Stalins dictatorship:

Question 1

what was lenins last testament?

Answer 1

it was a letter that was meant to be read to the party when he died. he did not nominate a future leader but he heavily criticised stalin referring to his ‘personal rudeness, unnecessary roughness and lack of finesse’ suggesting he should be removed from his post as general secretary. however this was never read, which played into stalins hands.

Question 2

who were the potential candidates following lenins death?

Answer 2

• trotsky - red army, most stable
• zinoviev - founding member, close associate, bourgeois background
• stalin - not senior background, disliked by lenin
• bukharin - described as golden boy by lenin
• kamenev - old bolshevik, close associate of lenin, not in sovnarkom

Question 3

what was the first stage of stalins rise to leadership?

Answer 3

1922 - 24

• dec 1922 - zinoviev, kamenev and stalin join to prevent trotsky from leading, fear his army support and arrogance
• april 1923 - stalin uses power as general secretary to build supporters at a local level, ensures that his nominees are elected to future congresses
• jan 1924 - lenin dies and stalin gives trotsky the wrong date for lenins funeral, gives stalin the funeral orientation

Question 4

what was the second stage of stalins rise to power?

Answer 4

1924 - 1927

may 1924 - lenins testament is released by his widow, opposes zinoviev and kamenev which aids stalin

nov 1924 - trotsky lacks votes in favour of democracy

jan 1925 - trotsky publishes lessons of october -shows that K and Z went against lenin on many issues, stalin continues to gain support

dec 1925 - forced down from his position as commissar of war.

july 1926 - stalin supports bukharin on economic policy, delegates large stalinists. new cc and politburo elected with a stalinist-bukharin majority, zinoviev forced to step down in favour of kirov

nov 1926 - z and k join trotsky, stalin accuses them of factionalism, z and t expelled from communist party, united opposition collapses

Question 5

what was the final stage of stalins rise to power?

Answer 5

trotsky deported to a remote spot in china, other defeated oppositionists disperse elsewhere

stalin announces a new left wing leaning economic strategy which disagrees with bukharin, stalin turns to trotsky but lenin accuses both men of factionalism.

stalin has trotsky deported to constantinople

bukharin is removed from pravda, and politburo. stalin celebrates his birthday as the undisputed leader

Question 6

what was the problem with the NEP?

Answer 6

the left favoured abandoning the NEP, but the right supported its continuance. stalin fluctuated from left to right, suggesting he was a pure opportunist. although could have been due to food shortages rather than ideological problems

Question 7

what were other ideological issues that allowed stalin to get to power?

Answer 7

• pragmatic view of russia being the only communist country, favoured stability against revolutionary turmoil that trotsky appeared to be advocating for
• nature of leadership - single leader? some felt it was time to abandon the central leader as marx had not envisaged a single leader of a socialist state. no longer necessary after 1924, sought collective control

Question 8

how did stalin extend lenins rule by one party and ban on factions?

Answer 8

the party continued to predominate over state institutions, control was ensured through parallel structures and the dual membership. however, party congresses were called less frequently and none were called between 1932 to 52. used his position as general secretary to control important party appointments. this built up party membership and developed a bureacracy of loyal servants.

Question 9

what was the lenin enrolment?

Answer 9

this took place in 1925, in commemoration of lenins death. the party almost doubled its membership to 1 million. further expansions increased from 1.6 in 1930 to 3.5 in 1933.

Question 10

what happened to party enrolment during the purges?

Answer 10

party membership fell however, there was still 4 million members by 1940. most new members were drawn into the party from younger and less well educated workers and peasants who were interested in their own careers.

Question 11

how did stalin attract party members?

Answer 11

often attracted by stalins nationalist, energetic and sometimes brutal policies that provided incentives for family. for the most part, they became firm supporters of the stalinist society and thus the structure of inequality

Question 12

what was the 1936 constitution?

Answer 12

it was a new constitution, drafted by nikolai bukharin, stalin claimed that it was the most democratic in the world. it proclaimed the ussr to be a federation of 11 soviet republics. the all russian congress of soviets was changed by a new supreme soviet made up of the soviet of the union and soviet of nationalities. each republic had its own supreme soviet. new constitution promised local autonomy to ethnic groups and national cultures. it also promised 4 year elections with the right to vote, including former people i.e. bolsheviks. accompanied by an extensive statement of civil rights - right to free speech

Question 13

how did the 1936 constitution work in practice?

Answer 13

it did look democratic but its main intention may have been to impress foreigners. in practice, promised rights were largely ignored. central control exercised over republics budgets which gave little real regional independence. although it acknowledged the right to leave the union, georgia was purged in 1951 when they tried to exercise this right. elections were not contested so the right to vote was merely to affirm a choice of representative. supreme soviet only met a few times a year (participation not involvement) seen by party as a forum to impart decisions not to present views

Question 14

when did stalins cult of personality emerge?

Answer 14

from december 1929, following his fiftieth birthday he consciously developed his own cult promoting himself as a leader during a time of rapid change

Question 15

how was stalin portrayed in his cult of personality?

Answer 15

he was portrayed as lenins true disciple i.e. slogans like ‘stalin is the lenin of today’, portraits showed him, marx, engels and lenin. paintings, posters etc to glorify his role as the mighty universal leader. father of the nation

Question 16

when did stalinism reach its peak?

Answer 16

until after the second world war, but it was fully established in the years 1933 - 39

Question 17

how did stalin portray himself in the october revolution?

Answer 17

he assumed a major role in the october revolution and downplayed the role of trotsky and other bolsheviks as enemies of the people. photographs were doctored to remove old bolsheviks and show stalin at the side of lenin, short cause book sold 34 mil by 1948.

Question 18

how did people respond to his cult of personality?

Answer 18

adulation was on a scale of intensity rarely seen and although partially manufactured, it showed the strength of his support within the soviet union. some praised him as they benefited i.e. patronage, however, for many a very real sense of emotional attachment to stalin reflected a real sense of loyalty to the leader. like the tsars before him, he was seen as the father of the people and any faults in society were due to lesser officials. was regarded as a god like figure.

Question 19

what was the soviet union like by 1941?

Answer 19

stalin was not invincible, it was sufficiently extensive for it to be referred to as a personal dictatorship

Question 20

what was stalins great turn driven by?

Answer 20

nep was failing to produce grown that communist leaders sought, war scare in the late 1920s made them particularly nervous. they wanted to increase the ussrs military strength and develop its self sufficiency, so that it was less reliant on foreign exports. wanted to move towards true socialism, essential to develop industry and be dependent on peasants and grain harvests. it also suited him to have strong central control over central planning.

Question 21

what are the five year plans?

Answer 21

set targets for industrial enterprise. targets were very ambitious and intended to force maximum effort from managers. corruption and faulting reporting was built into the system

Question 22

what were the aims of the first five year plans?

Answer 22

1928 - 32

increase production by 300%

develop heavy industry i.e. coal, iron etc

boost electricity production by 600%

Question 23

what were the successes and weaknesses of the first five year plan?

Answer 23

provoked an enthusiastic response, stalin claimed that the targets were met in four years not 5. probs due to overly enthusiastic reporting by local officials, keen to show their loyalty and effort. electricity output trebled, coal and iron doubled, steel production increased by 1/3, railways, steep production etc e.g. magnitogorsk, targets for chemical industries were not met and there were too few skilled workers for efficient developement. as well as this, smaller industrial workers lost out.

Question 24

what was the aims of the second five year plans?

Answer 24

1933 - 37

continue the development of heavy industry

put new emphasis on light industries such as chemicals, electric and consumer goods.

develop communication links in cities for industry

boost energy and tool making

Question 25

what were the success and weaknesses of the second five year plan?

Answer 25

three good years - 1934 - 36 where moscow metro was opened, volgo canal, largest dam in europe. electricity production and chemical industries grew rapidly and new metals such as copper, zinc and tin were mined for the first time. steel output trebled, coal doubled. virtually self sufficient. plans changed to accomodate rearmament. oil production did not meet its targets and no appreciable increase on consumer goods. emphasis on quantity not quality

Question 26

what were the aims of the third five year plan?

Answer 26

1938 - 42 focus on development of heavy industry (because of war) promote rapid rearmament complete transition to communism

Question 27

what were the success and weaknesses of the third five year plan?

Answer 27

heavy industry main beneficiary, strong growth in machinery. resources diverted to war. adverse effect on other areas. steel production stagnated, oil failures caused a fuel crisis and many industries short of raw materials. consumer goods relegated. lack of good managers and specialists following stalins purges, hard winter and rearmament. plan was disrupted because of war

Question 28

what was central planning in a command economy?

Answer 28

priorities established by the party instructions passed down through bureacratic layers failure to meet targets was a criminal offence. could be accused of wrecking bonuses for those who exceeded

Question 29

why was there a turn in agriculture?

Answer 29

seen as a prerequisite for industrial change, surplus grain needed for export. to feed growing industrial force. favoured a more socialist system, peasants were holding back a true socialist system turn towards collective farming

Question 30

when was the first collectivisation?

Answer 30

1929

Question 31

who did stalin blame for grain problems?

Answer 31

kulaks, would annihilate them as a class, used the cheka to identity, execute or deport kulaks. 4% of population but 15% of households were destroyed, some tried to avoid being labelled as kulaks and would destroy land and animals which added to grain problems.

Question 32

how did collectivisation and dekulakinsation go hand in hand?

Answer 32

designed to frighted peasants to join kolkoz collectives. the cheka used to help peasants accept arrangements. by march 1930, 58% of peasant households were collectivised through force and propoganda. even stalin accused party members of becoming dizzy with success. by 1930 only around 20 per cent were still collectivised

Question 33

what happened in the second stage of collectivisation?

Answer 33

1930 - 41, proceeded at a slower pace, MTS established. to ensure quotas were collected and dealt with the countryside. looked successful but had massive problems in its implementation.

Question 34

what were the problems with the second stage of collectivisation?

Answer 34

dekulakisation inhumane but also removed 10 mil of the most successful farmers grain and livestock destroyed (25 - 30 %) peasants forced to hand over virtually all grain collectives poorly organised lack of fertilisers etc famine - one of the worst seen in russian history of 1932 - 33 referred to as a second serfdom profits were non existent for peasants state achieved its purpose but was often at the expense of peasants themselves who endured an upheaval that destroyed a way of life, and at worst were forced to die in the interests of economic socialisation

Question 35

how did industrilisation impact living conditions?

Answer 35

it brought a seven day working week and longer working hours, arriving late or missing work could result in dismissal, eviction and a loss of benefits. damaging machinery was a criminal offence and strikes were illegal.

Question 36

what produced a diverse proletariat?

Answer 36

from 1931, the introduction of wage differentials, bonuses, payment by the piece and opportunities for better housing to reward skills and devoted application, produced a more diverse proletariat. workers were allowed to choose their place of work and could move to improve their lot. disciplinary rules were eased. huge propoganda including the stakhanovite movement which increased socialist competition, which improved proletarian elite. more peasants moved to towns and workers became managers, alongside increased educational opportunities.

Question 37

what was the stakhanovite movement?

Answer 37

stakhanov was a miner who in 5 hours had extracted the amount of coal (102 tonnes) which was expected from a miner in 14 times that length. he was hailed as how determination and endevour might increase productivity. competitions arranged for others to emulate this achievement and the number of broken records was make believe. the movement became a way of forcing management to support workers to increase production but failure to meet target meant that managers were branded as saboteurs.

Question 38

what did stalins purges do for social change?

Answer 38

reduced the numbers competing for jobs and created plenty of vacancies at the top because intellectuals were hit the hardest. in 1933, stalin could announce that life had become more joyous,

Question 39

what was the reality of daily life?

Answer 39

daily life remained grim. living conditions in the countryside remained primitive, and in the towns, workers had to live in extremely cramped conditions with communal apartments and inadequate sanitation and erratic water supplies. public transport was overcrowded. shops were often empty and queues and shortages were an accepted way of life

Question 40

what were wages like under stalin?

Answer 40

they were increased during the second five year plan but they were still lower than they had been in 1927. rationing was fazed out but market prices were high. those of importance could obtain things cheaper but this was not the case for workers.

Question 41

what were the downsides of womens position?

Answer 41

women were expected to work and most did, this is where advised equality disguised reality as women had to perform the triple shift !! dual burden made life miserable

Question 42

why did stalin revert to more traditional policies?

Answer 42

driven by several factors, due to purges and fall in population. the family became a focus of new propoganda wave where stalin was presented as a family man, and divorce and abortion were attacked. importance of marriage was reemphasised, women were portrayed less in films etc. feminine women who adored family

Question 43

what changes were introduced to reverse these policies?

Answer 43

- large fees introduced to deter divorce - men contribute to 60% of child support - adultery was criminsalised - contraception banned - financial incentives offered for large families - bonus payments but many continued to work

Question 44

how many women were working despite these changes?

Answer 44

3 mil in 1928 to 13 mil 1940, 43% were women in workforce

Question 45

did this change the positions of women?

Answer 45

not as much - women in education doubled and many worked on collective farms - growth of nurseries and creches helped women to cope with work and family; - but women were still paid 40% less than men. and men were the ones in key roles - divorce rate remained high - there were still a lot of abortions (150,000 to 57,000 live births)

Question 46

what did lenin set up for education?

Answer 46

he saw it as crucial in building a socialist society, and he set up the commissariat of the enlightenment, which provided free education at all levels.

Question 47

what changed within education during the 1920s?

Answer 47

the old gimnazii were abolished and replaced by new secondary schools which combined traditional with vocational education. trad combined with physical work. abolished textbooks and exams. (not written within a communist framework) a fair amount of freedom and creativity was allowed. physical punishment banned

Question 48

how did stalin change education?

Answer 48

he reversed some of these policies, practical work was still encouraged but for five year plans. many schools became responsibility of collective farms while universities were put under control of Veshenka.

Question 49

what was the quota system?

Answer 49

where WC children were given places at secondary schools, but this was abandoned and selection reappeared.

Question 50

what was the curriculum like?

Answer 50

a rigid academic curriculum, formal teaching, report cards, tests and uniforms ensured a strong academic education.

Question 51

what were the core subjects:

Answer 51

reading, writing, science 30% devoted to russian language, 10% soviet style history, 20% to maths. nationalism was promoted and military training introduced.

Question 52

how did the stakhanovite movement influence society?

Answer 52

teachers were encouraged to set high standards for themselves and teachers could be blamed and purged. they became closely watched and could be arrested if they failed to meet principles.

Question 53

Had education improved?

Answer 53

soviet experimentation had produced marked educational improvements, 94% literate in towns, 86% countryside. uni - ussr produced strong science graduates, education could help social mobility, even though WC students did not reach uni.

Question 54

what was the russian young communist league?

Answer 54

formed in 1918 for youths and was extended to become the youth division of the communist party. lenins wife took an active role in this. it was renamed the komosol and the age range was extended to include 10 - 28 years.

Question 55

was the komosol popular at the time?

Answer 55

no, only 6% of eligble youth had joined and it was not until stalin that it flourished.

Question 56

what did the komosol teach?

Answer 56

communist values, smoking, drinking and religion were discourage while sports, social work, politics clubs organised to inspire socialist values.

Question 57

what were the young pioneer palaces?

Answer 57

they were built to serve as community centres for summer camps free of charge. it became directly affiliated with the party in 1939. members took an oath to serve communism as lenin had instructed and as the communist party teaches me. helped to carry out campaigns and assist red army !! youth newspaper published encouraging young people to protect family values and remain abstinence. this offered social mobility.

Question 58

were all young people involved in youth organisations?

Answer 58

no some were more interested in western culture i.e. jazz, fashion despite the parties condemnation of this as hooliganism. some simply opted out but there was some secret oppositional groups but direct confrontation was rare.

Question 59

how did lenin treat religion?

Answer 59

marx described religion as the opium of the people to justify bourgeoise powers, but lenin did not see them as a threat and allowed freedom of religious groups. he accepted that the bolsheviks were surrounded by an overwhelmingly christian orthodox. and toleration was the best policy.

Question 60

how was the churches power reduced under lenin?

Answer 60

propoganda applauded secular society. changes took place in the position of the church within the state. church lands were seized, church schools were taken over by the state. decree on civil marriages and deaths was followed by the official separation of church and state. from 1921, the teaching of religion in schools was forbidden. monastries became state property turned into hospitals.

Question 61

what happened to religious days?

Answer 61

they disappeared, news years replaced xmas and may day replaced easter, prevented holy day of church attendance.

Question 62

what did stalins 1936 constitution do for religion?

Answer 62

criminalised religious propoganda, but did give priests the right to vote which they had lost 1918.

Question 63

how were muslims treated?

Answer 63

treated leniently during the early years of bolshevik rule but after the civil war, land was confiscated and sharia courts were abolished. this produced a split with the new mosque taking the pro soviet line. pilgrimages to mecca banned, and wearing the veil was forbidden. muslim priests were imprisoned and executed.

Question 64

was there still strong religious belief?

Answer 64

yes despite 40000 churches closed, religion remained strong and was potentially strengthened by collectivisation. 1937 - 57% declared themselves as believers.

Question 65

what did the bolsheviks originally promise to ethnic minorities?

Answer 65

they had promised national self determination - fulfilled in 1917. however this encouraged seperatist movements. finland opted to become an elected state and an elected rada(govt.) was set up in the ukraine.

Question 66

how were national minorities treated under lenin?

Answer 66

as lenin could not afford to use ukraine or georgia, all major nationalities incl jews were given separate representation and in 1926 jews were given a special homeland in which they could maintain cultural heritage.

Question 67

what happened to languages under lenin?

Answer 67

promoted literacy campaigns that encouraged the use of national languages and with the abolition of all anti semetic laws in 1917, yiddish became an acceptable language although hebrew did not.

Question 68

how did stalin change the treatments of ethnic minorities?

Answer 68

he veered towards less tolerance as he sought to create a single soviet identity. learning russian was compulsory, leaders of diff republic purged. russian was only lang in red army so despite propoganda of family of nations, this was not true!

Question 69

what were stalins deportations?

Answer 69

he deported non russians in the 1930s, 1.5 mil people deported during 39-41.

Question 70

how did anti semetic attitudes revive?

Answer 70

2 million jews were incorporated into soviet union due to invasion of eastern poland. rabbis arrests

Question 71

were his campaigns racially motivated?

Answer 71

no they were more politically motivated than racially

Question 72

how did lenin use propoganda?

Answer 72

he understood the value of propoganda and used it well during the civil war and convert people to socialism. posters, films, arts etc. for barely literate peasants, this was an effective mean of building support.

Question 73

how did stalin use propoganda?

Answer 73

relied heavily on propoganda machine to harness support for industrialization. pictures of happy workers etc. heros such as stakhanov etc. killed father who was a kulak praised - pavlik porozov. shown in continuous prose with marx, engels, lenin etc. stalin is the lenin of today etc.

Question 74

what was in lenins cult of personality?

Answer 74

created once he died, treated like a god to solve all russian problems. petrograd became leningrad etc. his body was embalmed.

Question 75

how did cultural enterprise flourish?

Answer 75

it flourished in the new freer atmosphere that the bolsheviks had brought. although lenin was a traditionalist, freedom of expression was encouraged and this stimulated art creating a silver age of russian literature and poetry.

Question 76

how did cultural enterprise change under stalin?

Answer 76

he viewed cultural pursuits in the same way he viewed propoganda. literature, art and architecture were only considered legitimate if they supported socialist ideology. art for its own sake had no place in russian society. creativity of the 1920s thus gave way to conformity in the 1930s.

Question 77

how were writers controlled?

Answer 77

the union of soviet writers excerted control over what was created and who was allowed to create. individual expression was deemed politically suspect

Question 78

how were writers meant to represent soviet life?

Answer 78

not to how it was to the time but how it may become in the future, so could appreciate ‘socialist reality’. and how the march to communism was inevitable. workers were expected to glorify the working man, and communities working together. the messages were conveyed to be uplifting and optimistic.

Question 79

give an example of how art was attacked

Answer 79

avant guarde - shoshtakovich - chaos instead of music

Question 80

how was proleterian culture treated?

Answer 80

there was no attempt to create a new culture. ordinary people could relate to this. but folk culture was promoted and traditional arts and crafts were praised and museums set up. folk choirs to represent a national culture. this tied in well with praise for great heritage.

Question 81

how did stalin use his five year plans to control opposition?

Answer 81

he used collectivisation through his destruction of the kulaks and control the bourgeoise to labour camps by accusing them of breaking machinery and sabotage?

Question 82

what was the shakhty show trial and what did it show?

Answer 82

53 engineers given a show trial and were forced to confess. showed his determination to find a scapegoat for his own economic failures, while delivering his message that the regime had to remain vigilant. created an industrial terror where people could be killed/ sent to labour camps etc

Question 83

give some examples of show trials under stalin:

Answer 83

- industrial party show trial - accused of sabotage - metro vickers trial in 1933.

Question 84

how was the prison population impacted?

Answer 84

prisons could no longer cope with kulaks, bourgeoise, saboteurs etc and Yagonda was commissioned to investigate ways that the population could be put to better use. resulted in gulags - 50000 prisoners each in siberia etc.

Question 85

how were gulags useful?

Answer 85

they could contribute to economic growth (siberia = diamonds, gold, coal, oil etc) and offer appropriate prison correction. housed a million people in 1934

Question 86

what was the crisis of 1932?

Answer 86

stalins wife committed suicide and criticised his policies and showed support for enemies. there had been famine and strikes so his position was far from secure

Question 87

why was stalins position insecure in 1932?

Answer 87

Bukharin had been reelected to the CC. some former stalin supporters had criticised his collectivisation

Question 88

who were the two oppositional groups who emerged within the party elite?

Answer 88

old bolsheviks - i.e. smirnov, kamenev etc were expelled from party ryutin platform led by martemyan ryutin - shot on stalins orders

Question 89

what was the ryutin platform?

Answer 89

disapproved of his political direction and papers were found in his wifes room. sent an appeal sent by many communists to cc urging his removal. stalin overruled on their execution, which shows his weak position

Question 90

what were the key causes for stalins purges?

Answer 90

his wifes suicide made him extremely paranoid and the ryutin platform made him unhinged. 18% of party were branded ryutinites and purged. most were relatively new party members