Political High Stalinism

Question 1

Stalin’s approach to post-war government

Answer 1

• “Back to the future”
• dissolved State Defence Committee
• Made himself Minister of Defence
• High ranking officers in the army were given inferior posts
  (e. g. Zhukov sent to the military command of Odessa and lost his option on the Central Committee)

Question 2

Stalin’s manipulation of major figures in government

Answer 2

Zhdanov and Malenkov

Malenkov was to lose his position as Party Secretary.
As a consequence Zhdanov became Stalin’s closest advisor.

Zhdanov lost favour when he supported the Berlin Blockade 1948-49 while Malenkov had urged a more moderate path.

Zhdanov died in 1948 but had already lost favour.
Malenkov was reappointed Party Secretariat.

Playing top Party members like this assured Stalin a personal dominance of the Party.

Question 3

1946- The Central Committee

Answer 3

Elected a new Politburo, Secretariat ad Ogburo.

Stalin retained control as Head of government and Head of Party.

He still bypassed these and exerted direct control through his inner circle.

Part congresses were not held between 1939 and 1952 and the Politburo became an advisory body.

Question 4

New recruitment drive to the Party

Answer 4

(a drop in recruitment during war years)
By 1952= 7 million members

Members were recruited from:
- administrative ranks in industry
- government
- education
Rather than from manual workers and peasants who has been recruited in wartime and who were found to be ill-educated with no idea of socialist ideology.