Revision cards - Terror Flashcards
What were working conditions like for industrial workers?
- Industrial projects like the Belomor canal were built by prision labour
- Shortage of trained and skilled workers particular post the purges
- Labour discipline
- In 1930 coal workers moved jobs on average 3 times to find better work and conditions
- Factories were often unsafe
What were conditions like for agricultural workers?
- Many fled in the hope of a better life in the city
- Life was hard and most did not support communism
- Peasants didn’t own their land and got little reward for their labour so little incentive to work hard
- Collectivisation process was devistating with between 9.5m and 10m exiled during the deKulakisation process
- Living standards fell dramatically
What were living conditions like for industrial workers?
- Many new houses were build without running water or connection to sewers -
- Milk, meat and fruit consumption fell by 2/3s
- Overcrowding was common
- Some new hospitals were built improving heath
- Most lived in poor conditions - little heating
- Social inequalities increased
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Why did Stalin go for Totalitarianism?
- Complete control over the economy
- Terror to eliminate opponents
- complete control of the media
- used propaganda to win hearts and minds
What was the machinery of terror?
- Frightened of his own supporters who might challenge him eg Ryutin (200 page criticism supported by Kirov), or Kirov (more votes than Stalin)
- 1935-38 The Terror was at its height and was responsible for the death of around 10m Russians
What was the NKVD and what were the early purges?
NKVD = Secret police
Often used to get rid of critics
used to enforce the purge (purge = to get rid of)
NKVD were superior to most other offices of government
What was Kirov’s murder?
Dec 1934 - used to start the terror
Kirov was shot.
Suspicions that Stalin was behind it
Kirov was Stalin’s main rival
Allowed Stalin to say there was a conspiracy against the communist party and start full terror
What were show trials?
Mainly between 1936-8
Made political oppoinets own up to accusations
Arrest, imprison, torture, put on a trial (verdict predecided) and execute
Used to get rid of the leadership rivals of the late 1920s
Ruined reputations
What was Stalin’s constitution?
1936
The most democratic constitution in the world
Gave freedom to vote, speech, religion but not upheld by law so worthless
What was the impact of the Terror?
Social
Everyone was affected, created a climate of fear
Political
Got rid of all opposition, and secured Stalin’s power
Economic
1937 height of the purges = economic slowdown
Led to a shortage of workers, expertise and economic planning was impossible as people were terrified of telling the truth about production
What was Yezhovschina the Great Terror?
From 1937
Eliminated 1920s communists
Created a new generation of loyal communists
Established Stalin’s right to use terror
Wide ranging impact
What was mass terror and repression?
Mass terror remoed all opposition in the party and the country
1937 even the NKVD were purged losing 20,000 members
1937 the military were purged, executing 85,000 officers
HOw were minorities affected by the Terror?
Summer 1937 - National groups were purged
Koreans (conflict in Japan), Central and Eastern Europeans (potential support of the Nazis), Chinease and Afghans
What were the gulags?
Prison camps origninally started in 1918 by Lenin
1930s led to a network being built
1941 there were 8m in camps
Average sentence was 10 years
Hard labour
When did the purges end?
1939 - Yezhow arrested and shot, replaced by Beria
Signalled the end to waves of arrest and executions
