Stalin Flashcards
1
Q
What was the difference between Stalin and Trotsky’s political views?
A
Trotsky held extreme views whereas Stalin didn’t
2
Q
What was Stalins role within the party?
A
General Secretary
3
Q
When did Lenin appoint Stalin as the general secretary?
A
1922
4
Q
What could Stalin do (regarding members of the party) as general secretary?
A
He could appoint/dismiss them
5
Q
As general secretary who did Stalin expel from the Party?
A
Anyone who was likely to support Trotsky
6
Q
Stalin’s poor upbringing disadvantaged him because…
A
He wasn’t an inspiration speaker and he wasn’t intellectual
7
Q
Who was more popular between Stalin and Trotsky?
A
Trotsky
8
Q
Who was the leader of the red army?
A
Trotsky
9
Q
Trotsky had a privileged upbringing, why was this beneficial for him?
A
He was an inspirational speaker and had an excellent transition to politics
10
Q
Why wasn’t Trotsky trusted?
A
He was seen as a traitor by the older members of the party
11
Q
What was Trotsky’s aim with communism?
A
To create a communist network (permanent revolution)
12
Q
What was Stalins aim for communism called?
A
‘Socialism in one country’
13
Q
Why was being general secretary an advantage for Stalin?
A
He could organise things to best suit him and would prepare the agenda to put his opponents at a disadvantage
14
Q
How many party officials did Stalin directly appoint?
A
5,000
15
Q
What did Party Conferences consist of (before Stalin got to power)?
A
70% of the PO’s heckles and hissed opponents
16
Q
When Lenin was bed-ridden after 3 strokes, who did the power pass to?
A
Politburo
17
Q
When did power pass to the politburo?
A
March 1923
18
Q
Name the members of the politburo
A
Trotsky, Stalin, Kamenev, Zinoviev, Tomsky, Rykov, Bukharin
19
Q
What was the alliance called between Stalin, Zinoviev and Kamenev?
A
The Troika
20
Q
In October 1923 what did Trotsky claim?
A
That the NEP was causing the economy to stagnate
21
Q
Who was a loyal member of the communist party for 20 years? Trotsky or Stalin?
A
Stalin
22
Q
How many leading members of the party supported Trotsky’s attack on the NEP?
A
46
23
Q
When did the Politburo turn on Trotsky and his 46 leading supporters?
A
January 1924 - the 13th party conference
24
Q
What date did Lenin die?
A
21st January 1924
25
What did the Politburo organise after Lenin's death which involved the enrolment of new members?
Lenin Levy
26
How many members were enrolled in the Lenin levy?
Hundreds of thousands
27
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
28
What date was Lenin's funeral?
27th January 1924
29
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)
30
What did the OGPU do during the 1920s communist rule?
They arrested any opponents of the government
31
What was the name for the labour camps set up by the government?
Gulag
32
What was agitprop and when was it set up?
It was a combination of agitation and propaganda within the media - set up in 1920
33
When did Trotsky try to force the politburo to consider Lenin's testament?
May 1924
34
What did Lenin's testament say?
That he hated Stalin and wanted him to be removed from his position
35
Who supported Stalin against Lenin's testament?
Zinoviev and Kamenev
36
When was Trotsky forced to resign as commissar for war?
1925
37
When was Trotsky expelled from the Politburo?
1926
38
When was Trotsky taken by the OGPU to Gulag?
1928
39
When was Trotsky exiled?
1929
40
What year was Trotsky assassinated?
1940
41
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
42
What the alliance called between Zinoviev, Kamenev and Trotsky?
United Opposition
43
At which party conference and in which year were Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev expelled from the party?
The 15th Party Conference in 1927
44
How many supporters were expelled at the 15th party conference?
1500 supported of Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev
45
Why were Bukharin, Rykov and Tomsky demoted, and when?
Because they opposed collectivisation
| November 1929 at the 16th Party Conference
46
What are the main points of a totalitarian state?
```
Censorship
One leader
No freedom of speech
No religion
One way of thinking
```
47
What were the 5 main ways that Stalin consolidated his power?
```
Show trials
Labour camps
Great purges
NKVD
Constitution
```
48
When was Kirov executed and why?
Shot in 1934 for putting his views forward of slowing industrialisation
49
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'
50
When and why was Rykov executed?
At the 3rd show trial in 1938 because he was a right winged member who supported the NEP
51
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
52
Why were Zinoviev and Kamenev executed?
For organising the death of Kirov and plotting to assassinate Stalin
53
When and why was Smirnov executed?
In 1936 for Lenin's murder
54
Who carried out the great purges?
NKVD
55
What began the great purges?
The murder of Kirov in 1934
56
Who did the purges start with and who did this develop to?
Started with the communist party, then the army, NKVD and ordinary people
57
When did Stalin create a new constitution?
1936
58
What was the constitution at face value?
It looked as though rights had been introduced to Russian people
59
How did the new constitution strengthen Stalin's rule?
Because elections only existed among the communists
60
What did the new constituents mean for decision making?
That it was centralised
61
Why did the supreme soviet have no power?
Because they could only enact what the communists had already decided
62
Who were the NKVD?
They were Stalin's secret police
63
What was the nickname of the NKVD and why was it this?
'Ravens' because they drove black cars
64
What was it that people feared from the NKVD?
'The knock at the door'
65
Who was the head of the NKVD and what happened to him?
Yagoda - he was seen as a threat and was shot in 1938
66
Where did people go who weren't executed?
They were sent to labour camps in the 1930s
67
Where did labour camps exist?
In remote areas of Russia such as Siberia
68
How were women treated at labour camps?
They were often raped
69
What were the working hours like in the labour camps?
People worked for 18 hours
70
What fraction of the party were shot/expelled during the purges?
1/5
71
How many delegates were at the 17th Party Conference?
1961
72
How many of the delegates at the 17th party conference were shot by the end of the 1930s?
1108
73
What was the name of the general who was killed in 1937 and why was he killed?
General Tukhachevsky because he was a general in the 'white' army
74
How many were in the general committee and how many of them were shot as a result of the purges?
Out of 139 members, 90 were shot
75
What percentage of soviet generals were purged?
90%
76
What was the state of the army by the time the USSR entered WW2?
It was in chaos
77
What did Stalin do in the 1930s to begin his control of media?
He began a massive campaign of propaganda
78
What was the organisation that was set up that all writers had to be a part of?
Union of Soviet writers
79
Before publication who had to check all the writing?
Government
80
What were artists forced to produce?
Soviet glorifying work
81
What was soviet glorifying work called?
Socialist realism
82
What was work called that deviated from 'socialist realism'?
Bourgeois - it wasn't published
83
What would happen if your interpretations were too extreme within your work?
You would be sent to the gulag
84
What did many artists do as a result of the restrictions on their art?
Left the USSR or committed suicide
85
When did increasing attacks in the church occur?
1930s
86
What did Stalin become known as (in regards to Worship)?
'The great leader'
87
What groups were resistant to Stalin and what happened to them?
Religious groups and they were sent to labour camps
88
How many churches were closed down?
40,000
89
How many Mosques were closed down?
25,000
90
What were places of worship converted into?
Clubs and cinemas
91
What did the 'league of militant atheists' do?
Deterred people from religion
92
How many members were in the 'Cult of Stalin'?
5.5 million
93
What did the 'League of Godless' do?
They destroyed churches
94
Speaking religion became what?
A crime
95
Under Lenin, what was education like?
It was relaxed
96
What happened regarding education when Stalin came to power, in comparison to how it was when Russia was under Lenin's rule?
Stalin reversed all of Lenin's changes
97
What happened to progressive ideas that had been taught during the 20s?
They were dismissed
98
What was introduced into education by Stalin?
Exams and strict discipline
99
Why were standard textbooks used?
So that everyone learnt the same thing
100
What did Stalin do regarding history?
He rewrote it and underplayed the parts of old Bolsheviks
101
Was school paid for?
No however the last 3 years of education had to be paid for
102
What was the role of political youth groups?
To train socialist ideas
103
Name the 3 political youth groups
8-10 Octobrists
10-16 Pioneers
19+ Komsomol
104
When did the agricultural plan called 'collectivisation' begin and what was the main idea?
May 1929 and it was to transform small strips of land into large farms in order to industrialise agriculture
105
What was a collective farm called?
Kolkhoz
106
What did these collectives mean?
That machinery could be used which would result in more food being made
107
What was the plan for by 1933 for the percentage of land that was collective?
It was planned that 20% of land would be collective
108
By ww2 how many peasants were in a kolkhoz?
90%
109
By when was 99% of land collectivised?
World war 2
110
What did Stalin link collectivisation to?
A socialist policy
111
What was the socialist policy that Stalin linked collectivisation to?
He identified the Kulaks (rich peasants) as greedy capitalists who's land he was sharing among the poor
112
Why did peasants destroy their crops?
As a form of resistance to collectivisation
113
From 1929-31 how much did the cattle number fall by?
From 67 million to 48 million
114
How much did the sheep/goat number fall by between 1929-31?
147 million to 78 million
115
Who did Stalin declare war on and what happened to them after this?
The kulaks who were then 'liquidated' and sent to labour camp
116
By which year was near all farmland collective?
1937
117
How much did grain fall between 1930-1938
From 84million to 68million
118
What did the fall in grain cause? (Due to collectivisation)
Famine
119
How many people died in the famine of 1932-33
Millions
120
How many kulaks were executed/deported?
5 million
121
How many peasants died due to collectivisation?
13 million
122
How many left agriculture and moved to towns and cities?
17 million
123
What were the benefits of collectivisation?
Modern machinery introduced; more food; no starvation; supported communist ideals; easier to get grain; more organised; everyone was united in communist ideals
124
What were the drawbacks of collectivisation?
Peasants had to give up land to share; everything was rationed; loss of independence; everyone did the same work but didn't receive the same amount of food
125
Name the 4 ways Stalin industrialised Russia?
Use of specialists and single managers
Building projects
Five year plans
Fear and terror
126
How did Stalin believe that industrialisation would happen?
Through state planning
127
What were the gosplan
The government planning agency
128
What did the gosplan do?
They created production targets over 5 year periods
129
When did the first plan take place?
From 1927-1933
130
What did the first plan focus on?
Heavy industry (coal, iron, electricity)
131
How much was coal and iron output increased? (In the first plan)
It doubled
132
How much did electricity output increase by? (In the first plan)
It trebled
133
How many mo industrial plants were built during the first plan?
1,500
134
When was the second plan to and from?
1932-1937
135
What did the second plan prioritise?
Heavy industry and also communications (such as railways)
136
Which industry grew enormously during the second plan?
Chemical
137
When was plan three?
It began in 1937 but got interrupted by the war
138
What did the third plan focus on?
Rearmament
139
How much coal was being produced in 1927?
35
140
How much coal was being produced in 1932 and what was the target?
64 was being produced
| The target was 75
141
How much coal was produced in 1937 and what was the target?
128 was being produced
| 152 was the target
142
How did the use of fear and terror affect the quality of work?
Many mistakes were made
143
Who did Stalin blame for mistakes within industry?
He blamed individuals whom he called 'wreckers' and 'saboteurs'
144
What happened to those who were blamed for mistakes within industry?
They were sent to the gulag
145
What were the 3 things that people could be blamed for? (Within industry)
Mistakes
Failure to reach targets
Messing with machinery
146
What did people do to avoid being sent to the gulag? (Within industry)
They covered up mistakes and inflated output
147
What kind of production was common in order to meet production targets?
Cheat production
148
Who was intimidated and by whom in order to make sure they worked hard enough?
Workers by their managers
149
What did Stalin use from other nations and apply to the USSR?
He used the expertise of other nations
150
Where did he bring specialists in from?
The UK and USA
151
What were the American and British specialists used to do?
To oversee projects
152
Who was power passed to under Lenin and how did Stalin change this?
To the workers
| Stalin dissolved workers councils so they had no more power
153
Why did Stalin believe that managers were better?
He believed it was more efficient
154
What could managers be rewarded with if they performed well?
A large house and a car
155
What would happen to managers if they didn't reach targets?
They would lose their position
156
When did building projects begin?
In the late 1920s
157
What was the aim of these building projects?
To showcase Stalins leadership
To modernise the USSR
To show superiority over capitalist powers
158
What is the name of the dam which was a notable achievement?
The Dnieper river dam
159
Name two canals that were a success in the building projects?
Belamar canal and the Moscow Volga canal
160
What was the purpose of the Belamar canal and the Moscow-Volga canal?
To join rivers to make transport of goods more efficient
161
Name the underground train network that was completed during industrialisation
The Moscow metro
162
When was the Moscow metro completed by?
The 1930s
