Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Russia 1855 -1964 > Stalin pre-war (1929-1941) > Flashcards

Stalin pre-war (1929-1941) Flashcards

1
Q

What are the three main reasons why Stalin emerged as leader in 1929?

A
  1. Ideological reasons
  2. Ruthless political ambition
  3. His rival’s weaknesses
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What was Lenin’s Testament?

A

A letter to be read to the Party congress on his death. In the letter he gave his critical opinion of other members of the Politburo.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

How did Lenin refer to Stalin in his ‘Testament’?

A

‘personal rudeness, unnecessary roughness and lack of finesse’ and he suggested that comrades should consider ‘removing Stalin from his post’

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Why was Lenin’s Testament never read in public as intended?

A

The Central Committee decided among themselves to suppress it and this played massively in Stalin’s hands

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What role previous to Lenin’s death gave Stalin a great advantage in the power struggle?

A

He was appointed general Secretary in 1922 which meant he could appoint people to high-status jobs and he had a powerful influence because of this

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Name the four other leadership candidates present in the power struggle

A

Kamenev
Zinoviev
Trotsky
Bukharin

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What gained Stalin even more support and popularity from the party?

A

His commitment to continuing the NEP of which solved problems created by War communism and also helped to improve Russia’s industry

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What does Stalin do to Trotsky that slightly damages his reputation?

A

He told the wrong date of Lenin’s funeral so Trotsky was absent

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What did Trotsky publish that further benefits Stalin?

A

‘Lessons of October’ which show how Zinoviev and Kamenev have (unlike Trotsky) opposed Lenin on a number of issues. Stalin however is not mentioned.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

When is Trotsky forced from his position as Commissar of War?

A

Dec 1925

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Who does Stalin first ‘buddy’ with to gain more supporters and get rid of Zinoviev and Trotsky?

A

Bukharin

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Stalin celebrates his ………… as the undisputed Soviet leader

A

50th

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

How many members were there in the party in 1933?

A

3,555,338

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Who were the majority support base of the party and Stalin?

A

Younger and less-educated urban workers and ex-peasants who were less interested in ideological debate

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

How did Stalin describe the 1936 Constitution drafted by Bukharin?

A

‘the most democratic in the world’

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What did the 1936 Constitution promise?

A

> Local autonomy to ethnic groups and support for national cultures and languages.
Four-yearly elections with the right to vote for all over 18 including the ‘former people’ who had previously been deprived of voting rights.
Extensive statement of civil rights - such as freedom for random arrest and right to free speech

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

The new constitution did, indeed, look democratic but what could be argued was its main purpose?

A

To impress foreigners as the promised rights were largely ignored

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What propaganda slogans, paintings and sculptures were used to portray Stalin during the early years of his leadership?

A
  • ‘Stalin is the Lenin of today’
  • ’ father of the nation’
  • ‘might leader’
  • ‘universal genius’
  • ‘Red Tsar’
  • Regarded as a ‘God-like’ figure
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

A system of rule established by Stalin from the mid-1930s onwards

A

‘Stalinism’

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What situation , in 1937, caused Stalin’s power to be undermined and threatened?

A

He was outvoted in the Politburo in his plan to replace Yezhov with Malenkov as head of the NKVD

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What did the end of the NEP in 1927 become known as?

A

‘The Great Turn’

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Why was the NEP abandoned?

A

By 1927, it was failing to produce growth and progress. Stalin also wanted to focus on increase the USSR’s military strength and develop its self-sufficiency. Stalin also wanted a move towards true ‘socialism’.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What did Stalin’s strong control over the economy become known as?

A

‘Central planning’

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What were the 5 yr plans and what did they aim to do?

A

A series of targets for chosen industries to strive towards and they were intend to force managers and workers to devote their maximum effort into working

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Failure to achieve target was a ………..offence. This led to many………. statistics about the actual progress of the 5 yr plans causing …………… in the system

A
  1. Criminal
  2. False
  3. Corruption
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Aims of the first five year plan include:

A
  1. Increase production by 300%
  2. Develop HEAVY industry
  3. Boost electricity production by 600%
  4. Double the output in light industry such as chemicals
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

What did Stalin claim about the first five year plan?

A

That targets were met in 4 years. This was most likely due to ‘over-enthusiastic’ reporting as none of the major targets were met in reality

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

Give an example of an industrial complex that sprung up due to the first five year plan?

A

Magnitogorsk in the Urals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

What were the failures of the first five year plan?

A
  1. House building and other consumer industries were neglected
  2. Too few skilled workers and little effective co-ordination for development to occur.
  3. Smaller industrial works lost out due to competition
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

Aims of the Second five year plan include:

A
  1. Continued development of heavy industry
  2. New emphasis on lighter industries
  3. Develop communications to aid industry
  4. Boost engineering and tool-making
  5. In 1936, focus was changed to rearmament
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

Outcomes of the Second five year plans?

A
  • Moscow Metro opened in 1935
  • Volga Canal opened in 1937
  • Steel output trebled
  • Coal output doubled
  • However oil production failed to meet its targets
  • No major increase in consumer goods
  • Focus on quantity over quality
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

Aims of the Third Five year plans include:

A
  1. Focus on development of heavy industry (due to fear of war)
  2. Promote rapid rearmament
  3. Complete transition to come
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

What was the outcome of oil production failing to reach its targets again?

A

There was a fuel crisis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

What was the biggest problem with the Third Five year plan?

A

The lack of good managers, specialist and technicians following Stalin’s purges

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

Why did the Third Five year plan have to be finished early?

A

Due to the German invasion in 1941

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

What incentive did enterprises and workers have to work hard?

A

Bonuses were paid to enterprises that exceeded targets and Managers had to pay ‘extra’ to workers who exceeded norms

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

Why was the development of agriculture important to Stalin?

A

Agriculture was important to aid industrialisation as: to enable the purchase of industrial equipment, surplus grain was needed for export and to feed a growing industrial workforce

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

What did Stalin’s ‘Great Turn’ entail for Russian agriculture?

A

A move towards ‘collective farming’ - aka. Collectivisation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
39
Q

What was it hoped that ‘collective farming’ would do to farming?

A

It was hoped it would provide more efficient farming, new modern equipment, ‘socialise’ the peasants and make grain easier to collect

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
40
Q

Why did Stalin carry out ‘de-kulakisation’?

A

As he believed some of the grain problems had been caused by them as they understood how to make money by holding back supplies

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
41
Q

In December 1929, what did Stalin announce he was to do about the ‘kulaks’?

A

‘annihilate the kulaks as a class’

- The Red Army and the Cheka were used to identify, execute or deport kulaks

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
42
Q

What % of the peasants were said to be ‘kulaks’?

A

4%

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
43
Q

How many ‘richer peasants’ were forced to migrate North and East to poorer land?

A

150,000

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
44
Q

What % of grain-framing areas were announced by Stalin in 1930 to be collectivised that year?

A

25%

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
45
Q

‘kolkhoz’

A

A collective number of peasant families on state-owned land, where peasants lived rent-free but had to fulfill state grain quotas and set targets

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
46
Q

By 1930, what % of peasant households had been collectivised?

A

58%

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
47
Q

What did the second stage of collectivisation cause in 1932 in the Ukraine?

A

Mass famine - one of the worst famines in Russian history (1932-33). Aka. Holodomor famine

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
48
Q

How many agricultural machines were established by Machine Tractor Stations (MTS)?

A

2500 machines

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
49
Q

What was there purpose of MTS?

A

To allow hiring of machinery to the kolkhozes, to control the countryside form ‘troublemakers’ and to ensure quotas were collected. however prices were very high so many could not afford

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
50
Q

What were the main problems of Collectivisation from 1931?

A
  1. ‘Dekulakisation’ was inhumane - 10 million successful farmers removed
  2. Grain and livestock was destroyed
  3. Unrealistic quotas led to many peasants having to and over all of their grain, this led to hoarding of grain
  4. Collectives were poorly organised
  5. 1932-33 famine in the Ukraine
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
51
Q

What was collectivisation referred to by the peasants?

A

a ‘Second serfdom’

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
52
Q

+ and - of collectivisation for Stalin?

A

+ Strengthened his political position and his authority and support from the party reached new heights
- Failed to bring socialism and economic efficiency to the countryside

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
53
Q

QUOTE: What was Stalin’s famous quote about the value of life?

A

‘one death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic’

54
Q

How many people were exiled as part of Dekulakisation?

A

10 million

55
Q

By 1941, what was said the USSR had achieved in terms of the economy?

A

A ‘command economy’ tightly run by the State - where many groups of people had been sacrificed

56
Q

What is a similarity between Lenin and Stalin’s approach to improving the workforce and production rates in factories?

A

Workers could be imprisoned or shot if they failed to meet targets - a criminal offence

57
Q

What was the ‘Stakhanovite’ movement?

A

A way of forcing management to support their workers top increase production rates by rewarding hard workers with bonuses. It increased ‘socialist competition’

58
Q

How did children of workers benefit from industrialisation?

A

Increased educational opportunities that Stalinist Russia offered

59
Q

QUOTE: What did Stalin announce in 1933 about the quality of life for people in Russia?

A

‘life has become better, comrades, life has become more joyous’
however… rationing in cities
overcrowding on public transport
empty shops and short supplies

60
Q

Why did Stalin revert to more traditional policies in society in the 1930s?

A
  • due to fall in population - not helped by purges, collectivisation or poor living conditions
  • also due to fears of war
61
Q

What became the focus of a new propaganda wave, in which Stalin was presented as a ‘father figure’?

A

The ‘family’ - causing divorce and abortion to be attacked and the importance of marriage to be re-emphasised

62
Q

What measures were introduced in 1936 that reversed many of Lenin’s policies?

A
  • Contraception was banned
  • Financial incentives were offered to large families
  • Adultery was criminalised
  • Large fees introduced to discourage divorce however the divorce rate still remained high (37% in Moscow in 1934)
63
Q

The number of female industrial workers grew from………in 1928 to……….in 1940

A
  1. 3 million

2. 13 million

64
Q

By 1940, what % of the industrial workforce were women?

A

43%

65
Q

What other changes were there for women during the 1930s?

A

Women in education doubled and large numbers of women worked on collective farms however women earned 40% less than men

66
Q

What was the name of the economic planning agency that universities were put under control by?

A

Veshenka

67
Q

What did the Stakhanovite movement extended to?

A

The teaching profession and teachers were encouraged to set high targets for themselves and their students. Teachers however could be purged if not achieved so targets were usually set very low

68
Q

By 1941, what % of the 9-49 age group in TOWNS were literate?

A

94%

69
Q

By 1941, what % of the 9-49 age group in the COUNTRYSIDE were literate?

A

86%

70
Q

What did the new opportunities did education provide in terms of the hierarchical system in society?

A

Proved itself as a vehicle for socials mobility

71
Q

What was the ‘Komsomol’?

A

The youth division of the Communist Party which taught communist values

72
Q

When was the ‘uninterrupted six-day work week’ introduced? what did this prevent?

A

From 1932 which prevented a ‘holy day’ of church attendance

73
Q

How did Stalin’s 1936 constitution affect the church?

A

It criminalised the publication or organisation of religious propaganda, although the priests regained the right to vote

74
Q

By 1941, how many Christian churches and Muslim mosques had been closed down? and what had they been converted to?

A

40,000 Christian churches
25,000 Muslim mosques
Converted to: cinema’s, schools, prisons, grain storage and museums

75
Q

What did Stalin aim to create in Russia that belittled national minorities?

A

Create a ‘Soviet identity’. there were deportations of non-Russians and anti-Semitic attitudes were revised.

76
Q

Petrograd changed to….

A

Leningrad

77
Q

Changes in music, art, literature, the theatre and film all led to the creation of the…

A

‘new socialist man’

78
Q

How was collectivisation enforced and the five year plans maintained?

A

Through the use of Terror - the NKVD, the Cheka, the Red Army

79
Q

Shakhty Show trails in…

A

128 showed how Stalin used scapegoats for the chaos caused by his own economic policies creating an ‘industrial Terror’

80
Q

The ‘industrial party’ trail was…

A

In November 1930, where a group of industrialists were accused as sabotage and used as scapegoats to the failure of Stalin’s industrial plans

81
Q

What was it believed that ‘gulags’ would do?

A

They could contribute to the economic growth of the USSR by offering minimum ‘per capita’ funding, whilst also punishing and ‘correcting’ the prisoners

82
Q

The gulags were under strict control of the…

A

NKVD

83
Q

Give an example of a major project of the gulags?

A

The construction of the White Sea Canal. 100,000 prisoners were employed on the project and in the end it was a failure. 25,000 died in the 1931-32 Winter

84
Q

What caused Stalin to become ‘unhinged’ and even more paranoid as Figes suggests?

A

The suicide of his wife in 1932 which was also exaggerated by the famine in 1932-33 and an increase in workers strikes, which Stalin was blamed for

85
Q

How did Stalin deal with growing opposition in the party such as the ‘Old Bolsheviks’?

A

Ordering the NKVD to arrest them and many were expelled form the party

86
Q

How did Stalin deal with opposition from the ‘Ryutin Platform’ who disapproved of Stalin’s political direction and personality?

A

Crushed them by calling for their immediate execution and they were arrested. 24 expelled from the party and exiled in Moscow. Ryutin himself was sent to 10 years in prison but was shot on the orders of Stalin 1937

87
Q

How many people died form the 1932-33 famine?

A

6 million

88
Q

What was the Gosplan?

A

The State Planning Commission

89
Q

What is a Totalitarian view on why Stalin used terror?

complete control of every aspect = totalitarian

A

Stalin used the purges/terror:

  • as a weapon to establish control of the party
  • as a mechanism to control the populace
  • as he sought to get rid of the ‘Old Bolsheviks’ who might threaten his leadership
  • The NKVD carried out orders passed down to them
90
Q

What is a Revisionist view on why Stalin used terror?

the state had more control = revisionist

A
  • Stalin is responsible for the terror but his personality alone is not sufficient enough to blame
  • Stalin did not have a masterplan for the terror
  • NKVD acted on their own initiative
  • The terror was very productive anyway as control spiralled out of control > no major impact
91
Q

What do later USSR leaders, Khrushchev and Gorbachev, say about revolution under Stalin?

A

That Stalin’s personality cult and ruthlessness pushed revolution off course and the October 1917 revolution had been a healthier first step in creating an ideal communist society

92
Q

How was there continuation between Lenin and Stalin?

A

Stalin extended the use of Terror and class warfare, as practised by Lenin, to enforce collectivisation through the destruction of the kulaks and maintain his five year plans for industry.

93
Q

What was the Shakhty Show Trial in 1928?

A

53 engineers were accused of counter-revolutionary activity’ and were forced to confess. 5 were executed

94
Q

What was the 1928 Shakhty Show trail a clear indication of?

A

Stalin’s determination to find a scapegoat for the chaos caused by his own economic policies, while delivering the message that the regime had to maintain its vigilance against those who were set to destroy it

95
Q

How were gulags a continuation of Lenin?

A

As the corrective-labour camps (aka. ‘corrective camps’) established by Lenin were extended to create the gulags - he set the foundations

96
Q

What is a ‘gulag’?

A

‘economic colonies’ - a way of exploiting the prison population to boost economic growth

97
Q

Who was Stalin’s main opponent in the 1930s?

A

Bukharin and Kirov (until he was killed)

98
Q

When did Stalin announce the ‘anti-Leninist opposition?’

A

1934

99
Q

When was Kirov murdered?

A

December 1934

100
Q

What did the murder of Kirov allow Stalin to do?

A

Publish a decree a day after the assassination, giving Yagoda, head of the NKVD, powers to arrest and execute anyone found guilty of ‘terrorist plotting’

101
Q

How many people were arrested under the decree published after Kirov’s assassination?

A

6,500 people

102
Q

In 1935, how many ‘former people’ of the state were arrested , exiled or placed in camps of suspicion of instigating terrorism?

A

11,000

103
Q

How many Part members were expelled by Stalin as ‘anti-Leninists’ in 1935?

A

250,000

104
Q

Why was there a purge on ‘Kremlin employees’?

A

To uncover reputed ‘foreign spies’

105
Q

When were the ‘Great Purges’?

A

1936-38

106
Q

QUOTE: Volkogonov on why Stalin’s purges were necessary.

A

‘For the Stalinist system to function, permanent purge was a necessity’

107
Q

Who was involved in the conspiracy to plot to murder Stalin in 1936 that led to a show trial?

A

Zinoviev, Kamenev, Yagoda (NKVD leader) and Trotsky

108
Q

Who was involved in the largest political show trial in March 1938?

A

21 Bolsheviks and Bukharin, Rykov and Yagoda and 13-others were sent to be shot

109
Q

What was the Yezhovshchina?

A

The purges of ordinary citizens from 1937-38 followed on from the Great Purges in 1936-8

110
Q

Who was Yezhov?

A

The head of the NKVD (SECRET POLICE) who replaced Yagoda in 1936

111
Q

When was Yezhov replaced by Beria as the NKVD leader?

A

December 1938

112
Q

In 1937, a Politburo resolution condemned ‘anti-Soviet elements’ which caused……………..arrests including…………

A

250,000 including artists, musicians, scientists and writers

113
Q

Why did the purges slow down after 1938?

A

As the Yezhovshchina had threatened to destabilise the State and both industry and administration had suffered. Stalin used Yezhov as a scapegoat foe the failure

114
Q

What did Stalin refer to the purges as?

A

‘Mass cleansing’

115
Q

How many cases were reviewed following the end of the purges?

A

1.5 million

116
Q

When was Yezhov arrested and shot?

A

February 1940

117
Q

By the end of the purges, what position was Stalin in?

A

He was in a position of ‘supreme’ power and his political rivals had gone and the release of so many prisoners helped restore faith in the system and its leader

118
Q

How can the foundations of Stalin’s 1941 highly centralised and authoritarian one-party sate be seen from Lenin’s era?

A

Lenin had favoured a one-party rule, ban on factions in 1921 and forced the closure of the Constituent Assembly

119
Q

What evidence was there in Stalin’s new constitution in 1936 of democratic structures?

A

Universal suffrage

120
Q

What was the ‘nomenklatura’?

A

A system of privileges that was used to reward loyal officials

121
Q

What was a similar characteristic of the Communist State of all leaders?

A

Its intolerance of opposition.
> Lenin had created the Cheka and a developed a prison camp system to deal with political enemies and Stalin intensified on this (targeted at kulaks and bourgeoisie)

122
Q

By 1941, what was the overall outcome of Stalin’s 5 year plans?

A

They had transformed Russia into a highly industrialised and urbanised nation, while all Russian farms had been collectivised.

123
Q

By 1940, what industries had Russia taken over Britain?

A

Steel and Iron

124
Q

Between 1938-1941, how much did spending on rearmament increase?

A

From 27.5 billion roubles to 71 billion roubles

125
Q

What was the crucial weakness of Russia’s economy by 1941?

A

Development was uneven and consumer production had been neglected. The quality of goods was poor and the central planning system was inefficient.

126
Q

In 1941, the nation was producing less grain that under what other economic policy?

A

The NEP under Lenin

127
Q

How was agriculture still behind in 1941?

A

There was little attention paid to modern farming techniques and there was also limited use of machinery in agriculture.

128
Q

What helped create a far stronger working class ‘proletariat’?

A

Urbanisation - the working class were was the backbone of the Communist Sate

129
Q

How was a new ‘mass culture’ being developed?

A

Through education, propaganda, the leadership cult, the show trails, public celebrations, arts and culture

130
Q

What restrictions under Stalin reflect similarity to under the Tsarist regime?

A

> Internal passports restricted freedom of movement (peasants in the Mir)
Strict censorship (AIII)

Russia 1855 -1964 (7 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions