Political Authority, 1945 - 53 Flashcards
(38 cards)
What was the Cold War?
Not an actual war just threats and tensions
What did peace talks between Russia, American and Britain highlight?
Highlighted ideological splits between capitalism and socialism
What happened at the Yalta conference?
- Stalin wanted influence in Poland, Churchill agreed, Roosevelt though it should be independent
- How to divide and control Germany
- Created a world peace organisation
What happened at the Potsdam conference?
- Truman, Roosevelt had died, he didn’t like Stalin or communism
- Tensions over atomic bombs
What was the ‘Iron Curtain’?
- Soviet Union had control over numerous republics
- Extended influence of Moscow
What were the Republics?
Estonia. Latvia. Ukraine. Georgia
What were the Satellite States?
Poland. Romania. Bulgaria. Hungary.
What was post war Russia like externally?
Looked like a super power - greatest military power, strong, empire expanded
What was post war Russia like internally?
Weak, mixture of terror and propaganda to control and still had gulags
What was said in the Two Camps Speech?
Suggested he wanted to carry on expanding industrially. Meant not much would change.
What was meant by High Stalinism?
Stalins leadership indisputable. Hero of of World War II. Authority of State and Party reached its pinnacle.
What had happened during the war politically which Stalin didn’t like?
- Party membership had increased greatly, thought it was now unreliable
- Didn’t like the high reputation of the military
What changes were made politically under Political High Stalinism?
- Wartime institutions dismantled and GKO dissolved September 1945
- Military hierarchy downgraded, Stalin took the high posts high ranking officers moved to inferior posts
- Zhukov demoted
- Major players played off against each other
- Stalin manipulated people
What were the features of Political High Stalinism?
- Stalin held positions as Head of Government and Head of the Party
- Very few Party Congresses and Politburo reduced to an advisory body
- Party members recruited from industry, government and education, no peasants or workers
- The ‘new men’ waited to receive Party Policy rather than helping to formulate it
In what ways had Stalins Political Leadership changed from Pre-war Peacetime?
- New Party members more cautious and reluctant to formulate policies
- Before war people had been willing to challenge eg Ryutin
In what ways had Stalins Political Leadership changed from Wartime?
- Stalin more tight with the government
- Dismantled wartime institutions and the GKO
- Feels threatened by wartime leaders so demotes them
In what ways hadn’t Stalins Political Leadership changed from Pre-war Peacetime?
- Uses similar tactics as he did to gain power, manipulation
- Holds very few central committee meetings which limits their impact on decision making
What was Zhdanovshchina?
Zhadnov launched a cultural purge in 1946. Fear of western ideas after the war
What were the features of Cultural High Stalinism?
- Everything Western condemned
- Literary novels banned, eg Adventures of a Monkey
- Poetry banned, described as poisonous
- Publishers purged and authors expelled
- Socialist Realism, people had works banned
- Antisemitism flourished
In what ways had Stalins Cultural Leadership changed from Wartime?
- There was a slackening on cultural policies during war
- More contact with the West during the war
- Cold war tension led to an end to cooperation with the West
In what ways hadn’t Stalins Cultural Leadership changed from Pre-Wartime?
- Stalin reverts to Socialist Realism which was the same
- Soviet Union praised/West criticised
- Complete segregation of Russia from Western influence
What was terror like during High Stalinism?
- Prisoners of war returning sent to gulags
- Purging of former army officers
- Vigilance
- NKVD was reorganized and strengthened
- Feb 1947, outlawed hotels and marriages to foreigners
- Beria responsible for expansion of gulags
- Used fear and terror to control
Name some examples of how opposition was dealt with by Stalin during High Stalinism?
The Leningrad Case, 1949. Antisemitism. The Doctors Plot 1952.
What was the Leningrad Case, 1949?
- Took a stand against the Leningrad Party
- Showed independence in views and actions
- Leading officials arrested, including heads of Gosplan
