Stalin's Dictatorship: USSR 1924-1941

Question 1

What was Stalin’s position in the communist government and how did this help him gain power?

Answer 1

General secretary

Meant he had a lot of influence over who was chosen for central committee and politburo membership

Question 2

What were the two main groups in the Politburo and who was in each group?

Answer 2

Leftists
-Trotsky 
- kamenev 
-Zinoviev
Wanted to end NEP
Rightists
- tomsky 
- bukharin 
Wanted to keep NEP going

Question 3

At first it looked like Trotsky would be the next leader after Lenin what claims to power did he have + what was his problem

Answer 3

Had glory of leading red army to victory

Had many rivals on the leadership of even his own party- success aroused jealousy and he appeared arrogant. Didn’t focus on gaining support

Stalin had organised Lenin’s funeral, Trotsky not there. Stalin appear more dedicated to memory of Lenin than Trotsky, manipulated photos

Question 4

How did Stalin manage to get rid of Trotsky?

Answer 4

-Stalin encouraged leftists to fight among themselves, encouraged Kaminev + Zinoviev to suggest Trotsky a threat while staying in background himself.

Trotsky Los position as Commissar for War in 1925.
1926 removed from Politburo.
1927 expelled from communist party
1929 expelled from Russia

Question 5

How did Stalin get rid of the other leftists Kaminev and Zinoviev?

Answer 5

-allied with rightists against leftists and defended NEP removed from Politburo 1926 and party 1927

Question 6

How did Stalin get rid of the rightists 1928?

Answer 6

His supporters attacked them, Stalin attacked NEP as in-communist. Lost positions 1929

Question 7

What had happened by 1929?

Answer 7

Stalin’s rivals had lost their position on the Politburo and it was full of people picked by him. All surviving leaders owed their position to him and scared of him.

Stalin unchallenged dictator

Question 8

What did Russia under Stalin pretend to be + how and why?

Answer 8

Pretended to be democracy. Parliament with 2 houses 1936 a constitution introduced which promised soviet citizens full rights and freedoms

For propaganda, only allowed part communist party, no real choice. People elected at parliament couldn’t speak ideas freely

Question 9

How did Stalin exert control over USSR?

Answer 9

• all media carefully censored + art and literature. Full of propaganda glorifying achievements of communism in Russia. Propaganda also used to create hero- worship of Stalin, almost religious worship encouraged, could do no wrong.

History books rewritten to exaggerate Stalin’s role in revolution + civil war all mention of Trotsky removed and photographs altered to take out pictures of leaders who were disgraced and removed by Stalin

Cheka huge organisation + NKVD ran Gulags

Question 10

What period was the great terror/ the purges + what was it?

Answer 10

1934-1939

Worst time for arrests. Stalin seems to have deliberately set out to increase power by producing fear- nobody knew who would be arrested next

Question 11

What were purged individuals often accused of + why?

Answer 11

Traitors, e.g. Working with foreign enemies or sabotaging Russia’s industrial production- confession usually sought by brutal interrogation and torture, people confess to thing they hadn’t actually done

No real reason for suspicion or arrest needed. NKVD had quotas for particular districts

Question 12

What were “show trials” + what were their purpose?

Answer 12

Most important communists, inc those removed from central committee put on trial in public. Designed to humiliate accused and make them look small + weak. Ended with accused making a confession and being sentenced to death for treason

Question 13

In 1936-1938!where did the focus of the purges fall + why?

Answer 13

The armed forces. 90% of the top forces in red army purged.

Army only force capable of removing Stalin from power, wanted to terrify it into complete loyalty

Question 14

What were the consequences of the purges?

Answer 14

• Millions arrested + died in the gulags
• fear created so strong real criticism/opposition became impossible
• Stalin’s control of communist party increased
• armed forces lost best + most experienced officers. Hitler thought Russian army would be easy to beat

Question 15

What did Stalin want to do?

Answer 15

Modernise Russia

Question 16

Why did Stalin collectivise farming?

Answer 16

• gave him control over food supply, can prioritise workers in cities at price of peasants + earn foreign currency by exporting it
• NEP allowed private ownership of land but this was against the basic ideas of communism

Question 17

How did some peasants try to avoid collectivisation?

Answer 17

Burn crops + kill livestock

Question 18

What was any peasant who resisted collectivisation labelled as?

Answer 18

A kulak

Question 19

When did collectivisation start + finish + how was it done?

Answer 19

1929
1930 over half collectivised
1937 all

Government gradually took over land by force, around 5 million peasants arrested and shot or sent to labour camps

Question 20

What were the results of collectivisation?

Answer 20

• initially disastrous. Food production went down + famines which killed millions in 1932 and 1933
• gradually increased after 1933 but did not rise above 1928 levels until 1936- hard to know what production would have been if it had been left
• government had control over food, could take from countryside at very low prices and feed cities or sell abroad

Question 21

Why did Stalin think that Russia must quickly develop its industrial power?

Answer 21

He feared that Russia would not survive a war against more modernist countries

Question 22

What were the five year plans?

Answer 22

Production targets set for industries

Question 23

How was propaganda used for the five year plans?

Answer 23

Used to encourage workers to work hard. Individual workers who set up record amounts were held up as heroes in the media- became know as Stakhanovites

Question 24

What was the first 5 year plan?

Answer 24

• aimed to expand heavy industry -coal, iron, steel + oil.

Number of industrial workers more than doubled. New cities buoys around new industrial areas, GOSPLAN E.g. Magnitogorsk

Question 25

What were the second and third 5 year plans?

Answer 25

2nd- concentrated on making machines, especially tractors

3rd- aimed to produce more consumer good however transformed into building weapons which proved necessary in June 1941

Question 26

Consequences of the five year plans?

Answer 26

• Russian industry grew enormously, despite setbacks + exaggerated claims to meet targets
• when German invasion came in 1941 had enough industrial power to survive, producing more than Germany in terms of tanks
• little unemployment, workers had benefits such as education + insurance but conditions harsh, wages poor and working hours long. Millions seriously injured or died
• Some of the manpower used to build new industry was the forced labour of prisoners + peasant families uprooted and force to live thousands of miles away
• new industrial towns grew so quick that housing conditions often poor