USSR under Stalin Flashcards
(12 cards)
What type of rule did Stalin establish in the USSR?
Totalitarian rule focused on state control of all aspects of life, including the economy, politics, and culture.
What were the main goals of Stalin’s First Five-Year Plan (1928–1932)?
Rapid industrialization and complete state control over the economy through unrealistic production targets.
What were the consequences of the First Five-Year Plan?
Widespread hardship, poor working conditions, food shortages, and a drop in living standards.
: What was collectivization, and who were the kulaks?
Collectivization merged private farms into large, state-run collectives. Kulaks were wealthier peasants who resisted and were persecuted or executed.
What was the Holodomor, and how was it linked to Stalin’s policies?
A man-made famine in Ukraine (1932–33) caused by forced collectivization; millions died from starvation.
What was the purpose of the Great Purge (1936–1938)?
To eliminate Stalin’s perceived political enemies, including Communist Party members, military leaders, and civilians.
What were gulags, and how were they used by Stalin’s regime?
Forced labor camps where political prisoners and others were sent to work under brutal conditions; used to support industrial projects and suppress dissent.
How did Stalin use propaganda and censorship?
To glorify his image (cult of personality), promote communist ideology, and suppress opposing views through controlled media and education.
What was Stalin’s ideological stance in terms of collectivism vs. individualism?
Stalin promoted authoritarian collectivism — state control over property, production, and personal freedoms; individual rights were suppressed.
How did Stalin’s regime reject liberalism?
By rejecting individual freedom, private property, political pluralism, and free expression in favor of centralized control and ideological conformity.
What does Stalin’s rule illustrate about the dangers of totalitarianism?
It demonstrates how extreme repression, loss of human rights, mass suffering, and violence can be justified by ideological goals.
What role did Marxist-Leninist doctrine play under Stalin?
It served as the ideological foundation for state control, class struggle, and the suppression of opposition, often manipulated to justify totalitarian practices.
