Political authority and government to 1953 Flashcards
What was high Stalinism?
-A time period where Stalin’s cult of personality grew to unimagined levels
How was Stalin portrayed after WW2?
-God Like figure –> sole victor of the war
What evidence is there of Stalin’s renewed paranoia?
- Key players were removed from positions of power
i. e Marshall Zhukov was exiled to Ukraine
What institution did Stalin use in his Renewed Terror?
-The NKVD under Barria
Why was Stalin suspicious of returning prisoners of War?
-Feared ideological contamination.
How Was Beria Complicit in the Renewed Terror?
-Responsible for the vast expansion of the gulag system
What is an example of Stalin centralising power to himself?
-Did not allow the politburo to meet from ‘47-‘52
How did Stalin control the communist party and preserve his own power?
-Fostered tensions between government and party to preserve his own power.
=>encouraging rivalry and therefore protecting himself
-Party Growth: new members = Yes Men.Loyal to Stalin.
What examples are there of a cultural purge that took place after WW2?
- Tightening of political opposition
- increase in censorship
- Artistic conformity 1946 Zhdanov imposing ,western writers art prohibited
- -> Fed into this idea of an “Ideological conflict”
What were the two consequences of renewed Terror under Beria?
1)Cultural Purge
What was the Leningrad Affair?What did it show?
- on basis on prefabricated ,false evidence
- Purge of party officials in Leningrad, part of the leningrad Party which showed some independence.
- Showed Stalin was against factions within the CP
What was the doctors plot?
-Jewish doctors from Moscow were accused of a conspiracy to assassinate Soviet leaders
–> Rise in antisemitism, especially in the Media
What was the Terhan Conference?
Allied leaders agreed to invasion of Nazi Germany
What happened in the Yalta conference?
Allied division of Germany. Also specific to Berlin
What did the Truman Doctrine do?
-Ended the U.S policy of isolationism
What ideological conflict arose after WW2?
The cold War
What was a political aim of the U.S Marshall Plan?
-Stop the spread of communism , (If countries were prosperous they were less likely to turn to communism)
When did Stalin die and who was he succeeded by?
1953
Nikita Krushchev
Why was there a power vacuum after Stalin’s Death?
Stalin appointed weak people close to him so they were not threat his rule.
+ Purges had left vacancies in positions of power
WHat were the problems left behind by Stalin? (1)
- High level of repression. People afraid to act.
- -> stifled innovation
- Slave economics -unproductive
- Focus on defense spending –> hampered consumer goods
- Ambitious targets were prioritised over innovation
- Neglect agriculture in favour of Industry.Grain payments less than cost of production
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