RUSSIA Secret Police Flashcards
When was the Cheka established?
1917
Who led the Cheka?
Felix Dzerzhinsky
What was the task of the Cheka?
To act against counter-revolution and sabotage
What powers were the Cheka given during the civil war?
Could act with minimal interference from other legal bodies
Why was the Cheka given special powers during the civil war?
So they could quickly deal with actual and perceived enemies
When did the Cheka intensify its attacks against the Socialist Revolutionaries and the Mensheviks?
Red Terror of 1921-22
How many opponents did the Cheka execute during the Red Terror?
200,000
When was the Cheka replaced?
1922
What replaced the Cheka originally?
GPU
What did the GPU quickly become?
OGPU
When was the OGPU merged with an enlarged Interior Ministry?
1934
What replaced the OGPU?
NKVD
What was a significant change that came along with the introduction of the OGPU?
Growing independence of the secret police from interference of other state institutions
Why were arrests often undertaken by the secret police in the middle of the night?
To disorientate the accused
Where were the accused taken to after they had been arrested?
Headquarters of the secret police at the Lubyanka building in Moscow
Who became the head of the secret police in 1934?
Yagoda
What did Yagoda’s time as head of the secret police see?
Rapid expansion of the Gulag
When had the labour camps been expanded under the Gulag?
1930
What changed about the Gulag under Yagoda?
Emphasis changed from ideology to economic considerations
What was one of Yagoda’s greatest achievements?
Completion of the White Sea Canal
How long was the White Sea Canal?
141 miles
How many labourers from the Gulag were used on the White Sea Canal?
180,000
How long did it take to complete the White Sea Canal?
2 years
How many people were killed during the construction of the White Sea Canal?
10,000
How deep was the White Sea Canal?
12 feet
When did Yagoda’s influence increase?
Great Purge- 1936
What was Yagoda’s task during the Great Purge?
Arresting those members of the Party who were alleged to have links with a Trotskyite opposition
Why was Yagoda removed from his post?
Accused of incompetence in safeguarding Kirov and not pursuing the opposition with sufficient enthusiasm
When was Yagoda removed from his post?
1936
When was Yagoda shot under Stalin’s orders?
1938
Who replaced Yagoda?
Yezhov
What had brought Yezhov to Stalin’s attention?
Yezhov’s enthusiasm for personally torturing suspects
What was Yezhov’s nickname?
‘Bloody dwarf’
When did the NKVD indulge in the most excessive phase of the purges?
Under Yezhov’s leadership
What was one of Yezhov’s skills?
Framing the purges in ideological terms by accusing those arrested of political opposition to communism
What was speeded up by Yezhov?
Process of arrest, trial and imprisonment
When did Yezhov issue orders that required camps to meet quotas for the execution of prisoners?
July 1937
What did Yezhov believe about the Gulag?
Underused
How did the number of detectives recruited to the NKVD change under Yezhov’s leadership?
Quadrupled
What did the NKVD increase under Yezhov’s leadership?
Surveillance of the general public
Under whose leadership were members of the NKVD purged?
Yezhov
Under whose leadership did the group of people considered opponents widen to include anyone who didn’t show sufficient commitment to the Revolutionary cause?
Yezhov
When was Yezhov dismissed?
1938
What did Stalin accuse Yezhov of when he dismissed him?
Being responsible for the excesses of the purges
Why did Stalin dismiss Yezhov?
He became concerned that the heavy use of terror was demoralising the population at a time when war with Germany was looming
Who was appointed to replace Yezhov?
Beria
How had Beria undermined Yezhov?
By briefing Stalin with criticisms of Yezhov’s work
What was Beria like?
Energetic; impressive with his organisational skills; unsavoury
What was Yagoda like?
Keen to prove his loyalty to Stalin; ambitious
How was Beria’s appointment viewed by the general population?
With some relief
Why was Beria’s appointment viewed positively?
Presented as an uncle-like figure who would reform the excessive behaviour of the secret police
How did Beria feel about indiscriminate arrests?
Inefficient; waste of manpower
How did surveillance change under Beria?
Continued, but only led to arrests when evidence was found
When did Beria hold public trials?
When solid evidence was available
What was one of Beria’s achievements?
Overseeing the murder of Trotsky, killed by a Stalinist agent in Mexico in 1940
How did Beria feel about the Gulag?
Wanted to make it a profitable part of the Soviet economy
How did Beria try to increase the productivity of inmates in the Gulag?
Improved food rations in 1939
How did Beria make good use of the Gulag prisoners?
Used the technical skills of inmates for specialist tasks; cancelled early releases from the camps
How many scientists in the Gulag did Beria put to work?
1,000
How did the economic activity of the Gulag change under Beria’s leadership?
Grew from 2 billion roubles in 1937 to 4.5 billion roubles in 1940
When did the Gulag become a major contributor to the Soviet economy?
Early 1950s
Which materials were produced mainly through the Gulag?
Gold; timber; coal
How did the approach of WW2 affect the secret police?
Led to a strengthening of their powers
When was the NKVD given some powers of supervision over the Red Army?
1941
How did Yezhov make the judicial process more efficient?
By using three-person Troikas
What did SMERSH deal with?
Suspected spies
What treated all Soviet troops who had surrendered to the Germans during the initial invasion as traitors?
Order 270
What was the NKVD given control over during the war?
Supervision of the Red Army; the process of deportations of those national minorities whose loyalty to the Soviet state was considered suspect
Which national minorities were particularly targeted during the war?
Crimean Tartars; Volga Germans; Chechens
What did Beria do as Stalin’s health began to fail?
Launched a fresh wave of purges to gain Stalin’s favour
What was the target of Beria’s fresh wave of purges?
Leningrad branch of the Party
How many members of the Leningrad branch of the Party were imprisoned or exiled in 1949?
Over 2,000
Which ethnic group did Beria belong to?
Mingrelian
What was Stalin’s deliberate warning to Beria?
Mingrelian Affair of 1951
What was notable about the ‘Doctors’ Plot’?
Most of the accused were Jewish
What was Beria’s power and influence like at the time of Stalin’s death?
Substantial
When was Beria removed from power?
June 1953
Why did Beria’s colleagues move so quickly to attack him after Stalin’s death?
His enormous power
Who led the campaign to remove Beria?
Khrushchev
What did the Politburo do to the secret police after Beria’s death?
Moved quickly to limit its independence
What organisation was the secret police made answerable to after Beria’s death?
KGB
What did Khrushchev do to the Gulag system?
Dismantled it- forced labour never again played a part in the Soviet economy
