The Nature of Government Flashcards
What system of governance did Alexander II, III and Nicholas II use?
Monarchy and autocracy
What system of governance did Lenin and Khrushchev use?
dictatorship
What system of governance did Stalin use?
Totalitarian
What were Alexander II’s aims, ambitions and fears?
aims: improve communication across Russia (increased rails from 600 miles to 14,000)
ambitions: a huge program of domestic reforms
fears: revolt
What were Alexander III’s aims, ambitions and fears?
aims: to re-establish total authority of Tsarism
ambitions: russification
fears: tsar opposition and minority uprising
What were Nicholas II’s aims, ambitions and fears?
aims: maintain autocracy
ambitions: to get Manchuria and defeat Japanese (1905)
fears: losing the autocracy
What were Lenin’s aims, ambitions and fears?
aims: to establish communism in Russia
ambitions: lead USSR in the short term before handing over control to proletariat
fears: opposition groups that didn’t support the 1917 evolution
What were Stalin’s aims, ambitions and fears?
aims: consolidate power and remove opposition
ambitions: reforms such as the five year plans and wanted control of the economy, society and politics
fears: having his position taken from him
What were Khrushchev’s aims, ambitions and fears?
aims: improve agriculture by bettering working and living conditions
ambitions: de-Stalinization
fears: social unrest
Which secret police was used by the Tsars and for how long?
The Okhrana and from 1855-1917
Which secret police did Lenin use and for how long?
The Cheka and from 1917-24
Which secret police did Stalin use and for how long?
The NKVD and OGPU from 1924-53
Which secret police did Khrushchev use and for how long?
The KGB and from 1953-64
Political, economic and social impacts of the Okhrana?
P: exiling opposition
E: exiled people to Siberia to harvest its riches
S: used agent provocateurs to bait people into crime
Political, economic and social impacts of the Cheka?
P: used terror to force support for revolution
E: murdered Kulaks
S: victimised people based on them rather than their actions -> wanted collectivisation
Political, economic and social impacts of the NKVD?
P: permanent terror and trials for political opposition
S: executed many ethnic poles and minorities - accused them of opposition. Leader Genrich Yehzov was executed due to Stalin’s orders in 1938 (suspicion)
Political, economic and social impacts of the KGB?
P: decreased political arrests
S: wanted to move away from severe repression - less use of gulags. Only 11,000 counter revolutionaries
How successful were Government reforms under Tsars?
Unsuccessful - aimed to pacify discontent and secure more power
Emancipation of the serfs (1861)
Creation of Zemstvas and Dumas
Assassination of Alexander II
Duma (Nicholas II)
How successful were Army reforms under the Tsars?
Unsuccessful - Failure of Crimean war
Milyutins reforms - Conscription, education and reserve system (1862-74)
lacked transport infrastructure
Tsar forced to abdicate
How successful were Economic reforms under the Tsars?
Wittes ‘Great Spurt’ in 1893-1903
coal production doubled
iron and steel production increased seven-fold
railway tracks increased from 17,264 m in 1891 to 31,125 m in 1901
Income from industry shot up from 42 mill roubles in 1893 to 161 mill roubles in 1897
Emphasis on heavy industry rather than light industry
railway was not old shorter compared to other countries (11x less than Germany) it was also poor quality
Who was Leon Trotsky?
Worked under Lenin 1818-1929
‘Military and Naval affairs’
used ex-tsarist officers
conscribed an army of peasants
killed anyone with cowardice and promoted loyalty
Who was Kaganovich?
Worked under Stalin
1924 - implement collectivisation
in the 1930s, 91% of land was brought under collective control
14 mill were dying due to famine
Ukraine - 3.5 mill deaths between 1932-33 in order to break their nationalism
Who was Lavrentiy Beria?
Head of NKVD under Stalin and Khrushchev
executed Yehzov and 22,000 polish prisoners of war in 1940
purge of the red army between 1940-1942
part of USSR nuclear weapon program
Who was Molotov?
Minister of Foreign affairs under Stalin (1939-49) and (1953-1956)
organised Nazi-Soviet pact of 1939
negotiated with Britain and USA to join the allies in 1941