Soviet terror Flashcards
How did Stalin react to initial reports of the impending German invasion
Stalin didn’t believe them
How much red Army units were destroyed at the beginning of World War I
319 red Army units destroyed
What does Stalin do at the beginning of war where did he flee
He fled Moscow and went back to his hometown
What did the politburo do when Stalin left
They pleaded him to come back since they all depended on his leadership
How much speeches darling make during the war
Nine
How did the speeches darling Madier in the war motivate the people
Addressing the people of citizens “comrades friends “ never have Stalin ever said this. converged with the public to create unity and encourage patriotism.
Patriotic duty through gunfire
Who was supreme military commander
Stalin
What was Stalin’s fault- his tactics during the war
He launched counter-attacks against the Germans rather than organising tactical withdrawals which would’ve benefited the red Army
Survival
Through Stalin’s failed offensive attack how much men died
6 million men have been lost from the red Army
How did Stalin unwillingness To listen impact the German invasion
The Germans advanced 
What was the crucial difference between Stalin and Hitler
Stalin learnt from his mistakes from 1942 onwards he listen to his generals
Which generals darling listen to
Zhukov
How did zhkov prove to stalin ? 
Planned a successful counter-attack at Stalingrad. It was able to convince stalin The importance to promote those with ability rather than loyalty
What was established in 1941 two main bodies
GKO and Stavka 
What was the GKO
It was used to replace the politburo on the Central committee to coordinate War effort
What was the stavka
High command of armed forces
When was the height of Stalin’s power reached during the war
Through the establishment of the GKO and Stavka
Stalin’s power was unchallengeable
What was order 227
The NKVD brutally insured loyalty and commitment of both the Armed Forces order 227
NKVD officers would operate behind the front lines and shoot deserters and those who are retreated
Order 270
Stated that anyone who surrendered their enemy was considered a traitor and face the death penalty
How did propaganda play a central role during the war
The cult personality was by the promoted to boost peoples confidence darling have a great one leader who would lead them to victory
Effects of winning the war
Stalin regarded a superhero through propaganda through posters poets etc
Also an increase relation with the Communist Party and the military has 2.5 million members were from the armed forces this was significant
Opposition during the war there was barely any
Cossacks provided 250,000 men to the Germans mostly among national minorities prisoners are deserters
The Cheka under lenin
In December 1917 the check was created its job is to find and destroy any opposition
Who was the Cheka led by
Felix dzerzinsky 
How was the checka ruthless
He was ruthless in pursuing perceived enemies of the Bolsheviks each region of Russia soon had its own branch across the country thousands were arrested
When did the checka expand
When Lenin disbanded the constituent assembly in January 1918 the Cheka along with the red army
crush any protesters during the Civil War 
the checka grow in size and influence unleashing a period of height of violence and repression called the red T
Figure of deaths for the Cheka between 1918 to 20
13,000 with some suggestions of a real figure is closer to 300,000
Increasing opposition to the regime during Lenin from workers
Wanting Soviet elections free press the restoration of a constituent assembly and the overthrow of the Sovnakom 
Left-wing socialist revolutionaries under the red terror
Protesting about the treaty of Brest litov. They captured the head of the Cheka. In August there was an assassination attempt on Lenin who shot in the neck and badly wounded
Increase of support for other socialist parties during the red terror
Social revolutionaries and Mensheviks both enjoyed a growth of support
Cheka and the middle class
The checka
Encouraged class warfare threatening to wipe out the middle class
I was terra use during lenin 
Was to frighten all the social groups into cooperation with the regime
Who are the victims of the checka
Large numbers of workers and peasants as well as princes, priests ,prostitutes ,judges , merchants and even children- Who are found guilty of bourgeois provocation or counterrevolutionary activities
Lenin apologiest for the use of terror
He was faced with enormous political and economic challenges during the Civil War and that the use of terror was a necessary response to the crisis
for example Lenin cannot be accused of personal cruelty the main argument for the terror was to protect the working class
Once the crisis has passed lenin defenders argued that he disbanded the checka in February 1922
Critics of Lenin and the use of terror
Did you accept that the red terror was a temporary policy Born out of desperate circumstances
and although the checka was disbanded in 1922 it was immediately replaced by the GPU
Stalin and the early purges:What happened when Stalin launched his policies of rapid industrialisation and collectivisation
In 1928 those who opposed fell foul of the secret police and the red Army
How did collectivisation meet with resistance from thousands of peasants
Thousands were shot millions were arrested and taken to labour comes out the new industrial towns and cities to work as force labour in some extreme case of the Sobi airport was called the bum remote villages which refused to collectivise
Examples of peasant resistance during collectivisation process
Very damaging to the Soviet agriculture with millions of animals being slaughtered and less grain being harvested however by 1934 this resistance had been crushed by the repetitive reactions of the Soviet regime
I was the last of it opposition to the five-year plans
The implementation of the policy was accompanied by an increase in the level of terror anyone who tried to disrupt the new policy
How was Terror used to motivate managers
To meet quotas
to meet the demanding targets out by the Gosplan
Early show trials: skakhty show trial
In 1928
53 engineers from the coal mine in the caucas region were put on trial accused of counterrevolutionary activity as there had been a drop in production at the mine
shakhty show trial what happend to them
The cues repeated confessions which had been forced out of them five are executed and 44 were in prison
1930 industrial party
This trial it was alleged that a well organised group with members in top industrial and planning posts
and that the pair of foreign enemies of the Soviet Union was sabotaging the first five-year plan
Menshevik trial
Leading figures in the earlier drawing up of the first five-year plan on the prosecution of directors now found themselves on trial because of their Menshevik background
DA GUGLAGZ
In 1929 the prisoners of the USSR were full but more and more people are being arrested and sentenced to prison
which had first been developed by Lenin hundreds of new labour camps were built in remote areas of the USSR especially Siberia 
exploit the natural resources such as diamonds gold
By 1934 million prisoners
Kirov and the great purge
murder of Kirov leads on to the great purge
Jan - feb 17th party conference
Kirov is the star - 1934
Who is kirov murdered by
Leonid 
What happened to the NKVD after they failed to protect Kirov
Received a light sentence
January 1935
zinoviev and kamanev arrested with 17 other
1936 purge
11,000 arrests and 250,000 expulsions of the party members
1936 z and K show trial
And 14 others
NKVD swap- yogoda to…
Yezhov
1938 yagoda…
Pleads guilty to letting leonid getting to kirov
Theory A- acting alone?
Appear to be acting alone had both motive and opportunity to carry the murder
Stalin orders the murder?
Had a number of motives:
Kirov spoke out against the force used against the peasants
KIrov was becoming more popular within the party - stalin became concerned
The show trial of kamenev and zionev
Both confessed to being involved in Trotskyite plot to overthrow Stalin in the murder of Kirov they were both shot after the trial
show trial of bukarin, yagoda 1938
bukrain confessed in Plots against Stalin and was shot
Yo gods was arrested in 1936 and after torture he confessed to being a German spy murdering Kirov and murdering predecessor of nkvd, his family was also shot 
Stalin’s motive for show trials
1936 to 38
Stalin believed in the show trials and wanted an escalation in the level of state terror in order to consolidate his political control
How was yezhov able to undermine yagoda
Cultivating relationships with Stalin and the party members initionally
Yezhovchina
Oversaw the most bloodthirsty period
nickmaamed the poisoned dwarf 
Admitted that the wave of terror about to unleashed would result in many innocent victims.
July 1937 yezhov arrests
Draw an arrest list of 250,000 of anti-Soviet elements
Including scientist writers musicians and implemented the quoter system whereby each region had to arrest a certain number of enemies of the people either shot or labour camps
Purge of the Red army
tuckachevsky
Heroes of the civil war and deputy, softy faces tried alongside many other top militarily leaders -35,00 imprisoned or executed

Consequence of the purges of red army
Dramatically reduce the effectiveness of the armed forces the demise of tukachevsky Left a number of incompetent leaders whose knowledge of military tactics with limited and outdated
for example heavy emphasis was effectiveness of cavalry on the battlefield this is nonsense in opposition to the massive tank attack against the Nazis
The purge of the communist party
Continually post in the 1930s for example at the ryutin affair then after the murder of Kirov
The peak came in 1938 when he was estimated that a fifth of the Communist Party expelled and thousands shot
Old Bolsheviks
We are people who have joined the party before 1924 and could therefore remember a time when Stalin was not the all powerful dictator thousands by arrested and executed particularly at the show trials of Z and K 
Delegates to the 1934 party congress
Delegates who had attended the 1934 party Congress were in danger and most had been arrested
Party leadership- purge of the communist party
The terror concentrated the mind of a leading communists that the loyalty to stay in power was the best policy for staying in power
The size of party after the purges
At 2.5 million in 19 35‘ x 19 39 had fallen approximately 1.5 million as a result of arrests and exec
InCreasing centralisation under the page of the Communist party
Stalin and the politburo were very concerned that amount of resistance to the policies of industrialisation and collectivisation among regional party officials, terror
Was to bring much closer central control of a regional organisation
