Stalin Flashcards
What was the difference between Stalin and Trotsky’s political views?
Trotsky held extreme views whereas Stalin didn’t
What was Stalins role within the party?
General Secretary
When did Lenin appoint Stalin as the general secretary?
1922
What could Stalin do (regarding members of the party) as general secretary?
He could appoint/dismiss them
As general secretary who did Stalin expel from the Party?
Anyone who was likely to support Trotsky
Stalin’s poor upbringing disadvantaged him because…
He wasn’t an inspiration speaker and he wasn’t intellectual
Who was more popular between Stalin and Trotsky?
Trotsky
Who was the leader of the red army?
Trotsky
Trotsky had a privileged upbringing, why was this beneficial for him?
He was an inspirational speaker and had an excellent transition to politics
Why wasn’t Trotsky trusted?
He was seen as a traitor by the older members of the party
What was Trotsky’s aim with communism?
To create a communist network (permanent revolution)
What was Stalins aim for communism called?
‘Socialism in one country’
Why was being general secretary an advantage for Stalin?
He could organise things to best suit him and would prepare the agenda to put his opponents at a disadvantage
How many party officials did Stalin directly appoint?
5,000
What did Party Conferences consist of (before Stalin got to power)?
70% of the PO’s heckles and hissed opponents
When Lenin was bed-ridden after 3 strokes, who did the power pass to?
Politburo
When did power pass to the politburo?
March 1923
Name the members of the politburo
Trotsky, Stalin, Kamenev, Zinoviev, Tomsky, Rykov, Bukharin
What was the alliance called between Stalin, Zinoviev and Kamenev?
The Troika
In October 1923 what did Trotsky claim?
That the NEP was causing the economy to stagnate
Who was a loyal member of the communist party for 20 years? Trotsky or Stalin?
Stalin
How many leading members of the party supported Trotsky’s attack on the NEP?
46
When did the Politburo turn on Trotsky and his 46 leading supporters?
January 1924 - the 13th party conference
What date did Lenin die?
21st January 1924
What did the Politburo organise after Lenin’s death which involved the enrolment of new members?
Lenin Levy
How many members were enrolled in the Lenin levy?
Hundreds of thousands
In order to gain the support of those enrolled in the Lenin levy, what did Stalin do?
He wrote a book summarising Lenin’s key ideas
What date was Lenin’s funeral?
27th January 1924
Why wasn’t Trotsky at Lenin’s funeral?
Stalin told him the funeral would be the day after his death so he wouldn’t get back from the Crimea in time (he was recovering from malaria at the time)
What did the OGPU do during the 1920s communist rule?
They arrested any opponents of the government
What was the name for the labour camps set up by the government?
Gulag
What was agitprop and when was it set up?
It was a combination of agitation and propaganda within the media - set up in 1920
When did Trotsky try to force the politburo to consider Lenin’s testament?
May 1924
What did Lenin’s testament say?
That he hated Stalin and wanted him to be removed from his position
Who supported Stalin against Lenin’s testament?
Zinoviev and Kamenev
When was Trotsky forced to resign as commissar for war?
1925
When was Trotsky expelled from the Politburo?
1926
When was Trotsky taken by the OGPU to Gulag?
1928
When was Trotsky exiled?
1929
What year was Trotsky assassinated?
1940
When and why did Zinoviev and Kamenev turn on Stalin?
Between 1925-‘28 they accused him of trying to become sole ruler and attacking the NEP
What the alliance called between Zinoviev, Kamenev and Trotsky?
United Opposition
At which party conference and in which year were Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev expelled from the party?
The 15th Party Conference in 1927
How many supporters were expelled at the 15th party conference?
1500 supported of Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev
Why were Bukharin, Rykov and Tomsky demoted, and when?
Because they opposed collectivisation
November 1929 at the 16th Party Conference
What are the main points of a totalitarian state?
Censorship One leader No freedom of speech No religion One way of thinking
What were the 5 main ways that Stalin consolidated his power?
Show trials Labour camps Great purges NKVD Constitution
When was Kirov executed and why?
Shot in 1934 for putting his views forward of slowing industrialisation
When and why was Bukharin killed?
Killed at the 3rd show trial in 1938 because he created the NEP under Lenin and knew too much about the ‘old days’
When and why was Rykov executed?
At the 3rd show trial in 1938 because he was a right winged member who supported the NEP
When and why was Yagoda shot?
At the 3rd show trial in 1938 because he was right wing and posed too much of a threat
Why were Zinoviev and Kamenev executed?
For organising the death of Kirov and plotting to assassinate Stalin
When and why was Smirnov executed?
In 1936 for Lenin’s murder
Who carried out the great purges?
NKVD
What began the great purges?
The murder of Kirov in 1934
Who did the purges start with and who did this develop to?
Started with the communist party, then the army, NKVD and ordinary people
When did Stalin create a new constitution?
1936
What was the constitution at face value?
It looked as though rights had been introduced to Russian people
How did the new constitution strengthen Stalin’s rule?
Because elections only existed among the communists
What did the new constituents mean for decision making?
That it was centralised
Why did the supreme soviet have no power?
Because they could only enact what the communists had already decided
Who were the NKVD?
They were Stalin’s secret police
What was the nickname of the NKVD and why was it this?
‘Ravens’ because they drove black cars
What was it that people feared from the NKVD?
‘The knock at the door’