Stalinism, politics and control, 1929–1941

Question 1

How had Lenin created a police state?

Answer 1

Purges of the party had already taken place under Lenin - often resulted in members losing their positions

Cheka became the OGPU in 1922

Question 2

How did Stalin develop the police state at the beginning of his rule?

Answer 2

Early 30’s, pop repressed through arrests and show trials

Enforced famine - ‘economic terror’

Question 3

The Shakhty Trial, 1928

Answer 3

Managers and technicians of the Shakhty
coal mine questioned the rapid pace of
industrialization

5 imprisoned others targeted

Message to others not to critique the five year plans

Question 4

Trotsky’s expulsion, 1929

Answer 4

Expelled from the party and the USSR - removed from the head of the Left Opposition

Never admitted his faults

Question 5

Ryutin Affair, 1932

Answer 5

Critiqued Stalin and Collectivisation in a document

Stalin accused Ryutin for engaging in an assassination plot and called for his execution

Ryutin and Others spoke against this, imprisoned for 10 years

Kamenev, Zinoviev and 14 others were expelled for not reporting Ryutin’s document
earlier

Question 6

Party Purge, 1933

Answer 6

Over 570,000 Ryutinites were expelled from
the party

Question 7

Who was Kirov

Answer 7

Once a close friend and ally of Stalin

Leader of Leningrad party, strong powerbase in Leningrad

Gained support during the 17th Party Congress in 1934 when he opposed Stalins rapid industrialisation

Question 8

Murder of Kirov

Answer 8

Shot in December of 1934 by Nikolayev

Stalin blames the murder on a Trotskyite faction

Death used by Stalin as a motive for mass purges of the party (The day after the murder, Stalin gave Yagoda and the NKVD powers to arrest anyone found guilty of ‘terrorist plotting’)

Over 100 party members were shot with thousands arrested and sent to gulags

Question 9

The first show trials

Answer 9

In January 1935, Zinoviev, Kamenev and 17 others were arrested and sentenced to 5-10 years imprisonment -Trial held in 1936

Z + K took responsibility for Kirov’s murder and confessed to terrorist plotting, both were executed

Question 10

What was the purpose of the show trials

Answer 10

Emphasisedd the threat agoinst party opposition, Justified Stalin’s and the NKVD’s increased control, shift attention and blame away from social and economic tension

Question 11

How did the show trials work?

Answer 11

NKVD secured signed confessions before the trial

Used torture, threats against the family, sleep depravation and starvation in order to ensure confessions

1935 became legal for Children above the age of 12 to be held to trial (Incentive for parents to confess)

1935 death penalty extens to those who did not report criminal activity

Question 12

The Stalin Constitution

Answer 12

Drafted by Bukharin in 1936, intended to celebrate the triumphs of Stalin’s rule and decalre that socialism had been achieved

Promised rights within the constitution e.g elections every 4 years, freedom from arrest ect were largely ignored

Question 13

The Yezhovschina

Answer 13

In March 1937, Yagoda was arrested on Stalin’s orders. Yezhov announced his arrest and achieved his position as head of the NKVD

Question 14

Order 00447

Answer 14

Stalin gave NKVD permission to pursue mass terror

Passed in 1937

No central control over NKVD

NKVD given quotas on how many anti-soviets should be arrested

Question 15

Impact of Order 00447

Answer 15

Within 1 month, 100,000 had been arrested

By 1938, 575,000 people had been sentenced and 258,000 of them executed

Pressure to meet quotas meant innocents were arrested

Civilians encouraged to reports their colleagues, friends and family

Question 16

What was the trial of 17?

Answer 16

1937, 17 senior party members were accused of plotting with trotsky, all confessed and 13/17 were sentenced to death

Question 17

What was the military purge?

Answer 17

1937, Stalin orders a purge of the military fearing the popularity of the civil war generals

8 senior miliraty commanders were accused of plotting with Trotsky and were executed

Question 18

Impact of the military Purge

Answer 18

From 1937 to 1939 over 30,000 army
leaders were sacked, thousands arrested
and executed

74 military officers were shot for refusing to approve of the execution of their colleagues

Weakened military

Question 19

Trial of 21

Answer 19

In March 1938, Bukharin, Rykov and 19
others were put on show trial, charged of working with Germany and Jpana to assassinate Stalin

All found guilty and executed

Question 20

How did the purges end?

Answer 20

In August 1940, Trotsky was assassinated
in Mexico by a Stalinist agent

Signified end of threat from the ‘old government’

Question 21

How did the Gulags change under Stalin?

Answer 21

More gulags built

Gulag pop rose from 800,000 in 1935 to 5.5 million by 1938 (some estimate 9.5 million)

Now used to work prisoners to the death

Question 22

How did Stalin treat national minorities?

Answer 22

He purged Party leadership of non-Russians and replaced them with people willing to accept Moscow’s rule

Antisemetism and suspicion high

Question 23

Impact of the Purges?

Answer 23

Stalins wife committed suicide

Stalin paranoid and vindictive

Local officials acted on their own agendas

Individuals chosee to denounce others

By 1938, 1/3 of the party had been purged

Question 24

Impact of the purges on the USSR?

Answer 24

Destabalised the state and the economy

Skilled workers were killed

Stalin blamed Yezhov for the purges, executed 1940 and replaced with Beria

Question 25

Impact on Religion

Answer 25

Religious schools were closing

By 1941, nearly 40,000 churches had been destroyed

Sunday abolished as a day of rest

Pilgrimages to Mecca were forbidden from 1935

Jewish schools and synagogues were closed down

Question 26

Impact on Women

Answer 26

New family code passed 1936, abortion illegal, divorce more difficult, adultery a criminal offence

Introduced because the BR fell by 25%, loss of millions due to famine, increased youth crime and prodtitution

Abortions dropped sharply to 570,000 in 1937 but began to increase by 1939, BR remained low, divorce rates remained high

Question 27

Impact on Young People

Answer 27

In the 1930s. The USSR returned to more traditional education, emphasizing technical subjects and practical skills

Pronote nationalism and milirary training, Vesenkha in charge of ihgher education

Literacy rates increase

Question 28

Komsomol

Answer 28

Age 10 - 28 promote socialism

Dirctly affiliated with communist party in 1939, carry out party campaigns and volounteer in projects

Question 29

Impact on men

Answer 29

From 1931, trained workers were paid more, shortage in skilled workers meant they were in high demand

Unskilled workers moved to avoid bad reports

Living conditions poor and overcrowded

Question 30

Foreign Policy by 1929

Answer 30

West fear being ‘infected’ by the spread of Communism

Treaty of Berlin and Rapallo strengthen relations with Germany

Question 31

Cooperation with Germany

Answer 31

70% of foreign workers in 1930 were german

USSR benefit from German military training

Biggest export market

In 1931, the USSR negotiated a continuation of the Berlin Treaty, relations deteriorate with rise of Hitler in 1933

Question 32

Entry into League of Nations

Answer 32

Want to join to improve collective security (worry over Hitler)

Gave USSR international power

Join 1934

Question 33

Pact with France and Czechslovakia

Answer 33

1932, non aggression pacts with France and Poland

1935, mutual assisstance pact with France and Czechslovakia

From 1935 foreign communist parties encouraged to fight fascism

Question 34

The Spanish Civil War

Answer 34

1936, Fascists support nationalists intent on overthrowing Socialist republic

Stalin sends exuipment to support republic

1937, Stalin attempts to continue Civil War to wear down German and Italian forces

Question 35

Responsed to aggression

Answer 35

In September 1938, Germany, France, Britain and Italy met to discuss Germany’s claims to the Sudetenland, USSR excluded

Japan had invaded Manchuria in 1931 and the rest of China in 1937. This was a threat to Russia.

Japan and Germany had signed the non -Comintern pact in 1936 (Italy join 1937)

War with Japan broke out in 1939

Question 36

Nazi-Soviet Pact 1939

Answer 36

Stalin focused on keeping the USSR safe, pact to delay invasion

Stalin gains avoidance of war on two fronts, territorial gainst of the Baltic Staes in 1941

Hitler also avoids war on 2 fronts, raw materials from USSR, permission to invade poland (claimed 1939)

Germany defeated most of
Western Europe by June 1940 and
was ready to invade - 1941 invade USSR