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USSR Flashcards

1
Q

October Revolution

A

1917

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2
Q

Lenin’s death

A

January 1924

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3
Q

New Economic Policy

A

1921 peasants allowed to return to farming for private profit

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4
Q

Cheka

A

Russian Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution. Later OGPU, KGB

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5
Q

Comintern

A

1919 Communist International. To organise worldwide revolution.

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6
Q

Stalin’s four positions in the Party 1917-22

A

1917 People’s Commissar for Nationalities
1919 Liaison officer between Politburo and Orgburo (could monitor both policy and personnel)
1919 Head of workers’ and peasants’ inspectorate (oversaw all government departments)
1922 General secretary of the Communist Party (recorded and conveyed policy, knew everything about all party members)

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7
Q

Orgburo

A

Organisational Bureau. Turned decisions and policy into practice

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8
Q

Lenin’s Funeral

A

1924 Stalin’s speech put him in the lead of the power struggle. Lead mourner- image of dedication to Lenin. Trotsky not even present.

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9
Q

Lenin’s Testament

A

Suppressed in May 1924. Criticised party members and Stalin’s hunger for ‘boundless power’ and urged his removal of being secretary. In interests of all members to not publish.

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10
Q

Opposition in Stalin’s rise

A 
Trotksy.
Jewish and embarrased of this
viewed as an intellectual outsider
CPSU saw him as dangerously ambitious and too flamboyant and brilliant
Became a Bolshevik in 1917, uncommitted?
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11
Q

Stalin’s Unofficial Triumvirate

A

1924 Zinoviev and Kamenev. Aimed to isolate Trotsky

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12
Q

Left- Right modernisation division

A

Leftists- NEP abandoned

Rightists- slower, less violent development of revolution and continuation of NEP

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13
Q

Nepmen

A

those who supposedly exploited commercial freedoms under NEP to enrich themselves

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14
Q

Trotksy’s ideology

A
  • International Marxist (USSR required support)

- Permanent revolution (continuous risings from country to country)

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15
Q

Stalin’s ideology (Rise to power)

A
  • Overcome agricultural and industrial problems unaided, utilise peasant power
  • Build a modern state
  • Survival of USSR a priority
  • Rightist (continue NEP)
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16
Q

The New Opposition

A

1926 Zinoviev and Kamenev defected to the leftists with Trotsky as they were frightened by slow growth.
Not influential, outvoted by right bloc, lost positions to Vyacheslav and Molotov Stalin’s allies

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17
Q

Bureaucratisation

A

1926 Trotsky attempted to fight back at Stalin claiming party was too bureaucratised. Left Stalin unscathed.

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18
Q

Trotsky’s expulsion

A

November 1927 at Stalin’s proposal, Congress accepted. Deported two years later. Not executed, Stalin not in full control.

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19
Q

Attack on the Rightists

A

1929 Rykov, Tomsky, Bukharin. Stood in the way of Stalin’s economic reforms to agriculture and industry.
Stalin exploited Party’s fears of revolutionary collapse, scorned Bukharin’s concessions to peasants, pushed a tough policy. Undermined right as a weak and irresponsible clique.

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20
Q

The Lenin Enrolment

A

1923-5 Extension of power. 260,000 new CPSU members, all loyal to Stalin as he’d invited them (patronage)

21
Q

Lenin’s Prohibition on Factionalism

A

1923 Banned open criticism, ie free speech

22
Q

conditions before

A

violence, terror, repression, SPS, democratic centralism, Cheka secret police, over 300 concentration camps, purges and show trials all in place from Lenin

23
Q

power of patronage for Stalin

A

Lenin enrolment 1923-5 340,000 became 600,000 all invited by Stalin

24
Q

Two mains methods for establishing his authoritarian state

A

Economic policy and Purges

25
goal of economic policy
to transform from an agrarian nation to an industrial one (1926), modernisation was key therefore control was necessary- appeal to nationalist survival
26
command economy
1928
27
collectivisation
for control and capital. 1930
28
Dekulakisation
Coerced the peasantry as a whole
29
consequences of collectivisation
- social unpheaval and disorientation - starvation 6-8 million dead 1932-3 - internal passports - migration provided industry workforce
30
FYP1
1928-32 a list of targets rather than a method. unrealistic goals, but coal iron and electricity all up significantly and enthused the young
31
FYP2,3
more realistic targets, but over production and poor standards
32
Main goal of FYPs
to establish a war economy and further control
33
the beginning of the purges
1932, not unprecedented. Non-violent, generally just confiscating party card. Ryutin's criticisms showed opposition possible, but not tolerated he was expelled
34
purges possible because of restructuring
centralised law enforcement, police, camps and security under the NKVD
35
Kirov shot dead
December 1934, suspicious circumstances, led to 'Decree against terrorist acts'
36
purges 1934-6
- 3,000 imprisoned or executed, 10,000 deported - filled vacancies with his supporters, controlled all bureaucracy - 1,100 of the 2,000 delegates of 1934 congress executed by 1936
37
The great terror and Yezhovshchina
1936-9 (37-8) purged the party, army and people. - executed Z+K 1938, huge psychological impact. - June 1937 army deconstructed Tukhachevsky and generals executed. - 8 million in gulags by 1941, random terror, Butovo killing field
38
purges 1941-53
1949 Leningrad affair | 1953 doctors plot
39
why the purges were possible
- disorganised bureaucracy allowed officials leeway - officials wanted to increase their own power and further their career - a ruthless stance popular with many
40
Impact on literature
- only social realism allowed - heavy restrictions - Soviet Union of writers 1934 - Pasternak and Solzhenitsyn persecuted
41
impact on theatre and film
- half of all films and plays withdrawn mid-production | - Meyerhold, director, imprisoned and shot 1940
42
Impact on Music
Shostakovich's works banned, reinstated to produce patriotic inspiring music
43
Cult of Personality
- manufactured carefully - image appeared everywhere - Soviet communism became associated with the person
44
Stakhanovite movement
1935
45
Konsomol, enthusiastic youth group
1926
46
National Minorities
- Russia's dominance promoted - 1940, 2 million deported from the Baltic states - by 1945 20 million had been uprooted - feared minorities would challenge his central authority
47
Religion
- no place in a communist society - 1928 campaign to close churches - by 1940 on 500 churches open, 1% of 1917 - allowed during the war to exploit nationalism - all christians under the power of orthodox so as not to become an opposition group
48
Education
- 10 years of compulsory schooling - 3 years optional paid, developed an elite - 'Nomenklatura' enhanced Stalin's power
49
Women
- Lenin's freeing of women created disorder. 1 divorce for every 2 marriages, lots of orphans. 'the great retreat' to stabilise families - June 1936 policy decree tightened family, divorce harder - June 1944 incentives to have children, tax cuts and 'heroines' - equality ignored, seemed irrelevant in a war economy - pressure as labourers and mothers 1936 9 million to 1945 15 million - exploited to build a neo patriarchal system

History SL (9 decks)

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