The Stalinist dictatorship and reaction 1941-64 Flashcards
(95 cards)
1
Q
Why was the Soviet Union and Stalin so unprepared for the German invasion?
A
- They were taken by surprise
- So many senior military officers were purged in the 1930s
2
Q
How many troops were killed and how many people were living under German rule after 3 weeks?
A
- 1 million troops killed
- 20 million under German rule
3
Q
What was Stalins fear?
A
That the regime might collapse in the midst of a defeat, just as the Tsarist regime had done
4
Q
Who conducted the war effort in the Soviet Union?
A
The State Defence Committee
5
Q
What was Stalin’s military role in the war?
A
He put himself in overall military command but left his generals free to direct the military campaigns, unlike Hitler
6
Q
How did Stalin use propaganda to ignite the Soviet population?
A
- Addressed the population as ‘brothers and sisters’ rather than ‘comrades’ in his first wartime speech
- Appealed to their sense of Russian nationalism, rather than their loyalty to the Soviet Union
7
Q
How was World War 2 labelled in the Soviet Union?
A
The Great Patriotic War
8
Q
What did Stalin do to prevent national minorities from uprising with the German forces?
A
Transferred over a million people (including Ukrainians and Baltic Germans) east, as he feared they may be disloyal
9
Q
How was terror exploited on the front line?
A
- When Stalingrad was on the verge of defeat in 1942, Stalin ordered that deserters and ‘cowards’ (those who tried to retreat) were to be shot
- Within 2 weeks, 13,000 were executed like this
10
Q
What did Stalin do with returning Prisoners Of War in 1945 and why?
A
Many were transferred straight into Soviet labour camps under suspicion that they had been tainted by Western views
11
Q
What was the positive political impact of the war for Stalin?
A
- Many of the armed forces were encouraged to join the Communist Party
- By the end of the war, half the members were from the army or the navy
12
Q
What positive propaganda came from the war for Stalin?
A
- Stalin declared that the victory over Germany was a victory for Communism over Fascism
- The ‘Great Patriotic War’ was hailed as a victory for Stalin and the Soviet socialist system
13
Q
What was the economic key to the Soviet Union defeating the Germans?
A
- The Five Year Plans had put the economy on a war footing
- The emphasis on heavy industry and armaments, and the highly centralised system enabled a strong war effort
14
Q
What was one of the greatest achievements for the Soviet Union in wartime?
A
The huge evacuation of people to, and the rapid creation of military-industrial plants in, the Ural Mountains, beyond German reaches
Thousands of factories were moved east or built anew
15
Q
What is Orlando Figes’ quote about the evacuation to the Ural Mountains?
A
It is where ‘the revolution won the war’
16
Q
What were some aspects of working life that changed in wartime?
A
- Factories were put under martial law to tighten labour discipline and productivity
- Harsh punishments given for poor work and lateness
- 72 hour week became the norm
17
Q
How much had industrial production improved in the war?
A
- By 1943, industrial production exceeded Germany’s
18
Q
How did the USA help the Soviet Union?
A
They provided thousands of planes, tanks, military vehicles and 5 million tons of food
19
Q
How many Russian soldiers died in WW2?
A
8.6 million
20
Q
How many Russians died in WW2?
A
25 million, many through starvation
21
Q
How was propaganda used to boost the war effort?
A
- It emphasised patriotism to dive the invader out of Mother Russia
- Most responded, ready to undergo extreme hardship rather than surrender, as they had survived hardships in the 1930s and were ready to do so again for a brighter future
22
Q
How did society change during the war?
A
- With the countryside stripped of men, 4/5 collective farmers were women
- Churches were allowed to reopen and did much to raise morale to defend ‘Holy Mother Russia’
23
Q
How did Stalin emerge from the war?
A
As the nation’s saviour, held in even greater awe and fear than before
24
Q
Who was the new enemy and what was the new international struggle after the war?
A
The USA, and the Cold War
25
What happened instead of new reform after the war?
Censorship was increased and the NKVD was strengthened
26
What did Stalin do to strengthen his control even further?
- He abolished the State Defence Committee
- He demoted several high-ranking army generals as a way of putting the military in their place
- Marshal Zhukov was hugely popular and therefore was moved for away from Moscow
- Made himself Defence Minister
27
What was Stalin's biggest removal of the limitations on his power?
He got rid of the Central Committee and the Politburo, thus removing any limitation on him
28
What were 2 of the most notable purges in the post-war period?
- The Leningrad Affair
- The Doctors' Plot
29
Describe the Leningrad Affair
- 1949
- The Leningrad party organisations leader showed great independence and solidarity during the war time siege, so Stalin turned on them
- 2 of the leaders were possible successors to Stalin, so he had several arrested, forced to confess, and shot
30
Describe the Doctors' Plot
- 1952
- Stalin announced a conspiracy by Kremlin doctors to murder him and other Soviet leaders
- 7 of the 9 'white-coated assassins' were Jewish, a minority Stalin was particularly suspicious of
- Hundreds of doctors were tortured into making confessions
- Thousands of Jewish people were arrested and deported into specially-build labour camps
- The 'plot' boosted anti-semitism in the press
31
What day did Stalin die on?
5th March 1953
32
How was Stalin recognised, especially after victory in 1945?
'The father of the peoples of the USSR'
33
When did Stalin's 'cult of personality' reach a peak?
After the war
34
How was Stalin portrayed in his 'cult of personality'?
- As a man of exceptional genius
- As a man of the people
- As ever-present, all-knowing and benevolent towards his people
- Essentially as a deity
35
What was the reaction in Russia at Stalin's death?
- There was genuine widespread grief
- There was also a fear at the prospect of a future without him - he had been Russia's saviour in the war and had represented stability in an uncertain world
36
What were some quotes about Stalin's death?
Poet Yevtushenko - 'All Russia wept. So did I'
Sakharov (who would later become heavily critical of the regime) was overcome by 'the great man's death'
37
Who appeared to be the three main candidates for power following Stalin's death?
- Lavrenty Beria - Head of the Secret police
- Georgy Malenkov
- Vyacheslav Molotov
38
How did Beria initially present himself following Stalin's death?
As a dominant figure and a reformer - he issued an amnesty leading to the release of prisoners (mainly criminals rather than political prisoners)
39
Why was Beria executed?
- Senior party officials and military leaders feared him and were suspicious of his intentions
- He was blamed for the worst extents of Stalinist rule, tried, and shot
40
Who organised the coup to remove Beria and what did it lead to?
Nikita Khrushchev - General Secretary of the party
He emerged with new authority although, due to his peasant background, was not initially seen as a threat by other leaders
41
How did Khrushchev gain power in a similar way to Stalin?
He used his position as General Secretary to build a power base in the party
42
What measures did Malenkov propose as Prime Minister?
Popular economic measures t boost the production of consumer goods and reform agriculture
43
What was Malenkov's failure and, subsequently, Khrushchev's success?
- Malenkov was blamed for a poor harvest in 1953
- Khrushchev, who saw himself as an expert in agriculture, proposed the Virgin Lands scheme which had early success
44
How did Khrushchev force Malenkov out of his position?
He aligned himself with heavy industry and army leaders, who disliked Malenkov's policies - and gradually forced him to resign from Prime Minister by 1955
45
What was Khrushchev's 'Secret Speech'?
Given in February 1956 to a closed session of the 20th Congress of the Communist Party
46
What did the Secret Speech aim to do?
- Denounce Stalinism to the Russia people
- Allow the new leadership to move on and make changes
- Absolve Khrushchev and other leaders of complicity in Stalin's terror
47
How did Khrushchev attack Stalin in his Secret Speech?
He criticised Stalin for his 'abuses of power', for the use of terror, and, most of all, he attacked his 'cult of personality' - implying that the deaths of innocent people were a result of Stalin's 'mania for greatness'
48
Why did Khrushchev's attack not go to before 1934?
The aim was to blacken Stalin's reputation, not to blame the Party
Khrushchev wanted to restore faith in the party, Lenin's party
49
How many prisoners were released from camps by 1960?
Over 2 million
50
What stayed the same within the party following Khrushchev's take over?
The Soviet Union remained a one-party state with a secret police (now called the KGB), even the secret polices power was now diminished
51
What was the priority given to within the Five Year Plans following WW2?
- Heavy industry
- Defence
- Rebuilding of Soviet infrastructure
- Not consumer goods
52
How many towns, villages, factories and collective farms were destroyed in the war?
- 1,700 farms
- 70,000 villages
- 30,000 factories
- 100,000 collective farms
53
What was the first significant technological advancement post WW2?
An atomic bomb was tested in 1949, showing the Soviet Union was catching up to the US
54
How was much of Russia's industrial development achieved under Stalin post war?
- Longer hours and harsher discipline in factories
- The use of prison camps (which had a population growth of a million from 1945-50)
- Peasants were continued to be squeezed - the state took up to 70% of their grain, at low prices, which led to another countryside famine from 1946 to 1947, where 1 million died
55
What did Khrushchev aim to do within the Russian economy?
- Raise the living standards of Soviet citizens
- Tackle the poverty of the peasantry
- Tackle the housing shortage
56
What were some of Khrushchev's first economic changes?
- Increased the payment made to peasants for their grain
- Cut the taxes peasants had to pay
- Launched a big house-building programme
57
What was one of Khrushchev's primary agricultural aims?
To solve the food shortages by colonising previously uncultivated, 'virgin and idle' land in Siberia and Kazakhstan - The Virgin Lands Scheme
58
How many people were mobilised to carry out the Virgin Lands Scheme?
Around 300,000 mostly young, party enthusiasts
59
What was the initial level of success within the scheme?
It was a great success - Soviet grain production rose by 75% from 1954 to 1958
60
Why did the Virgin Lands Scheme fail?
- Much of the new land was on the edge of desert and subject to drought
- The soil was not properly prepared of fertilised
- There was poor housing for volunteers, so many moved back to the cities
61
How did the Scheme end?
In 1963, the Soviet Union had to import large amounts of grain from North America to avoid famine
62
Why did Khrushchev put so much emphasis on modernisation and technological advancement?
He wanted the Soviet Union to 'catch up with and overtake America', to show that communism works
63
What did Khrushchev increase investment in to develop industry?
- Oil and natural gas
- The production of consumer goods
64
What advancement showed the Soviet Union's advancement on a global scale?
- The Soviets launched the first satellite into orbit in 1957
- Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space in 1961
65
How many factories were transferred from central government to regional control under Khruschev?
11,000
66
What were some aspects of social life under Stalin from 1945-53?
- Little improvement in standard of living
- Few consumer goods
- 12 hour working day remained
67
What were some aspects of cultural life under Stalin from 1945-53?
- Anti-Westernism shaped policy towards the arts
- Stalin was determined that Soviet culture should be seen as better than the West
68
What social improvements did Khrushchev make for the 'consumer class'?
- Gave higher priority to consumer goods and housing
- Fridges and TVs became slowly more common
69
What social improvements did Khrushchev make for the working class?
- Wage differences were reduced
- The minimum wage was increased
- Harsh punishments for being late to, or absent from, work ceased
70
What social aspects of life did not change/got worse under Khrushchev?
- Privileges remained for senior party officials - access to special healthcare, holidays and cars
- Anti-religious propaganda was stepped up
- Non-Russian nationalities became more under control from Moscow
71
What proportion of churches and monasteries were shut down under Khrushchev?
Three quarters
72
What happened to cultural life in Russia because of the 'secret speech'?
There was a thaw - access to Western media became more common and censorship was somewhat relaxed
73
What is an example of a book Khrushchev liked?
- A Day In The Life of Ivan Denisovich
- Written by Aleksander Solzhenitsyn who spent 8 years in a labour camp (dont worry if you can't remember this
- Attacked the Stalinist regime as it portrayed a day in the life of.a prisoner in a labour camp
74
What is an example of a book Khrushchev disliked?
- Dr Zhivago
- Written by Boris Pasternak
- Was criticised and didn't pass the censors as it criticised the October Revolution
- Pasternak was awarded the Nobel Prize for this book but wasn't allowed accept it
75
Describe the World Festival of Youth
- 1957 in Moscow
- Aim was to win over foreign youth to Soviet life
- Instead Soviet youth were won over to things like jazz and jeans - which were more appealing then the Konsomol conformist culture
76
How many people went to the World Festival of Youth?
34,000 for 131 countries
77
What were the 'cultural dissidents' in Russia keen to do?
- Promote human rights
- Promote greater democracy
78
What were the 2 ways 'cultural dissidents' spread written word in Russia?
- Through publishing abroad and smuggling works in
- Through the Samizdat
79
What was the Samizdat?
Secret publication of banned literature within Russia
80
What were 'cultural dissidents' condemned for?
Their 'anti-social, parasitic way of life'
81
What was present in the 'underground' music scene?
Tapes of jazz, rock 'n' roll and Western pop music
82
Who was against Khrushchev and why?
- Hardliners such as Molotov
- They felt his 'secret speech' undermined the unity and authority of the party
83
Where did the hardliners gain majority support against Khrushchev?
The Presidium
84
Who did Khrushchev appeal to and who supported him against the hardliners?
He appealed to the Central Committee as it was the larger body
He had the support of the army and the KGB
85
What happened to Khruschev's opponents?
They were sent away from Moscow, to insignificant jobs, rather than executed
86
Who led the opposition against Khrushchev, and what did the opposition now include?
Led by Brezhnev
The opposition now included members of both the Presidium and the Central Committee, many of whom were formally supporters of him
87
What was the initial reason given for Khrushchev resignation?
'Age and ill health'
88
What did the press later denounce Khrushchev for?
His 'hare-brained schemes, half-baked conclusions and hasty decisions'
89
What were 3 reasons for Khrushchev's fall from power?
- There was criticism of his 'one-man' style of ruling, arrogance and failure to take advice
- After a rise in food prices in 1962, there was an increase in protests and strikes
- Failure of his Virgin Lands Scheme led to a shortage of food - had to import from US and Canada
90
What did Khrushchev say to his colleagues after they demanded his resignation?
(It's a long quote, you don't need all of it, but good to reference)
'Could anyone have dreamt of telling Stalin that he didn't suit us anymore, and suggesting that he retire? He would have annihilated them. Everything is different now. The fear has gone; we can talk as equals. That is my contribution'
91
How did Khrushchev leave the Soviet society?
- More open and less fearful
- The country was freer, happier and more prosperous
- By 1964, mass terror had ended and less use was made of the state's powers of coercion
92
What had not changed from Stalin's reign, politically?
Although it was not an autocracy, the Soviet Union was still a one-party state, and the political elite were not going to relinquish their control
93
What did the disappearance of terror put more emphasis on, in the Soviet Union?
Improving the physical conditions of the people to maintain support for the government and show that socialism works
94
What decision shows an attempt to improve conditions in the early 1960s?
Cutting the military budget to pay for food imports and a major housing programme
95
What developments are considered as Khrushchev's biggest successes?
Developments in military and space technology - maintaining its reputation as a great military power, whilst sending the first man to space
