Rule of Stalin- The use of Terror Flashcards
Stalin's use of Terror throughout his reign
Between what years was the Moscow Show Trial Phase
1936-38
What were the three different Show Trials
The Trial of the Sixteen
The Trial of the Seventeen/ Secret Trials
The Trial of the Twenty One
Who were the key defendants in the Trial of the Sixteen and when did it take place
Zinoviev and Kamenev
1936
What were the details involving the Trial of the Sixteen
Zinoviev and Kamenev were charged with the murder of Kirov
Z & K confessed believing that Stalin would pardon them
Z & K were charged with working with capitalists
The judge concluded the trial with the words ‘Shoot the mad dogs, every last one of them’
When was the Trial of the Seventeen /Secret trials and who were the Key Defendants
Trotsky
Army Officers were put to Trial
1937
When was the Trial of the Twenty One and who were the key defendants involved
Bukharin and Yagoda
1938
What were the details involving the Trial of the Seventeen
Trotsky and his supporters were tried with the same crimes as Kamenev and Zinoviev
Trotsky was in exile so his sentence of death could not be carried out
Piatokov and Radek were tried.
The defendants all confessed with the use of totrture
However, the NKVD made many mistakes with their confessions. For example one man confessed to murdering Kirov despite being in NKVD prison at the time
What were the details involving the Trial of the twenty one
Bukharin was charged with plotting to kill Lenin
Bukharin confessed as there was the threat to execute his wife
Once again, the defendants were charged with the same crimes as Zinoviev and Kamenev
The Secret Trials of 1937
The trial of eight generals was kept top secret.
The eight generals were accused of plotting against Stalin which was With brutal torture at the hands of the NKVD, they confessed.
Over the next 18 months, 34,000 soldiers were purged from the army
These trials were done in secret as Stalin did not trust the leadership of the Red Army, but did not want to alarm the public by announcing these trials publicly.
What was the significance of the show trials
They finally removed Stalin’s rivals from the 1920s
It silenced all of the people who knew the truth about Lenin’s Testament and Lenin’s critical judgement of Stalin
They removed power from people who been appointed by Lenin; and consequently, giving them authority independently from Stalin
They acted as a form of propaganda ‘proving’ to Russian people that Stalin alone could be trusted with the future of Russia.
The name of the man who was murdered because Stalin feared him as Secretary of Equal Rank
Kirov
Who was the Chief Prosecutor at the Moscow Show Trials
Vyshinsky
What was Yezhovschina
The Yezhovshchina (named after Nikolai Yezhov, head of the Soviet secret police, the NKVD) refers to the period of intense political repression and mass purges in the Soviet Union from 1936 to 1938, during the height of Stalin’s Great Terror
When did Yezhov die?
1940
When did Yezhov become leader of the NKVD
1936
Where was Trotsky during the Moscow Show Trial
In exile in Mexico
When did Trotsky die?
1940
What was the use of Internal Passports
It controlled labour movement and prevented overflow of work in specific areas
What were Stalin’s main forms of terror he used in order to build his personal dictatorship?
Collectivisation of Agriculture
Dekulakisation
The Show Trials
Banning and Removal of Russian Orthodoxy
Yeshozchina
Stalin’s Cult of Personality
Atomization
Gulag for Slave Labour
7-Day Work Week
Rapid Industrialisation
Conveyor Belt System
When was the Kirov Murder
December 1934
What was the Ryutin Platform
An attempt to remove Stalin
When was the Stalin Constitution Published
December 1936
Who was the Chief Prosecutor of the Show Trials
Vyshinki
What was the importance of the 17th Party Congress in 1934
It made Zinoviev General Secretary of Equal Rank to Stalin
Why was the Collectivisation of Agriculture a form of terror?
Stalin purged and exiled around 10 million+ Kulaks. Caused a great famine in Ukraine. The 7/8ths Rule. Forced grain procurement.
Who were the key NKVD heads during the period of terror?P
Yagoda
Yeshov
Beria
What happened to Russian Orthodoxy during this period of Terror
Practice of Russian Orthodoxy was banned and removed as a state policy
What was the Yezhovschina and when approximately did this take place?
1937-38
Conveyor belt system
Purges & Atomization of Society
How did Soviet Realism feed into the narrative of terror, dictatorship and control?
The use of WWII Art Propaganda, in order to sell the regime’s police.
(Great Patriotic War) Also seen as the ‘Sunny side of the Regime’
Why is the Cult of Personality a form of persecution and control
It set Stalin as the:
Father + Teacher + Leader + Benefactor
Those who didn’t follow were seen as traitors, and by Stalin making himself seem Omnipotent leaving no place for another “God”.
What is the truth behind the Kirov Murder?
Kirov was murdered by the NKVD which was led by Yagoda
Instead, party member- Nikolayev- who’s wife had an alleged affair with Kirov, is framed for the murder of Kirov.
What is contained in the Stalin Constitution
Protected Civil Liberties of Russians
Democratic Values
Rights of Association
A cynical piece of legislation produced in the darkness of terror
The Constitution can be viewed as a form of ‘Cognitive dissonance’ (Gaslihgting 😛)
