The Great Terror Flashcards
When was the first Chistka? What prompted it? How many party members were expelled?
- After the Civil War in which many had joined the party since it brought some perks. This led the party to question the true loyalty of those who had joined. ¼ of party members were expelled.
When was the second Chistka? What prompted it? How many party members were expelled?
- Prompted by the end of the NEP and introduction of the Five Year Plans. Measures were being taken against the profiteers of the NEP and this was imitated in the party (some opposed the ending of the policy). 11% of members were cleansed.
When was the third Chistka? How many party members had been expelled by 1935?
1932-35. 20% more party members expelled under this chistka.
Why was the communist party unpopular by the early 1930s?
Due to industrialisation and collectivisation; both led to widespread use of force and a lowering of living standards. In 1932-34 there was likewise the famine. Crackdown on opposition was also high in the form of show trials and continued terror; especially against political opponents and ‘bourgeois’ specialists.
Who was Sergei Kirov?
Kirov was a member of the central committee as of 1923 and he became Party Secretary in Leningrad in 1926 after Zinoviev was ousted there.
When and where was Kirov shot? Who committed the act?
Kirov was shot in December 1934 at the Smolny Institute by Leonid Nikolayev.
What was the Stalin constitution? What was its purpose?
Stalin constitution enshrined a democratic constitution into the Soviet Union. This was designed as a propaganda piece for the international community to show that the Soviet Union was ‘democratic’
When was the first show trial? Who were convicted?
August 1936 – Zinoviev, Kamenev and 14 others
When was the third show trial? Who were convicted?
March 1938 – Yagoda (head of NKVD during Kirov’s murder), Bukharin, Rykov and 18 others
What prompted the confessions of those involved in the show trials?
Those involved were beaten and tortured into confessions. Likewise, their families were threatened with death if they did not confess.
How many generals were arrested? Who was the notable one of these?
7 Generals, including Tukhachevsky (who led the Bolsheviks to victory against the Kronstadt rebellion)
How many war commissars were arrested?
11
How many admirals were arrested?
All of them
How many of the air force commanders were arrested?
All but one of the senior commanders of the air force
What were other targets of the great terror? How many people total were killed and arrested during the Great Terror according to Robert Conquest?
Artists, scientists, managers, nationalists, Kulaks, former Whites, criminals, workers.
Killed = 1-1.5 million
Arrested = 8 million
