Stalin - Political Authority and Culture 1946-1953 Flashcards
(42 cards)
What is ‘Political High Stalinism’?
The years that followed WWII - totalitarian state
When was the (state defence committee) GKO dissolved?
September 1945
Who took the role of Minister of Defence?
Stalin
Which high ranking officer was demoted?
Zhukov
What was Zhukov’s demotion?
Sent to Odessa, lost seat in Central Committee
Why was Zhukov demoted?
Viewed as a rival
Which figures were ‘played off’ each other?
Malenkov and Zhdanov
How were the ‘played off’?
Zhdanov criticised Malenkov’s policies - latter lost position as Party Secretary
What did Zhdanov launch?
The Zhdanovishchina
When did Zhdanov die?
1948
What did Zhdanov’s death start?
The Doctor’s plot
When was Malenkov appointed Party Secretary?
1948
When did the USSR possess the atom bomb?
1949
What new territory did the USSR gain?
Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland and Romania
How long did the Party Congress not meet for?
1939-1952
How did Stalin lead?
Through a ‘Personal Dictatorship’
How did Stalin undermine the Party?
- reduced Politburo to an advisory body
- CC met only 6 times after 1946
- Party Congress not held for 13 years
In 1952, how many members did the Party have?
7 million
Where were members recruited from?
Administrative ranks, industry, government and education
What needed to be raised in the Party?
The education level
Who was recruited less to the Party?
Peasants and Workers
Who were the ‘Old Men’?
Members that had joined the party for Marxism
Who were ‘New Men’?
Members who had joined the party as a way of life - ‘faceless bureaucrats
When did the Zhdanovshchina occur?
1946
