russia key topic 3 Flashcards
who was Stalin?
he was born in 1879 he was from a poor background and had a harsh upbringing. he greatly admired the work of Lenin and became a Bolshevik and in the period after 1902 became an active revolutionary. he was arrested and exiled to siberia 8 times and escaped 7 times. he was freed from exile in 1917 and returned to Petrograd to become editor of the Pravda. he played a little role in the 1917 revolution but nevertheless he was made commissar of nationalities. during the civil war he played an important administrative role. in 1922 he was given what was considered a boring role as general secretary.
who were Stalins leadership rivals?
Trotsky
Bukharin
Kamenev
Rykov
Zinoviev
Tomsky
how did Stalin defeat Trotsky in gaining power over the Bolsheviks?
by lying to Trotsky about the day of Lenin’s funeral causing him to miss it making him seem arrogant and disrespectful. whereas Stalin was the chief mourner at Lenin’s funeral. eventually Lenin was assassinated in 1940 in Mexico after being expelled from the Bolsheviks in 1929
what were Stalin’s strengths?
-he was general secretary which allowed him to appoint officials who supported him and remove known supporters of Trotsky
-he dominated me members of the party
-he built up an image of himself in the media as someone who was especially close to Lenin and was therefore god natural successor
-he cleverly played off his rivals
-he promoted ‘socialism in one country’ which won popular support within the party
what were the weaknesses of Trotsky?
-he was seen as an outsider due to originally being a Menshevik
-he made tactical mistakes allowing himself to be outmanoeuvred by Stalin. such as resigning as commander of the Red army
-Trotsky promoted permanent revolution whereas most Russians wasted socialism in one country
what were the purges?
the purges began in 1932 and became more violent from 1934 leading to the death and imprisonment of millions of soviet people. using the NKVD Stalin purged anyone who held up, criticised or opposed his plans for collectivisation of agriculture and industrialisation.
what were the reasons for the purges?
-threats to Stalins position - Stalin was concerned people were plotting to overthrow and murder him
-Stalin was not totally responsible - got out of hand as people used it as an opportunity to get rid of rivals
-links with economic policies - Stalin was concerned about Hitlers invasion so was convinced he was the only person who could transform Russia into a modern, industrialised country in time
what was the decree against terrorist acts?
in 1934 Stalin increased the power of the renamed NKVD which meant they could attest people without trial and execute them on the spot
where was the name for labour camps?
Gulags, where millions of people were sent to do hard manual work
what were the show trials?
beginning in 1936 people were put on trial in full view of the world and were forced to confess a whole range of improbable crimes, including a plot to kill Lenin.
what were the nicknames enforced by Stalin?
‘Man of steel’
‘shining sun of humanity’
‘universal genius’
how did Stalin change history in the ‘cult of Stalin’?
by removing old Bolsheviks from photos and rewriting the events of the Bolsheviks revolution doctoring out the parts played by the ‘enemy’ such as Trotsky
photos were also edited in order to make Stalin seem closer to Lenin who was still praised
how did Stalin control media?
by eliminating all knowledge of the outside world by closely monitoring culture and the press with stringent control. the main communist newspapers were the Pravda and the Izvestiya. papers linked to communist organisations were heavily censored
why did Stalin control religion?
religious groups posed a threat to the ‘cult of Stalin’ as they owed their allegiance to a different god. stalin closed mosques and no churches were allowed to be built in new towns or cities. over 60000 pieces of worship were closed down
what were key features of the constitution of 1936
-secret ballots
-elections to the soviets every 4 years
-candidates for elections had to be approved by the communist party
-universal suffrage for all over the age of 18
-guaranteed civil liberties
