Stalin Flashcards

1
Q

What was the difference between Stalin and Trotsky’s political views?

A

Trotsky held extreme views whereas Stalin didn’t

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2
Q

What was Stalins role within the party?

A

General Secretary

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3
Q

When did Lenin appoint Stalin as the general secretary?

A

1922

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4
Q

What could Stalin do (regarding members of the party) as general secretary?

A

He could appoint/dismiss them

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5
Q

As general secretary who did Stalin expel from the Party?

A

Anyone who was likely to support Trotsky

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6
Q

Stalin’s poor upbringing disadvantaged him because…

A

He wasn’t an inspiration speaker and he wasn’t intellectual

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7
Q

Who was more popular between Stalin and Trotsky?

A

Trotsky

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8
Q

Who was the leader of the red army?

A

Trotsky

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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

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10
Q

Why wasn’t Trotsky trusted?

A

He was seen as a traitor by the older members of the party

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11
Q

What was Trotsky’s aim with communism?

A

To create a communist network (permanent revolution)

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12
Q

What was Stalins aim for communism called?

A

‘Socialism in one country’

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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

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14
Q

How many party officials did Stalin directly appoint?

A

5,000

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15
Q

What did Party Conferences consist of (before Stalin got to power)?

A

70% of the PO’s heckles and hissed opponents

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16
Q

When Lenin was bed-ridden after 3 strokes, who did the power pass to?

A

Politburo

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17
Q

When did power pass to the politburo?

A

March 1923

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18
Q

Name the members of the politburo

A

Trotsky, Stalin, Kamenev, Zinoviev, Tomsky, Rykov, Bukharin

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19
Q

What was the alliance called between Stalin, Zinoviev and Kamenev?

A

The Troika

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20
Q

In October 1923 what did Trotsky claim?

A

That the NEP was causing the economy to stagnate

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21
Q

Who was a loyal member of the communist party for 20 years? Trotsky or Stalin?

A

Stalin

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22
Q

How many leading members of the party supported Trotsky’s attack on the NEP?

A

46

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23
Q

When did the Politburo turn on Trotsky and his 46 leading supporters?

A

January 1924 - the 13th party conference

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24
Q

What date did Lenin die?

A

21st January 1924

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25
Q

What did the Politburo organise after Lenin’s death which involved the enrolment of new members?

A

Lenin Levy

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26
Q

How many members were enrolled in the Lenin levy?

A

Hundreds of thousands

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27
Q

In order to gain the support of those enrolled in the Lenin levy, what did Stalin do?

A

He wrote a book summarising Lenin’s key ideas

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28
Q

What date was Lenin’s funeral?

A

27th January 1924

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29
Q

Why wasn’t Trotsky at Lenin’s funeral?

A

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)

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30
Q

What did the OGPU do during the 1920s communist rule?

A

They arrested any opponents of the government

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31
Q

What was the name for the labour camps set up by the government?

A

Gulag

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32
Q

What was agitprop and when was it set up?

A

It was a combination of agitation and propaganda within the media - set up in 1920

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33
Q

When did Trotsky try to force the politburo to consider Lenin’s testament?

A

May 1924

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34
Q

What did Lenin’s testament say?

A

That he hated Stalin and wanted him to be removed from his position

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35
Q

Who supported Stalin against Lenin’s testament?

A

Zinoviev and Kamenev

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36
Q

When was Trotsky forced to resign as commissar for war?

A

1925

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37
Q

When was Trotsky expelled from the Politburo?

A

1926

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38
Q

When was Trotsky taken by the OGPU to Gulag?

A

1928

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39
Q

When was Trotsky exiled?

A

1929

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40
Q

What year was Trotsky assassinated?

A

1940

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41
Q

When and why did Zinoviev and Kamenev turn on Stalin?

A

Between 1925-‘28 they accused him of trying to become sole ruler and attacking the NEP

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42
Q

What the alliance called between Zinoviev, Kamenev and Trotsky?

A

United Opposition

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43
Q

At which party conference and in which year were Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev expelled from the party?

A

The 15th Party Conference in 1927

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44
Q

How many supporters were expelled at the 15th party conference?

A

1500 supported of Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev

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45
Q

Why were Bukharin, Rykov and Tomsky demoted, and when?

A

Because they opposed collectivisation

November 1929 at the 16th Party Conference

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46
Q

What are the main points of a totalitarian state?

A
Censorship
One leader
No freedom of speech
No religion 
One way of thinking
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47
Q

What were the 5 main ways that Stalin consolidated his power?

A
Show trials
Labour camps
Great purges
NKVD
Constitution
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48
Q

When was Kirov executed and why?

A

Shot in 1934 for putting his views forward of slowing industrialisation

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49
Q

When and why was Bukharin killed?

A

Killed at the 3rd show trial in 1938 because he created the NEP under Lenin and knew too much about the ‘old days’

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50
Q

When and why was Rykov executed?

A

At the 3rd show trial in 1938 because he was a right winged member who supported the NEP

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51
Q

When and why was Yagoda shot?

A

At the 3rd show trial in 1938 because he was right wing and posed too much of a threat

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52
Q

Why were Zinoviev and Kamenev executed?

A

For organising the death of Kirov and plotting to assassinate Stalin

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53
Q

When and why was Smirnov executed?

A

In 1936 for Lenin’s murder

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54
Q

Who carried out the great purges?

A

NKVD

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55
Q

What began the great purges?

A

The murder of Kirov in 1934

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56
Q

Who did the purges start with and who did this develop to?

A

Started with the communist party, then the army, NKVD and ordinary people

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57
Q

When did Stalin create a new constitution?

A

1936

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58
Q

What was the constitution at face value?

A

It looked as though rights had been introduced to Russian people

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59
Q

How did the new constitution strengthen Stalin’s rule?

A

Because elections only existed among the communists

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60
Q

What did the new constituents mean for decision making?

A

That it was centralised

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61
Q

Why did the supreme soviet have no power?

A

Because they could only enact what the communists had already decided

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62
Q

Who were the NKVD?

A

They were Stalin’s secret police

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63
Q

What was the nickname of the NKVD and why was it this?

A

‘Ravens’ because they drove black cars

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64
Q

What was it that people feared from the NKVD?

A

‘The knock at the door’

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65
Q

Who was the head of the NKVD and what happened to him?

A

Yagoda - he was seen as a threat and was shot in 1938

66
Q

Where did people go who weren’t executed?

A

They were sent to labour camps in the 1930s

67
Q

Where did labour camps exist?

A

In remote areas of Russia such as Siberia

68
Q

How were women treated at labour camps?

A

They were often raped

69
Q

What were the working hours like in the labour camps?

A

People worked for 18 hours

70
Q

What fraction of the party were shot/expelled during the purges?

A

1/5

71
Q

How many delegates were at the 17th Party Conference?

A

1961

72
Q

How many of the delegates at the 17th party conference were shot by the end of the 1930s?

A

1108

73
Q

What was the name of the general who was killed in 1937 and why was he killed?

A

General Tukhachevsky because he was a general in the ‘white’ army

74
Q

How many were in the general committee and how many of them were shot as a result of the purges?

A

Out of 139 members, 90 were shot

75
Q

What percentage of soviet generals were purged?

A

90%

76
Q

What was the state of the army by the time the USSR entered WW2?

A

It was in chaos

77
Q

What did Stalin do in the 1930s to begin his control of media?

A

He began a massive campaign of propaganda

78
Q

What was the organisation that was set up that all writers had to be a part of?

A

Union of Soviet writers

79
Q

Before publication who had to check all the writing?

A

Government

80
Q

What were artists forced to produce?

A

Soviet glorifying work

81
Q

What was soviet glorifying work called?

A

Socialist realism

82
Q

What was work called that deviated from ‘socialist realism’?

A

Bourgeois - it wasn’t published

83
Q

What would happen if your interpretations were too extreme within your work?

A

You would be sent to the gulag

84
Q

What did many artists do as a result of the restrictions on their art?

A

Left the USSR or committed suicide

85
Q

When did increasing attacks in the church occur?

A

1930s

86
Q

What did Stalin become known as (in regards to Worship)?

A

‘The great leader’

87
Q

What groups were resistant to Stalin and what happened to them?

A

Religious groups and they were sent to labour camps

88
Q

How many churches were closed down?

A

40,000

89
Q

How many Mosques were closed down?

A

25,000

90
Q

What were places of worship converted into?

A

Clubs and cinemas

91
Q

What did the ‘league of militant atheists’ do?

A

Deterred people from religion

92
Q

How many members were in the ‘Cult of Stalin’?

A

5.5 million

93
Q

What did the ‘League of Godless’ do?

A

They destroyed churches

94
Q

Speaking religion became what?

A

A crime

95
Q

Under Lenin, what was education like?

A

It was relaxed

96
Q

What happened regarding education when Stalin came to power, in comparison to how it was when Russia was under Lenin’s rule?

A

Stalin reversed all of Lenin’s changes

97
Q

What happened to progressive ideas that had been taught during the 20s?

A

They were dismissed

98
Q

What was introduced into education by Stalin?

A

Exams and strict discipline

99
Q

Why were standard textbooks used?

A

So that everyone learnt the same thing

100
Q

What did Stalin do regarding history?

A

He rewrote it and underplayed the parts of old Bolsheviks

101
Q

Was school paid for?

A

No however the last 3 years of education had to be paid for

102
Q

What was the role of political youth groups?

A

To train socialist ideas

103
Q

Name the 3 political youth groups

A

8-10 Octobrists
10-16 Pioneers
19+ Komsomol

104
Q

When did the agricultural plan called ‘collectivisation’ begin and what was the main idea?

A

May 1929 and it was to transform small strips of land into large farms in order to industrialise agriculture

105
Q

What was a collective farm called?

A

Kolkhoz

106
Q

What did these collectives mean?

A

That machinery could be used which would result in more food being made

107
Q

What was the plan for by 1933 for the percentage of land that was collective?

A

It was planned that 20% of land would be collective

108
Q

By ww2 how many peasants were in a kolkhoz?

A

90%

109
Q

By when was 99% of land collectivised?

A

World war 2

110
Q

What did Stalin link collectivisation to?

A

A socialist policy

111
Q

What was the socialist policy that Stalin linked collectivisation to?

A

He identified the Kulaks (rich peasants) as greedy capitalists who’s land he was sharing among the poor

112
Q

Why did peasants destroy their crops?

A

As a form of resistance to collectivisation

113
Q

From 1929-31 how much did the cattle number fall by?

A

From 67 million to 48 million

114
Q

How much did the sheep/goat number fall by between 1929-31?

A

147 million to 78 million

115
Q

Who did Stalin declare war on and what happened to them after this?

A

The kulaks who were then ‘liquidated’ and sent to labour camp

116
Q

By which year was near all farmland collective?

A

1937

117
Q

How much did grain fall between 1930-1938

A

From 84million to 68million

118
Q

What did the fall in grain cause? (Due to collectivisation)

A

Famine

119
Q

How many people died in the famine of 1932-33

A

Millions

120
Q

How many kulaks were executed/deported?

A

5 million

121
Q

How many peasants died due to collectivisation?

A

13 million

122
Q

How many left agriculture and moved to towns and cities?

A

17 million

123
Q

What were the benefits of collectivisation?

A

Modern machinery introduced; more food; no starvation; supported communist ideals; easier to get grain; more organised; everyone was united in communist ideals

124
Q

What were the drawbacks of collectivisation?

A

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
Q

Name the 4 ways Stalin industrialised Russia?

A

Use of specialists and single managers
Building projects
Five year plans
Fear and terror

126
Q

How did Stalin believe that industrialisation would happen?

A

Through state planning

127
Q

What were the gosplan

A

The government planning agency

128
Q

What did the gosplan do?

A

They created production targets over 5 year periods

129
Q

When did the first plan take place?

A

From 1927-1933

130
Q

What did the first plan focus on?

A

Heavy industry (coal, iron, electricity)

131
Q

How much was coal and iron output increased? (In the first plan)

A

It doubled

132
Q

How much did electricity output increase by? (In the first plan)

A

It trebled

133
Q

How many mo industrial plants were built during the first plan?

A

1,500

134
Q

When was the second plan to and from?

A

1932-1937

135
Q

What did the second plan prioritise?

A

Heavy industry and also communications (such as railways)

136
Q

Which industry grew enormously during the second plan?

A

Chemical

137
Q

When was plan three?

A

It began in 1937 but got interrupted by the war

138
Q

What did the third plan focus on?

A

Rearmament

139
Q

How much coal was being produced in 1927?

A

35

140
Q

How much coal was being produced in 1932 and what was the target?

A

64 was being produced

The target was 75

141
Q

How much coal was produced in 1937 and what was the target?

A

128 was being produced

152 was the target

142
Q

How did the use of fear and terror affect the quality of work?

A

Many mistakes were made

143
Q

Who did Stalin blame for mistakes within industry?

A

He blamed individuals whom he called ‘wreckers’ and ‘saboteurs’

144
Q

What happened to those who were blamed for mistakes within industry?

A

They were sent to the gulag

145
Q

What were the 3 things that people could be blamed for? (Within industry)

A

Mistakes
Failure to reach targets
Messing with machinery

146
Q

What did people do to avoid being sent to the gulag? (Within industry)

A

They covered up mistakes and inflated output

147
Q

What kind of production was common in order to meet production targets?

A

Cheat production

148
Q

Who was intimidated and by whom in order to make sure they worked hard enough?

A

Workers by their managers

149
Q

What did Stalin use from other nations and apply to the USSR?

A

He used the expertise of other nations

150
Q

Where did he bring specialists in from?

A

The UK and USA

151
Q

What were the American and British specialists used to do?

A

To oversee projects

152
Q

Who was power passed to under Lenin and how did Stalin change this?

A

To the workers

Stalin dissolved workers councils so they had no more power

153
Q

Why did Stalin believe that managers were better?

A

He believed it was more efficient

154
Q

What could managers be rewarded with if they performed well?

A

A large house and a car

155
Q

What would happen to managers if they didn’t reach targets?

A

They would lose their position

156
Q

When did building projects begin?

A

In the late 1920s

157
Q

What was the aim of these building projects?

A

To showcase Stalins leadership
To modernise the USSR
To show superiority over capitalist powers

158
Q

What is the name of the dam which was a notable achievement?

A

The Dnieper river dam

159
Q

Name two canals that were a success in the building projects?

A

Belamar canal and the Moscow Volga canal

160
Q

What was the purpose of the Belamar canal and the Moscow-Volga canal?

A

To join rivers to make transport of goods more efficient

161
Q

Name the underground train network that was completed during industrialisation

A

The Moscow metro

162
Q

When was the Moscow metro completed by?

A

The 1930s