Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

History yr13 > Russia 9 > Flashcards

Russia 9 Flashcards

(104 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

when did the German army’s siege of Leningrad begin?

A

Sept 1941

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what were the German’s aims during their siege of leningrad?

A

to terrorise and starve the population into surrender

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

how many people had been evacuated from Leningrad by the beginning of the siege?

A

400,000

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

what were all able bodied adults who were not already in the military service moblilized to do?

A

moblilized as people’s volunteers to dig trenches and fortify the city

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what worsened the USSR’s military failures during the start of the war?

A

Stalin’s purges of the military and his unwillingness to accept that Nazi Germany had invaded at all

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

how was complete disaster averted during Nazi Germany’s seige?

A

by a desperate defence launched by Georgii Zhukov to defend Moscow

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

what policies did the Soviets use upon their retreat?

A

“scorched earth” policies

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

what did the “scorched earth” involve?

A

destroying everything that may have been of use to the Germans, leaving a barren wasteland

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

how did the Soviets attempt to sustain the economy at the start of war?

A

they dismantled entire factories, transported them east beyond the Ural mountains and out of nAZI REACH

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

when did the Germans cut the last rail connection from the rest of the country?

A

Nov 1943

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what were conditions in the city like during WWII?

A

in the city rations were reduced many times, condemning tens of thousands to death by starvation. people ate anything from mice to glue and many simply dropped from cold and exhaustion and froze to death
bodies dumped into street

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

of the residents at the start of the blockade, how many were evacuated and how many were still alive?

A

of the 2.5 mill residents, one mill were evacuated and 600,000 still alive

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

how did govt authorities work to keep up the morale during the siege?

A

competitions organised with extra rations as the prize; newsreel cameras filmed youthful, healthy men and women engaged in athlitic events and there were poetry recitals and concerts

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

how was opposition and crime dealt with during the war?

A

those suspected of defeatism, thievery, collaboration with the enemy and soldiers found to have been too “cowardly” were dealt with harshly

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

what happened to the soldiers who appeared too “cowardly”

A

1000s were shot by their own officers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

how was the two and a and year siege of Leningrad memorialized? and by who?

A

stone monuments, poetry by Berggolts and other poets, Shostakovich’s seventh symphony.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

what surprising cultural aspect returned during the war?

A

the orthodox church.
In sept 1942 it was allowed by Stalin to open a limited no. of churches and appoint a new patriarch in return for its support rallying people to defend the motherland

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

what was the non-aggression pact signed by Germany and the USSR and what year?

A

Nazi-Soviet pact- 1939
aimed to prevent war between the two countries

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

what was the social state of the USSR by 1941?

A

-new “mass culture” emerged, citizens engaged in patriotic and nationalist ideas
-gulags contained 1.5 mill people by 1941 + aimed to provide useful work for the economy but often poor quality and high human cost

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

what was the political state of the USSR by 1941? (6)

A

-USSR had become extremely centralised -> run by powerful rulers who used force to prevent dissent
-purges had destroyed potential sources of organised opposition
-stalin’s cult of personality couldnt easily be challenged
-Stalin had become paranoid -> reluctant to trust fellow party leaders
-USSR lost faith in the allies ability to defend it against Germany + suspicious due to the intervention with the reds during the civil war
-all important state posts held by trusted communists under nomenklatura

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

what was the economic state of the USSR by 1941? (6)

A

-caught up with the West in industrial production ->by 1940, overtook Britain in iron and steel
-military spending had ballooned during third year plan -> 9 aircraft factories built in 1939
-consumer production lagged behind heavy industry
-industrial specialists had been purged so deprived industry of expertise
-USSR produced 230 tanks, 700 aircraft and 100,000 rifles per month in 1941
-collectivisation meant the state could gather grain whenever but huge human and economic cost

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

what were Stalin’s actions during the war? (8)

A

-from July 1941, all civilian military authority rested with him
-quick decisions that might have saved govt
-released generals and commanders previously purged
-public occasions used to boost morale
-speeches
-left the running of the war to his general staff (Stavka)
-Zhukov was a brilliant military commander
-orthodox church rehabilitated

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

what is an example of Stalin’s successful, quick decisions?

A

as the Germans cam perilously close to Moscow, he ordered the evacuation of the govt

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

what is an example of a public occasion used by Stalin to boost morale?

A

the Red Square Parade

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
how did Stalin's speeches motivate and emphasise the unity of Russia and the Soviet people?
instead of emphasising loyalty to communism, they were specifically designed to motivate those who had lost out to his previous policies to fight
26
how did Soviet citizens on the front line oppose Stalin?
a large no. sided with the Nazis against the communists
27
what was the name of the pro-nazi volunteers in Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic called?
"Hilfswillige"
28
what opposition occurred in Ukriane during the war?
the Russian liberation movement, a pro-Nazi army, set up by former Red army general Vlasov. they became a part of the Nazi SS and had as many as 50,000 soldiers at one point fighting against former comrades
29
How many people in total joined the Nazis in fighting the USSR? How many were Cossacks?
A million with 250,000 Cossacks
30
During the battle of Stalingrad, what did Stalin order to ensure no retreat?
Ordered “not one step back”- retreat was punished as treachery and “blocking units” turned machine guns in the backs of soviet troops in case they tried to run back
31
How many soviet soldiers were sentenced to death During WWII?
150,000
32
Where were soldiers sent if they were considered to not have fought bravely enough?
Penal battalions- given dangerous jobs (e.g. clearing minefields) to “redeem” themselves
33
How did ethnic and national policies change during the war?
1. The Volga German autonomous republic (supposed to have protection under 1936 constitution) was dissolved as Volga Germans seen as disloyal and its people deported east 2. other minority ethnicities targeted for deportation like Chechens, Crimean Tatars. and Ingush people 3.deportations continued "national operations" that had begun in the 1930s
34
how did agriculture change in the USSR during the war?
1. By the end of 1941, Nazis had seized 41% of the USSR's arable land 2.soviet troops employed the scorched earth policies 3.soviet agriculture became increasingly small-scale and local in many places, this helped keep Leningrad alive during the 900 day siege 4. huge rationing still needed and collective farms had extremely high quotas
35
how did Russian nationalism change during the second world war?
Stalin's main message was nationalism not communism. propaganda emphasised the protection of the "motherland.
36
what was rehabilitated during the second world war?
the orthodox church giving it greater freedom to open new churches and appoint a new patriarch
37
how did the communist party change as a result of the second world war?
grew hugely with 5 mill candidate members and 3.6 mill full members. war strengthened the conviction that communism was the superior political and economic system
38
how did Soviet industry change as a result of the second world war?
by end of 1941, Germans had seized 63% of USSR's coal, 68% of the USSR's iron, 58% of its steel and 45% railways.the USSR dismantled their factories and transported them eastwards. new railways laid to link factories to military bases
39
where were the dismantled factories reconstructed during the second world war?
the Ural mountains, Siberia, Kazakhstan and central Asia
40
how did economic planning change during the second world war? (4)
military expenditure rocketed from 29% of the budget to 57%. new commissars appointed to supervise the production of tanks, aircraft and guns. in Magnitogorsk, new furnaces built in just eight months. by mid 1943- industrial production higher than Germany
41
how did foreign aid change as a result of the second world war?
USSR relied on foreign aid to survive from countries like the USA and Britain. They supplied war materials like lorries, tyres and telephones. in total 17.5 mill tonnes of military equipment from the west.
42
what was the main American scheme of aid in supporting the USSR during the war?
Lend-Lease in which the USA provided goods that would be payed back after the war
43
by the end of the, how many of the Soviet Union's vehicles cam from abroad?
427,000 out of 665,000
44
what law aimed to increase the workforce during the war and when?
Dec 1941, mobilised all men and women of working age to enter factories and pensioners were asked to return to work and students asked to take up a part time job
45
what motivated people to work in factories during total war?
increasingly nationalistic Soviet propaganda. posters, radio broadcasts and newspapers emphasising the importance of saving "Mother Russia"
46
what was the previous communist song used as the national anthem since the 1917 revolution and what was it changed to?
previously the Internationale but replaced by a more patriotic song of the "motherland"
47
how was life for workers during total war?
extremely hard. -workers exhausted from 12 hour days and 70-77 hour working weeks -factories under martial law and severe punishment for negligence or lateness -harsh conditions
48
how was the production effort continued outside of factories?
gulag labour; deported national minorities, collaborators caught helping Nazi invaders and POWs were all put to work building factories, landing strips, airports and roads. 1 in 4 slave labourers died
49
What happened to families of soviet soldiers captured by the Germans?
They had to pay for the “cowardice” of their relatives- ration cards taken away
50
How many soviet soldiers died during the war?
8.6 million between 1941-45
51
How many died due to starvation during the war?
6 million
52
What was the impact of war on culture?
Culture flourished: - Anna Akhmatova’s nationalistic poetry -live piano performances from Yudina -Shostakovich composed a new symphony- “Leningrad” (1942 -free to produce art as long as it supports war effort and doesn’t challenge Marxist- Leninism
53
How did priests contribute to the war effort and what were the limitations of the reestablishment of the Orthodox Church?
Spoke to workers of factories and blessed tanks and munitions they made. Also blessed soviet troops. However Orthodox Church had little autonomy and can only act with approval of the govt
54
how did women suffer greatly during the war in terms of work?
as well as taking up essential war work (and making up 80% of the agricultural workforce) there was still dual burden
55
how did women suffer greatly during the war in terms of freedom and rights?
-push for more children -divorce harder than ever -abortion remains illegal -families with less than 2 children are subject to higher taxes -mothers of more than 2 children are called "heroines of the Soviet Union"
56
what new opportunities arose during the war?
-local defence units and fire wardens recruited women -by 1945, over half a mill women had served in the armed forces as a pilot, sniper or tank commander
57
what was an example of a legendary female woman in the army?
Lyudmila Pavlinchenko who killed over 300 Germans alone
58
how did women contribute to the war behind the front lines which was unknown to most?
in land captured by the germans, bands of soviet partisans fought a covert Guerrilla war against the Nazis. By 1945 over a mill partisans fighting
59
which soviet partisan became a hero across the soviet union?
Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya. after cutting German telephone cables she was captured, tortured and murdered and images of her mutilated body used for German propaganda
60
what was the impact of the war on Stalin?
-reputation soared, despite disastrous ability to cope with realities of nazi invasion, proved to be an able and trusted war time leader -His cult of personality still in full force, by 1945, huge paintings of him on buildings -to him, war demonstrated the strength of his own system of rule -Stalin ended the war more paranoid than ever
61
why had Stalin become more paranoid after the war than ever?
suspicious of soviet prisoners of war whom he viewed as traitors and demonstrated he was struggling with basic realities by 1945
62
how did war impact the soviet state?
-USSR ended with a strong reputation as a military power (by 1945 had regained all territory seized by Nazis and had soldiers occupying eastern Europe as far as Berlin -any collaborators with the Nazis were executed -> the Cossacks subjected to harsh collective punishment that virtually wiped them out by 1945 -PoWs were treated with great suspicion
63
how did war impact soviet society? (5)
-war heroes given better access to higher education and top jobs -soviet people suffered the most, by 1945- 19 mill civilian deaths and 9 mill military deaths -> demographic crisis -war years, in some ways, better than the 1930s for soviet people as they were more united than ever -comradeship amongst soldiers -> hopes for greater freedom after war -new western influences
64
how were PoWs treated with great suspicion after the war?
suspected that they may be a supporter of the Nazis so they were sent to NKVD "filtration camps" which aimed to sift out safe from dangerous and those deemed unfit to return to Soviet society were sent to the Gulag
65
how were there new western influences post-war?
through the US lend-lease system, western tech arrived, helped discredit soviet propaganda about weaknesses of the capitalist system. hollywood films, western books, jazz and shops selling western good emerged
66
as well as the USA, what was the USSR one of the only 2 remaining?
major world power
67
what did the USSR set up a network of in its own Eastern bloc by 1949 and what did they do?
satellite states that provided allies a buffer zone between it and Western Europe
68
what did the USSR's spies acquire whilst in the US during the war?
atom bomb
69
what happened to the GKO after the war that ensured Stalin's power over soviet politics?
-the state defence committee that had controlled Soviet politics during the war was disbanded and replaced with commissars, all of whome loyal to Stalin
70
what role did Stalin personally take after the war?
minister of defence and moved out high ranking officers that might challenge his authority like Zhukov, the main military hero of the USSR
71
what is an example of how Stalin played potential rivals off against each other?
promoted Andrei Zhdanov against Georgii Malenkov, ensuring that Malenkov lost his position as general secretary and Zdhanov became Stalin's closest advisor. however in 1948, when Zhdnov disagreed over how to deal with the divided city of Berlin, Stalin reappointed Malenkov to party secretary and demoted Zdhanov's supporters
72
a new what was elected in 1946? and did it demonstrate Stalin's continuing control?
politburo, in which Stalin remained dominant
73
what did Stalin use his private network of secretaries for after the war?
to bypass govt and the party and retain personal control over politics
74
how was the power of the central committee and politburo limited post-war?
-only 6 meetings of the Central Committee between 1946 and 1953 and the Politburo became an advisory body, whose main job was to approve Stalin's decisions
75
how was Stalin presented through his cult of personality after the war?
COP returned without any opposition. although Stalin physically weaker after mild stroke in 1946, portrayed as a God-like figure, an intellectual genius and Lenin's true heir and successor
76
how was Stalin presented through posters and artwork?
like a "man of the people", meeting ordinary peasants and workers, despite the fact that he spent most of his time in the countryside or on the Black sea coast
77
give some examples of names that showed that towns vied for Stalin's name
Stalingrad, Stalino and Stalinogorsk
78
compared to during the war, how had recruitment to the communist party changed post-war?
declined
79
how many communist party and komsomol members were there post war and by what year?
by 1925?, communist party= 7 mill + Komsomol= 16 mill
80
how did the communist party members change post-war?
recruited from "administrative" ranks in govt or state jobs, rather than workers or peasants and became a new style of party member who had grown up with Stalin in charge and accepted dominant role of party and Stalin. were loyal to him and the system
81
how was the communist party's power reduced?
it was reduced from a dynamic body of activists into a rigid chain of command
82
what happened to cultural freedoms gained during the war once it ended?
vanished
83
what was the period after the war named in terms of cultural freedom?
Zhadovshchina, after Stalin's closest advisor Zhadov
84
how were cultural freedoms reversed after the war?
-"western" ideas and art forms removed -socialist realism returned and those who deviated were purged -
85
what are some examples of artists who were impacted by the reversal of cultural freedoms?
Zoshchenko and Anna Akhmatova whose journals were both banned and the authors for which expelled from the Union of Writers. the composer Shostakovich was censored after being accused of "rootless cosmopolitan" and "anti-socialism". Eisenstein was criticised
86
what happened to novels and films after the war?
explicitly challenged American and Western ideas and promoted Soviet achievements often praising Stalin directly
87
how did architecture change after the war?
increasingly grand and imperial in its styke to emphasise the grand nature of Soviet accomplishments
88
what is an example of architecture used to emphasis Soviet accomplishments?
the building of seven enormous skyscrapers in Moscow, called the seven sisters
89
how did antisemitism change after the war?
grew rapidly after Stalin, who had initially supported the establishment of the state of Israel, began to oppose it when Israel gained US support.
90
how was "western" influence limited by Stalin?
western newspapers banned, foreign radio signals jammed, only a few approved western books translated into Russian. Few Soviet citizens allowed to travel to the US.
91
what was promoted in terms of science?
false, unusual scientific ideas promoted instead of sound science
92
what is an example of the bogus science that was promoted in post-war USSR?
Trofim Lysenko, former peasant who opposed the "bourgeois" biological theory of genetics and claimed that crops could be transformed from one variety to naother through careful nurture. Lysenko gained huge, unearned prominence
93
why did Stalin oppose the group, which he called, the 'Leningrad party'?
Stalin identified and took a stand against the 'Leningrad party'. The local communist party in Leningrad had always shown some independence in its views and actions so Stalin was suspicious of Leningrad where he traditionally had less authority and support than elsewhere.
94
how did the Leningrad case, 1949, motivate the return of terror?
after the war, some of the local communist party's leadership in Leningrad had been promoted to senior positions in the Soviet apparat under Zdhanov's influence. using false evidence, Stalin had several of them arrested and it was discovered after Stalin's death that 4 of those arrested had been executed
95
who was affected by the terror of the Leningrad case, 1949?
several leading communist officials arrested including the head of Gosplan and economic reformer in the Politburo and after Stalin's death, it was discovered that 4 of those arrested had been executed including Voznensky
96
why did Stalin's view on the Jewish state of Israel change?
when Israel gained the support of the USA, he shifted position. he adopted an increasingly anti-semitic attitude, fearing that all Jews were potential enemies
97
what terror occurred after Israel gained the support of the USA?
suspicious deaths and arrests continued to target leading Jewish officials. campaign against 'anti-patriotic groups' including Jews, targeted cultural areas and universities
98
give some examples of terror against Jews as a result of American support for Israel
-1948, the director of Jewish theatre in Moscow, Solomon Mikhoels, killed in a car accident -other Jewish public figures like David Bergelson were arrested and executed -even wives of Jewish politburo members Molotov and Kalinin were arrested in 1949
99
what did Stalin change the NKVD to in 1946?
MVD
100
what was the Mingrelian case 1951-52?
1951- a purge was launched in Georgia, directed against the followers of Lavrentii Beria, head of the MVD. They were accused of collaboration with Western powers
101
who was Lavrentii Beria and why did this lead to purges?
head of the MVD and from an ethnic group from the southern Caucasus region. the purge was closely focused on weakening Beria's authority with antisemitic overtones
102
what was the doctor's plot?
a conspiracy that a female doctor in the Kremlin wrote to Stalin shortly before Zdhanov's death, accusing other doctors in the Kremlin of failing to diagnose Zdhanov's illnesses
103
why did the doctor's plot lead to terror? and when?
1952, Stalin ordered for the case against Kremlin doctors to be reopened and ordered the arrest of Kremlin doctors. Accused them, using antsemitic language, of Zionist conspiracy to murder Zdhanov and other Soviet leaders. hundreds were arrested and tortured. nine doctors at the centre of the conspiracy were sentenced to death and only saved by Stalin' death
104
how were ordinary Jews also affected by the doctor's plot?
thousands were rounded up and deported from the cities to remote regions and labour camps

History yr13 (16 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions