Russia and the Soviet Union 1917-1941 A national Study Flashcards
Who was Lavrentiy Beria (1899-1953)/
Like Stalin, Beria was Georgian. He joined the Bolsheviks in 1917, moved into the Cheka and by 1923 was head of the Georgian Checka. He became party boss of the Transcaucasion republics in 1932. Following the fall of Yezhov, he became head of the NKVD (Secret police) in 1938. Beria was renowned for his cruelty and brutality. Shortly after Stalin’s death in 1953, Beria was himself arrested and shot.
Who was Nikolai Bukharin (1888-1938)?
Bukharin was a key Bolshevik ideologue and popular party member, closely associated with the party’s left-wing. A member of the Politburo from 1924 and head of the Comintern from 1926, Bukharin aligned with Stalin in the power struggles of the 1920s. Expelled from the Politburo in 1929, Bukharin was executed in 1938 for counter-revolutionary activities
Who was Lev Kamenev (1883-1936)?
Kamenev joined the Bolshevik party in 1903 and was active in the attempted revolution of 1905. He returned from exile in Switzerland after the abdication of the Tsar in 1917, becoming a Politburo member in 1918. With Stalin and Zinoviev, he ruled as part of a triumvirate from 1923, but split with Stalin over ‘socialism in one country’, Kamenev was implicated, without foundation, in Kirov’s murder in 1934, and was subsequently found guilty of of plotting against Stalin. He was executed in 1936.
Who was Alexander Kerensky (1881- 1970)
Kerensky was a lawyer and member of the socialist revolutionary party. Following the February 1917 revolution, he became a key public figure in the provisional government, becoming prime minister in July. Kerensky’s government was eventually overthrown by the bolsheviks in October 1917
Who was Sergei Kirov (1886-1934)?
Kirov was a bolshevik who rose through the ranks to become the head of the Leningrad branch of the communist party. Some viewed Kirov as a possible alternative to Stalin. He was assassinated in December 1934. Stalin used Kirov’s murder as a pretext for launching widespread terror across the country.
Who was Alexandra Kollontai (1872-1952)?
Alexandra Kollontai was the commissar for social warfare in the Bolshevic government following the October revolution. She was a firm advocate for women equality and established the Zhenotdel or Women’s department. Her opposition to later party policies led to her being edged out of government and into diplomatic posts
Who was General Lavar Kornilov (1870-1918)?
Kornilov was appointed commandar-in chief- of Russian forces in august 1917 by Alexandar Kerensky. Dissatisfied with Kerensky’s conduct of the war, Kornilov attempted a military coup in august/September 1917. He was killed fighting Red forces during the civil war in April 1918
Who was Lenin (1870-1924)?
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, better known as Lenin was the leader of the Bolshevik party formed in 1903. Lenin’s goal was a revolution and the subsequent creation of the Marxist society and the spread of Marxism worldwide. The Bolsheviks seized power in a coup in October 1917. Lenin ruled Russia until his death in 1924
who was Maxim Litvinov (1876-1951)?
Litvinov was the soviet foreign minister from July 1930 to May 1939. He was a keen supporter of collective security and secured diplomatic relations with the united states in 1933 and the soviet union’s membership of the league of nations in 1934. He was replaced as Foreign in May 1939 by Molotov, as Stalin was considering the possibility of a deal with Hitler. Litvinov later served as ambassador in Washington.
Who was Vyacheslav Molotov (1890-1986)?
Molotov was the Soviet foreign minister from 1939 to 1949 and again from 1953 to 1956. He worked closely with Stalin and was renowned for his diplomatic skills. Molotov signed the Nazi-soviet pact of august 1939.
Who was Tsar Nicholas II (1868-1918)?
Nicholas II ruled Russia from 1894 until his abdication in February 1917. Believing God had placed him on the throne, he sought to maintain autocracy. Through intelligent and eager to fulfil his duty, he proved to be a weak and indecisive leader, easily influenced by his wife, Alexandra, and her advisor, Rasputin.
Who was Stalin (1878-1953)?
Josef Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, better known as Josef Stalin, was the leader of the Soviet Union from the late 1920s until his death in 1953. As General secretary from 1922, he outmanoeuvred Trotsky in the struggle for power after Lenin’s death. Under Stalin, the Soviet Union became the world’s number-two superpower. He led his country to victory against Germany during the Second World War.
Who was Leon Trotsky (1879-1940)?
Lev Davidovich Bronstein, better known as Leon Trotsky, joined the Bolsheviks in mid-1917 and was the mastermind behind the October revolution. He led the Red Army to victory in the civil war. However, he was outmanoeuvred by Stalin in the struggle for power after Lenin death. Forced into exile in 1929, Trotsky was assassinated on Stalin’s orders in Mexico in 1940.
Kliment Voroshilov (1881-1969)?
Voroshilov joined the Bolsheviks in 1903. He commanded Red Army troops during the civil war and rose through the ranks of the military during the 1920s. In 1934 he was appointed Commissar of defence. Voroshilov’s military skills were sometimes questioned but never his courage in battle. He remained totally loyal to Stalin and Personally signed many death warrants during the purge of the Red Army
Who Genrikh Yagoda (1891-1938)?
Yagoda joined the Bolsheviks in 1907. After the revolution, he joined the Cheka and steadily rose through the ranks of the secret police organisation. He was a close associate of Stalin, a key player in the purges of the 1930s and was probably responsible for Kirov’s death. However, he fell out of favour with Stalin, and in 1937 he was dismissed and arrested. In March 1938 he was tried for treachery and executed.
