Russia paper 3 content (Up to GP war)

Question 1

What position did Stalin hold in the Communist Party since 1922?

Answer 1

He served as general secretary of the party.

Question 2

What was the Lenin Enrolment (1923-1925)?

Answer 2

It aimed to increase party membership, doubling it from 500,000 to 1,000,000.

Question 3

Who were the new members recruited during the Lenin Enrolment?

Answer 3

Many were young, rural, and poorly educated men who often followed local leaders.

Question 4

What was the ban on factions (1921)?

Answer 4

It was a ban enforced by Lenin that could result in expulsion from the party.

Question 5

How did Stalin use the ban on factions against his opponents?

Answer 5

He expelled Trotsky, Kamanev, and Zinoviev in 1927 using this ban.

Question 6

What was Trotsky’s perceived weakness in the party?

Answer 6

His failure to attend Lenin’s funeral in January 1924 damaged his reputation.

Question 7

What was Trotsky’s previous political affiliation before joining the Bolsheviks?

Answer 7

He was previously a Menshevik.

Question 8

What was Trotsky’s stance on the party’s bureaucracy?

Answer 8

He openly criticized it during the Thirteenth Party Congress in 1924.

Question 9

What was Stalin’s notable policy that contrasted with Trotsky’s ideas?

Answer 9

Stalin introduced ‘Socialism in one country’ as opposed to Trotsky’s ‘Permanent revolution’.

Question 10

What was the impact of collectivisation on the peasant population?

Answer 10

By 1933, 70% of the population was collectivised, and by 1936, it was 90%.

Question 11

What was a significant human cost of collectivisation?

Answer 11

3.5-7 million people died in Ukraine due to famine caused by collectivisation.

Question 12

What was the main goal of Stalin’s Five-Year Plans?

Answer 12

To rapidly industrialise the USSR and catch up to Western rivals.

Question 13

What was a major failure of the Five-Year Plans?

Answer 13

Unrealistic targets led to competition and bribery among factories, making production statistics unreliable.

Question 14

What was the Yezhovshchina?

Answer 14

A period between 1937-38 marked by mass purges as Stalin believed traitors had infiltrated the party.

Question 15

What was NKVD order 00447?

Answer 15

An order issued by Stalin to expel any opposition, resulting in the arrests of 250,000 people.

Question 16

What was the role of propaganda in Stalin’s maintenance of power?

Answer 16

It gained popular support for the Five-Year Plans and collectivisation, especially through film and posters.

Question 17

What was the significance of Stalin’s cult of personality?

Answer 17

By 1938, he was portrayed as a god-like figure, reinforcing his leadership and control.

Question 18

What event triggered the purges under Stalin?

Answer 18

The death of Sergei Kirov, who was seen as a significant opposition figure.

Question 19

What happened to Zinoviev and Kamanev during the purges?

Answer 19

They were put on show trial and executed, creating a climate of fear within the party.

Question 20

What happened to those put on trial during the purges?

Answer 20

They confessed to their crimes and were executed.

Question 21

What was the purpose of the purges in 1937-1938?

Answer 21

To consolidate Stalin’s power and gain the obedience of the people.

Question 22

What did NKVD order 00447 entail?

Answer 22

It was issued by Stalin to expel any that opposed the party, resulting in the arrests of 250,000 people in the USSR.

Question 23

Who were some of the individuals arrested during the purges?

Answer 23

The arrests included scientists, teachers, and writers.

Question 24

What was a common reason for arrests during the purges?

Answer 24

Arrests were often based on arbitrary reasons with no real justification needed.

Question 25

What happened to victims of the NKVD interrogations?

Answer 25

Victims were forced to admit their opposition to Stalin and often had to give up their peers.

Question 26

What were the consequences for many Soviet citizens during the purges?

Answer 26

Many died due to torture, in gulags, on the way to gulags, or were executed.

Question 27

What was the impact of forced labor during the purges?

Answer 27

Forced labor was used on projects such as the White Sea Canal, where an estimated 25,000 died.

Question 28

What was the status of terror after 1938?

Answer 28

Stalin called an end to the terror in 1938, but it continued at a reduced capacity until his death.

Question 29

How many people were estimated to be arrested and sent to gulags during Stalin’s reign?

Answer 29

Conquest estimates that 7-8 million were arrested and another 7-8 million were sent to gulags.

Question 30

What was the impact of the purges on the armed forces?

Answer 30

35,000 officers were arrested, leading to a loss of trained leaders during a time of rapid expansion.

Question 31

How did the purges affect military decision-making during the Great Patriotic War?

Answer 31

Commanders waited passively for orders, which often arrived too late to make a positive difference.

Question 32

What was the effect of rigid conformity in military tactics?

Answer 32

It led to frontal assaults that incurred enormous losses of men and equipment.

Question 33

How did the purges affect foreign perceptions of the Red Army?

Answer 33

They led foreign governments, especially the Germans, to believe that the Red Army was weakened.

Question 34

What was the impact of the purges on the military-industrial complex?

Answer 34

The purges meant that production was not maximized, leading to poor quality and fewer tanks and aircraft.

Question 35

What was the political impact of the Great Patriotic War on Stalin’s leadership?

Answer 35

The war helped Stalin consolidate his leadership and instill fear in the public.

Question 36

What were orders 270 and 227 during the Great Patriotic War?

Answer 36

These orders stated that soldiers guilty of cowardice could be sent to punishment companies.

Question 37

What was the fate of soldiers who surrendered or retreated?

Answer 37

They were labeled as traitors or deserters and could be shot or sent to punishment camps.

Question 38

How many men served in punishment camps during the war?

Answer 38

Over 430,000 men served in punishment camps.

Question 39

What was the significance of ethnic cleansing during the war?

Answer 39

It helped Stalin consolidate power by relocating minority groups that posed a threat.

Question 40

What was the impact of Stalin’s censorship during the war?

Answer 40

All media was censored for ideological mistakes, and defeatist talk could lead to imprisonment.

Question 41

What economic changes occurred in the USSR due to the Great Patriotic War?

Answer 41

The USSR shifted industry from the West to the East, moving 1523 factories by 1941.

Question 42

What was the impact of Operation Barbarossa on Soviet industry?

Answer 42

The USSR lost 85% of prewar industry and 50% of steel production to the Germans.

Question 43

How did the production of the T-34 tank change during the war?

Answer 43

Its production time dropped from 8000 hours in 1941 to 3700 by 1943.

Question 44

What were the devastating impacts of the war on the Soviet economy?

Answer 44

An estimated 27 million Soviets died, and 1700 towns and 70,000 villages were destroyed.

Question 45

What was the effect of the Scorched Earth Policy announced by Stalin?

Answer 45

It further reduced economic capacity by destroying agriculture and industry.

Question 46

What was the consequence of the destruction caused by the war?

Answer 46

25 million were left homeless, and infrastructure needed to be rebuilt after the war.