Totalitarianism Flashcards
(40 cards)
What is totalitarianism?
A government that controls all aspects of the lives of its citizens and believes citizens should be sacrificed for the benefit of the state.
Totalitarian regimes often suppress individual freedoms and maintain power through propaganda and repression.
Define communism.
An economic and political system where all means of production are owned by ‘the people’ and private property does not exist.
Communism aims for a classless society where wealth is distributed according to need.
What was the Russian Revolution?
A conflict between the Red Army (Bolsheviks) and the White Army (anti-communists).
The revolution led to the establishment of a communist government in Russia.
What did the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk accomplish?
It marked Russia’s exit from WW1, resulting in significant territorial concessions to Germany.
This treaty was signed in March 1918.
Who was Lenin?
The leader of the Bolsheviks (Communists) during the Russian Revolution.
Lenin played a key role in establishing a communist government in Russia.
What was Stalin’s rise to power characterized by?
Placing his friends and allies in government positions of power who supported him after Lenin’s death.
This strategy helped him consolidate control over the Soviet Union.
Who was Trotsky?
Stalin’s opponent for leadership who was exiled and later murdered by Stalin’s agent in Mexico City.
Trotsky was a key figure in the early days of the Soviet state.
What was the Great Purge?
A campaign by Stalin to eliminate people he did not trust in the government and military.
This purge resulted in widespread arrests and executions.
What was the Cheka?
Stalin’s secret police.
The Cheka was instrumental in enforcing state security and suppressing dissent.
Define Bolsheviks.
Russian communists who played a leading role in the October Revolution of 1917.
The Bolsheviks were led by Lenin and aimed to establish a socialist state.
What is a command economy?
An economic system where the government makes all economic decisions.
This system is often associated with communist states.
What are collective farms?
Government-owned farms.
These were established to consolidate individual landholdings into larger, state-managed units.
Who are kulaks?
Well-off peasant farmers in Russia.
The kulaks were often targeted by the Soviet government during collectivization.
What are Gulags?
Stalin’s ‘work’ camps/prisons.
These camps were used to imprison political dissidents and other perceived enemies of the state.
What was the Ukraine forced starvation?
A man-made famine that killed 8-10 million people.
This famine was a result of Stalin’s policies and is known as the Holodomor.
What were the 5 Year Plans?
Stalin’s plans to industrialize the Soviet Union quickly in order to catch up with Western nations.
These plans focused on rapid industrial growth and collectivization.
Define fascism.
A government with a dictatorship of the extreme right, merging state and business leadership, and extreme nationalism.
Mussolini is credited with creating this form of government.
Who was Mussolini?
A newspaper editor and politician who promised to rescue Italy by reviving the economy and rebuilding the military.
He became the leader of Italy and established a fascist regime.
What were the Blackshirts?
Mussolini’s private army of followers.
They played a key role in enforcing Mussolini’s policies and suppressing opposition.
How did Hitler rise to power during the Great Depression?
He joined the Nazis in 1919 and rose to leadership, claiming he alone could solve Germany’s problems.
The economic crisis helped fuel his popularity.
What were the Brownshirts?
Hitler’s private army of followers.
Officially known as the Sturmabteilung (SA), they were instrumental in intimidating opponents.
What was the Beer Hall Putsch?
Hitler’s coup attempt that resulted in his treason conviction.
This failed coup occurred in 1923.
What is Mein Kampf?
Hitler’s book describing his beliefs in German (Aryan) superiority.
It outlines his political ideology and plans for Germany.
What does the swastika symbolize?
A symbol of the Nazis; it originally meant ‘good luck’ in Indian culture.
The Nazis appropriated this ancient symbol for their own purposes.
