin it out as long as possible
-In hope of Socialist revolution in Germany like russia
Did not occur and they made advances, forced to sign treaty march 1918
Terms were a severe blow:
-34% of population
-32% of agriculture land
-54% of industry
-26% of railways
-89% of coalmines
-800 million gold roubles
Example of Lenins signle minded leadership
How was the Korean War cohesive and divisive ?
COHESIVE:
-Forward Defence supported due to fear of communism and domino theory
-Censorship, provided a false sense of complete domination, moral was high which meant support and enthusiasms occurred throughout
-International and domestic events (China revolution and Petrov Affair and Coal miners strike)
DIVISIVE:
-Only small portion of Australias population disapproved of the Korean war, only those who supported Communism or who had seen the impact of war first hand disapproved of the war
Briefly explain the Korean War?
Began in June 1950, between South Korea (back by US) and North Korea (Back by China and the USSR)
The war arose from the division of Korea at the end of World War Two, neither side accepted the perminate boarder along the 38th parallel
Conflict escalated into open welfare, when the north korea invaded South Korea
Australia joined straight away due to:
- Small man power (forward defence)
- Domino Theory
- Improve international relations
US asked for support, Menzies responded immediately
Briefly explain the Vietnam War?
Vietnam was divided along the 17th parallel at the Geneva conference of 1954
Communist Government North under the role of Ho Chi Minhm, Anti communist said to be ‘democratic’ South under Ngo Dinh Diem.
South government refused to hold democratic election because he would lose, became more totalitarian and repression as time went on
South resistance also grew escalating to war in 1955 and Diem needed external help, US responded first and Australia got involved in 1962 due to ANZUS treaty
-gradual but grew
Cohesion and Division Korean War?
COHESION:
-Supported at first, as people believed they would be helping and providing AID.
DIVISIVE:
-Forward defence enforced, National Service Scheme 1964. Seen as a violation of democracy to destroy communism by adopting communist ideals
-protest groups formed, save our sons. Held moratorium marches 1970. People saw the conditions of war and opposed forcing people to war.
-No censorship, the introduction of television brought the horrors of war home. This allowed people to interpret the events of war and form there own opinions
- Saw Napalm Strikes of 1965 aftermath (SV mistook civilians for NV solders- those they were meant to be saving there were hurting).
“Conscription an TV were two factors that heavily divided society on the topic of the Vietnam war, those who opposed the war effort formed protest groups such as SOS in appeal to disengaged from the war”
The war went from 1955-1975
How did Stalin maintain his power with the constitute of 1936?
The constitute seemed to promise everything the society people wanted:
-free elections and free voting
-freedom of speech and other cultural activity
-the right to work, rest and leisure
-right to healthcare, housing, care in old age
Details were important, there was only free elections to the supreme soviet of the USSR, very similar to USA democratic government expect candidates could only come from the communist party
Each party member was only a phone call away from Stalin, we can see this really helped him maintain his power and if anything strengthened it
Explain the 5 year plan?
Set out for achieving modernisation through a series of 5 year plans. They sat ambitious targets for production in the vital heavy industries.
-every worker knew what she/he had to achieve
In the first 5 year plan the goal was not met but the results were staggering
Stalin set up a second 5 year plan built on the achievements of the first, other areas began to develop such as mining for other materials and communication such as railways.
For this they needed a larger man power, in the 5yp their was a shortage of workers 1930 they began drafting more female workers
-1930 40% of industry
-21% building
-72% health
Although they were strict targets and you were fined if they were not met there was improved conditions plus pay was improved if your targets were met
-unemployment became non-existent
If there was an accident or a mistake, you would be sent to prisons for hard labour under claims of Sabotage
Why did Stalin want to improve the economy?
TO INCREASE THE USSR MILITARY STRENGTH
-WW1 shown that a country would only fight a modern war if they had the industries to produce the weapons and other resources they needed
TO RIVAL THE ECONOMICS OF THE USA AND OTHER CAPITALIST COUNTRIES
- When stalin took power most of its industrial equipment had to be imported from other countries
- Wanted to make USSR self sufficient so it could make everything they needed for themselves
- wanted to improve conditions so people would values communism rule
INCREASE FOOD SUPPLY:
Modernising agriculture, collectivisation?
In 1928, Russia was 2 million short of gain to fed workers.
Farming was not organised, the farms were too small for to make effecient use of tractors, fertilisers, and other resources.
Stalin set ideas of collectivisation in 1929, government tried hard to sell ideas to the peasants but they were unsure because they were being asked to abdomen their old way of life for a new one to grow grain for other people than themselves.
Kulaks simply refused, so the USSR used propaganda to turn peasants against the Kulaks but this didn’t work. Requisition parties came and took the food required by the government often leaving the peasants with no food.
Kulaks sent to labour camps and as revenge many set their crops on fire and killed there animals so there farms could not be used.
The country side became Choas and even where collectivisation had successfully been enforced the pesants did not know how to use new methods and were not driven due to there food being exported
Not suprisingly food shortages feel under these conditions and there was famine in 1932-33
-millions died
But this did not stop Stalin. By 1941 almost all argiculture land was organised under the collective system. Staln had achieved his aim of collectivisation.
Stalin purges?
Not enough to be in power, determined to crush anyone who opposed him or who might oppose him.
First signs of terror which was to coke appear in 1928 when Stalin accused a number of engineers in an important Donbass mining region of put on trail on charges that were were made up.
However the really terrifying period in Stalins rule, known as the purges, begin in 1934 when Kirov, the leaders of Leningrad communist arty was murder
-show trials of kamenev, Bukharin, zinoviev
50000 members arrested
Great terrors Stalin?
Lasted from 1936-38, but peaked in 1937. Stalin first turned his attention to the army, particularly the officers. Approximately 25000 were removed, including the supreme commander.
As the purges were extended, university lecturers and teachers, miners and engirecter, ect.
By 1937 an estimated 18 million people had been transported to labour camps. 10 million people died. Stalin seriously weakened the USSR by removing so many able individuals.
Lacked good quality, Independent thinkings,
People relied on thinking like Stalin
Downfall of the Tsar?
Nicholas II was an autocrat, in other words he ruled by himself, no parliament, only advisors and ministers to carry out his orders. Unfortunately for him, and for Russia, he was vain, stupid, overly religious and badly advised.
His downfall began when he lost the 1904 Russo-Japanese War; this led to the 1905 Revolution, which led to the institution of a parliament, the Duma. Nicholas allowed it to meet, and then politically neutered it, robbing it of its authority and powers.
He could have weathered this storm, perhaps, if he hadn’t plunged Russia into WWI. The war was a disaster for Russia, and, when the he took personal command of the army - the people blamed him for the way that the war was turning out.
Eventually the resentment turned from anger to hatred and, in February 1917, the women of Petrograd marched on the Winter Palace, factory workers and soldiers came out on strike in support, and Nicholas abdicated.
He was arrested on charges of treason, and held in various locations until he ended up, with his family in the Ipatiev house in Ekaterinburg in Western Siberia. Here, on July 17 1918 he, along with his entire family and their servants were taken to the basement and executed.
The Russian Empire became the Soviet Union in 1922, so Nicholas was the Tsar of Russia.
Rasputin contributed very little to Nicholas’s downfall, other than to alienate many of the aristocracy. If Rasputin had never come to Petrograd the February and October Revolutions would have still happened in exactly the same way.
