Topic 1 - Government in the USSR - 1917-85

Question 1

What was the October Revolution ?

Answer 1

Tsar abdicated and the prov govt were subject to a coup by the Bolsheviks

Question 2

The Bolsheviks faced enourmous opposition to their rule - what are three decrees passed that were popular

Answer 2

o Decree on Land 1917
o Decree of Peace 1917 - Brest-Litvosk, 1918
o Decree of Worker’s Control 1918

Question 3

How did Lenin react to the establishment of the ‘Constituent Assembly’

Answer 3

The Bolsheviks lost by 21m votes to 9m votes to the Mensheviks
- Lenin disbands the assembly in Jan

Question 4

What was the motivation behind the treaty of Brest-Litvosk

Answer 4

3rd March 1918,
- lenin acknowledges war-weary Russia
- Industries and economy are completely failing, millions of casualties
- Had to cede 1/3rd of land to Germans , Conservatives humiliated

Question 5

How else did Lenin centralise power rapidly

Answer 5

1) Removing the vote from ‘bourgeois classes’ incl priests + employers

2) Propaganda restrictions on Mensheviks and SRs

3)Arrests - 1st 3 months of 1921, 5k mensheviks arrested

Question 6

Who were the Whites made up of?

Answer 6

SRs and Menshivks wanted a share of the power
Supporters of the Tsar and Religious people
Poles, Ukranians and Baltic nationalists who want independence
Allies furious Russa pulled out and they are suffering so send support and money

Question 7

3 features of State Capitalism which occured straight after Revolution (17,18)

Answer 7

• Big Industries such as coal, Banks and Welfare - nationalised
• The Vorsaka in charge of th economy become less involved under Lenin
• Lenin NEEDS Stability - WW1 + Revoltuion

Question 8

3 features of War Communism - 1918-21

Answer 8

Nationalisation of ALL indsutry - Lenin needs control of everything quickly

Removal of Currency - Paid in RATIONS - 1.8m leave cities to farms in serch of work

Grain + Famine - 1921 harvest is 46% of 1913 harvest

Question 9

What was the outcome of the Tenth Party Congress

Answer 9

March 21st

Lenin swaps War Com for NEP

Question 10

3 features of NEP

Answer 10

Intro of Free-Market - Lenin wants happiness of peasants - peasants can get profit on goods and 10% tax - very capitalist

Re-open of smaller factories with less than 20 workers to private ownership

A new Currency is introduced

Question 11

Impact of NEP

Answer 11

Successful agriculture;
- goes up 30m per yr cause of capitalism
- 50% more land cultivated between 21-27

Scissors Crisis of 1923 - extra prodcution of grain brings price down, mechanical goods still very low

Stalin builds basis of off accsuing Lenin of Capitalism and returning Russia to Communism + attacks nepmen + kulaks during purges

Question 12

Wht was the nomenklatura system ?

Answer 12

required evidence of communism before joined party - 300k in 1921 - 750k in 1923
- huge increase in comm officials during CW
- enhances centraliation

Question 13

What does the Constitution in 1924 do ?

Answer 13

establishes the USSR and centrlaises power to Moscow

Question 14

What is the Red Terror?

Answer 14

17-23 - 200k ppl executed
- Chistkas removed 1/3 of party - NON-VIOLENT

Question 15

How did Stalin remove opposition between 1926-29

Answer 15

• expelled members from the left - e.g. Trostky
• Politically strategy to force Bukharin to admit to erros (1929)

Question 16

Stalin realised that strong unity was needed to modernise Russia - what does he famously say ?

Answer 16

“We are 100 years behind the West”

Question 17

What was seen as the catalyst for the purges in the 30s?

Answer 17

The Murder of Kirov who led the Leningrad Com party and had lots of supprt
- suggested 1st 5YP should be slowed

Question 18

3 examples of Show trials?

Answer 18

The Trial of the Sixteen ‘36 - Zinoviev and Kamenev
The Trial of the Seventeen ‘37 - Karl Radek and Georgy Pyatakov
The Trial of the Twenty-One ‘38 - Bukharin and Rykov

Question 19

What truly showed that noone was safe?

Answer 19

Murder of Yezhov in 1940
- Previously head of NKVD
- becomes ‘un-person’ and removed from books

Question 20

What was the impact of the purges on com leadership

Answer 20

• 93 out of 139 central committee killed
• 81 out of 103 generals and admirals killed
  1m out of 3m killed

Question 21

What was the result of the Great Purge

Answer 21

Around 20m Russians sent to gulags with around half dying
Religion persecuted - Christian Church and East Asian Muslims mainly
‘Russification’ was the forcing of russian language and customs on people in the SU

Question 22

Impact of WW2

Answer 22

Terror reduced
- agreements with Chruch
- some generals released

Stalin seen has hero

Question 23

What was Stalin’s impact post-WW2

Answer 23

Parania growing, Health declining

Terror reinstated

Leningrad Affair in 1949 - 1k shot, 2k arrested
Doctor’s Plot, Jan 1953

Question 24

How did K restructed government?

Answer 24

Khrushchev replaced Stalin’s supporters with his own.
1953-56 half of
senior officials were replaced.

Question 25

What happened at the 20th Party Congress in Feb 1956

Answer 25

‘Secret Speech’
- First time Stalin openly criticised
K wants to secure own power by denouncing old regime
- realises Centrallised system prevents development

Question 26

Consequences of the Secret Speech

Answer 26

• gulags emptied
• less aggressive foreign policy
• purges over but RUSSIA STILL A POLICE STATE

Question 27

Why was there frustration in Eastern Europe after Stalin’s death?

Answer 27

Many thought Stalin’s death would bring clear change

Question 28

Significant events in Eastern Europe in 1956

Answer 28

Poland riots - change in leadership

Hungary Inspired, K not happy - 20k Hungs killed, 150k flee country

Question 29

K failed reforms

Answer 29

Virgin Lands Scheme
His 7yp failed to meet targets
CMC

Question 30

What was the irony of K’s sacking ?

Answer 30

• his sacking was allowed by his reforms - later remarked Stalin would have “had him shot”

Question 31

What was Brezhnev very aware of?

Answer 31

Acknowledged K was reforming too much and lost power - B does opp and never reforms

Question 32

What 2 things does B do

Answer 32

Decentralization - recentrliases party into Industry and Agriculture

Drops limits on tenure in office - by 1980, avg age of politburo member was 72

Question 33

Big issues with Brezhnev system

Answer 33

Party leadership develops into a Gerontocracy
Promotions within the ranks limited innovation and change within the system
No incentives to work hard meant Corruption and Nepotism was on the rise