Stalin in Power, 1928 - 1953 Flashcards
5 reasons for stalins victory
General-Secretary – gained controlling share of votes; appoint/dismiss anyone
Excellent administrator – realised power now lay with Party; others overlooked this
Pragmatic – made political alliances
Political intrigue – tricked Trotsky and turned on Bukharin
Ban on Factions – ultimate power
Policies – supported popular policies, such as ‘Socialism in One Country
Origins of the purges 4
Stalin’s personality – paranoia/jealousy
Ryutin Platform – document criticising Stalin
Congress of Victors – attempt to remove Stalin
The murder of Kirov – member of Politburo assassinated
Ryutin Platform
In 1930 Martemyan Ryutin circulated a document around the Communist Party which was openly critical of Stalin’s policies. Ryutin was quickly arrested and his supporters expelled from the party
However they were cleared of their crimes and re-admitted into the party
In 1932 Ryutin urged Stalin’s overthrow as leader; was again arrested; and in 1937 was tried and sentenced to death
Congress of Victors
17th Party Congress in 1934 ‘Congress of Victors’ to vote new members
Sergei Kirov, member of the Politburo, gained more votes than Stalin for position on the Central Committee
‘Old Bolsheviks’ urged Kirov to stand for election as Secretary-General; refused
However Stalin was demoted to Secretary of Equal Rank alongside Kirov
Murder of Kirov
December 1934 Kirov was assassinated
Benefits of Kirovs assassination
Freed Stalin of his most dangerous rival
Allowed him to put the blame on other enemies
Excuse to purge the part of any who opposed him
Stalin issued the Decree against Terrorist Acts
Gave the NKVD (secret police) unrestricted power to hunt down anyone Stalin believed was a ‘terrorist’
Chistka 1932-35
22% party kicked
Great Terror
Between 1936-38, 8m arrested, 1.5m executed, 8m in camps (of whom 2m died)
At its height, 1,000 people were being executed every day in Russia
Trial of the Seventeen’ in 1937
accused of being ‘anti-Soviet Trotskyite Centre’
Yezhov’s ‘conveyor belt interrogation’ used to extract confessions – all executed
Purposefully done to implicate Bukharin in anti-Soviet plots
Trial of the Sixteen 1936
Zinoviev and Kamenev plus 14 executed
1938, ‘Trial of the Twenty-One
Bukharin, Rykov, Tomsky and even Yagoda. Bukharin specifically charged with attempting to murder Lenin – all executed
3 Victims of the ‘Great Purge
Army
Generals appointed by Trotsky; Stalin wanted complete control of the army
NKVD (Secret Soviet Police)
Many had been members of the Bolshevik Chekha; Stalin believed they hadn’t purged enough
Relatives of
the purged
The ‘Yezhovschina’
Claimed NKVD was ‘four years behind, yagoda replaced with yezhov,
The Decline of the Party
In 1920s Politburo met once a week; but throughout 1930s meetings held on average only 9 times a year
The Soviet Constitution of 1936
was hailed by Stalin as the most democratic in the world. Freedom of speech; religion; movement; press
The Soviet of Nationalities
Deputies representing the non-Russian republics of the USSR, e.g. Ukraine and The Soviet of the Union
Deputies elected by the people – 1 deputy for every 300,000 voters
could be elected to the supreme soviet and council of ministers
why this constitution may not have actually proved so democratic
Only Party members could be elected to Soviets
Stalin’s power meant that bodies such as the Council of Ministers acted as rubber-stamping institutions
The purges of the 1930s removed all political opposition
Purpose of soviet constitution
The Constitution was therefore a piece of propaganda
Stalin hoped to show other countries that Communism created freedom, equality and democracy
4 Stalin’s power grew immensely because of WW2:
Acted as propaganda symbol for Russians against Nazis
Set up powerful State Defence Committee (GKO) to manage and control the economy and war production
Victories at battles of Moscow (1941), Stalingrad (1943) and Berlin (1945) boosted Stalin’s prestige as war leader
After the war, Stalin regarded as saviour of the country
‘High Stalinism’
To win the war, Stalin had to relax his personal dictatorship, giving freedom to generals and power to state bodies like the GKO
Leningrad Affair 1949
Stalin believed Russia’s second city becoming a rival to his powerbase in Moscow
100 Party members shot and 200 arrested
Mingrelian Affair 1951
Lavrenty Beria emerged as ambitious Party member
Stalin had his allies in Georgia purged from the party