NATURE OF GOVERNMENT- Repression (dealing with opposition)

Question 1

Stalin Secret police

Answer 1

• Formed the NKVD in 1934 with design to combat threats to dictatorship.
• NKVD ran the Gulags over 40 million sent there during the regime
• NKVD also were involved in gathering evidence to get rid of key high rank Bolsheviks in the show trials such as Bukharin, Kamenev.

*Why a change? A move from secret police being used to deal with opposition from without the party to within. Lenin’s Cheka more focused on dealing with counter-revolutionaries, left wing SRs whereas Stalin was purging loyal Bolsheviks.
A permanent form of terror had been created beyond the rev. The nature of who was a threat had changed – could be subject to Stalin’s paranoia and was focused upon securing Stalin.

Question 2

Alexander II Secret police

Answer 2

• Increased the powers of the Okhrana after his father in the 1880s particularly looking into revolutionary activity.
• Killed 8 members of the People’s Will in response to the assassination of his father Alexander II in 1881

*Why a change? Reactionary to father’s death. AII had allowed concessions such as a softening of the powers of the Okhrana and was seen as giving concessions to the people e.g. Emancipation of the Serfs
*Not a great change? In comparison to Stalin was simply not on the same scale of repression. Still preferred to exile and arrest over killing whereas Stalin’s killing would amount to 26 million.

Question 3

Lenin Secret Police

Answer 3

• Cheka established in Dec 1917 to consolidate the revolution.
• Growth in size of Cheka showed importance for keeping Bolsheviks in power (1918, 120 employees, by 1921 143000!)
• Purged the party in 1921 when the civil war was won with ¼ party members expelled (argument that Lenin instigated the purges)

*Why a change? People were hunted down and arrested based on who they were e.g. being a counter-revolutionary or Kulak a symbol of capitalism rather than being a direct political assassin such as the People’s Will as under the tsars. Also P.G. had disbanded the Okhrana and had issued immediate amnesty for all political prisoners even terrorists. A real increase in repression.

*Not as great a change? Again the scale. Stalin would kill 26 million purging members from within the Bolshevik party itself whereas Lenin would create fear but only kill 1 – 3 million.

Question 4

Khrushchev Army

Answer 4

• More of a focus on resolving international conflicts whilst in power – in many ways a relaxation of repression in the aftermath of de-stalinisation.
• BUT Used the army and tanks sending them in to Hungary 1956 resulting in 4000 Hungarians killed when Nagy (Head of the Hungarian Gov) announced his intention to leave the Soviet Union.
• But there was an easing of tension as Khrushchev pointed out that any conflict with USA would bring Mutually Assured Destruction as a result the Army reduced from 3.6 million to 2.4 million.
  *Why a change? Army reduced and less designed to fight Russians with the exception of those who tried to leave the Soviet Union.

Question 5

Nicholas II Army

Answer 5

• Bloody Sunday – army used excessive force on an unarmed crowd who had come to the Winter Palace to petition the tsar for better working conditions. 200 killed, 800 injured.

*Why a change? Under AIII army had been a peacekeeping force and regulators of frontier but now army used against own people.
NII autocracy undermined – seen less as the ‘father of the people’ as a result strikes ensued.

*Not a change? One incident does not portray consistent use of the army against civilians.

Question 6

Lenin Army

Answer 6

• Red army used during the civil war to consolidate the revolution under Trotsky’s leadership.
• Troops used to put down strikes
• Won civil war by the end of war were 5 million strong and were used to impose war communism.

*Why change? First security but then used for continuity. Legitimacy of army as it continued to be used is questionable. Stalin would follow on from this model.

Question 7

Stalin Cencorship and propaganda

Answer 7

• Censorship increased by 1932 all literacy groups closed down and all writers had to join the Union of Soviet Writers
• Renaming of Tsaritsyn to Stalingrad (1923)
• Slogans such as ‘Stalin is the Lenin of Today’
• All had to produce material under the banner of ‘Social Realism’ those who rebelled were exiled
• Development of the Cult of Personality – Stalin as a man of the people

*Why a change? Tsars had established power through autocractic dynastic rule and assistance of the Russian Orthodox Church whereas Commissars had to be build legitimacy to rule through propaganda.
Harsh? – harsher punishment for those who deviated. Stakhanovite movement propaganda used to drive economic targets and 5YPS

Question 8

Alexander II cencorship and propaganda

Answer 8

• Introduced ‘glasnost’ (openness) for first time.
  1865 censorship was relaxed – the gov retained the right to withdraw privileges
• By 1864 1836 books published showing increasingly open publishing
• Propaganda in the form of portraits and affirmation of the Romanov industry by Russian Orthodox Church

*Why a change? N I had enforced complete censorship in 1865 new guidelines issued on censorship – editors no loonger needed prior approval for texts not harsh enough as ‘What is to be done?’ is published influential text for revolutionaries.

Question 9

PG cencorship and propaganda

Answer 9

• Relaxation of censorship and propaganda
• Freedom of political prisoners and they flocked to Petrograd and Moscow – political meetings started happening everywhere
• Newspapers and pamphlets flooded the cities. Believed to have 500 different pamphlets published
• Disbanded Okhrana in Feb 1917 and focused more on wartime security

*Great change? Complete relaxation of censorship. Not harsh enough as would lead to their overthrow and undermine their authority.