- Poor background/ priest - Active Bolshevik revolutionary - Editor of Pravda - Commissar of Nationalities, then General Secretary

- Organised oct rev - key in civil war - smart boi - lenin support - ppl thought he was arrogant - used to be menshevik - opposed NEP

- initially opposed oct rev - opposed NEP - leader of Moscow party

- supported NEP - prev disagreed w some of Lenin's stuf - favourite of party - lenin liked him but wasn't sure if he was really a bolshevik

- also opposed oct rev - Petrograd party leader - opposed NEP - ppl didn't like him - incompetent

- for NEP - drunkard - Chairman of People's Commissars - outspoken

- G.S of Red International Trade - For NEP - Opposed Lenin in maj. political debates

stalin rise to power Flashcards by Aradhana Naveen

What year did Lenin die?

1924

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Who were the 7 contenders for leadership?

Leon Trotsky, Joseph Stalin, Lev Kamanev, Gregory Zinoviev, Nikolai Bukharin, Alexei Rykov, Mikhail Tomsky

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Who was Stalin?

Poor background/ priest
Active Bolshevik revolutionary
Editor of Pravda
Commissar of Nationalities, then General Secretary

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Who was Trotsky?

Organised oct rev
key in civil war
smart boi
lenin support
ppl thought he was arrogant
used to be menshevik
opposed NEP

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Who was Kamenev?

initially opposed oct rev
opposed NEP
leader of Moscow party

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Who was Bukharin?

supported NEP
prev disagreed w some of Lenin’s stuf
favourite of party
lenin liked him but wasn’t sure if he was really a bolshevik

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Who was Zinoviev?

also opposed oct rev
Petrograd party leader
opposed NEP
ppl didn’t like him - incompetent

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Who was Rykov?

for NEP
drunkard
Chairman of People’s Commissars
outspoken

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Who was Tomsky?

G.S of Red International Trade
For NEP
Opposed Lenin in maj. political debates

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What was in Lenin’s will and testament that made Stalin worried?

Support for Trotsky
Against Stalin

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

How did Stalin get past Lenin’s will?

Persuaded Kamenev and Zinoviev to keep it shush
Said it also criticised them

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

How did Stalin manipulate Lenin’s funeral into his favour?

told Trotsky it was a day after
Trotsky didn’t show up
presented himself as chief mourner

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What did Stalin do with whom to bring Trotsky down from his position?

Zinoviev and Kamenev forced him to resign as commissar of war

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What policy did Stalin have? How did he increase support for it?

stufed his supporters in Congress of Soviets
Socialism in one country

stuffed his supporters in Congress of Soviets

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

How did Stalin remove Trotsky, Kamanev and Zinoviev? What year were they kicked out?

Worked w Bukharin
1927

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

When and why did Stalin turn on Bukharin? What happened to him?

wanted to end NEP
1928
forced to resign and executed in purges

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

How did Tomsky and Rykov get kicked out?

Tomsky dismissed from post
committed suicide before arrest
Rykov gradually arrested

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What happened to Trotsky?

exiled in ‘29
went to Mexico
wrote A LOT of anti Stalin articles
assassinated by hired hit man

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What was Stalin’s position? Why was this a reason for his success?

General Secretary of Communist Party
Appointed offcials who supported him
Kicked out ones who didn’t

Appointed officials who supported him, kicked out ones who didn’t

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Why was Stalin successful?

dominated new members of party
pretended he was close to Lenin
played rivals against each other

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What was the Triumvirate?

three contenders opposing Trotsky: Stalin, Kamanev, Zinoviev

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Which of the contenders supported NEP? Who opposed?

For: Bukharin
Against: Trotsky, Kamanev, Zinoviev
Changed his mind repeatedly: Stalin

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What were some of Trotsky’s weaknesses?

outsider - jewish, menshevik
outmanoeuvred by Stalin
preferred intellect over sneaking around
underestimated Stalin

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What was the key difference between Stalin and Trotsky’s policies?

Permanent Revolution: spread communism to other countries
Socialism in one country: keep comm. in country/ protect ideology

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

When did the purges begin?

1932

What was the name of the Secret Police used by Stalin?

NKVD

What kind of people were purged?

- anybody who opposed Stalin's economic ideas - party members/ incorrect attitudes - artists, scientists/ acts against state - managers and workers/ against 5 yr plans

Important people who were purged:

Trotsky, Commander in Chief of Red Army, senior communists, leader of NKVD

Why was the Commander of the Red Army purged?

- disagreements during Civil War - technically powerful enough to overthrow Stalin

Who was Kirov? How did he prompt a purge of Party members?

Close friend and rival got murdered (probably by Stalin...)

How did the Secret Police's name change?

Okhrana -> Cheka -> OGPU -> NKVD

What were the purges known as?

The Great Terror of the 1930s

What happened to the ordinary people during the purges?

- terrified of NKVD - 20 mil. sent to gulags half died

What were show trials? Give two examples of people put on show trials?

- people pleaded guilty to crimes they didn't do - Kamanev, Zinoviev

What were the reasons behind the purges?

- threats to position - not just stalin - economic policies - perceived treachery - persecution complex

Why was Stalin not totally responsible for the purges?

- snowballed out of control - exploited by people

Why were threats to his position a reason for the purges?

enemies would overthrow

Why were links with economic policies a reason for the purges?

- gulags for mass forced labour - project failures blamed on sabotage/ excusing setbacks

Why was perceived treachery a reason for the purges?

suspected leading officers were spying for Germany and Japan

Why was a persecution complex a reason for the purges?

feared everyone was plotting against him

What was the terrorist decree?

people could be arrested without trial

What were gulags?

- labour camps - hard manual labour - 13 million died

What was the NKVD mostly used for?

- Hunting down opponents - Obedience - Informers/ spies

What year was the Cheka initially introduced?

1917

How were people tortured?

- conveyor belt system - family threatened - psychological threatening

How were the show trials and purges useful for Stalin?

- only Bolshevik from Oct Rev - no potential rivals left

What were the military consequences of the purges?

- lots of officers removed from army - almost led to defeat in Hitler's Barbarossa

What were the consequences of imprisoning all scientists, administrators, engineers?

- weakened Stalin's work on building industry - affected quality of production

What was needed to get a job? What consequences did this have?

- Party card - families forced to live on streets ## Footnote families forced to live on streets

What did Stalin cultivate to ensure his control over a totalitarian state?

Cult of personality

How did he achieve this?

pictures, statues, songs, poems, books

What skill helped Stalin propaganda?

Working as editor of Pravda

What did Stalin stand for?

Man of Steel

How did Stalin change history?

- glorified role in Oct Rev - removed photos/ mention of Trotsky, Kamanev etc. - fake photographs of Lenin and Stalin - new paintings and histories

How did media censorship help Stalin?

- no knowledge of outside world

What was socialist realism?

- art glorifying proletariat

What was the aim of all art and culture under Stalin?

- show progress of communism - ordinary people

How was Stalin portrayed?

- taller and fitter than he actually was - genius of everything - god of everything - 'next Lenin'

Why did religious groups pose a threat to the cult of Stalin?

devoted to different god

Which three main religions did Stalin have to deal with?

Orthodox Russian, Muslim, Jewish

What did Stalin do to stop religion?

- imprison religious leaders - melt bells for industrialisation - anti-religious committees set up - Muslim schools banned

How did Stalin manage the remains of religious belief?

'freedom of conscience' foster unity against Germany

What kind of things did children learn at school?

Stalin is 'great leader', revised version of Oct Rev glorifying Stalin, communist ideology

What happened to teachers that weren't part of the Party?

replaced by 'Red Specialists'

How was the communist revolution successful?

94% of urban dwellers literate, 86% of rural dwellers literate, high number of engineers, doctors, scientists

What political youth groups were set up for children?

Octobrists (8-10), Young Pioneers (10-16), Komsomnal (16-28)

What was the government of the USSR based on in 1936?

Soviet of the Union, Soviet of the Nationalities

What was the purpose of Stalin's 1936 constitution?

persuade world and citizens that USSR was a free society

How did Stalin describe the constitution?

Most democratic in the world?

What were the key features of the constitution?

- secret ballots - elections - voting rights above 18 - civil rights

Despite the constitution, what actually happened in the USSR?

- only communist party in USSR - only candidate for elections

stalin rise to power Flashcards

(71 cards)