Outcomes of State Terror Flashcards
What was the economic impact of the Terror?
Case study - Donbas region, 1929 - Donbas accounted for 77% of Russia’s fuel production, by 1936-38 the purge of the management in the coal mines led to a huge drop in production (more than a quarter) - HOWEVER, production did increase again (27 million tonnes in 1928 to 82 million tonnes in 1940)
Party members compelled to lie about economic facts to avoid execution - it became impossible to plan effectively as the truth was constantly distorted
What the impact on Stalin’s personal position?
Had eliminated opposition on all fronts - Trotsky (left of the party), Bukharin (right) - clearly this was v important as the purges slowed down in 1940 just after Trotsky’s assassination
Decline of political institutions (POLITBURO) - went from meeting 42 times in 1932 to only 4 times in 1938
What was the cultural impact of the terror?
Propaganda was central in this period - it was pervasive in the arts, education, film etc.. and conveyed messages about Stalin’s achievements and the joys of life in the USSR
Cult of personality established Stalin as a successor to Lenin and bonded the people to him
How did the purges eliminate the old elite?
Existing managing elite ‘washed away’ - e.g. trial in Yaroslavl in which workers accused their bossess of wrecking
Old management became scapegoats for any economic hardship
What was impact of the purges on families?
If an adult was arrested, older children likely to be expelled from uni and younger children subject to ritual humiliation from teachers and peers.
By 1937-8, formal renunciations became a part of everyday school life
Wives of party officials likely to be arrested with their husbands
