Russia 1917-91: From Lenin to Yeltsin Flashcards
Anticolonial
Dedicated to the overthrow of imperialism.
Arms race
A competition to develop and produce increasingly deadly weapons. During the Cold War the arms race focused on nuclear missiles.
Authoritarian
A policy, or a style of government that emphasises the importance of strong government control and obedience. Authoritarian governments often have extensive powers with few limits. A form of government that has strict limits on individual freedom.
Autonomy
Self-government.
Black market
The illegal trading of goods and services.
Bourgeoisie
The owners of factories, industries and shops. That is, those who own the means of production. The term used by Karl Marx to describe the middle class.
Building Socialism
The process of building a new, more equal economy and society.
Bureaucratic regime
A government that is dominated by administrative officials.
Cadres
Small groups of specially trained people. A term used to refer to Communist Party officials.
Capitalism
An economic system based on free trade and the private ownership of property.
Central Committee
The body within the Communist Party that was responsible for investigating and disciplining Party members who were accused of corruption.
Centralised
A form of organisation in which power is concentrated at the centre. For instance, in the Soviet Union, power was centralised in the sense that it was exercised by the leaders of the Communist Party, rather than being dispersed throughout the government or country.
Cheka
A political police force created by Lenin.
Cold War
A period of heightened political tension between the capitalist West, led by America, and the Communist East, led by Russia.
Consumer goods
Products that are designed to be used by individuals for their own benefit, such as shoes, refrigerators or cigarettes.
Cult of personality
An idealised image of a leader created by the media.
Decrees
Laws usually issued by the central government.
De-Stalinisation
The process of ending some of the policies introduced by associated with Stalin.
Detente
Name given to the process of removal of tensions between the superpowers in the late 1960s and 1970s; features included arms limitations agreements and state visits.
Eastern Bloc
A term for the Communist states of central and eastern Europe, which were allied with the Soviet Union.
Factions
Groups of people within a political party who share a common set of beliefs and who are in opposition to the leadership of the party.
General Secretary
The most senior administrator in the Communist Party. Over time, the role became increasingly important. By 1928 the General Secretary was effectively the leader of the Communist Party.
Gosplan
The organisation responsible for economic planning for the Soviet Union.
Glasnost
Political reforms introduced by Gorbachev, which aimed to make Soviet politics more open.
Great Terror
The period from 1936 to 1938 in which Stalin purged the Communist Party, the army and industry, resulting in around 10 million deaths.
Greens
This group fought against the Reds & the Whites during the Civil War. They drew support from peasants & their policies focused on redistributing land to the peasants.
House arrest
A form of imprisonment in which the prisoner is forced to stay in their own house.
Hyperinflation
An economic situation in which inflation increased dramatically, usually for a sustained period.
Kulaks
A group of peasants who owned their own farm, usually a smallholding. They were usually slightly richer than those peasants who did not own land but worked as farm labourers.
Labour productivity
A measure of the amount produced by workers in a specified period.
Leningrad
Russia’s second city. It as known as Petrograd until 1924, when it was renamed Leningrad to commemorate Lenin’s death. Since 1991 it has been known as St Petersburg.
Light industry
Manufacturing that produces consumer goods.
Minister of the Interior
The member of the government responsible for law and order within the Soviet Union.
Mixed economy
An economy in which the state and private enterprise both play an important role.
Nationalisation
The process by which private property is taken over by the state.
New Economic Policy (NEP)
A semi-capitalist economic introduced by Lenin in 1921 to help revive Russia’s economy after a famine.
Nobility
The traditional ruling class, also known as the aristocracy.
Nomenklatura system
A system of appointing people to jobs from a list approved by the Party leadership. Evidence of commitment to the Party cause was necessary in order to remain on the list. this system also encouraged corruption as favours were expected from those who were placed on the list and promoted.
October Revolution
The Revolution in which the Bolshevik Party seized power in Russia.
Orthodox Church
Russia’s traditional Church. Until 1918 the Church represented Russia’s official religion.
Perestroika
Economic reforms introduced by Gorbachev, which were designed to restructure the Soviet economy.
Politburo
The most senior committee of the Communist Party. For much of the period 1917-91 the Politburo was effectively the government of the Soviet Union.
Polytechnic
A type of education which teaches many practical skills.
Pragmatic
A policy which is designed to achieve specific results, rather than to reflect certain values. Pragmatic policies are often contrasted with idealist policies.
Private ownership
The ownership of capital or property by private individuals or private companies.
Profiteering
Making money through illegal trade.
Pronatalist
Propaganda, policies and politicians that advocate childbirth.
Provisional Government
The government that rule the Russian Empire on a temporary basis after the fall of the Tsar. The Provisional Government was deposed by Lenin’s October Revolution.
Rabkrin
The Workers and Peasants Inspectorate. A body set up by Lenin to investigate allegations of corruption in the Communist Party. It had the power to discipline and sack members of the Communist Party.
Red Terror
A period from 1918 to 1921 in which the Communists used violence and intimidation to suppress their political opponents.
Rehabilitated
The process by which Communists who were considered criminals by Stalin were pardoned or found not guilty of their alleged crimes after Stalin’s death.
Resolution
A proposal submitted to the Communist Party Congress.
Samizdat
An underground publication produced by dissidents.
Satellite states
Countries that are technically independent, which are nonetheless dominated politically and economically by another state.
Social malaise
A situation in which there are widespread social problems, as well as widespread cynicism, despair and anxiety.
Socialism
An ideology and a political system based on the belief that people should be treated equally. Communists also use the term to refer to a historical period that occurs after capitalism but before Communism.
Soviets
Small, democratically elected councils, which emerged spontaneously after the February Revolution.
Sovnarkom
The Council of People’s Commissars. In 1917 it took the role of a cabinet of top government ministers who were, in theory, responsible for making key decisions and giving government orders. It was a small group that could make quick decisions and it met on a daily basis during the civil war.
Supranational
An organisation that has influence over several states.
Supreme Soviet
The organisation that made laws in the Soviet Union. Until Gorbachev’s reforms it had very little power.
Tax in kind
A tax in which producers pay the government a proportion of what they make, rather than paying in money.
Tsar
The Russian Emperor and head of the Russian state, until his overthrow in 1917.
Vesenkha
The organisation that controlled the economy during War Communism.