Great Purges PPT notes (Essay P) Flashcards
(25 cards)
Q: What were the core features of Stalinism as an ideology?
Collectivisation, Five-Year Plans, state terror, and totalitarian control of society.
How did Stalin justify the extremity of his regime?
By presenting himself as the true continuer of Lenin’s work.
What was Pravda and its role under Stalin?
The official Communist Party newspaper used to spread propaganda.
How was propaganda spread in Soviet society?
: Through education, youth groups, arts, culture, leisure activities, and censorship.
v]Q: What did Lenin’s purge of educators enable Stalin to do?
Consolidate ideological control over schools and universiti
What did the Education Law of 1935 enforce?
Government control over curriculum and reassertion of discipline in schools.
What was Article 12 of the Criminal Code (1935)?
Allowed children aged 12+ to be tried as adults and sent to gulags.
Why were children of political prisoners targeted?
Based on the belief that “an apple never falls far from the tree.”
What was Komsomol and who did it include?
Communist youth organisation; included Pioneers (under 14s).
How was Komsomol used by Stalin?
To fight “bourgeois” culture, report dissenters, and support the Cultural Revolution
How many Komsomol members were there in 1929 and 1940?
2.3 million (1929), 10.2 million (1940).
What was the aim of Stalin’s purge of the Communist Party?
Eliminate real or perceived threats to his authority.
Who were major right-wing figures purged?
Bukharin, Tomsky, and Rykov.
What happened to 18% of the Party after 1933? 3.2 million members
They were expelled during the purge.
How did Kirov’s death help Stalin?
Justified further purges by claiming there was a conspiracy.
What was the NKVD?
Stalin’s secret police, used to eliminate political threats.
Why did Stalin target Red Army officials?
: He feared a coup and links to Trotsky.
What happened to senior generals in 1937?
Eight were secretly tried and executed.
How many Red Army officers were purged?
: Over 37,000.
What was the impact of the purges on Party structure?
Stalin became the sole authority; fear ensured blind loyalty.
: Who rose in power as NKVD chief in 1938?
Lavrenty Beria.
When was the Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact signed?
: August 1939.
What did the pact promise?
Neither side would attack or support attacks on the other.
: What else did the pact include?
Secret agreement on spheres of influence in Eastern Europe.
