Reasons for Yezhovschina Flashcards
How is Stalin’s role in the terror seen in the show trials?
Stalin had the interrogators report to him every day regarding the progress they made with their investigations. This reflects his personal interest in the events of the terror.
What excuse did Stalin use to remove challengers?
The Dictatorship of the Proletariat was required and this was not be to challenged.
Who were the initial targets of the Yezhovshchina? What might this suggest about the role of Stalin?
High up members of the armed forces. This suggests that Stalin was concerned with control and power as the Generals posed the greatest threat to him as they wielded the command of the forces.
What plan did Stalin approve in 1937?
A plan to summarily shoot tens of thousands “anti-Soviet elements” and to establish target figures for the shootings.
The deaths of how many people did Stalin sign in a day in 1938?
3167
The murder of which leading Bolshevik figure may have prompted Stalin’s paranoia?
Kirov
What was the influence of urbanisation on the terror?
Urbanisation lead to increasing social tensions from cramped cities which the terror helped to alleviate.
How did the purges help deal with the hostility to poor working conditions?
Purges acted as a deterrent to those who did oppose or complain about their conditions and work.
Why were many managers and administrators denounced?
Since the workers were content to denounce those who made them work in such difficult conditions and gave them such high targets to fulfill
How did social difficulties contribute to the growing momentum of the purges?
Social difficulties lead to denunciations which in turn provoked fear of being denounced so more people denounced one another. The social difficulties provided lots of people with the grounds to oppose the state so the great purges exposed that
How did purges help maximise production required to catch up with the rest of the world?
Purges acted as a deterrent to make workers reach production targets and for managers to do all they could to make sure that was achieved. In this way, the desired growth of industrialisation was hoped to be achieved.
Why did people cooperate with the NKVD via denunciations?
In order to protect themselves. They feared being denounced themselves.
What was the quota for the NKVD in regards to those shot out of arrests?
28%
What was the influence of the NKVD in more local regions?
NKVD influence was high in local regions. They almost acted like the Mafia.
Name two examples where Lenin exerted brutality and terror:
Lenin ordered the hangings of many Kulaks during the Civil War to provoke class warfare. He likewise ordered the extermination of the clergy in Shuya.
