Russia Flashcards
Key events before course start
1894 - Tsar (Nicholas II) comes to power
1903 - the social democratic party splits (Bolsheviks formed)
1905 - revolution showed the weakness of Tsar’s position but new laws recreated the Tsars power
1914 - Russia join ww1
1917 - February revolution (Tsar abdicates)
march - formation of the provisional goverment
april - Lenin returns
October - october revolution where Bolsheviks seize power
1918 - Russia withdraw from ww1 and Bolsheviks become the communist party
June - civil war (war communism) starts
1921 - January - civil war ends
March - red army crushes the Kronstadt rebellion and introduction of the NEP
July - Red army crushes the Tambov Rebellion
1922- December the creation of the USSR
The Soviet State Structure
Sovnarkom (Council of People commissars) - All- Russia congress of Soviets - local soviets - Russian people
The communist Party Structure
Politburo - The central committee -- Secretariat - Party congress - local Party - Communist party members
Trotsky
Background -raised in a well off jewish family, joined revolutionary group at the turn of the century, exiled but escaped to London to join Lenin and other Marxists
Revolutionary record -leading figure in the st petersburg soviet (1905), won over the communists during october revolution by masterminding the seize of power. Leader of Red Army during civil war.
Relationship with Lenin - until 1917 sided with the Mensheviks but after they were both part of communism party and agreed on most issues, lenin proclaimed ‘there was no better communist’ but also noted his arrogence
Appeal within the party -heroism made him popular with younger party members also had the loyalty of the red army. However was seen as more western and some resented him because of his position even though he joined the party late
Stalin
Background
Bukharin
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Zinoviev
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Kamenev
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Kirov
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Collectivisation
- Grain highest 1926 (77 m) but dropped next 3 years (72 73 72m)
- ‘Kulak grain strike’ Kulaks kept grain inorder to drive up prices
- Article 107 of criminal code made grain hoarding a crime, and land was given to those who snitched
- Article 61 was revised in the middle of 1929 so the the police had the power to send Kulaks to labour camps (Gulags) for up to 2 years
Dekulakisation
- Begn in december 1929
- Marked the end of capitalism and independent farming in the countryside
-sped up the progress of collectivisation, orignally proposed 30% would be by 1934 instead it was immediate - Majority it meant loss of independence and money
-rebelled
=10 million sheep and goats, 18 million horses destroyed between 1929 -33
=grain and machinery destroyed
Collectivisation (first wave)
- Grain highest 1926 (77 m) but dropped next 3 years (72 73 72m)
- ‘Kulak grain strike’ Kulaks kept grain inorder to drive up prices
- Article 107 of criminal code made grain hoarding a crime, and land was given to those who snitched
- Article 61 was revised in the middle of 1929 so the the police had the power to send Kulaks to labour camps (Gulags) for up to 2 years
- twenty-five thousanders sent to ‘offer technical help’ but really enforced dekulakisation
- ended in March 1930 for economic and political reasons
- 50% we collectivised in march, 25% by august
Dekulakisation
- Begn in december 1929
- Marked the end of capitalism and independent farming in the countryside
-sped up the progress of collectivisation, orignally proposed 30% would be by 1934 instead it was immediate - Majority it meant loss of independence and money
-rebelled
=10 million sheep and goats, 18 million horses destroyed between 1929 -33
=grain and machinery destroyed - Many died in Gulags from disease and hunger
Collectivisation (wave 2)
-started in 1931
-resulted in famine inwhich at least 10 million died
-government issued highly unrealistic targets
-punishement example - for failing to meet targets Military checkpoints to prevent foood entering Ukraine. Trains were ordered to have windows shut so no food fell out and foreign aid was denied because Stalin denied the problem.
-chaos meant grain was stuck in barns rotting
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Consequences of collectivisation
- between 9.5 and 10 million were exiled as a part of dekulakisation
- 1929, 150,000 kulak families sent to Siberia
- 1931 , 285,000 kulak families sent to Siberia
- labour productivity in rural areas declined because little to gain
- harvest of 1933 was 9m tonnes lower than 1926