Russia and the Soviet Union 1917-1941 Flashcards
When did Bolshevism rise to power?
1917
What is Bolshevism based on?
Marxism
Bolshevism believed Russia could skip a capitalist state and move straight to communism. What is this called?
Top Down
What is the opposite of top down?
A state going through capitalism to then get to communism. Working through all stages
Who led the Bolsheviks?
Lenin
What did the October Revolution achieve?
What did Lenin’s peace treaty with Germany do?
-Stop Russia’s activity in WWI against Germany
-Enabled consolidation of Bolsheviks
Who were the Mensheviks?
The opposing side of the Bolsheviks
Mensheviks was also based on…
Marxism
Did Mensheviks believe in a top down or bottom up state?
Bottom Up
- Capitalist state before communism
What does NEP stand for?
New Economic Policy
When was NEP introduced?
March 1921
Why was the NEP introduced?
Because the first attempt to introduce communism into the context of Civil War failed
- economic production dropped + millions dead from starvation
The NEP had aspects of what in it?
Capitalism
- reluctantly introduce by Lenin
What were the aspects of the NEP?
- small businesses were able to operate again (state still controlled major industries)
- traders opened business for profit
- growing class of people became wealthy
- had to pay certain amount of production grain - could sell excess for profit
- introduced incentive back into system
The NEP created a two-tier system. A growing disparity was forming between two groups, what were those groups?
Industrial workers - did not benefit from NEP
Farmers and traders - benefited from NEP
When did Lenin die?
1924
When Lenin died, who became the people next in line for potential leaders?
The Politburo
What was the Politburo
The highest policy-making authority within the communist party
What challenges did Stalin face as he started to lead the USSR?
- Western powers….
Western powers would crush them if they could not build a modern army
What challenges did Stalin face as he started to lead the USSR?
- Agriculture
Sell agriculture surplus overseas for foreign currency to buy machinery
What challenges did Stalin face as he started to lead the USSR?
- Propaganda and Nationalism
Use propaganda and nationalism to provide incentive, educate children, have rewards for hard efforts and work, and fear to work hard and produce more when there is not profit motive
What challenges did Stalin face as he started to lead the USSR?
- resistors
Resistors were put into prison, exiled, sent to labour camps
What challenges did Stalin face as he started to lead the USSR?
- Support networks etc…
Alternative sources of leadership/influence/guidance - break support networks down until there’s only one left
Scissors crisis:
What was it?
Caused by the NEP.
Drastic separation between the increase of grain production and decrease of agricultural prices.
Scissors crisis:
What did it do to farmers?
Farmers capacity to buy the limited goods in the market was reduced
Scissors crisis:
What did Trotsky say would happen with the NEP?
That the NEP would eventually fail as the factories wouldn’t be able to keep up with the steady stream of luxury goods for the peasants to buy their surplus grain
Scissors crisis:
Who abandoned the NEP
Stalin
What new plan did Stalin introduce?
The 5-year plan
What was the 5-year plan?
An plan to initiate rapid and large-scale industrialisation across the USSR
What was a part of the 5-year plan?
Increase in factory work
Production of industrial resources
Collectivisation of agriculture
How was the 5-year plan successful?
Industrialisation was increased
When was the 5-year plan put in motion?
1928
When did the second 5-year plan start?
1933
What was collectivisation?
Peasant farms were no longer individual and forced to join large collective farms with the intention to increase agriculture
What were collective farms called?
Kolkhoz
Did the peasants like collective farms?
NO
deeply resentful towards them
Why were farms collectivised?
- To remove capacity for individualistic farmers to shape the output of their land
- Farmers became employees on their land like factory workers in a factory
- Farmers could no longer expect to share the benefits from increased output
What were the farmers who became wealthy due to the NEP labelled by Stalin
Kulaks
- a class that needed liquidisation
What were the 3 categories of Kulaks?
- Counter-revolutionary Kulaks - shot or exiled
- Wealthy Kulaks - deported to Siberia
- Other Kulaks - moved to another Kolkhoz
How did Kolkhoz decrease agricultural output?
Cattle:
1928 = 60.1%
1934 = 33.95%
Who were the OGPU?
The secret police
What are some Foreign policies Russia made?
Peace Treaty with Germany - October 1917
Comintern - March 1919
Treaty of Paris - march 1921
Nazi-Soviet Pact - 1939-41
Non-aggression Pact with Japan - April 1941
How did Stalin rise in power?
Propaganda
Destruction of support networks
Assassination + exilement
What type of propaganda did Stalin use?
Posters, photos, public appearance, soviet realism paintings
How did Stalin present his personality in poropaganda?
strong, caring, reliable
communism = wonderful
Give an example of a poster that Stalin used for propaganda?
Stalin positioned next to Lenin representing himself as Lenin’s heir and true disciple (Webb, 2018)
What was Lenin’s opinion of Stalin that he wrote in his letters about all the politburo?
Quote
That he didn’t like Stalin very much, saying Stalin should be replaced with someone more, “tolerant, more loyal, less capricious and so forth” Williams (2004)
Give an example of photos Stalin used for propaganda
Photo with little girl called Gelya Markizova being held by Stalin (1939). Called ‘Children’s Friend’
- Stalin ‘cared’ about the youth
(Yegorov, 2018)
Describe soviet realism paintings
- Bright colours
- Big happy communities
- Cannot be interpreted another way
What is an example of a support network Stalin destroyed?
The Russian Orthodox Church
Why did Stalin destroy support networks?
So that he became the only figure people were to rely on
To be worshiped as if a god
How did Stalin destroy support networks?
- Priests were beheaded, left outside to freeze, put in prison, shot or buried alive (Chistyakov, 2010)
- Churches destroyed
- Bishops imprisoned and exiled
- Anti-religious propaganda permitted
- teaching religion in school became punishable by law
Who did Stalin Assassinate and exile?
The who opposed him or his politics
When was Trotsky exiled?
1929
Who was Sergei Kirov?
Long -stranding Bolshevik who became apart of the Politburo in 1930 while being a supporter of Stalin
Was Kirov a rival to Stalin?
Yes
Who assassinated Kirov in 1934?
The NKVD
Who did Stalin blame for Kirov’s assassination?
Trotskyists and older Bolsheviks
Were the trials about Kirov’s assassination fair?
Why or why not?
No
The accused were forced to confess and were shot
What were the show trials?
Elaborate trials of fabricated crimes
How many party members, centrals committee members and military leaders were eliminated due to the show trials?
- Over a third
- Over half
- 81
(University of Washington, 2017)
How did the show trials impact the public?
Public blamed anyone they held a grudge against
- friends, co-workers and family members
