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History - Russia (personal) > Stalin's Power > Flashcards

Stalin's Power Flashcards

1
Q

When and where was Stalin born

A

1879 in Georgia

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2
Q

What popular idea did Stalin propose in 1925

A

Socialism in One Country

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3
Q

What was the Politburo

A

The policy making body of the Communist party

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4
Q

How did Stalin’s position in the party aid his bid for leader

A

He was the General Secretary of the party
Gave him control of appointments to positions of power in the party
He could influence the selection of delegates who were sent to the annual congress
He could remove the more radical members who were likely to support Trotsky

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5
Q

When was Lenin’s funeral and what happened

A

January 1924
Stalin tricked Trotsky into not turning up
He made himself look like Lenin’s main disciple

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6
Q

What was Lenin’s secret statement and why was it significant

A

It was given to the central committee in May 1924
It was unflattering to Zinoviev, Kamenev and Stalin
Luckily for Stalin, Zinoviev and Kamenev urged it not to become general knowledge
If released, this would have spelt the end of Stalin’s political career

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7
Q

Which congress showed initial support for Stalin, Zinoviev and Kamenev

A

The Thirteenth Congress in 1924

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8
Q

In 1924 the Left and Right opposed one another with what arguments and where was Stalin in this

A

Trotsky criticised thier unwillingness to back Lenin in the 1917 revolution
Zinoviev and Kamenev questioned his loyalty and opposition to Lenin pre-1917
Stalin stayed in the background happy to see the left tear itself apart

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9
Q

In 1925 who did Stalin align with

A

He aligned with Bukharin backing the NEP (which fit in with the right-wing ideas) with the ‘Socialism in One Country’ policy

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10
Q

In 1925 what did Zinoviev and Kamenev do

A

They called for a vote of no confidence against Stalin however it gave him little trouble

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11
Q

In 1926 who did Zinoviev and Kamenev align with and what did they do

A

They aligned with Trotsky and made an appeal to the party about Stalin

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12
Q

In 1927 what significant political event aided Stalin significantly

A

Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev were expelled from the party after accusations of “factionalism” after attack on Stalin

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13
Q

In 1928 what did Stalin shockingly do

A

He turned on Bukharin and the NEP advocating for industrialisation

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14
Q

In 1929 political struggle what happened (two events)

A

Bukharin was outvoted in congress by Stalin and was removed from the party
Trotsky was expelled from the USSR

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15
Q

Why could it be argued that it was Trotsky’s mistakes and bad luck that lost him the power struggle

A

Trotsky was arrogant and refused to get into dirty business
From 1920-23 Trotsky suffered a bad fever allowing Stalin to make political ground
Trotsky was a polarizing figure and many feared him becoming a dictator

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16
Q

Give one example of Stalins altering political stances to gain support

A

Supported the NEP when popular from 1925
Was against the NEP when unpopular and for the popular industrialisation in 1928 onwards

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17
Q

Give two of Stalin’s nicknames

A

The man of steel
The grey blur

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18
Q

What key point caused a small split in the party in 1934

A

Whether to continue with the current pace of Industrialisation or slack

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19
Q

Who was proposed as a potential replacement for Stalin in 1934 and how popular was he

A

Sergei Kirov
He was very popular during the seventeenth party congress

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20
Q

When was Kirov murdered and by who

A

On the 1st December 1934 he was shot by an assassin. Who was behind the murder is a mystery.

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21
Q

What happened after Kirov’s murder

A

Within a few weeks there was an extensive purge of the Leningrad party

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22
Q

Which key political figures were arrested and put on trial in January 1935

A

Zinoviev and Kamenev

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23
Q

What key piece of information did Stalin discover and when that led to trial of key political figures and who where they

A

Discovered communications between Trotsky and oppositionist groups in the party in June 1936
Zinoviev, Kamenev (pulled out of prison) and 14 others from oppositionist groups put on trial in public in August 1936
They were executed the next day

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24
Q

What did Stalin say every Bolshevik should be able to do in June 1936 in a Central committee circular

A

“The ability to recognise an enemy of the people no matter how well he may be masked”

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25
What was the point of a public show trial
An effective way to create an atmosphere of intimidation and fear and convive that there were spies and enemies hidden everywhere that must be rooted out
26
When was the second show trial and who were the main defendants
January 1937 Radek and Pyatakov
27
When was the third show trial and who were the main defendants
March 1938 Bukharin and 20 other old Bolsheviks including the former head of the NKVD Yagoda
28
Who replaced Yagoda as the head of the NKVD and why
In September 1936 Yezhov replaced Yagoda as Yagoda was criticised for not finding enemies of the state quickly enough
29
In July 1937 what order was given by Yezhov
NKVD order 00447 He drew up an arrest list of over 250,000 regular people including scientist, historians etc
30
What percentage of the arrested oppositionists would be killed and what was the alternative punishment
28% The rest were sentenced to up to 10 years of hard labour
31
How would the NKVD arrest people
Would drive around in black cars nicknamed 'ravens' knock on a door and arrest
32
How did victims of the terror increase exponentially
Once suspects were arrested during interrogating by the NKVD 'accomplices' names would always come up Any relatives could also be arrested by the NKVD due to their connection with the arrested
33
Give two examples of the denouncing culture created by the mass fear during the terror
One women denounced 8,000 people in her area to the NKVD Morozov (age 14) denounced his own father
34
What percentage of the central committee who attended the 17th congress had been arrested and shot
70% (98 out of 139)
35
How many of the delegates to the 17th congress were arrested
1108 out of 1966
36
In 1937 which military significant men were executed
Tukhachevsky and 7 other civil war heroes
37
What percentage of Soviet generals were removed
90%
38
In what year did Stalin put a halt to the Purges
Late 1938
39
How many NKVD officers were killed in the end of the purges and why
23,000 To conveniently help forget the attrocities
40
When was Yezhov replaced as leader of the NKVD and what did Stalin say about him
Replaced by Beria Blamed Yezhov and the NKVD for the excesses of the Terror which was partially true
41
How many are estimated to have been sent to labour camps during the 1930's and how many died
8 million 2 million died
42
What is the estimated number of victims of the entire Stalin regime
20 million (by Robert Conquest - historian)
43
How did Stalin control the Arts (give 4 details)
Writers were censored Books and articles had to be reviewed by the state first Artists were forced to create art in the socialist realism style Any work labelled Bourgeois was never published and often led to punishment
44
Give an example of a writer who 'over-stepped' the line
Osip Mandelstam when he wrote a poem critical of Stalin He was sent to a labour camp
45
What did some artists do due to the restrictions on their work
Some artists were so depressed the left the country or committed suicide
46
In what year was the rigid programme of education reintroduced
1932
47
Outside of school what did children join and at what ages (4 details)
Children joined political youth groups Kids aged 8-10 joined Octobrists Kids aged 10-16 joined Pioneers Young adults aged 19-23 joined the Komsomol
48
What happened in the political youth groups
Children were taught socialist ideas through activities such as sport and camping
49
What happened to the Orthodox church during the 1930's (three details)
The 'League of the Godless' smashed churches and burned religious pictures Members of religious groups were arrested and sent to labour camps The Church was hit particularly hard during the Purges
50
Give two examples of the extent of the cult of personality
Operas and films were made glorifying Stalin's role in the Civil War In 1939 an exhibition titled "Stalin and the Soviet people" contained pictures of Stalin acting as a natural leader during his childhood not dissimilar to a young Christ
51
What book was taught in schools and what did it include
The "Short History of the USSR" It painted Stalin as key in the revolution and practically ignored Trotsky's existence Bonus: By 1948 it had sold 34 million copies in the USSR
52
How did Stalin attempt to rewrite history (two details)
Altered history books given to children Photographs were doctored removing old Bolsheviks from photos and making Stalin seem closer to the beloved Lenin
53
How did the role of women change in the 1930's (4 details)
In the early 1930's liberal ideas of free love and divorce were emphasised as the "worker women" image was emphasised By mid 1930's liberal ideas abandoned The state in the mid 1930's encouraged families to stick together By late 1930's worker women images completely replaced with traditional motherly images
54
What did the state do to encourage families to stick together
Paid child allowances for married couples Divorce was made significantly more difficult
55
By mid 1930's what did women have
More equal footing with men able to join any field of work
56
Describe the changes in abortion and birth rates between 1930-35
Births went from 21.3 per thousand of the population to 15.9 Abortions went from 33.9 per thousands of population to 42
57
What was the NEP (4 details)
The economic policy of the government from 1921-28 NEP encouraged foreign countries to resume trade with the USSR Grain requisitioning was stopped during the NEP Traders were allowed to buy and sell goods
58
What was life like in the labour camps (4 details)
People often were forced to clear ground for big projects Everybody from the ages of 12+ were forced to work The barracks were overrun with bed-bugs in many camps making sleeping impossible People were forced to work until they could stand no longer
59
What were living conditions like in Russia (give one stat)
In Moscow only 6% of households had more than one room
60
How was leisure encouraged in the USSR in the 1930's
Every worker was entitled to a small holiday every year Trade unions and collective farms provided leisure activities for the people

History - Russia (personal) (3 decks)

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