Repression: Secret Police

Question 1

Third Section - Alexander II

• Relatively ____ scale

Powers:

• Reported to the ____
• No ____
• Punishments: ‘____ ____’ and imprisoned ‘____ of the ____’
• Increased activity in ____ after ____ attempt and rise in revolutionary ____. Examples include ____ of ____ in ____ ____ and ____ of ____

End:

• Abolished in ____ as it had become too notorious for its invasions of ____
• Replaced with ____, who were supposed to be ‘____’

Answer 1

Third Section - Alexander II

• Relatively small scale

Powers:

• Reported to the Tsar
• No appeal
• Punishments: ‘Administrative Exile’ and imprisoned ‘Guests of the Tsar’
• Increased activity in 1870s after assassimation attempts and rise in revolutionary terrorism. Examples include Trial of 50 in March 1877 and Trial of 77

End:

• Abolished in 1880 as it had become too notorious for its invasions of privacy
• Replaced with Okhrana, who were supposed to be ‘softer’

Question 2

Okhrana - Alexander III and Nicholas II

Powers:

• Enhanced through ____ to counter the growth of ____ ____ groups and parties
• Intercept ____
• ____ on opposition
• ____ opposition
• ____ opposition

Fluctuations:

• Relative stability of the ____ made it take a ____ ____
• Activity increased again as the ____ and ____ took off, reaching a peak in ____ - used as ____ ____ (like Father ____ with ____ ____ in ____) and ____
• Also took on a ____ presence (exile of ____ leaders e.g. ____ to ____)

End:

• Disbanded in ____ ____ by the Provisional Government - relaxation of policy towards ____ ____
• Summary execution of ____ ex-Okhrana in ____

Answer 2

Okhrana - Alexander III and Nicholas II

Powers:

• Enhanced through 1880s to counter the growth of political pressure groups and parties
• Intercept mail
• Spy on opposition
• Imprison opposition
• Exile opposition

Fluctuations:

• Relative stability of the 1890s made it take a lower profile
• Activity increased again as the SRs and SDs took off, reaching a peak in 1905 - used as agent provocateurs (like Father Gapon with Bloody Sunday in 1905) and executioners
• Also took on a foreign presence (exile of political leaders e.g. Lenin to Switzerland)

End:

• Disbanded in February 1917 by the Provisional Government - relaxation of policy towards political dissidents
• Summary execution of 40,000 ex-Okhrana in 1918

Question 3

Counter Espionage Bureau of the Petrograd Military District

• Quite ____ and ____

Aims:

• Weed out opposition to the ____ ____
• Made up the ‘____ ____’ sent to stop peasant ____ ____

Answer 3

Counter Espionage Bureau of the Petrograd Military District

• Quite small and ineffective

Aims:

• Weed out opposition to the war effort
• Made up the ‘Punishment Brigades’ sent to stop peasant land seizures

Question 4

Cheka - Lenin

• Established ____ ____
• Run under D____
• Also under leadership of ____ to implement the ____ ____

Aims:

• To root out ____ and counter ____
• Send them to revolutionary ____ for ____

Why needed:

• Bolsheviks were ____
• Russia still (____) at ____
• So many threats (‘____’, ex-____ officers, ____, ____, ____, ____ agents…) it was inevitably ____

Who targeted:

• By summer of ____, had begun to clamp down on left-wing ____, especially after linked to an ____ attempt on Lenin in ____ ____

The ‘Red Terror’

• Enforcing ____ ____
• The elimination of ____
• The administration of ____ ____
• The ____ of ____

End:

• After Civil War replaced with by ____ in ____, which was expanded and rebranded the ____ in ____ - less ____ than Cheka but still inspired ____

Answer 4

Cheka - Lenin

• Established December 1917
• Run under Dzerzhinsky
• Also under leadership of Trotsky to implement the Red Terror

Aims:

• To root out enemies and counter revolutionaries
• Send them to revolutionary tribunals for trial

Why needed:

• Bolsheviks were isolated
• Russia still (nominally) at war
• So many threats (‘bourgeoisie’, ex-tsarist officers, peasants, looters, speculators, German agents…) it was inevitably permanent

Who targeted:

• By summer of 1917, had begun to clamp down on left-wing SRs, especially after linked to an assassination attempt on Lenin in August 1918

The ‘Red Terror’

• Enforcing War Communism
• The elimination of Kulaks
• The administration of labour camps
• The militarisation of labour

End:

• After Civil War replaced by GPU in 1922, which was expanded and rebranded the OGPU in 1924 - less brutal than Cheka but still inspired fear

Question 5

NKVD - Stalin

• Established ____
• Headed by ____ and later ____
• Created a ____ form of terror

Aims:

• To combat opposition to Stalin’s ____ ____

Powers:

• Imposed ____
• Gathered evidence against ____-____ communists (B____, K____, Z____, T____) - led to the Show Trials of ____
• Helped administer ____
• Height in ____-__ - two lists, one ____ and ____, other exile of _-__ years

Internal changes:

• Stalin suspected NKVD of ____
• ____ Yezhov accused of anti-____ campaign
• Replaced by ____ who promptly arranged Yezhov and his closest allies’ ____
• By start of ____, NKVD itself been purged of ____ members

Answer 5

NKVD - Stalin

• Established 1934
• Headed by Yagoda and later Yezhov
• Created a permanent form of terror

Aims:

• To combat opposition to Stalin’s personal rule

Powers:

• Imposed purges
• Gathered evidence against high-ranking communists (Bukharin, Kamenev, Zinoviev, Trotsky) - led to the Show Trials of 1936
• Helped administer Gulags
• Height in 1937-38 - two lists, one arrested and shot, other of 8-10 years

Internal changes:

• Stalin suspected NKVD of conspiracy
• 1938 Yezhov accused of anti-purges campaign
• Replaced by Beria who promptly arranged Yezhov and his closest allies’ executions
• By start of WW2, NKVD itself been purged of 20,000 members

Question 6

MVD and MBG - Khrushchev

• Established ____

Aims:

• MVD - dealt with ‘____’ criminal acts and ____ disorder
• KGB - focused on ____ and ____ security. Primarily involved in ____ ____. Important during ____ ____

Impact on De-Stalinisation:

• Under direct administration of the ____ rather than an ____ - easier to ____ security measures
• Number of arrests ____
• Use of Gulags largely ____
• Seeming end to ____ of dissidents
• By 1960, estimated only ____ counter-revolutionaries in captivity

Answer 6

MVD and MBG - Khrushchev

• Established 1954

Aims:

• MVD - dealt with ‘ordinary’ criminal acts and civil disorder
• KGB - focused on internal and external security. Primarily involved in international espionage. Important during Cold War

Impact on/ of De-Stalinisation:

• Under direct administration of the party rather than an individual - easier to measure security measures
• Number of arrests plummeted
• Use of Gulags largely disappeared
• Seeming end to torture of dissidents
• By 1960, estimated only 11,000 counter-revolutionaries in captivity

Question 7

Similarities between Tsarist and Communist use of Secret Police:

• Similar ____
• Used for similar ____ - finding and dealing with ____
• Under control of ____ (until ____)

Answer 7

Similarities between Tsarist and Communist use of Secret Police:

• Similar powers
• Used for similar purpose - finding and dealing with opposition
• Under control of individual (until Khrushchev)

Question 8

Differences between Tsarist and Communist use of the Secret Police:

• Scale:
  
  • 1826-81 less than ____ exiled, 1901 c____ in Siberia
  • __ million in Stalin’s Gulags between 1929-53
• Communists (starts with ____) based on ____ they were (i.e. ‘___’ to promote ‘____ ____’) rather than their ____
• Role and powers ____ - Stalin created ____ terror
• Stalin used ____ on ____
• Stalin motivated by ____

Answer 8

Differences between Tsarist and Communist use of the Secret Police:

• Scale:
  
  • 1826-81 less than 50,000 exiled, 1901 c3,900 in Siberia
  • 40 million in Stalin’s Gulags between 1929-53
• Communists (starts with Lenin) based on who they were (i.e. ‘bourgeoisie’ to promote ‘class warfare’) rather than their actions
• Role and powers intensify - Stalin created permanent terror
• Stalin used internally on party
• Stalin motivated by paranoia