russia Flashcards
Who was supportive of tsarist regime
army, okhrana (secret police), conservatives, church
who wasn’t supportive of tsarist regime
peasants (wanted more land),workers (wanted better conditions), liberals (wanted more political freedom), nationalists (wanted independence from the empire, radicals (wanted to otherthrow the regime)
How did peasants live in the 1917s
They lived in poverty with famines being a frequent threat
what was life like for town workers in 1917s
living and working conditions were terrible: homes were overcrowded and working hours were long in dangerous factories
who were the opposition to the tsar
radicals, liberals, conservatives-wanted to defend the interests of the gentry, ultra nationalists (protect empire), socialist revolutionaries- wanted a new soceity bases on peasant commune, social democrates were divided into 2: Bolsheviks- lead the workins into revolution to create communism, Menshaviks- thought communism in Russia was a long way off as it was not industrialised.
what were the economic effects of WW1
Taxes rose to help pay for the cost of the war
Their national debt increased as they took loans from allies.
Inflation as the government printed more money.
what were the political effects of WW1
The Duma (Russian parliament) had supported the war at first, but they started to critisce failures of the tsar, the tsar refused to give them any power which led to them becoming opposition
When did the tsar become commander and what were the effects of this
august 1915 - lost alot of respect
what were the social effects of WW1
government requisitioned peasant crops and horses
When was the Feb revolution
feb 1917
what were the triggers for the feb revolution
Tsar being away from Petrograd, food shortages, announcement of bread rationing, international women’s day march, demonstrations in support of the Duma, unusually mild weather, mutiny in the army, contempt for the tsarina
what happened to the duma after the feb revolution
They asked the tsar to create a new cabinet involving the duma. He refused and ordered the Duma to dissolve, most government ministers left petrograd. Half of the duma refused and continued meeting. Army commanders suspected they could no long rely on their troops to follow their orders.
how did the tsar abdicate
Army leaders and duma leaders met the with the tsar. They suggested he should abdicate in order to save Russia.
What was the petrograd soviet
workers, soldiers and sailors elected representatives to the soviet.
what was the provisional government and what were it’s first aids
it was made up of politicians from a mix of parties. It’s first aids were to release political or religious prisoners, promised full democratic freedom, ending death penalty, transferring power to zemstvos (local councils)
what was the link between the PG and petrograd soviet
the PG was set up with the approval of the PS, the PG and PS and meetings
the Petrograd soviet agreed to support the PG if what 8 principles were followed
Amnesty for all political prisoners, freedom of speech, no privileges of class religion or nationality, elections for a constituent assembly, elected people militia to replace all police units, local government to be elected, military units that took part in the revolution to stat together, off duty soldiers to have the same rights as citizens.
Who was the leader of the PG and when did he become it
Kerensky - July 1917
what were keresnky’s mistakes
Continued to support the war, acted against old ruling classes (lost support from conservatives), failed to control Bolsheviks
what was dual power
when both the PG and PS tried to lead Russia
what were the weaknesses and failures of the PG
lack of decisive leadership , lack of control over military - the PS had control over it, dual power meant that it had no control over some areas, failure to hold a general election, failure to provide more land for peasants, more democracy meant they could be criticized more, failure to improve economy, contining to fight war
what was the June offensive
Kerensky was war minister when the PG decided to attack German and Austrian forces in June 1917. There was 200,000 russian casualties and a further loss of territory. This led to Kerensky taking over the leadership of the PG from Prince Lvov
what was the kornilov revolt
In July 1917 Kerensky made Kornilov head of the army. On 24th august Kornilov sent troops into Petrograd to shut down the Petrograd soviet. The Bolsheviks armed their supporters to defend Petrograd from Kornilov’s troops. These armed supporters where names as the red guards. Railway workers also blocked the route to Petrograd and the Bolsheviks met the troops and convinced them not to attack.
what was the significance of the Kornilov revolt
increased the popularity and influence of the Bolsheviks and further weakened the PG. On 31 August, the Bolsheviks won the most seats in the Petrograd soviet election.
What was the April Theses
Lenin- Bolshevik leader, set out a manifesto of how the working class should take over Russia. It included: end the war, transfer all power to the soviets - the PG should not be supported, take land from rich land owners and give it to peasants.
How did support for the Bolsheviks grow
Lenins’s april thesis meant that they had a clear and powerful message to workers, peasants and soldiers, Bolshevik newspapers in most Russian cities constantly criticized the PG, the Germans send money to to fund the Bolshevik campaign.
What were the July days
Riots and demonstrations against the PG 3rd and 7th Jul7 1917 turned into an uprising. Lenin believed the time was right to other throw the PG so the Bolsheviks joined in. Troops were sent in to put down the uprising, many Bolsheviks were arrested at they were blamed for starting it. Lenin escaped fleeing back to Finland.
how many members did the Bolsheviks have by oct 1917
340,000
What was the MRC
military revolutionary committee- Rumors spread that the Bolsheviks were planning an attack. Trotsky, as leader of the PS set up the MRC to bring together all soviet supporting troops in Petrograd. By 21 oct most of Petrograd’s regiments promised loyalty to the MRC.
What did Kerensky do on OCT 24 to try and crack down on Bolshevik’s
closed Bolshevik newspapers, blocked river crossings, calling for arrest of MRC
when did the Bolshevik’s seize control
24-25 October red guards seized more key areas of the city. On 25-26 October Bolshevik soldiers climbed through the windows of the winter palace and arrested the final members of the PG
why was the October revolution successful (Bolshevik takeover)
Lenin had a clear plan, Lenin made sure only the Bolsheviks were in charge, Kerensky didn’t take Bolsheviks seriously after July days, Kerensky didn’t disband the red guards after the Kornilov affair, the PG was very unpopular and no one defended it , trotsky was an amazing planner of the red gaurds
What were the early decree’s of the Bolshevik’s
Peace - all countries to seek peace
land - land taken from wealthy land owners now belonged to peasants
workers rights - 8 hour day , decrease in unemployment
nationalities - everyone could have their own governments that remained under Bolshevik control
how was the constituent assembly shut down
Lenin ordered the red guards to shut to shut it down after the Bolsheviks lost the general election
what was the cheka and when was it set up
7th Decemver 1917. The bolsheviks uses them as terror to arrest anyone who was suspected as being opposition to the Bolsheviks
when was tsar nicholas executed along with his family and 4 servants
17th july 1918
what was the aim of the treaty of Brest-Litvosk
To take Russia out of the war as many of the Bolsheviks supporters were desperate soldiers and sailors
when was the treaty of brest-litvosk signed
3 march 1918
what happend to the Russians in exchange for peace
lost huge amounts of land, had to pay Germany 300 million gold roubles
who was in favour of the treaty
soldiers, bolsheviks
who wasn’t in favour of the treaty
the left SRs, nationalists and conservatives were horrified with loses to land
when was the civil war
1918-21
what were the reasons for the civil war
huge territorial loses appalled many Russians, Nationalists and conservatives had everything to lose, the bolsheviks made enemies with the czech legion- 40,000 czech troops who took control of the trans-siberian railway
effects of the war of bolsheviks
cheka used terror tatics, harsh discipline on red army - deserters were shot, ideological victory, centralised control, bolsheviks feared foreign invasion
bolshevik strengths in civil war
war communism, red army= 5 million soldiers, trotsky= good leader,effective propaganda, didnt have to fight everyone at once, coltrol of most of Russia’s industries, control of central russia + most of population
role of trotsky in the civil war
organised troops, employed ex tsarist officers, strict discipline, soldiers learnt to read and write, made the military oath- loyality to bolsheviks
what foriegn intervention happened in the civil war
troops were sent to help the whites, this helped them and made them seem stronger than they really were
white weakness’s in civil war
geographically spread out, didn’t have a large population to conscript from, didn’t control many industrial areas, not popular with workers and peasants, they all disagreed, so single white leader, only 250,000 soldiers
when was the red terror
september 1918 - feb 1919
what was the role of the cheka
they could arrest, impirson, torture or execute anyone they suspected.
why did Lenin introduce the red terror
after surviving an assassination attempt from an SR, the red terror grew massively during the civil war
who could stand in elections (1918)
only communist party members
what was the soviet government
local soviets were elected but the bolsheviks controlled what they did
what did the all-russian-congress of soviets do
agree with what ever the government told it to- this made the soviet union a dictatorship
when was war communism introduced
1918
what were the features of war communism
peasants were not allowed to sell crops, peasants hiding grain were shot, industries were nationalized and given targets, people rights and restrictions were restricted, money was abolished and people payed in good and services.
what was the Kronstadt mutiny
sailors rebelled against government on 28 feb 1921, it took till 17 march for soldiers to be defeated
what was the reason for war communism
to control industry to supply soldiers with weapons, to control food supply to feed soldiers and workers
what were the consequences of war communism
In 1920 farm production had fallen to 37% of 1913 levels, numbers of people working in factories fell, food shortages turned into famine, no consumer goods were being made, a black market developed
what were the political consequences of war communism
factory workers organised strikes, peasant uprising in Tambov Province
when was the NEP introduced
1921
why was the NEP introduced
disastrous economic factors of war communism, political opposition caused by war communism
what were the features of the NEP
peasants could decide what to do with their crops, state stopped requisitioning grain peasants now paid tax, state kept control of big factories but not small farms and businesses’, money reintroduced, foreign experts were brought in to improve how factories were run
economic effects of NEP
agricultural production increased, by 1923 grain production was 56 million tonnes. Industrial growth increases, some traders (NEP men and NEP women) made profits from the shortages of goods
who was for the NEP
peasants and traders
who was against NEP
some communist members as it was a step closer to capitalism
what were the bolshevik policies on women
1917 - declared equal to men
1919 - womens organisation was set up called zhenotdel to increase freedom, equality and influence.
1920 - abortion made legal
what were the communist education policies 1921-24
co-education introduced to reduce discrimination against women, literacy drive in red army, by 1926 58% of population was literate .
how did the communist party use propaganda
it used art, literature, film and music to promote communist ideas
what happened to artists
they were censored by the government so that everything portrayed socialism in a positive way. This was called socialist realism
when did Lenin die
1924
who were the rivals for bolshevik power after lenin died
stalin, trotsky, ziniviev and kamenev, bukharin
pros and cons of stalin
powerful position of general secretary, appearance of moderation , rude and lust for power, boring unlike key rivals
zinoviev and kamenev pros and cons
worked closely together, both party boses in different cities, worked with stalin to weaken trotsky after lenins death, only 2 senior bolsheviks to oppose lenins plane to seize power
trotsky pros and cons
good speaker, lenin’s close comrade, good organisation and leadership, arrogant and bossy, menshavik until 1917 unlike the others who were long standing bolsheviks, lack of supporters outside the military
bukharin pros and cons
very popular , good writer and theorist, argued againts treaty of brest-litvosk which was used against him, main supporter of NEP which was viewed as capitalist
how did stalin become leader
took lead part at lenins funeral, he worked with zinoviev and kamenev to undermine trotsky, but when they opposed Bukharin stalin criticized them for trying to split the party. There was pressure on NEP which bukharin supported, stalin started to argue for rapid industrialization and collectivization and won the party’s support
how did the purges start
stalin purges anyone in the party that didn’t want him in power, this then spread to the whole of the soviet union. Kirov was the first person he killed after he called for a change in policy.
what were the reasons for purges
economic problems were blamed on imaginary wreckers, to remove other rivals, stalin was paranoid about rivals, following lenin’s red terror
what happened in the purges
party members arrested, forced confessions, mess terror (yezhov), use of gulags (labour camps)
what were the consequences of purges
stalin scared everyone else, old leninists destroyed, chaos in government and economy, weakened armed forces
who administered stalin’s terror
secret police - OGPU a new version of the cheka (later known as NKVD and then KGB)
what were the conditions in gulags
prisoners uses as slaves to extract resources to build infrastructure for the soviet union. people sent to gulags were from all parts of society, thin uniforms, miserable food and shacks to live in
how many people died in gulags
2 million
what and when were show trials
1936-38 - only high leading party members had show trials. The public declarations of guilt where meant to make people believe the country really was under attack by enemies and that all problems could be blames on them
pros of new constitution of 1936
replaces the congress of soviets with the supreme soviet of the USSR, everyone was now allowed to vote, voting was now done in secret, guaranteed workers rights to holidays, health care, education and other benefits, gave the 15 republics of the USSR the same rights as Russia
cons of new constitution of 1936
Only 1 party to vote for, all rights could be ignored by secret police, activities of the republics of the USSR were closely controlled, stalin ignored the constitution and ran the USSR as a dictaorship
what was the cult of stalin
stalin as the lenin of today
focus on stalin’s economic ‘achievements’
leader, teacher , friend
what were the reasons for the cult of stalin
to give the people confidence that the hardships and sacrifices were worth it, long standing tradition in Russia for leader to be a father to the whole country, to gain support for the regime
how was the cult of stalin achieved
art, propaganda messages, books, peoms and plays
when was collectivization
1928-1933
reasons for collectivization
falling grain production, communist ideology, concerns about NEP, stalin’s rival bukharin who liked NEP, stalling industrial production
what were the pros of collectivization
By 1935 90% of farmland had been collectivized, improvements in farming, more young people from agricultural areas went to school, rationing of bread ended by 1934, increased grain exports to other countries which earned the USSR money to invest in industrialization, peasants moved to cites, controlling the country side was a political success.
what were the failures of collecitvisation
famine- 3.3 million peasants died, liquidation of kulkas policy removed the most experienced farmers, too few tractors and most were poorly made, very hard to leave collective farms, collective workers did as little work as possible so production was still low
when and what was the famine in Ukraine
1932-33. The red army had defeated Ukrainian nationalists in the civil war, peasants refused to join collective farms, the state took more and more grain away from Ukraine, the government refused to help them and 3 million died
what were the motives for rapid industrialization
ideological motives, political motives, scissor crisis- food prices dropped so peasants had less money
what was gosplan
the state planning comittee they were responsible for setting targets
when and what was the first 5 year plan
1928-32. increased output of heavy industry
when and what was the 2nd five year plan
1933-37. increase output of heavy industry but with more efficiency and increased output of some consumer products
when and what was the 3rd five year plan
1938-41. Increase in military production and improvements to education.
what was the stakhanovite movement
Stakhanov was a miner who became famous for mining 14x his quota. Soviet propaganda made him a celebrity and encouraged all workers to become Stakhanovites and try to go over their target. In reality Stakhanov had a lot of help and better equipment.
what were the failures of industrialization
some production was slave labour from gulags, factories were dangerous, living conditions did not improve - some lived in tents, targets meant quality was compromised, productivity was low compared to other countries, targets were set low and missed targets were overlooked- factor managers could not be trusted to give accurate figures.
what were successes of industrialisation
USSR was now a fully industrialised nation, increased production helped repel german invasion in WW2, supply of raw materials increased, new towns such as magnitogorsk were built, no umemployment, new factories were built, communisnt had more support from workers
what was the truth of rapid industrialisation
it caused chaos in the economy, materials often never arrived so there were no spare parts to fix anything. The only way to meet targets was to lie or to make products that would break as soon as they are used.
how did living conditions change by 1941
they were better but space was still and issue and families had 1 or 2 rooms
how did working conditions change by 1941
workers were given holidays, days off, housing, health care and education but trade unions were banned and workers couldnt change jobs.
what did bolsheviks do to make women closer to men
divorce made simple, abortion and contraception easy to obtain, women and equal pay or equal work, equal educational opportunities.
what happend to women after 1936
abolition of zhenotdel, abortions banned, hard to obtain contraception, incentives for women to have children - money if you had 6 children or more, stricter conditions for divorces
why did stalin make changes for women after 1936
birth rates were falling which is not good for industrialisation, there were gangs of children which were blamed on divorces
what happend to ethnic minorities in 1932-41
they were pruged
why did stalin purges ethnic minorities
people were criticized for putting their ethnic identities first, resistance to collectivization was strongest where national identities were strongest, stalin was convinced they were a threat to the USSR
