Stalins terror Flashcards by Joe M

What are the show trials?

political tool in Stalinist Russia
Means by which Stalin could remove his enemies
Demonstrate the accused guilt

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What was the show trial of 16?

Kamenev and Zinoviev accused of an alliance with Trotsky stirring discontent and plotting to kill Stalin. 14 others accused alongside them.

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How long was the show trial of 16?

19th- 24 August 1936

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What was the outcome of the show trial of 16?

There was no material evidence and admitted to guilt (forced confession).
Zinoviev- “I am fully and utterly guilty”
Kamenev- “We were actuated by boundless hatred and lust for power”

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Who was Yagoda?

Yagoda was the leader of the NKVD from 1934-1936

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What happened to Yagoda?

In September 1936 Yagoda was replaced by Yezhov due to the fact that he wasn’t active enough in uncovering the conspiracy and also failed to secure the confessions of Rykov and Bukharin. Executed i 1938 for treason and conspiracy

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Who was Sidney Hook?

Well known Marxist belief that terrorism was an inappropriate agent of social change
accused of sabotaging industry and agriculture
self incriminated no defiance

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The Stalin constitution 1936

May have looked democratic but was designed to impress foreigners
Promised rights were largely ignored
Little real regional independence
Supreme Soviet met for a few days twice a year

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What was NKVD order 00447?

It targeted former Kulaks, criminals and other anti Soviet elements this order lead to mass arrests and executions

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Mass terror and repression at local levels

Arrest lists were drawn up including artists, musicians, scientists and writers as well as managers and administrators.
Within a month over 100,000 arrested and 14,000 sent to gulags, autumn of 1937
NKVD targeted those who would be easily persuaded to confess

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What was the conveyor belt system?

NKVD relied on informers to keep up quotas of arrests
Only 1 informer to every 400 inhabitants
confessions extracted by threats of physical or mental torture
Conveyor belt system- People passed from each interrogator until they broke mentally or physically

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How did the show trials develop from 1938-1940

Grigori Pyatakov caused explosions in mines in Siberia
Karl Radek editor of Ivestiya one of the framers of the 1936 Soviet constitution
Sokolnikov and Radek received 10 years imprisonment

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What was the military purge, May- June 1937?

Feared that they might try and mount a military coup
Stalin ordered the arrest of Tukhachevsky

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What was the trial of 17?

Show trial held in 1937 and involved 17 people accused of anti- soviet activities and plotting against the government

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Who were the key people involved in the trial of 17?

Karl Radek, Yuri Pyatakov and Grigori Solkolnikov

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What was the outcome of the trial of 17?

13 out of the 17 were sentenced to death and others received long prison sentences

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What was the main reason behind the military purges?

Stalin’s fear of a potential coup by the military and eventually led to eliminate alot of soldiers within the red army

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What was the impact of the military purges?

The purges weakened the red army because of the executions and arrests of thousands of officers

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What was the trial of 21?

One of the last show trials and it charged prominent members of the Bolsheviks with treason and conspiracy against the Soviet elements

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When did the trial of 21 take place?

Took place in March 1938

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Who were the key figures involved in the trial of 21?

Nikolai Bukharin, Akexei Rykov, and Genrikh Yagoda

What happened to defendants during the trial of 21?

They were tortured to force confessions and publicly admitted their guilt during the trial

What were the main charges in the trial of 21?

They were accused of conspiring with foreign powers to assassinate Stalin and to restore bourgeois elements

What was the outcome of the trial of 21?

A majority of the defendants, including Bukharin and Rykov were convicted of conspiracy and sentenced to death

Who signed NKVD Order 00447

Order signed by Nikolai Yezhov, the head of the NKVD

How did informants contribute to local repression?

citizens were encouraged to report on neighbors, friends, or family members suspected of disloyalty, creating a culture of fear.

What was the role of local party officials in repression?

Local party officials were often pressured to arrest "enemies" to show loyalty to Stalin, widespread terror.

Did the Constitution change government?

established the Supreme Soviet as the highest legislative body, but real power remained with Stalin and the Communist Party.

What was Pyatnitsky charged with?

In June 1937 Pyatnitsky spoke out and Yezhov unearthed evidence that he was tsarist secret police

What happened to Pyatnitsky?

Removed from committee, stripped of party memberships and was shot a year later

What happened to party officials during mass terror and repression?

Party officials too were denounced and arrested on the basis of being anti- soviet and the ordinary people were swept up in the arrests as well

What percentage of military officers and intelligence were exxecuted or imprisoned?

Around 50% of military officers and intelligence were either sent to prison and executed

What happened to Tukhachevsky?

Arrested under the orders of Stalin and was accused of espionage and plotting with Trotsky and 6 other military commanders were executed in June 1937

How did the military purge affect Tukhachevsky's family?

Tukhachevsky's wife was imprisoned and executed in 1941, his mother and one sister died in prison

What did Stalins constitution declare?

The constitution had declared that socialism had been achieved

What did Stalin claim his constitution to be?

declared his constitution was the most democratic in the world

What was the 1936 constitution in practice like?

Supreme Soviet only met for a few days twice a year and it was viewed as the party as a forum for imparting decisions back to the localities rather than electors to present their views to the centre

What was the marshal of the Soviet union?

Created in 1935 and was the highest military rank and was assigned to Mikhail Tukhachevsky who was then arrested and executed during the military purge

What was Trotsky doing during Stalins great purge?

Abroad since 1929, living in Turkey, Norway and Mexico, Trotsky had maintained a high profile with a constant output of writing, which justified his past behaviour and criticised Stalin

What did Trotsky write?

Wrote of the "rapid degeneration of the communist party" and claimed that Stalin had perverted and destroyed the gains of the Russian revolution and created an over bureaucratic state

What did Nikolai Yezhov say when appointed head of the NKVD in 1936?

Yezhov stated when appointed head of NKVD "Better ten innocent people should suffer than one spy get away. When you chop wood, chips fly.

What were the gulags?

They were forced labour camps introduced in 1930 and imprisoned kulaks and other anti- Soviet elements

What happened to the party members by the end of 1938?

A third of all party members purged and many were accused of a Trotskyite conspiracy

What categories were kulaks and 'anti- Soviet elements in?

Subject first to death by shooting and second category sent to the gulag camps

How long did the military purges last?

From May- June 1937

What date was the trial of 21?

March 21st 1938

What were the Troikas?

It was a special commission that issued a trial without a sentence

What were ordinary citizens required to do in the mass terror?

People were expected to check up on neighbors and find any oppositional threats

What were the two categories of repression under NKVD Order No. 00447?

The order classified repressed individuals into two categories: Category I (subject to death by shooting) and Category II (sent to GULAG correctional-labor camps)

When was the trial of 17?

January 1937