Stalin's Terror Flashcards
Strengths of the USSR by 1941
- machinery and engineering output increased by 59%
- 1939 = 33% living in urban areas compared to 17% in 1926
- 1940 = USSR overtake Britain in iron and steel production
- 1938 - 1941 spending on rearmament rose form 27.5 billion to 70.9 billion roubles
Weaknesses of the USSR by 1941
- Stalin ‘we have fallen behind the advanced countries by 50 - 100 years’
- Production of steel and oil etc ( essential for war ) had fallen behind targets
- unofficial rationing began - 1932-1940 the area sown with grain only increased by 1%
- Prices of goods rose by 75% compared to wages which only rose by 35%
Early purges - The Shakhty Trials
55 engineers arrested and accused of conspiring to sabotage the Soviet economy - described as ‘bourgeois plotters and bloodthirsty foreign confederates
Why did Stalin order the Shakhty Trials
To undermine the power of Bukharin, Rykov and Tomsky - allowed Stalin to denounce reliance on pre-revolutionary specialists which was a policy defended by Bukharin whilst also showing that Rykov’s state apparatus and Tomsky’s labour unions had failed
What did Krylenko claim ( The Shakhty Trials )
10 confessed which implicated the others - 6 others made important admissions - the rest including 3 Germans pleaded innocent - led to the belief that there was an organised network of saboteurs with centres in Moscow, Berlin and Paris
What message did the Shakhty Trials send to Russians
- If you speak out on others then you wont be punished
- If you don’t speak out then you will be harshly punished
What message did the Shakhty Trials send to Foreign workers
They were now not welcome in Russia with some being executed and others being deported
The Ryutin affair - What problems was Stalin facing in the early 1930s
Top members of the politburo were challenging him with his management of collectivisation still being criticised
Who was Ryutin
Former Moscow party secretary and a rightist who had been expelled from the party in 1930 - had created a document titled ‘ Stalin and the crisis of the proletarian Dictatorship - wanted an end to collectivisation etc
What is a Chistka
A nonviolent purge - used by Stalin in 1934 where a 5th of the party were expelled, labelled as ‘Ryutinites’
Difference between Lenin’s and Stalin’s terror
Lenin never purged inside the party whereas Stain did
Purges - NKVD
- Drove around in vehicles called ‘ravens’ and made arrests late at night
- 70% of the central committee elected at the 17th party congress were arrested or shot
Dec 1934 = Murder of Kirov
July 1937 = order No. 00447 against ‘anti-Soviet elements’
1940 = Hit man killed Trotsky
KGB
- Main function = foreign intelligence, Counterintelligence, guarding the state border and combating anti-soviet activities etc
- 1983 time magazine reported that the KGB was the world’s most effective information-gathering organisation
Yagoda
- Director of the NKVD from 1934 - 1936
- had been head of the Cheka in 1923
- supervised the arrest and execution of Kamanev and Zinoviev
- arrested during the purge in 1937 - found guilty of Wrecking and Trotskyism and shot
Yezhov
- Soviet police official under Stalin
- nickname = ‘poison dwarf’
- head of the NKVD from 1936-1938
- His time in office is called ‘Yezhovshchina’
- responsible for the show trial of Yagoda
- executed in 1940 during the purges
Beria
- most influential of Stalin’s secret police chiefs
- helped with the development of the Gulag camps
- Oversaw the Soviet atomic bomb project
- shot after Stalin’s death
Reasons for Terror
- increase industrial production - deal with wreckers
- Enforce collectivisation and deal with the class enemy ( Kulak’s )
- Show of power
What opposition had developed towards Stalin
- rapid industrialisation creates tension in society
- collectivisation and famine had alienated the peasantry - murder of rural communists had become a regular occurrence
17th party congress
26th Feb 1934 = Congress of victories - believed economic groundwork was complete - could now slow down and stabilise tensions caused by the fast pace of change
- Split between Stalin and members of the politburo with Stalin wanting to keep up the fast pace of industrialisation
1936 - Stalin Constitution
Intended for international consumption - to show that the Soviet state was democratic at heart and that socialism had been achieved
Features:
- Freedom of speech and press
- Right to demonstrate
- Freedom form arbitrary arrest
- Free elections and secret ballot’s
Consequences of the Stalin Constitution
Stalin claimed that his constitution was ‘proof that socialism and democracy are invincible’
arty formation under Stalin
- Under Stalin party membership grew from 200,000 in 1924 to 3 million by the late 1930s - due to the party’s push fro loyalty and conformity as well as promises for career advancements for members etc
Role of the Communist party in the USSR
-controlled all aspects of political life - membership was a privilege and a responsibility - members were expected to engage and promote communism - failure to do so = expulsion from the party and potential imprisonment
Structure of the Party
- At the top was the politburo which was responsible for key decisions and formulating policies
- Below was the Secretariat which handled day-to-day administration
- the relationship between these two was vital for maintaining control
Benefits of being a party member
- better jobs made available
- Received larger rations and access to scarce consumer goods
- Gave members power over other groups
Stalinism
The period that Stalin was acting as leader of the Soviet Union - It is the means of governing and related policies implemented by Joseph Stalin which included State Terror and Socialism in one country etc
Explanations for Stalinism - Stalin’s Personality
- His desire to dominate and be a hero for the revolution
- Paranoid behaviour
- tendency to use violence and terror to crush opposition and pursue his policies
Explanations for Stalinism - Circumstances of the revolution and the Civil war
- Bolsheviks were ruthless in consolidating their power after the October revolution
- Civil war enforced military discipline and demanded party unity
Explanations for Stalinism - Economic Reasons
- No world revolution is so isolated / lacking of support
- Party needed a leader like Stalin to carry them through rapid industrialisation and collectivisation
Explanations for Stalinism - Central planing
Stalin used wage differentials to encourage people at different levels to do their jobs, develop skills and keep workers production rate up
Explanations for Stalinism - Tradition in Russia
Russia had autocracy, with officials serving the state and Tsar - State control over people was normal with people being used to the idea of a strong leader who prevented disorder - Stalin tapped into this tradition
Explanations for Stalinism - Leninism
Lenin set up rule by one party, centralised control, central planning, secret police and the use of terror - Stalin extended these controls
The birth of terror
The idea of making an example of a selected quota of victims in the form of show trials was used throughout the civil war - Stalin had used it in Georgia at the same time
Why was Stalin frustrated
- by his inability to control the localities - he believed party officials were sleeping on the job - linked this to Menshevik attitudes
The NKVD
- absorbed the OGPU which had been responsible for the Gulags - Yagoda was made head of the NKVD - Yagoda felt there had been a reduction in security following the ‘moderation of domestic policy in 1933 to 1934.’
Stalin’s links with the NKVD
Had his own personal secretariat headed by Poskrebyshev who maintained links with the NKVD. - provided Stalin with his own intelligence network that enabled him to gain an advantage over his rivals
The early Purges
- Those at the top of the party continued to challenge Stalin’s leadership even after he had rid the Politburo of his main rivals in 1930
Which groups did Stalin criticise
- Syrtsov-Lominadze group
- Eismont-Tolmachev-Smirnov group
- The Ryutin platform - Ryutin called for lower capital investment, an end to forced collectivisation and Stalin’s dismissal
Another purge of the party
- Senior Bolsheviks were still questioning Stalin’s judgement = 1933 purge of the party which saw the expulsion of 854,300 members
Congress
- 16th in June 1930, during a period of respite from collectivisation
- 17th took place during a more liberal phase that followed the 1932-33 crisis at the start of the 2nd 5 year plan
- Described as the congress of victors to hail the achievements of socialist construction - socialism in one country had been achieved
- The congress also wanted a relaxation of policy’s which went against Stalin’s goal of maintaining the rapid industrialisation - Stalin now had a new rival in Kirov
Challenges to Stalin
- a vote to abolish the post of general secretary - made Stalin equal to his colleagues
- It is possible that delegates asked Kirov to stand against Stalin for the role of general secretary before it was abolished
- In the elections to the central committee delegates voted against Stalin in favour of Kirov
Consequences of Kirov’s murder
- Stalin introduced an ‘extraordinary law’ which removed party immunity and gave the security police the power to arrest party members without seeking permission
- The suppression of the 13 strong Leningrad centre of which Nikolayev was supposedly a member
- 98 officials were shot for ‘terrorist acts’
- Central committee demanded local organisations to arrest thousands of Trotskyites and Zinovievites
- out of the 1996 delegates at the 17th party congress, 1108 were arrested and 848 executed - included Zinoviev and Kaminev who were accused of being part of the ‘Moscow centre’ and arrested
What were Trotsky and Zinoviev accused of
Creating an Opposition group against Stalin and the Soviets - 29 July 1936 a document regarding their activities was read amongst the party, creating fear and therefore allowing for Stalin to easily get rid of them
Stalin Constitution
Bukharin and Stalin created a new Constitution which would see:
- Sexual equality
- Bettered education and housing
- Freedom of speech
- extensive statement on civil rights e.g. freedom from arbitrary arrest
This appeared democratic with it’s main intention being to impress foreigners - in practice it was largely ignored
1918 Constitution
- constitution for the ‘Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic’ (RSFSR) - Stated power lay with the Russian congress of Soviets - Looked democratic
Limitations: - Workers vote was 5 times more powerful than a peasants vote
- former ‘exploiting classes’ e.g. businessmen were not allowed to vote
Kirov - 17th party congress
-26th Feb 1934 - called the congress of victories
- Split between leading members of the politburo and Stalin as he wanted to continue the rapid industrialisation whereas the Politburo wanted to slow down
- Kirov’s ideas were popular
- Stalin and Kirov both given title of secretary of equal rank
Before the murder of Kirov
- received lots of support - got more votes than Stalin
- Opposed Stalin over the Ryutin affair
Deputy head of the NKVD Zaporozhets put personnel from Moscow into key positions - Kirov wanted them removed but Stalin refused this
After the murder of Kirov
- Stalin interrogated Nikolayev who claimed the NKVD was responsible
- beginning of the party purges
Murder of Kirov
- 4pm on 1st December 1934 was killed by an assassin in the party headquarters in Leningrad
- Assassin = Nikolayev who had been expelled from the communist party in 1934 (later reinstated) -claimed the murder was ‘a personal act of desperation and dissatisfaction’
Evidence Nikolayev acted alone
- Had owned the gun since 1918
- His diary showed claims Kirov was having an affair with his wife
- Files on the case do not blame Stalin or the NKVD
Assassination was aided by the NKVD
- Nikolayev wrote a letter to the NKVD saying ‘I am ready for anything now.’
- A key witness was killed in a car accident whilst travelling with 5 members of the NKVD
Assassination was ordered by Stalin and arranged by the NKVD
- Stalin had a motive after Kirov was offered the position of General Secretary
- Many ordinary Russians believed Stalin had ordered the killing of Kirov
The First Show Trial
- August 1936
- Main Victims were Kaminev and Zinoviev and 14 others - all members of opposition groups at the time
- Charged with spying on foreign powers and being counter-revolutionaries - Belief they wanted to kill Stalin and were involved in Kirov’s murder
- Stalin’s aims were to crush his enemies ‘physically and mentally’
- Impact = 1st executions of members of the central committee - Stalin was now the only link to Lenin
The Second Show Trial
- January 1937
- Main Victims = Karl Radek - Trotskyite and Pyatakov - deputy in the commissariat for heavy industry - accused of working with Trotsky and sabotaging industry
- Outcome = 13 killed with Radek getting 10yrs in prison (probably killed by the NKVD whilst imprisoned)
- Purpose of the Show Trial was to stop a military Coup against Stalin
- Impact = led to the purge of the Red army and low ranking members denouncing those above them in the party
The Third Show Trial
- Main Victims = Bukharin and 20 other old Bolsheviks e.g. Rykov - Accused of belonging to a rightist group o communists who plotted to kill Lenin in 1918
- All found guilty and most killed
The Yezhovschina
- period of terror initiated by Yezhov which peaked in 1937 and lasting until 1938
how many affected by the Yezhovschina
7 million arrested and 1 million killed
What did the Yezhovschina encourage
- low ranking officials to denounce those higher positions - Stalin believed spies had infiltrated the party at all levels
- Resulted in a flood of accusations with many accused of being part of the ‘Bukharin right in the 1920s’ or authorising concessions to the peasants in 1925
- Some denounced colleagues to earn promotions or deflect criticism from themselves
What did Yezhov do?
- set out categories to deal with people who had suspicious political or social backgrounds, and quotas of people to be arrested in each area were created
- Quotas were always over fulfilled by the NKVD
- Also part of a sweep of former Kulaks and criminals = social cleansing on a massive scale
The Quotas during Yezhovschina
July 1937 = proportion to be shot was fixed at 28% with the rest being sentenced up to 10 years
What did the Yezhovschina encourage ordinary people to do
criticise party officials, bureaucrats and managers in order to seek out the hidden enemies - resulted in a huge number of denunciations and arrests
Who was affected by Yezhovschina
- thousands of peasants, factory workers, shop workers and office clerks - although the main target was intelligentsia
Who had confessions beaten out of them during Yezhovschina
Tukachevsky and other generals
When were people arrested during Yezhovschina
at night, from 11pm to 3am
What tactics were used to get confessions
interrogations with torture widely used with many forced to plead guilty to crimes they didn’t even commit
Stalin’s Terror in the countryside
- wanted to get rid of private farms - 1930 Stalin confiscated all private land
- Requisitioning committees took everything off the peasants and 100,000s of thousands sent to Siberia
Stalin’s use of spy systems and use of quotas
if you couldn’t name enough people, then you would also be arrested - quotas were always over-fulfilled
When were the Gulags first set up
Lenin established them in the early 1920s for opponents to be sent too - Soloventsky was the first major labour camp located on the white sea
The end of the Terror
ended in late 1938
Why was the Terror brought to an end
- Yezhov was replaced by Beria = arrests slowed
- Purges were destabilising the Russian society which had negative effects on industrial output etc
Who did Stalin blame for excess terror
Yezhov
What happens to Trotsky
1940 - killed by a hit man on Stalin’s orders
How many were affected during the purges
1 in 18 people were arrested - at the height of the terror an average of 1500 people were shot and killed each day
Who were the victims of the purges
- 70% of members of the central committee
- two state prime ministers in Georgia were killed
- 75 / 80 men in the supreme military council were killed
- 35,000 officers imprisoned or shot
- 23,000 members of the NKVD
- High proportion of managers
- 15 million Kulaks
Impact of the Terror on Stalin
- in a position of supreme power - dictator with absolute control
Impact of the Terror on the Population
- Society deprived of teachers, engineers and specialists
Impact of the Terror on the Party
- loss of 850,000 members - party was Stalin’s tool
- Central committee lost it’s power
Impact of the Terror on the army
new officials had to be brought in which led to military failures
- size of the army increased from 1million to 5million by 1941
