Test 3 Flashcards
Explain the name “NEP”
New economic Policy
Years of NEP and reasons for introduction of NEP
1921-1928, War communism and civil war crippled economy, rapid need for industrialization bc only communist country.
Years of the industrialization debates and their historical significance
Members who did not receive support lost political position
1923-24 Defeat of Trotsky and left opp
1925-26 Defeat Kamenev, Zinoviev and united opp (joined by Trotsky)
1927-29 Defeat of Bukharin and right opp
Results of NEP
Russia achieved pre war levels of economy by 1926
Industrialization debates
Left vs Right opp. Get rid of nep or not, state vs market econ
Grain crises
1927-28 and 1928-29, resulted from back-to-back bad harvests while the state increased grain procurement
Nepmen
Russian capitalists/entrepreneurs, new bourgeois class
Right opposition
Nep continues, fair equal exchange between urban and agricultural sector, criticized bc slow accumulation of capital, too capitalist, light industry
Left opposition
Eliminate private sector, state controlled economy, directly invest in heavy industry, concentrate resources in state
Trotsky
Leader of Left, Lost debates, removed from politburo and exiled
Bukharin
Leader of right, member of politburo, NEP must continue
Kamenev and Zinoviev
Leaders of United Opp, was in troika with stalin, broke with stalin to ally with trotsky
Stalin
General secretary of Politburo (Controls personal files), first sided with right, then takes over left opp. leader of USSR by end of 1920’s
Years of Stalin’s rule
1922-1953
Industrialization debates and the end of NEP
1923-1929 industrial debates and struggle for power
1928 - Nep ends
Years of the first Five-Year Plans
1ST-1928-1932
2nd – 1933-1937
3rd – 1938- 1941, ends in 1941 when Nazi’s invade
Years of collectivization
1929- mid 30’s
Mass famine
1932-33, back to back years of bad harvest and still takes, peasants did not receive rations, only laborers and urban areas, 3.5-7 mil deaths.
Explain what caused the grain crises
Government wanted grain, forced peasants to give up grain, peasants retaliated by not planting as much, government still took grain, caused mass famine
Give characteristics that make Soviet industrialization different from the Western type
o 1. It was very fast
o 2. State Centralized economy
o Focus on Heavy industry and military production
o Used forced labor - Gulags
Collectivization: definition, causes, goals, methods of implementation, stages, short- and long-term results
Socioeconomic reform that replaced individual farms with collective farms, response to grain crisis, create system where peasants are producers, but not owners
1. Creation of Kolkhoz
2. Dekulakization
3. As much State procurement as possible
Great terror: causes, goals, phases, results, controversy (totalitarian school vs. revisionists)
o No clear target, everyone under threat, including the military. Began dec. 1st 1934, Kirov shot in Leningrad
o 17th party congress, 300 votes against Stalin. Congress wanted Kirov to be leader instead of Stalin. Kirov (who refused) personified opposition
o Enemies everywhere, must cleanse the nation
Famine: explain the controversy
Two interpretations
1. Holodomor – death from starvation, viewed as deliberate genocide against Ukrainians
2. Result of industrialization – no deliberate attack, industrialized too quickly
cultural revolution
end of 1920’s to beginning of 1930’s, repressions against intelligentsia and spots filled with new members
five-year plans
Stalin’s plan for rapid industrialization
kolkhoz
collective farm
sovkhoz
State farm
kulak
Originally a wealthy peasant, in 30’s word was used to label those who opposed kolkhoz. Used to be class label, turned into political label
dekulakization
repressions against peasants during stalins forced collectivization, entailed expropriation of peasants property followed by arrest, execution or exile
GULAG
Labor camps created under Stalin. Means main admin of concentration camp.
- “enemy of the people”
political label given by Stalin to anyone he wanted to purge
Ezhovshchina
Period of mass repressions of 1937-38 named after the head of NKVD who headed the oppressions (scapegoated after)
o March 1937, call from Stalin for purges of local communists and ordinary citizens in the provinces
Show trials
Aimed at Stalin’s rivals to settle scores. Why did they confess? – Torture, sleep deprivation, family members taken as hostages.
o January 1935 – Show trial accused Kamenev and Zinoviev of political and moral responsibility for Kirov’s assassination
o August 1936 – 16 party leaders accused including Kamenev and Zinoviev
o January 1937 – 17 party leaders accused, 13 shot
o March 1938 Last Great show trial, accused 21 party leaders including Bukharin
Politburo
Highest political authority in USSR
General Secretary of the Communist party
Bookkeeper and makes appointments, originally not powerful but Stalin turns it into the highest office
NKVD
- Peoples Commissariat of internal affairs; political police, formerly OGPU
Kirov
Politburo member whos assassinated Dec 1st 1934, triggers purge of Leningrad and great terror
Ezhov
Head of NKVD, led mass repressions, arrested after end of terror. Replaced by Beria
