RUSSIA

Edexcel AS History - Russia 1917-91 from Lenin to Yeltsin
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_74slxm
1. What were two - The leadership struggle, following Lenin's death Trotsky,
effects on the So- Stalin, Zinoviev, Kamenev and Bukharin all tried very hard
viet Union follow- to gain leadership of the Soviet Union an eliminate their
ing the death of rivals. Many of the leaders were defeated.
Lenin in 1924?
- There was confusion over how the economy should
proceed, should they continue with the NEP or continue
with rapid industrialisation?
2. What was some - He was born into the mountainous and lawless kingdom
key personal in- of Georgia in the south of the Russian Empire.
formation about - He had a tough childhood and grew up in poverty. His
Stalin? father was an alcoholic and he caught smallpox which left
him with scars and he sustained an injury that permanent-
ly damaged his left arm.
- He developed a deep hated for the Tsarist system and
became a communist revolutionary.
- He joined the Bolshevik party in 1903.
- He didn't play a glorious role in the October Revolution
and the Civil War.
- He was admired by Lenin until 1923, for his humble
origins, hard work and organisational abilities.
- He was appointed Commissar for Nationalities and later
appointed as General Secretary.
3. What was some - He was born into a wealthy Jewish farming family in
key personal in- Ukraine. He was a talented school and university student.
formation about - In 1905, he took a leading role in a large-scale but
Trotsky? unsuccessful uprising against the Tsar.
- Until 1917, he had a difficult relationship with Lenin
and refused to join the Bolsheviks because he opposed
Lenin's ideas of a small, secretive but highly organised
political party.
- He and Lenin planned the October Revolution.
- In 1918, he became Commissar for the War and created
the Red Army and led the Bolsheviks to victory in the Civil
War.
- He was highly regarded for his charisma and inspira-
tional speechmaking, however, he was extremely arro-
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gant.
- For 3 years from 1923 he suffered attacks of an unknown
fever which left him crippled for a long period of time.
4. What was some - He had a working class upbringing.

key personal in- - Joined the Bolsheviks in 1903 when it was formed.
formation about - Became Lenin's close friend when they were exiled.
Kamenev? - Spent time in exile with Stalin.
- Head of the Moscow Communist Party and acting head
of the Soviet Government.
- Supports rapid industrialisation and the ending of the
NEP.
- Opposed plans for the October Revolution.
- Played little part in the Civil War.
5. What was some - Born into a family of teachers.

key personal in- - Endured arrest, imprisonment and exile as a Bolshevik
formation about in Tsarist times DEDICATED
Bukharin? - Helped the Bolsheviks seize power in Moscow during
the October Revolution.
- He was a popular young politician and described by
Lenin as 'golden boy'
- He was a brilliant thinker and political writer.
- Editor of the Party's most important political newspaper.
- Supports the NEP and opposes rapid industrialisation.
- He was seen as too inexperienced for the hard task of
ruling the Soviet Union.
- His strong support for the NEP is unpopular amongst the
party.
- Disagreed with Lenin on the meaning of Marxism.
6. What was some - Born the son of a prosperous farmer.

key personal in- - Joined the Bolsheviks in 1903.
formation about - He fleed Russia and joined Lenin in exile.
Zinoviev? - Viewed by Lenin as a close friend.
- In favour of rapid industrialisation and the ending of the
NEP.
- Opposed seizing power in the October Revolution.
- Gained a reputation in the Civil War for staying in luxu-
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rious hotels, far from fighting.
- Not popular - seen as vain and not very talented.
7. What were some - Seen as a Georgian peasant.

of Stalin's advan- - Long history as a Bolshevik.
tages? - Lenin liked and respected him.
- People like the idea of "socialism in one country" no war.
- Member of the Politburo so a leading politician.
- As General Secretary has access to many files so can
promote his supporters into key positions.
- Had a difficult childhood which made him resilient.
8. What were some - Lenin's Political Testament called for his removal.
of Stalin's disad- - He has a dull personality and isn't a good public speaker
vantages? or thinker.
- He didn't take a leading role in the October Revolution
or Civil War.
9. What were some - Took part in the failed 1905 uprising against the Tsar.
of Trotsky's ad- - Lenin's right hand man from 1917 until his death.
vantages? - Planned the October Revolution which brought commu-
nist rule to Russia.
- He created the Red Army which helped to win the Civil
War.
- Popular amongst the Party's younger, more radical
members.
- After Lenin is one of the most influential thinkers.
- He is a brilliant organiser and inspirational public speak-
er.
- Has important positions in the Party and is in charge of
the Red Army.
10. What were some - Only became a Bolshevik in 1917 some commitment to
of Trotsky's dis- the Party is questioned.
advantages? - Seen as arrogant and doesn't have many supporters.
- Some members are anti-Semetic so dislike him as he is
Jewish.
- Seen as too "Western".
- Often experiences bouts of fever which leave him ex-
hausted.
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- Doesn't like political tactics and rarely attends Party
meetings.
- Many oppose his ideas of worldwide revolution as they
are against new wars and violence.
- Seen as a threat as he is in charge of the Red Army.
11. What were the They were radicals who wanted to build communism
main features of as quickly as possible. This required the ending of the
the *left wing* NEP and beginning rapid industrialisation. Its main figures
communists? were Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev.
12. What were the They were lead by Bukharin and supported the NEP
main features of and the slow industrialisation of Russia. They supported
the *right wing* Stalin's ideas of socialism in one country and understood
communists? that it would be a long time before Russia became a
communist society.
13. How did Stalin He used it to present himself as Lenin's loyal follower
use Lenin's fu- who simply wanted to continue Lenin's good work. He
neral to his ad- convinced ill Trotsky not to even attend, thus damaging
vantage? his reputation.
14. Why did Zi- - The Testament contained many embarrassing remarks
noviev and about them they didn't want made public.
Kamenev argue - They didn't see Stalin as a threat to the leadership
that Lenin's Tes- struggle.
tament should - It contained many positive comments about Trotsky so
not be released they feared it would benefit him.
to the public?
15. What were the - Trotsky was seen as the man most likely to become the
main features of leader so the other rivals worked together to defeat him.
Step 1 of the - Stalin, Kamenev and Zinoviev formed the anti-Trotsky
leadership strug- alliance which supported the NEP.
gle: the defeat of - Stalin lacked the authority in the Party to take on Trotsky
Trotsky? alone.
- Zinoviev and Kamenev highlighted all the disagree-
ments Trotsky had with Lenin in their speeches and
claimed that Trotsky exaggerated his role in the October
Revolution.
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- The 13th Party Congress in 1924 was when all of Trot-
sky's proposals had been rejected because Stalin had
packed the Committee with his supporters.
- In 1925 Trotsky lost his position as head of the Red Army
and left active politics.
16. What were the - The anti-Trotsky alliance split apart.

main features of - Stalin formed an alliance with Bukharin and the
Step 2 of the right-wing of the Party.
leadership strug- - Bukharin had control of the right-wing of the Party and
gle: the defeat of controlled the media so both men were able to dominate
the united oppo- the Party.
sition? - In 1926 Zinoviev, Kamenev and Trotsky formed the Unit-
ed Opposition.
- At the 1927 15th Party Congress the United Opposition
lost respect as Zinoviev and Kamenev were mocked for
being allies with their former rival.
- They were accused of factionalism which was outlawed
by Lenin in 1921.
- Congress expelled them all from the Party.
- Zinoviev and Kamenev were allowed back after admit-
ting they had been wrong however Trotsky refused to back
down so was expelled from the Soviet Union in 1929.
17. What were the - In 1928 Stalin performed a dramatic U-turn and adopted
main features of the policies of the left wing. He rejected the NEP in favour
Step 3 of the of rapid industrialisation.
leadership strug- - Bukharin attempted to defend the NEP in Party meetings
gle: the defeat of but was simply outvoted. Stalin ensured that Bukharin lost
Bukharin? his most important posts.
18. Why did Stal- - The general mood in the Party was starting to shift
in's U-turn policy against the NEP as its failures became apparent. Not
make sense? enough grain was reaching the cities. Wild rumours were
circulating about an invasion from the West, this prompted
the Soviet Union to begin rapid industrialisation in order
to protect itself.
- Stalin was also persuaded to adopt the policies of the
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left-wing side of the Party to give him a strong identity,
something which he had been lacking as the "grey blur".
19. How did the im- Part of Stalin's success lay in his ability to suggest the
portance of poli- right policies at the right time.
cies lead to Stal-
in's achievement - Stalin's policy of socialism in one country won him
as leader of the wide support. It was a positive, patriotic message, which
Soviet Union? contrasted well with Trotsky's idea of worldwide revolution.
This sounded impractical, as it was unlikely that the West
would rise up and support communism.
- Stalin's decision to argue for rapid industrialisation in
1928 was widely supported. By this stage, the NEP was
unpopular and the Party's desire for extreme solutions
had been reawakened by food shortages in the cities and
fear of foreign invasion.
20. How did Stal- By controlling appointments and promotions within the
in's position as Party, he was able to fill it steadily with his own supporters.
General Secre- When it came to voting against Trotsky's policy of rapid
tary lead to his industrialisation, expelling the United Opposition or dis-
achievement as missing Bukharin's NEP arguments, Stalin was always
leader of the So- confident that he had a majority.
viet Union?
21. How did Stalin's Stalin was skilled at political plotting. This was demon-
political skill and strated in the clever way he took advantage of Lenin's fu-
personality lead neral, his willingness to make and break alliances, as well
to his achieve- as his use of Lenin's factions to silence his opponents.
ment as leader
of the Soviet Many Party members regarded him as humble, ordinary
Union? and straightforward. As the Lenin Enrolment brought in
thousands of un-educated working class being seen as
a man of the people was more beneficial then being a
high-flying intellectual.
22. How did the - Trotsky for all his achievements, was unpopular. He saw
weaknesses and no need to control his arrogance, or build friendships
mistakes of Stal- and alliances in the wider Party. He made huge errors
in's opponents of judgement in failing to attend Lenin's funeral and not
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lead to his arguing for the publication of his Testament.
achievement as - Zinoviev and Kamenev proved to be poor politicians by
leader of the So- not recognising Stalin as a rival, so arguing for Lenin's
viet Union? Testament not to be published. They also made a mistake
by entering into an alliance with Stalin against Trotsky.
- Bukharin simply lacked the political skills needed to fight
Stalin.
23. What was Stal- - He wanted to create a modern economy that was based
in's aims for on heavy industry and had a highly mechanised farming
his policy of sector.
rapid industriali- - He wanted the Soviet Union's economy to compete
sation and col- with the advanced countries of the West and eventually
lectivisation? overtake them.
- He wanted to make the Soviet Union self-sufficient and
prepared for war.
24. What four rea- - Economically, it seemed to offer a better alternative to

sons did Stalin the NEP.
have for launch- - Ideologically, it would remove class enemies and move
ing his policy of the Soviet Union towards communism.
rapid industriali- - Militarily, it would prepare the country for war.
sation? - Politically, it promised to increase Stalin's power.
25. What were the - Money was reintroduced.

key features of - Forced grain seizures from the peasants were stopped.
the NEP? - Peasants could sell their surplus grain for profit.
- Small businesses could be privately owned.
- Businesses could make and keep their profits.
- Only the largest industries were controlled by the State.
26. What were the - Economically, it had not fully caught up with the last few
key failures of years of Tsarist times. The Soviet Union lay far behind the
the NEP? economies of the West.
- High rates of unemployment.
- The Soviet Union had a *capitalist* society.
- The promise to remove nepmen and bourgeois experts.
- Only when the Soviet Union transitioned into a highly
advanced industrial nation could it advance towards full
communism.
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- The Soviet Union felt that the outside world was turning
against them.
- For Stalin, rapid industrialisation meant that he could di-
vide his political opponents and it increased his authority
in the Party.
27. What was the They were instructed by Stalin to turn the Soviet Union
purpose of Gos- into a modern, industrial power as quickly as possible.
plan? They created a series of Five Year Plans that set out
ambitious targets for the whole of the Soviet Union.
28. What were the - Expand heavy industry.

main aims of the
*first* Five Year
Plan 1928-32?
29. What were the - The economy grew by 14% each year.
main successes - Coal and iron output doubled.
of the *first* - Steel production increased by one third.
Five Year Plan
1928-32?
30. What were the - Most targets were not met.

main weakness- - Targets were set at unrealistic levels.
es of the *first* - Many factories struggled to obtain resources.
Five Year Plan - There was a lack of skilled workers.
1928-32? - Living and Working conditions declined dramatically.
- Many products were of extremely poor quality.
31. What were the - Expand heavy industries.

main aims of - Develop new chemical industries.
the *second* - Improve railway, canal and road transport links.
Five Year Plan - Make some consumer goods.
1933-37?
32. What were the - More realistic targets were set.

main successes - Big advances continued to be made in heavy industry.
of the *second* - Other important areas of the economy started to be
Five Year Plan developed.
1933-37? - Gains were made in chemical industries such as fertilis-
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er production.
- New transport schemes such as the Moscow Metro and
Moscow canal were completed.
33. What were the - Despite promise to raise living standards, consumer
main weakness- industries received little investment.
es of the *sec-
ond* Five Year
Plan 1933-37?
34. What were the - Expand heavy industries.

main aims of the - Armaments production.
*third* Five Year
Plan 1938-41?
35. What were the - By 1940, one third of government investment was spend
main successes on defence.
of the *third* - The basis of a powerful arms industry was laid.
Five Year Plan - Nine new aircraft factories were established.
1938-41?
36. What were the - The Plan ran into difficulties because Stalin's purges led
main weakness- to the arrest of many experienced managers and Gosplan
es of the *third* officials.
Five Year Plan - The plan was cut short by the Nazi invasion of Russia in
1938-41? June 1941.
37. What was In August 1935, Alexei Stakhanov mined 102 tonnes of
the propa- coal in 6 hours. This was 14 times the output of a normal
ganda cam- miner. He was rewarded with 1 month's wages, a new
paign known as apartment and a holiday. He became the centre of a huge
the Stakhanovite publicity campaign.
movement?
- Propaganda posters and news reports held him up as a
model Soviet worker.
- Statues were built in his honour.
- Stakhanov toured the country, encouraging others to
follow his example.
- Workers were promised rewards such as a new flat,
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higher wages or bigger rations if they managed to exceed
their targets like Stakhanov.
38. What was - Many people were encouraged to work harder.

the impact of - Within a year almost 1/4 of industrial workers were
the Stakhanovite classed as Stakhanovites.
Movement? - 'Recordmania' occurred and managers had to spend a
lot of time dealing with attempts to set new production
records, this disrupted normal working hours.
- Workers didn't like the pressure on them to work.
- Some Stakhanovite workers were attacked and the word
"Stakhanovite" meant someone who was pushy and more
interested in helping themselves.
- In the 1980s the Communist Party revealed that it was all
a publicity stunt and, instead of working alone, Stakhanov
had been supported by a team of workers and was sup-
plied with state of the art equipment.
39. What were the - Heavy industry was the biggest success. In the space
successes of in- of 12 years oil output doubled and coal, steel, iron and
dustrialisation? electricity multiplied.
- There was a large expansion of canal and railway net-
works, allowing goods to be transported more efficiently.
- The FYPs created a modern armaments industry. The
factories and weapons produced were essential in defeat-
ing Nazi Germany.
- The Plans increased the size of the working class, and
turned the Soviet Union into a more urbanised society.
- Unemployment vanished and some factory workers
were provided with food from canteens.
40. What were the - The quality of goods was poor, factory workers focused
failures of indus- on quantity not quality.
trialisation? - There was high levels of waste, due to lack of transport,
many goods were left to decay next to factories.
- Most of the targets set by Gosplan were unrealistically
high and there was immense pressure on factory man-
agers to achieve these targets or face imprisonment.
- Lying about production figures was common due to
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fear of arrest. As a result, official Soviet statistics were
extremely unreliable.
- Some of the showpiece projects relied on forced labour.
Around 12,000 Gulag prisoners died building the White
Sea Canal.
- There was little thought to improving the lives of ordinary
workers.
- Between 1928-41 there was continuous consumer
goods shortages, such as clothes, food and furniture.
- Working conditions were difficult. Safety standards were
ignored, so accident were frequent.
41. What were the - It was a remote uninhabited area next to a mountain with
key features of high levels of iron ore.
Magnitogorsk? - First shock workers arrived in March 1929. By 1932
250,000 workers were on site and began breaking the
ground.
- Magnitogorsk became a symbol of Soviet achievement
and the story of its construction was publicised across the
Soviet Union.
- The majority of workers lived in mud huts, wooden
shacks or tents, with no heating or bathroom facilities.
- Conditions were so hard that the average worker stayed
for just 82 days.
42. What three rea- - Economically, he wanted to modernise the old-fashioned

sons did Stalin farming system. He also wanted a guaranteed supply of
have for collec- grain in order to feed the workers and sell the grain to pay
tivising agricul- for industrialisation.
ture? - Ideologically, Stalin believed that peasants were not
supporters of communism. He wanted to change the way
farming was organised to ensure they followed true com-
munist methods.
- Politically, Stalin wanted to extend Communist control
over the countryside. He also saw this policy as a way
of weakening his opponent Bukharin, in the struggle for
power.
43.
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Why did Stal- - They were allowed to own property.
in view peasants - They could sell their produce for profit.
as anti-commu- - If they were rich enough, they could employ landless
nist under the labourers to work on the land.
NEP?
44. What were ku- Prosperous peasant farmers who could own enough land
laks? to make a reasonable living and live in a more comfortable
house.
45. How did Collec- - Private land ownership would be abolished.

tivisation seem - As all produce would go to the state peasants would not
to offer a good be motivated to make money but instead to work for the
way of build- good of the nation.
ing communism - Instead of working on individual farms, peasants would
in the country- learn to work together.
side? - Collective farms would have shared facilities to create a
sense of community.
46. What were the - The peasants had reduced grain production because of
reasons for the the low prices being paid by the state.
grain procure- - Some farmers were withholding their grain from the
ment crisis of market in order to push prices up.
1927-28?
47. When did Stalin In December 1929

call for an all out
policy of collec-
tivisation?
48. Did peasants No

have a wish to
collectivise?
49. What did peas- They rebelled. They disrupted collective farm meetings
ants do in re- and attacked Party officials. Many peasants set fire to
sponse to the rul- their farms, and killed and ate many of their animals. It
ing that all farms was nearly civil war in the countryside. Stalin was forced
were to be collec- to send in the army and secret police to enforce this policy
tivised? violently.
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50. What happened In propaganda, kulaks were shown as greedy capitalists,

in the removal of who occupied all the best land and exploited the poorer
the kulaks? peasants.
Kulaks were forbidden from entering collective farms. In-

stead, they were rounded up by dekulakisation squads,
made up of army units, secret police and loyal party
members from the cities. Soon the word "kulak" lost any
real meaning and began to mean someone who opposed
collectivisation. Thousands were shot on the spot or sent
to Siberia and imprisoned in forced labour camps. Or sent
to land too poor to farm.
51. When did Stal- 1929

in say, "liquidate
the kulaks as a
class"?
52. By 1940, how 240,000

many kolkhozes
had been set up
across Russia?
53. What was the - Made up of 50-100 families.

features of a typ- - Run by a chairman who was a Communist Party mem-
ical kolkhoz? ber from the town.
- Hours peasants worked were set by the state.
- Majority of produce was seized.
- Money was shared out amongst the peasants.
- Peasants were not allowed to leave the kolkhozes.
- After 1935, the peasants were given a small area of land
to farm for themselves.
54. What were Motor - A state-owned institution that rented heavy agricultural
Tractor Stations machinery (e.g., tractors and combines) to a group of
(MTSs)? neighbouring kolkhozy (collective farms) and supplied
skilled personnel to operate and repair the equipment.
- By 1940, there was one MTS for every 40 collective
farms.
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55. Why were the The officials running them were responsible for collecting
MTSs hated? the grain quotas and any troublemakers were reported to
the government by the MTSs.
56. What were the - Grain harvests fell by 7% between 1928-33.

failures of collec- - Cattle numbers almost halved.
tivisation? - The MTSs didn't have enough machinery. The machin-
ery they did have was poorly maintained and expensive.
- Dekulakisation had removed the most skilled and pro-
ductive farmers.
- Productivity was poor, peasants had no reason to work
hard as they were being paid the same pitiful wage and it
wasn't even their own privately owned land.
57. What were the - Estimated that 4-5 million people died.
key features of - People ate earthworms, tree bark, mice, ants and even
the Great Famine human flesh.
of 1932-33? - Food production fell due to collectivisation, despite the
drop in production grain procurement levels were raised
to unrealistic levels.
- If peasants were found to be hording even one or two
ears of corn they were exiled or shot.
- Stalin's government refused to offer foreign aid to
Ukraine.
58. What were the - A guaranteed grain supply was secured in order to feed
successes of the towns.
collectivisation? - Grain was exported to help pay for industrialisation.
- Peasants moved to towns and cities and became work-
ers.
- The Communist Party gained control over the country-
side.
- Stalin increased his political power.
- Communism was created in the countryside.
- Private land ownership was abolished.
- Class divisions were removed.
59. What started the The murder of Sergei Kirov

Great Terror?
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60. Who did Stalin Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev.

claim the mur-
der of Kirov had
been organised
by?
61. Who were arrest- Zinoviev and Kamenev

ed in January
1935 for conspir-
acy to murder
Kirov?
62. When is the first August 1936

Moscow show
trial?
63. When is the January 1937

second Moscow
show trial?
64. When does the May 1937

purge of the Red
Army begin?
65. When is the third March 1938

Moscow show
trial?
66. When does Stal- March 1939

in declare an
end to the mass
purges?
67. Why was it an - It would allow him to remove his main rival, Trotsky, and
ideal solution for Zinoviev and Kamenev, two of his old enemies from the
Stalin to organ- power struggle.
ise the murder of - It gave him an excuse to remove anyone in the wider
Kirov? party whose loyalty was doubted.
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68. What three rea- - *Total Control* e.g during dekulakisation, many Party
sons did Stalin workers were unwilling to arrest, exile or shoot kulaks as
have for launch- they knew them personally.
ing the purges? - The Five Year Plans and collectivisation had created
an *unstable* society, the new towns were dangerous,
unruly places. People lived in poor living conditions and
arguments usually broke out and became violent.
- *War* between the Soviet Union and Germany was
becoming increasingly likely. Stalin needed to drive his
exhausted and overworked labour force even harder.
69. How did Stalin's - He was distrustful and believed people would always
personality lead betray him in the end.
to the purges? - He saw plots and threats everywhere, even though they
did not exist in reality.
- He held grudges for a long time and enjoyed taking
revenge.
- He was a rude man and violence came easy to him.
- Following his wife's suicide, he became even more iso-
lated and only spent time with his close political circle or
alone.
70. How did Terror - The purges were driven by economic need, the Gulags
Economics lead became a vital part of Stalin's industrialisation drive by
to the purges? providing a lot of slave labour.
- The purges made sure that there was this vital labour
force constantly available, (by the end of the 1930s, 8
million people were in Gulags.
- The purges also gave Stalin a scapegoat for the failings
of the Five Year Plans, such as missed targets, low-quality
output and high accident rates.
- Stalin could blame these failures on "wreckers", so
called enemies of the people who were deliberately sab-
otaging the economy on behalf of Trotsky, Zinoviev and
Kamenev. Stalin encouraged ordinary workers to report
their factory managers and supervisors to the NKVD.
71. How did Lenin's Terror had become a key part of the communist system
Legacy con- under Lenin.
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tribute to the
purges? - Lenin had seized power in October 1917 and soon after,
he closed down the democratically elected Constituent
Assembly. (Set up to draw up a new constitution for
post-revolutionary Russia).
- Lenin had created the repressive Cheka and authorised
the Red Terror during the Civil War.
- Lenin had shown his dislike of disagreement within the
Party by creating the ban on factions in 1921.
72. What was the - Stalin used the NKVD to carry out the purges.
roles of Yezhov, - Nikolai Yezhoz was head of the NKVD between 1936-38
the NKVD and and was a loyal Stalinist, he oversaw a dramatic increase
the Gulags in the in the number of victims of the purges by arresting mem-
purges? bers of the Communist Party, the Army and the general
population.
73. Who could of- - Common criminals

ten be found in - Workers and factory managers convicted of wrecking
the Gulags by - Communist Party and government officials found guilty
the end of the of plotting against the government.
1930s? - Foreign communists who had gone to live in the Soviet
Union but were convicted of spying.
- Artists, writers and university lecturers whose loyalty
Stalin doubted.
- Leaders of ethnic groups who were seen as too inde-
pendent by Stalin.
- Members of ethnic minority groups such as Poles and
Koreans with links to bordering countries.
- Red Army officers.
74. What were the - He wanted to remove once and for all his old rivals in the
reasons and fea- Party. The chief victims of the show trials were Kamenev,
tures of the Zinoviev and Bukharin.
Moscow Show - Stalin wanted to frighten the wider Communist Party by
Trials? showing them the results of not being loyal to him.
- He wanted to create a tense, paranoid atmosphere in
the Soviet Union, in which people believed there were
dangerous enemies, spies and wreckers at work.
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- Stalin hoped people would unite behind him if they knew
he was protecting them from dangerous enemies.
75. Who were the Zinoviev and Kamenev.

"stars" of the
first show trial?
76. What were most - Organising Kirov's murder.

of the people in - Plotting to disrupt the Five Year Plans.
the show trials - Overthrow the government.
accused of?
77. What was - Plotting to assassinate Lenin.

Bukharin addi-
tionally accused
of in his show tri-
al?
78. Why did the Most likely because they were no doubt worn down by
Old Bolsheviks constant interrogation and torture.
confess to the
crimes they were
accused of?
79. What were those Zinoviev, Kamenev and Bukharin were all sentenced to
trialed in the death and were shot, including many others. The rest
Moscow show were sent to the Gulags where they most likely died.
trials sentenced
to?
80. What statistics - Altogether 70% of the 1934 Central Committee were
are there that later executed or imprisoned.
highlight the ex- - Overall, it is estimated that 1 million Party members
tent of the became victims of the purges.
purges on the
wider commu-
nist Party?
81. Why did Stal- - They were tough and independent minded.
in fear that - Having access to weapons and manpower, they had the
18 / 55
the armed forces means to remove Stalin.
would try to steal - Many had appointed by Trotsky and so Stalin did not fully
power from him? trust them.
82. What statistics - The majority of the army's senior officers were shot.
are there to high- - Half of the army's junior officers - 35,000 men - were
light the extent imprisoned or shot.
of the purges - All the admirals of the Soviet navy were shot.
on the Armed - All except one of the senior commanders in the Soviet
Forces? air force were shot.
83. What was the hu- - 7-8 million arrests.

man cost of the - 1-1.5 million executions.
purges? - 7-8 million people sent to the Gulag.
- 2 million death in the Gulag.
84. How did the - Experienced members of the government, including

purges weak- Gosplan officials, factory managers and highly trained sci-
en the Soviet entists, engineers and workers were all targeted, the loss
Union? of their skills and experience damaged the the economy
and weakened the third Five Year Plan.
- The removal of 35,000 officers damaged the quality in
the Red Army, the impact of this was when the Soviet
Union went to war with Finland and ultimately, Nazi Ger-
many.
85. What was the po- - Stalin was now the unchallenged leader of the Soviet
litical impact of Union. Anyone who was a threat to his power had been
the purges? purged, Old Bolsheviks, the wider Communist Party, the
military and the ordinary people.
86. What were the - A cult of personality to glorify Stalin.

key features of - An approved form of art and culture known as socialist
Soviet Propagan- realism.
da? - The 1936 Constitution.
- The brainwashing of young people through school and
youth groups.
- The creation of a pro-Stalin version of history.
87.
19 / 55
What were the - He was built into a god like figure, known as the Vozhd,
key features of or "big hero".
Stalin's cult of - Adoration of Stalin was constant, journalists, poets,
personality? authors, artists tried their hardest to outdo each other in
describing his incredible qualities.
- School and youth groups taught children to love Stalin
more than their parents, when his name was mentioned,
people leapt to their feet with sudden applause.
88. How was Stalin He was shown as Lenin's right-hand man and propagan-
shown as a polit- da claimed he was the one person capable of guiding the
ical genius? Soviet Union to its Communist future.
89. How was Stalin He was seen as responsible for the successes of the
presented as the Five Year Plans and posters featured him looking out
Great Economic over landscapes of busy factories, highly mechanised
Planner? collective farms and showpiece projects. The failures of
the economy were blamed on wreckers or not mentioned.
90. How was Stalin He was shown wearing plain clothes, smoking a pipe
shown as a man and walking alongside ordinary workers and peasants. He
of the people? was often pictured with adoring children and his childhood
home in Georgia was turned into a place of worship to
honour his humble origins.
91. How was Stalin He was shown as the great war leader who had indepen-
shown as Gener- dently planned and led the Soviet Union to victory over
alissimo? Nazi Germany. He was often pictured in a striking military
uniform, however, his costly mistakes and leading roles of
his generals were ignored.
92. What were the - Stalin used it to increase his own power in the Commu-
reasons for the nist Party. The cult of personality increased his reputation
cult of personali- and dramatically placed him ahead of the country's other
ty? leading politicians.
- Showing Stalin as a genius and as Lenin's natural suc-
cessor gave his rule a sense of legitimacy.
- The impact of rapid industrialisation and collectivisation
meant that the 1930s was a confusing time for many. The
cult of personality gave reassurance and comfort.
20 / 55
- By encouraging loyalty to one person, the Soviet Union
was given a sense of unity.
- The cult of personality allowed people to complain about
everyday activities without ever criticising Stalin.
93. What was social- The requirement that artists and writers idealise the work-
ist realism? ing class and the Soviet Union in their work, and make it
understandable to the masses.
94. Why did Stal- - He was attempting to appeal to ordinary Soviet citizens.
in publish the It made him look like a leader who cared about them.
new constitution - He was trying to improve the poor image of the Soviet
of 1936? Union abroad. This was important because he wanted to
work with the democratic countries in the West to stop the
rise of Nazi Germany.
95. What was cen- Restricting access to ideas and information.

sorship?
96. Who was Pavlik A young 14 year old boy who had denounced his own
Morozov? father to the authorities for helping kulaks.
97. What were the - Everyone had a job.

advantages of - Factories gave basic clothing to their workers and set up
the Five Year canteens which made cheap, hot meals.
Plans and Indus- - Larger factories set up childcare and laundry facilities.
trialisation for - Rewards including pay or ration increases were avail-
the ordinary able to those classed as shock workers, or even better,
workers? Stakhanovites.
98. What were peas- - The loss of their own land.

ants on the - Being told what to do by the Collective chairman.
kolkhozes angry - Low wages - the income of a peasant on a collective
about? farm was about 20% of a factory workers.
- Long hours and physical work - there were few tractors
and machines to help.
- Lack of freedom - peasants could not leave collective
farms unless they had written permission.
99.
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What was It was the name given to a special organisation within the
Zhenotdel? Communist Party that dealt with women's affairs. It was
closed by Stalin in 1930 when he claimed its work had
been accomplished.
100. What was the It reversed the radical ideas of the early Bolsheviks, pro-
Family Code of paganda was used to humiliate men who failed to take
1936? their family responsibilities seriously.
101. What was "pro- A form of education which involved children being sent
ject method"? into factories to learn skills from the workers, instead of
using textbooks in the classroom.
102. What was the - Too few schools.

problems with - Schools were chronically underfunded.
education? - Often involved little more than children being used as
cheap labour.
- Teachers were poorly trained.
- Teachers no longer had authority over their students.
- Many children did not attend school.
103. What did the De- - Different national groups would receive equal treatment.
claration of the - Self-government.
Rights of the - Freedom of religion.
Peoples of Rus- - The right to develop their own culture and lifestyle.
sia say?
104. How were ethnic The communists described Russia as a family of nations.
minorities treat- The different national groups could govern themselves
ed under the and together they would form one country. Each national
communists? group was encouraged to celebrate its culture. Schools,
books and newspapers used local languages instead of
Russian. Local leaders were trained up and given posi-
tions in the Party and government.
105. What was russifi- Promotion of Russian culture, language, (etc.) over others
cation? in the Russian domain.
106. What four things - Celebrating local languages and culture.

did Stalin believe - Russian language and culture were shown to be supe-
22 / 55
that ethnic mi- rior to others.
norities were do- - All schools had to teach Russian as the second lan-
ing that was seen guage.
as a threat to the - During the purges, many national minority leaders,
Soviet Union? teachers, artists and writers were arrested.
107. What happened They were deported from the Soviet Union's Far East to
in 1937 to over central Asia. Stalin was concerned about the possibility
171,000 ethnic of a Japanese invasion and he thought that the Koreans
Koreans? might support this - he ignored the fact that Japan was
violently occupying Korea at the time.
108. What was the re- It weakened traditional cultures and whole ways of life
sult of Stalin's re- were destroyed through forced resettlement, many na-
verse to the tol- tional groups developed a long-lasting anger towards the
erant approach Soviet state as a result.
of the 1920s to-
wards ethnic mi-
norities?
109. What did Hitler He hated communism, and above all despised its people.
believe about the The human race, he wrongly believed was divided into a
Soviet Union and hierarchy of races. The German Aryans were the 'master
the human race? race', while the nationalities of the Soviet Union were
categorised as 'racially inferior'. Hitler wanted to see them
beaten and put into slavery. To fulfil his terrible aims, three
huge army groups were gathered, supported by troops
from across Europe. In June 1941, they began Operation
Barbarossa, a three-pronged attack on the Soviet Union.
In the first 6 months of the invasion, the Nazis seemed
unstoppable, moving forward at a rate of 80km a day.
110. What statistics - Over 3 million Red Army soldiers had been captured.
highlight how the - German forces were in control of 45% of the Soviet
Soviet Union was population.
weakened by the - Iron and soviet steel production, both of which were vital
Nazis by the end for war weapons, had dropped by 60%.
of 1941? - The country's best agricultural land, which produced
around 40% of its grain, was in German hands.
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111. What main six - In the first week of the invasion, Stalin retreated to his
reasons explain country house, refusing to speak to or give instructions.
why the begin- He left the Soviet Union leaderless.
ning of world war - The German army was formidable. It was huge, highly
two was such a trained and well equipped. It was also confident after
disaster for the having conquered most of Europe.
Soviet Union? - The Germans had a new military tactic called 'Blitzkrieg',
this involved using tank forces, massive air power and
highly trained troops in co-ordinated, fast-moving as-
saults. There was little effective defence against this.
- Stalin forbade his troops from retreating. The fast-mov-
ing Germans, however, carried out vast encircling move-
ments so many Soviet forces were cut off.
- Stalin's earlier purge of the Red Army had removed
many experienced officers, damaging its fighting ability,
many were hastily removed from the Gulags following
invasion.
- Stalin ignored repeated warnings from his spies and
even the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, that
the Germans were going to invade. The Red Army was
caught completely by surprise.
112. How did the Sovi- - The start date for Operation Barbarossa was *delayed
et Union survive by 5 weeks* due to allow for the occupation of Yugoslavia.
despite the Nazis This gave the German army less time to advance into the
apparent victo- Soviet Union while weather conditions were ideal.
ry by December - The German advance was slowed and then stopped
1941? by *winter coming*. It began with heavy rain in October,
turning roads into rivers of mud. Then in November, snow
came and temperatures fell to -35°C.
- As Hitler had planned on the Soviet Union collapsing be-
fore the onset of winter, the German army had *not been
properly equipped for cold weather*. Frostbite became a
major issue. German soldiers put newspaper and straw
inside their clothing to stay warm. Vehicles and weapons
stopped working.
- In December General Zhukov launched a counter attack
using tough soldiers from Siberia. Equipped with top qual-
ity equipment, they were well prepared for winter fighting.
24 / 55
*Zhukov's troops also caught the German's by surprise*,
successfully pushing them back to Moscow.
- This counter attack was only made possible by *accurate
intelligence*. A Soviet spy based in Tokyo told Stalin that
Japan had no plans to attack the Soviet Union in the
Far East. This gave Stalin confidence to move his troops
westward from Siberia.
- Although the Germans occupied large amounts of the
Soviet Union, it was far from economically destroyed.
The *third Five Year Plan* had established new industrial
areas in the Ural Mountains and Siberia, far beyond the
reach of German attacks.
- Following the invasion, around 1,500 factories in the
west of the Soviet Union were *taken apart on Stalin's
orders and moved to safety* in the East. Anything of value
that could not be moved was destroyed in a *scorched
earth policy*.
- Stalin helped to *motivate the nation*, he appealed
to people's nationalist spirit by calling them to defend
the 'motherland' and referring to the war as the 'Great
Patriotic War'. Stalin realised that most people would not
risk their lives for a political ideology.
- In October, Stalin decided to *stay in Moscow* when the
Germans were approaching, this gave the Soviet people
confidence.
113. What were the - The Soviet Union produced more weapons than Ger-
main reasons for many.
the success of - Stalin provided excellent leadership.
the Soviet Union - The Soviet people were resilient and tough due to the
in World War 2? hardships they had endured in the past.
- America supplied weapons, food and transport to the
Soviet Union.
- Hitler made many bad decisions which weakened the
German army.
- The Battle of Stalingrad destroyed Germany's elite Sixth
Army.
114.
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How did the War - Over half of the national income of the Soviet Union was
Economy boom spent on war. This was a higher proportion than Britain,
in the Soviet Germany or America.
Union, allowing - Huge armaments factories were developed in the east
the Soviets to of the country, safe from German attack.
emerge victori- - People worked 7 days a week for the entire length of the
ous? war. Factory shifts lasted 12-18 hours.
- Women were used to fill the labour shortage caused by
the employment of men into the armed forces.
- The huge Gulag population performed essential war
work.
115. How did Stalin's - He set up a Soviet high command known as STAVKA
leadership con- which ensured that important military decisions could be
tribute to the So- made quickly.
viet Union's suc- - He also established and led the State Defence Com-
cess in World mitee (GKO) which ran the economy. This met almost
War 2? everyday of the war.
- Stalin was also prepared to listen to the advice of others,
following the disasters of 1941, he realised he did not fully
understand how to direct an army.
- He promoted able officers and gave them considerable
freedom to run the battlefield.
116. What were Gen- - Defence of Moscow

eral Zhukov's - Liberation of Stalingrad
most notable mil- - Final attack on Berlin
itary achieve-
ments?
117. How did the - The Soviet people were tough and resilient so could
heroism of the withstand many of the hardships that the war caused.
Soviet Peo-
ple contribute
to the Soviet
Union's success
in WW2?
118. What motivated - Patriotic Duty; many had a natural desire to save their
the Soviet peo- country from foreign invasion.
26 / 55
ple to contin- - There was a general understanding that Nazi Germany
ue resisting Nazi was a uniquely terrible enemy and needed to be defeat-
takeover? ed.
- People turned to religion for comfort, for the length of the
war, Stalin ended the persecution of the Orthodox Church
and allowed many of its churches to reopen.
- Punishments for not supporting the war effort were
severe, workers who were 20mins late or caught stealing
faced imprisonment.
- As a result of Order 227, soldiers who refused to fight
were put into penal battalions, or shot.
119. How did allied - The Americans sent military support under an agree-
help contribute ment called, 'Lend Lease', the Americans supplied the
to the Soviet Red Army with; 12% of its airplanes, 10% of its tanks and
Union's success 2% of its artillery.
in WW2? - The Americans also supplied a large amount of trans-
port, they supplied; 95% of its trains and 75% of its jeeps.
- Huge quantities of wheat and spam were also shipped to
the Soviet Union, "without spam we would not have been
able to feed our army" .
120. What mistakes - They launched their invasion before defeating Britain so
did the German's they faced a war against two powerful enemies and had
make that lead to to divide their resources.
Soviet victory in - They messed up Operation Barbarossa by delaying its
WW2? start date, this meant their troops were not equipped for
winter.
- They were overambitious and committed their forces to
taking Leningrad, Moscow, Ukraine and the Caucasus so
their army became over-stretched.
- Hitler overruled his generals; even though they often
knew more than him.
- Hitler did not allow the Sixth Army to retreat from Stalin-
grad so they were captured by the Red Army.
- They did not spend enough money on war production,
instead focusing on having a good standard of living.
121.
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What were the - Stalingrad was a key objective of the German 1942
reasons for the summer campaign. Hitler had promised a quick victory
Battle of Stalin- over the Soviet Union, "You only have to kick the door
grad? down and the whole rotten structure will come crashing
down".
- The failure to win a clear victory meant both sides were
fighting a war of attrition, and it needed resources in large
quantities.
- Stalingrad was identified as a city of strategic impor-
tance, it was the centre of north-south communication
routes so its fall would allow German soldiers to stop oil
supplies reaching the other northern half of the Soviet
Union.
- It was also named after Stalin so it made it capture
symbolically important to Hitler.
122. What were the - General Zhukov secretly gathered a force of over 1
main features million men, they attacked the weaker Italian, Hungarian
of Operation and Romanian troops to the north and south of the city.
Uranus? - They were ordered to protect the Sixth Army but their
collapse left the army undefended and alone, surrounded
by Stalingrad itself.
- For the next 2 months, the Sixth Army fought on in
increasingly difficult conditions, despite being forbidden
to do so by Hitler, Von Paulus surrendered his army.
123. What was the - Half a million Soviet soldiers died, this was more than
significance of Britain lost in the whole war. It is estimated that 40,000
the Battle of Stal- civilians died in the first week of the German air-attacks.
ingrad? - Most civilians in Stalingrad were evacuated by Soviet
authorities during the course of the battle. They returned
following the fighting to find a bombed-out wreck.
- Some 10,000 civilians, including 1,000 children were
unable to escape and remained trapped in Stalingrad,
they survived by hiding in cellars, in ruined houses or
down sewers.
- German losses were 147,000 dead and 91,000 taken
prisoner. Hitler's Sixth Army, which had been the most
successful of all Germany's forces since the start of the
28 / 55
war, had been destroyed. The forces of Germany's allies
were similarly shattered.
- Stalingrad was Germany's first great defeat, it proved
Hitler's armies could be beaten so was a huge psycho-
logical boost to the Soviet People.
- Stalingrad was a key turning point in the war, it marked
the beginning of the Red Army's slow advance that would
finally push the Germans back to Berlin.
- It boosted the prestige of Stalin and the Soviet Union
around the world. Britain celebrated 'Red Army Day' on
22 February 1943. A ceremonial sword of Stalingrad
was presented to Stalin by the Prime Minister, Winston
Churchill.
- Stalin made himself Marshall of the Soviet Union, the
military's highest rank. From then on, he always appeared
in public wearing a white military uniform. Zhukov was
also promoted to Marshal. Stalingrad was given the title
of 'Hero City' to reward the determination of its defenders.
124. What are some - WW2 left the USSR economically destroyed.
features of the - The German Army took anything of value and destroyed
Soviet Union's the rest as they retreated.
post-war econo- - By 1945, almost 70% of Soviet Industrial production had
my? been lost, while some of the finest showpiece projects,
such as the Dneiper Dam were in ruins.
125. What were the - A huge 88% of investment went into heavy industry
main features of and armaments production. Stalin saw this as a matter of
the Fourth Five national security.
Year Plan? - The rest investment went into food production and con-
sumer goods, just as in the 1930s, the needs of the
ordinary people were not seen as a priority.
- Launched by Stalin to rebuild the USSR's economy
post-war.
126. What were the - The Soviet economy became the fastest-growing econ-
results of the omy in the world.
Fourth Five Year - Mines, factories and vital rail links were all quickly rebuilt.
Plan? In 1941, the great Dneiper Dam was rebuilt, producing
29 / 55
hydro-electric power.
- By the end of the plan, coal, oil and steel production had
exceeded pre-war figures.
127. What was the - Grain production had not reached pre-war levels.
performance of
agriculture fol-
lowing the
Fourth Five Year
Plan?
128. Why was the per- - There was a labour shortage, many of the men had
formance of agri- been killed in the war or moved into towns, leaving the
culture so de- farming to be carried out mostly by women, children and
layed following the elderly.
the Fourth Five - There was not enough machinery on the farms due
Year Plan? to wartime destruction. Horses, which were capable of
pulling ploughs, had also died in large numbers. Women
had to pull the ploughs themselves.
- Just as in the 1930s, peasants had little reason to work
hard on the farms, as their wages were incredibly low.
- The state put very little investment into agriculture.
129. What were the - Stalin saw threats and plots everywhere, and launched
main features a series of purges to uncover potential enemies.
of the war-time - Members of the military, Communist Party and national
purges? minorities were all targeted, between 1942-1947 the pop-
ulation in the Gulags almost trebled.
130. Who were the - The 1.5 million Soviet prisoners of war were treated as
military victims traitors for allowing themselves to be captured. Most were
of the post war deported to labour camps in Siberia.
purges? - War Heroes were seen by Stalin as a threat to his
position, he didn't want anybody else to be seen as the
reason for the Soviet Union's success. Stalin had many
of them written out of history and sent to remote parts of
the country.
131. Who were the - Nationalists in the Ukraine and Baltic States took up
national minori- arms to fight for independence for their countries.
30 / 55
ties affected by - Stalin responded with mass deportations, they were
Stalin's post-war often carries out in well planned operations, most were
purges? women and children.
132. What was the - Stalin believed that officials in the Leningrad Communist
Leningrad affair? Party had became too popular and independent as a
result of its heroic effort in the war.
- In 1949 he decided to arrest 200 of the Party's leading
members, accused of invented crimes, ranging from cor-
ruption to spying for Britain, they were sentenced to long
prison terms of 10-25 years. Around 2,000 were removed
from their positions and the city and lost their property in
the process.
133. How did Stal- - He viewed 'cosmopolitans' as very dangerous and saw
in demonstrate them as potential spies and traitors.
Anti-Semitism in - He irrationally believed that Jews were unpatriotic and
the post-war so- they had more loyalty to their fellow Jews around the world
ciety? than to the country.
- Jews were sacked from positions of responsibility in the
government and industry.
- Jewish schools, newspapers and libraries were shut
down.
- Jews were thrown out of universities.
- It was made very difficult for Jews to worship freely.
- Leading Jews were imprisoned and sometimes execut-
ed.
134. What were the - Stalin became convinced that those closest to him were
main features trying to kill him.
of the Doctor's - He had an official food tester to check his meals for
plot? poison.
- When his doctors suggested that he reduce his workload
Stalin turned this into a plot.
- In 1953, 30 top doctors, mainly Jews were arrested on
charges of trying to assassinate top Soviet leaders.
- On Stalin's death, the doctors were released.
135. How was Stal- - Many viewed him in God-like status due to the cult of
in viewed by the personality, particularly when propaganda depicted him
31 / 55
ordinary Soviet as a military genius and the man who defeated Hitler.
people? - There was no free elections, the press was heavily
controlled, opinion polls didn't exist and people were not
permitted to speak freely.
- Stalin was probably respected and feared equally.
- After his death there was considerable criticism, but that
may have been due to the next political leaders discredit-
ing him for political reasons.
- Many people were too scared to reveal the truth of how
they felt about Stalin.
136. When did Stalin March 5, 1953

die?
137. What was the When he became leader in 1929, the USSR was an iso-
strength of the lated country, slowly recovering from the defeat of WW1.
Soviet Union on By Stalin's death it had become an economic and military
the death of Stal- superpower, that dominated international affairs.
in?
138. What was the im- - 3 years after his death, his close political ally, Nikita
pact of Stalin's Krushchev finally felt able to speak freely. The speech
period in pow- he made to Party Congress was considered to be so
er on the Soviet shocking its contents wasn't revealed until 1989.
Union? - Krushchev attacked Stalin on many grounds, he read
parts of Lenin's testament, revealing that Lenin never
intended Stalin to be his replacement. He criticised Stalin
for the cult of personality and the use of mass terror. He
also told the audience that Stalin had failed to prepare the
Soviet Union's defenced for the German invasion.
- In 1961, Stalin's body was removed from Lenin's Man-
soleum and reburied in a modest grave in front of the
Kremlin wall.
139. Gosplan central planning authority in the former Soviet Union that
devised and directed Five-Year Plans
140. What is state an economic and political system in which companies are
capitalism? privately owned but cooperate closely with the govern-
ment
32 / 55
141. Petrograd Soviet Consisted of workers and soldiers who had overthrown
the tsar (soldiers now controlled the army),
4000 members, located in capital, Petrograd Influence
over garrison of soldiers in the city,
A counter-government in the city of Petrograd, one of the
key helpers towards the Russian Revolution, controlled
by the Bolsheviks
142. When was state 1918

capitalism intro-
duced?
143. Nicholas II Last Tsar of Russia during the revolution and WWI, forced
to abdicate during the February Revolution, later killed
with family by the Bolsheviks.
144. February Revolu- Uprisings and protests in 1917

tion led to the abdication of the tsar and establishment of a
provisional government; caused by popular dissatisfac-
tion with how the government handled WWI (i.e. incom-
petent military leadership; famine etc.)
145. What would - re-establish workers discipline by offering higher pay to

Vesenkha do? productive workers
- ensure factories were properly managed by placing
them under the control of well- paid specialists
- co-ordinate economic production to meet the needs of
the new society
146. Provisional Gov- Government made up of mostly liberals and other mod-
ernment erates that replaced the government of the tsar during
the February Revolution of 1917; had to share power with
the Petrograd Soviet; fell during the October Revolution of
1917 because it had refused to end Russian participation
in WWI and thus end popular suffering
147. What is war com- The economic policy adopted by the Bolsheviks during
munism? the Russian Civil War to seize the banks, heavy industry,
railroads, and grain.
33 / 55
148. Kerensky Moderate socialist PM of the Russian Provisional gov't;

forced to go into exile after the October Revolution
149. Order Number 1 Decree by the Petrograd Soviet to have all officers elected
by their troops and that all decisions by the Provisional
Government could only be become law if they were first
approved by the Petrograd Soviet
150. When was War 1918

Communism in-
troduced?
151. Features of - Grain requisitioning: Cheka seized grain without pay-

war communism: ment
What is a "food - Rationing: the supply commissariat rationed the seized
dictatorship"? food (smallest rations given to bourgeoisie)
152. Bolsheviks A party of revolutionary Marxists, led by Vladimir Lenin,

who seized power in Russia in 1917; name means "ma-
jority"
153. Mensheviks The smaller and more moderate faction of Russian rev-
olutionary Marxists; participated in the February Revolu-
tion; were eventually exiled or killed by the Bolsheviks, or
forced to join them; name means "minority"
154. April Theses Name for Lenin's blueprint for revolutionary action, pub-
lished in Pravda on April 7, 1917, after his return to Russia
155. What were the Economic collapse - grain requisitioning led ti lower rates
consequences of of agricultural production as they were not paid and had
war commu- no incentive to work. secondly, industrial production de-
nism?- Econom- clined significantly as there was no incentive to work and
ic collapse people fled to the country in search of food. 3 million
workers 1917 to 1.2 million 1922
156. What were the - There was no stable or unified currency

economic conse- - Hyperinflation (GMD unable to support itself from taxes)
- People reverted to battering
34 / 55
quences of the - Shortage of consumer goods led to people hoarding
civil war? scarce supplies
157. The July Days In July 1917, the Bolsheviks tried to take advantage of
mass desertions from the WWI front after a disastrous
Russian attack on Austria-Hungary by staging by sup-
porting protests in Petrograd against the Provisional Gov-
ernment. But the majority in the Petrograd Soviet did not
support the Bolsheviks, but worked with the P.G. The
uprising failed and Lenin had to go into exile again, this
time in Finland.
158. What were the 60% of food came from the black market and workers
consequences of were forced to steal government resources in order to
war commu- make goods that could be bartered for goods
nism?- Growth of
the black market
159. The Kornilov Af- General Kornilov sent troops to Petrograd to prevent a
fair left-wing takeover. Kerensky mistakenly thought Kornilov
was planning a right-wing coup. So he armed the Bolshe-
viks to prevent this, which got the Bolsheviks closer to
taking over.
160. Bolshevik Support for the Bolsheviks had grown after the Kornilov
Seizure of Affair, and after the Provisional Government tried to shut
Power, Oct. 1917 down two Bolshevik newspapers in Petrograd, Lenin re-
turned, and now having the support of the Petrograd
Soviet and with the Red Guard organized by Leon Trotsy,
stormed the Winter Palace, meeting little resistance and
taking over the government.
161. Constituent As- Russia's first freely elected parliament elected on No-
sembly vember 12, 1917. But when the Bolsheviks didn't get the
majority and many representatives refused to take orders
from the Soviet and the Sovnarkom, the Bolsheviks shut
it down by force, establishing Lenin's dictatorship.
162. What had the 5.8 million

communist gov-
35 / 55
ernment grown
to by 1950?
163. Sovnarkom First Bolshevik government under Lenin--the Council of

People's Commissars with Lenin as chairman.
164. The Russian Civ- 1917-1922, fought among the Bolsheviks, various White
il War Armies (supporters of the Tsar and some liberals), Left
Socialist Revolutionaries (less extreme than the Bolshe-
viks and opposed to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk) western
intervention forces (1918-1919), the Green Army (wanted
to create local peasant societies), various local nationalist
forces. The Bolsheviks won because they controlled the
urban, industrial centers of Russia.
165. Treaty of Signed by Trotsky on March 3, 1918, allowing Russia to

Brest-Litovsk, exist WWI in return for giving the Baltic States (Latvia,
1918 Lithuania, Estonia), Poland, and Ukraine to Germany. It
almost split the Bolshevik government, but Lenin had to
end the war, if he wanted to stay in power.
166. Cadres - Helped enforce the parties policies, controlled schools

and the legal system, monitored the PLA and the civil
service
- Monitored Danwei's, all employees belonged to one
- They controlled permits needed for travel or marriage,
accessing to housing or food
167. War Communism To win the Civil War, the Bolsheviks formed a Supreme
Economic Council to run the economy, nationalized all
industry, banned private trade, seized grain surpluses
from peasants, replaced the use of money with state ra-
tioning and used terror, slave labor, and seizure of goods
to enforce it all. This led to wide-spread famine and two
million deaths.
168. What was the re- Power was highly centralised in the politburo and power
ality of democra- flowed downwards rather than upwards.
tic centralism?
36 / 55
169. New Econom- Due to the failure of War Communism, the Bolsheviks in-
ic Policy (NEP) troduced the NEP in 1921, which allowed for small-scale
1921 private property and trade among the population, the
introduction of a new currency, and the abandonment of
food requisitioning. Banking, heavy industry, transporta-
tion, and foreign trade remained under government con-
trol. The NEP did stop the famine, but also increased the
gap between agricultural and industrial prices.
170. The USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (aka the Soviet
Union) created by Lenin and the Bolsheviks in 1922. It
existed until 1991.
171. Marxism-Lenin- Lenin's theory which adjusted Marx's theory for Russian
ism purposes by not waiting for the revolution to happen on
its own, but a small group of professional revolutionaries
making it happen; skipping the capitalist stage, and going
directly from Tsarism to Socialism; including the peasants
among the revolutionary masses; and opposing western
imperialism.
172. What is the com- Temporary constitution to provide the legal basis for the
mon program? new republic from 1949-54. it set out a range of rights
including gender equality, educational opportunity and
protection of religious beliefs. However, it also gave PLA
powers to crush opposition and made Mao head of state
173. Socialism A political and economic system in which the means of

production are owned by the state. The second-to-last
stage in Marx's theory of revolution, in which the creation
of socialism is overseen by a "dictatorship of the proletari-
at".
174. What was the - It was made up of important communist leaders

Politburo? - It had 14 members
- But the key decision making group was the standing
committee in which Mao was chairman of.
175. Communism A class-less system in which everyone contributes what

s/he can and receives what s/he needs. The final stage
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in Marx's theory of revolution, which would supposedly
happend once the state had withered away because it
had only been a tool of the bourgeoisie and the proletariat
had no use for it.
176. What is a bureau- a large, complex administrative structure that handles the
cracy? everyday business of an organization
177. bourgeoisie French word for "middle class". "Bürgertum" in German.

In Marxism, the industrial capitalists who own the means
of production.
178. proletariat Originally the lowest class of people above the Slaves
in Ancient Rome. In Marxism the industrial working class
exploited by the bourgeoisie, which will eventually lead to
the proletariat rising up and overthrowing the bourgeoisie.
179. Comintern The Communist International (1919-1943); organization

to coordinate and dictate activities of Communist Parties
around the world. Dissolved by Stalin. Replaced by the
Cominform, the Communist Information Bureau in 1947.
180. Cominform Communist Information Bureau set up in 1947 to control

the Soviet satellite states. Dissolved in 1956.
181. Politburo Ruling committee of the Communist Party and thus of the
USSR, except for the General Secretary of the Commu-
nist Party, i.e. the dictator. The Politburo was above the
Central Committee, which in turn was above the Party
Congress. Which were all above the Council of People's
Commissars (Sovnarkom) and the All-Russian Congress
of Soviets, which were the governing bodies of the Soviet
state.
182. General Secre- Official title of the ruler of the Soviet Union from Stalin
tary of the Com- to Gorbachev, except for Khrushchev, who was known
munist Party of as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet
the Soviet Union Union. And Gorbachev was at the end of his rule briefly
called "President of the Soviet Union".
38 / 55
183. Leon Trotsky Leading Bolshevik; member of the Politburo; organizer
and leader of the Red Army; intellectual; main opponent of
Stalin during the power struggle after Lenin's death; Lenin
considered him the most able leader in his testament; in
favor of permanent revolution; forced into exile in 1929;
assassinated by Stalin's agents in Mexico in 1940
184. Joseph Stalin Born into a Georgian peasant family in 1879; joined the
Communist Party in 1902; raided banks to get money for
the party; member of the Politburo; Lenin didn't trust him;
didn't want him to be his successor; he outmaneuvered
all his opponents; Soviet dictator until his death in 1953;
had millions murdered; created a personality cult about
himself, making himself godlike.
185. When was 3 March 1918

the Treaty of
Brest-Litovsk?
186. Mass participa-

tion to remove
opponents
187. Collectivisation The collectivization in the Soviet Union of agriculture

into huge farms where all the labor and resources was
used collectively by the peasants and coordinated by the
party. Introduced after the Grain Procurement Crisis of
1927-1929 showed that the NEP, which had stopped req-
uisitioning of grain, had failed because peasants would
withhold grain.
188. Kulaks Rich Russian peasants; most of them had supposedly

withheld grain, which led to the introduction of collectiviza-
tion; but they were also used by Stalin as a scapegoat on
which he would blame the failure of his agricultural poli-
cies; peasants began denouncing other peasants whom
39 / 55
they did not like as kulaks; the party murdered between
700,000 and 5 million (estimates vary) supposed kulaks
(known as dekulakization)
189. When was the March 1921

Kronstadt Rebel-
lion?
190. Magnitogorsk Supposed showpiece of Soviet industrial achievement.

Huge reserves of iron ore in the area made it a prime
location to build a steel plant capable of challenging its
Western rivals; however, a large proportion of the work-
force, as ex-peasants (so-called "shock workers"), had
few industrial skills or experience. To solve these issues,
several hundred foreign specialists arrived to direct the
work; but, contrary to propaganda claims, the supposed
"model worker city" was never completed according to
plan.
191. Stakhanovite Referred to workers who modelled themselves after Alex-

Movement ey Stakhanov, who supposedly had mined 102 tons of
coal in less than 6 hours (14 times his quota) on 31 August
1935 (during the Second Five-Year Plan). These workers
took pride in their ability to produce more than was re-
quired, by working harder and more efficiently. The move-
ment eventually encountered resistance as the increased
productivity led to increased demands on workers.
192. Komosol The Communist Union of Youth, created in 1922, catering

to young people from ages 14 to 28.
193. totalitarianism A system of government where every single aspect of

every single person's life is dictated by the regime's ide-
ology. Only twentieth-century technology started to make
this possible, and it was only arguably achieved in Nazi
Germany, the USSR under Stalin, and North Korea, pos-
sibly Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge and China under
Mao, and some of the Soviet satellite states.
194.
40 / 55
What was the hu- - 400,000 out of 3 million died
man cost of the - famine in rural areas due to grain requisitioning
war? - The campaign to suppress counter revolutionaries
launched in 1950
195. The Great Terror Also known as the Great Purge. (1936-1938), Stalin's
campaign of political repression in the Soviet Union,
which led to millions of victims, sometimes just to fill a
quota for counter revolutionaries killed.
196. Congress of Vic- Was supposed to celebrate Stalin's success, but instead
tors, 1934 Kirov received more votes than Stalin in the election for
the Central Committee, and many asked him to run for
General Secretary. Although he refused, it was one of the
main reasons Stalin started the Great Terror.
197. Kirov In 1934, leader of moderates within the Politburo; did not
want to replace Stalin, but urged him to concentrate on
more consumer goods; his murder in 1934 was blamed
on a secret "Trotskyite-Zinovievite" terror group.
198. Cheka Soviet secret police founded by Lenin in 1917 (essentially

replacing the Tsar's Okhrana).
199. GPU Soviet secret police and intelligence service replacing the
Cheka in 1922.
200. OGPU Soviet secret police and intelligence service replacing the
GPU in 1923.
201. NKVD The Soviet Interior Ministry founded in 1917, which took
over the function of the Soviet secret police and intel-
ligence services from the OGPU in 1934. The agency
mainly responsible for the Great Purges.
202. KGB Soviet secret police and intelligence service replacing the
NKVD in 1953. Dissolved in 1991.
203. Yagoda
41 / 55
Director of the NKVD from 1934 to 1936. In charge of the
Great Purge. Lived in luxury. Arrested in 1937. Convicted
at a show trial and executed in 1938.
204. Yezhov Director of the NKVD from 1936 to 1938. In charge of the
Great Purge. Arrested in 1939, convicted at a show trial,
and executed in February 1940.
205. Beria Director of the NKVD from 1938 to 1953. In charge of

the Terror during Stalin's final years. Executed after Khur-
shchev's coup d'état (replacing brief, post-Stalin ruling
"troika" of Malenkov, Molotov, and Beria).
206. socialist realism Artistic and literary style launched and enforced at the
expense of any other style during Stalin's reign, the goal
of which was to promote socialism by showing Soviet life
in a positive light using a realistic (in terms of a realistic
depiction of physical reality, not the actual reality of Soviet
life style) that glorified Soviet ideals and goals and wor-
shiped Stalin like a god.
207. cult of personali- The depiction of Stalin in Soviet propaganda as a godlike

ty figure and father of the Soviet people who could do not
wrong.
208. The Nazi-Soviet Non-aggression pact (also known as Molotov-Ribbentrop

Pact Pact after the two foreign ministers who signed it) entered
into by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939, which
shocked their respective allies, since it was a pact with the
declared political enemy. Both entered it to buy time. Both
knew they would break it eventually. Hitler did in 1939;
Stalin had hopped he wouldn't do so until 1942 or 1943.
209. Operation Bar- Code name for Nazi Germany's attack on the Soviet
barossa Union, starting in June 1941.
210. Operation Soviet counter-attack against the German invaders, start-

Uranus ing in 1942.
211.
42 / 55
The Great Patri- Stalin's name for the defense of the Soviet Union in World
otic War War II because he knew patriotism to be a better motivat-
ing force than abstract Marxism-Leninism. He even co-
operated with the Russian Orthodox Church to motivate
people.
212. The Grand Al- The Alliance of the British Empire, the United States, and
liance the Soviet Union to defeat Nazi Germany in World War II.
213. Lend-Lease US aid program to the USSR during WWII consisting

mainly Jeeps, tanks, artillery, US and Canadian wheat,
and SPAM. Contributed to Soviet victory.
214. The Cold War Indirect ideological war fought mainly through proxy wars,
espionage, and the armaments race between the capital-
ist USA and the communist USSR from ca. 1946 (the first
disagreements between the two were already evident in
1943) to 1991.
215. Nikita Ruler of the Soviet Union after Stalin with the title First
Khrushchev Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
from 1953 to 1964. Born 1894 into poor farming family in
southern Russia. Joined Bolshevik party in 1918. Fought
in WWI and WWII. Joined Politburo in 1939. Participat-
ed in Stalin's purges. Most famous for de-Stalinization,
crushing the Hungarian Uprising in 1956; losing the Berlin
standoff with Kennedy in 1961 and building the Wall as
a result; the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962; and his failed
attempts to grow corn on "virgin land", where it could
not grow. Ousted for his perceived domestic and foreign
policy failures in 1964. Not killed. Died in 1917.
216. Khrushchev's Given by Khrushchev on 25 February, 1956, to a closed

Secret Speech session of the 20th Party Congress limited to Soviet
delegates. In four hours, he demolished Stalin's reputa-
tion, criticizing his cult of personality and the murder of
innocent party members. The speech established Khur-
shchev's power, but many never leading party members
never forgave him for it.
43 / 55
217. De-Stalinization Following Khrushchev's "secret speech", an effort to soft-
en some of the repressive measures used by Stalin's gov-
ernment. Khrushchev was a leader in the de-Stalinization
movement, which involved the downgrading of Stalin's
reputation. It also included improved prison conditions;
a little less political repression; the renaming of places
and buildings named after Stalin; the destruction of Stalin
monuments; and, in 1961, the removal of Stalin's body
from the Lenin Mausoleum to a location near the Kremlin
Wall (it's still there), and changing of the name of the city
of Stalingrad back to Volgograd.
218. Hungary 1956 Encouraged by de-Stalinization, Hungarian opposition

leaders sought independence from Soviet control, an up-
rising which was brutally crushed by Soviet tanks, proving
that Khrushchev's anti-Stalinism went only so far. The
Soviet intervention was internationally condemned, but
nobody did or realistically could have intervened. The
Soviet reaction to the uprising led to the break of many
western Marxist intellectuals with the Communist Party.
219. Khurshchev's Khrushchev's agricultural project started in 1954 with the

"virgin lands" aim of using until then unused Soviet land, for example
policy in Kazakhstan, to grow crops, especially corn. Because
issue like unsuitable soil and climate were ignored, it was
mostly a disaster.
220. Peaceful co-exis- Khrushchev's doctrine for the Soviet Union and its satel-
tence with the lite states to co-exist peacefully with capitalist countries
West and no longer to try and start communist revolutions in
those countries. Although Stalin had already come up with
the doctrine of "socialism in one country" before WWII
because he had other priorities, Khrushchev wanted to
make it permanent, i.e. securing socialism primarily in the
USSR and its satellite states.
221. The Berlin Crisis Because people constantly tried to escape the communist
1961 East Germany or communist Easter Europe in General
by crossing from East Berlin into the western controlled
enclave of West Berlin, Khrushchev tried to pressure
44 / 55
Kennedy into abandoning West Berlin to the Soviets.
Tanks appeared on both sides of the border in Berlin;
Kennedy refused to give in; Khrushchev had to back
down, and the East German built the Berlin Wall to keep
people from crossing.
222. The Cuban Mis- Cuba revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro and Che Gue-
sile Crisis, 1962 vara had overthrown the US-backed dictator of Cuba,
Batista, in 1959 and set up a communist government,
allied with the USSR. Because Soviet nuclear missiles
could not reach the US from the USSR, the Soviets sta-
tioned them on Cuba. The US demanded their removal
and put a blockade around Cuba, as Soviet warships
got on their way to Cuba. They turned around at the last
minute, after a Kennedy and Khrushchev struck a deal
which included the removal of the missiles from Cuba as
well as US missiles from Turkey and the US assurance
never to invade Cuba, thereby avoiding World War III at
the last second.
223. The Bay of Pigs CIA-backed, trained, and organized failed invasion of
invasion, 1961 Cuba by mostly anti-Castro Cuban exiles and some
US military personnel; 1,500 ground forces with the
help of 8 American B26 bombers and 5 supply ships
invaded Cuba, hoping the Cuban people would join
them and overthrow Castro. The didn't. After a strong
Cuban counter offensive, the remaining invaders gave
up, surrendered and were imprisoned, embarrassing the
Kennedy administration and the US and strengthening
Castro's position. This eventually was one of the reasons,
Castro welcomed Soviet missiles in Cuba, which led to
the Cuban Missile Crisis.
224. The Sino-Soviet Communist China and the USSR broke off political re-
Split, 1956-1966 lations during this time, mainly due to ideological differ-
ences. Mao was opposed to Khrushchev's idea of peace-
ful coexistence with the capitalist West, preferring instead
continued revolution and communist agitation in capitalist
countries. Mao also disagreed with de-Stalinization and
45 / 55
felt personally attacked by Khrushchev's criticism of Stal-
in's personality cult. Plus, the two men strongly disliked
each other on a personal level. Each side accused the
other of betraying the principles of Marxism-Leninism.
This ended the myth of a unified communist block. It
also made possible rapprochement (an establishment or
resumption of more harmonious relations) between the
US and China in 1972.
225. Leonid Brezhnev Soviet leader after Khrushchev from 1964 to 1982. Born in
the Ukraine. Joined the Communist Party in 1913; Political
Commissar attached to the Soviet army from 1941-1945;
joined Politburo in 1952; ordere occupation of Czechoslo-
vakia by Warsaw Pact forces during the Prague Spring;
initiated détente (easing of tensions) with the US in 1972;
signed Helsinki Pact in 1975; decided to intervene in
Afghanistan in 1979; died in 1982
226. political commis- A supervisory officer responsible for the political educa-
sar tion (ideology) and organization of the unit he is assigned
to; intended to ensure civilian control of the military.
227. Prague Spring Led by reformer Alexander Dubcek, the Czech Commu-
1968 nist Party tried to introduce a democratic form of social-
ism in Czechoslovakia, while promising to remain in the
Warsaw Pact. But when abolished media censorship, a lot
of anti-Soviet propaganda was published in Czechoslo-
vakia, which made Brezhnev warn Dubcek not to go too
far. Even though Dubcek reintroduced censorship, War-
saw Pact troops entered the country, ended the Prague
Spring, and replaced Ducek (although he was not killed)
with a Kremlin loyalist. Upon Dubcek's recommendation,
the people of Prague resisted only peacefully, thereby
avoiding
228. The Brezhnev The policy that any threat to socialism in a Warsaw Pact
Doctrine country was understood as a threat to all Warsaw Pact
member states a would therefore lead to a military in-
tervention by other Warsaw Pact countries. Ended by
Gorbachev in 1989.
46 / 55
229. Kremlin Fortified building complex and headquarters of Soviet

leaders in Moscow during the Soviet Union. Today the
headquarters of the President of the Russian Federation.
230. Warsaw Pact A collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland

among the Soviet Union and seven Soviet satellite states
of Central and Eastern Europe during the Cold War. Cre-
ated in reaction to the integration of West Germany into
NATO in 1955. Existed from 1955 to 1991.
231. Détente Easing of Cold War tensions between the US and Soviet
Union through various treaties under Brezhnev.
232. Non-prolifera- Britain, the US, and the USSR pledged not to transfer nu-
tion Treaty 1968 clear weapons to other countries, or help other countries
manufacture them.
233. Test Ban Treaty Signed by Britain, the USSR, and the USA, banning nu-
1963 clear tests in the atmosphere, under water and in outer
space. Rejected by France and China who were develop-
ing their own nuclear weapons.
234. SALT I agree- Signed by US President Nixon and Brezhnev in 1972, lim-
ment iting the development and construction of various different
missile launcher installations and missiles and limiting
anti-missile defense systems in both countries, assuring
Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) both countries in the
case of nuclear war and thereby preventing it.
235. SALT II agree- Signed by President Carter and Brezhnev in 1979, impos-
ment ing permanent limitations on nuclear weapons. Because
of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the US Senate
never ratified it.
236. The Helsinki Ac- A declaration signed by 35 states, including the US, Cana-
cord, 1975 da, the Soviet Union, and all European states, except
Albania and Andorra, to improve relations between the
Communist bloc and the West. They were not binding as
they did not have treaty status, but they stressed funda-
47 / 55
mental freedoms and human rights. Although the com-
munist states ignored this, the accord was an important
statement in support of political freedom.
237. Soviet invasion Afghan communists had overthrown the Afghan king and
of Afghanistan were now being attacked by Islamic fighters. Worried
1979 about this, the USSR invaded Afghanistan to protect its
communist government. The invasion was condemned in
the UN by 104 countries. The war (1979-1989) cost the
USSR a lot of money and would eventually contribute to
its downfall. The Soviets failed to stop the Islamic insur-
gency.
238. Solidarity crisis Strikes organized by the independent Polish labor union,
1980-1982 the Solidarity movement, founded in 1980 by Lech Wale-
sa, almost led to a Warsaw Pact invasion, but successfully
suppressed by Poland's communist government. Finan-
cial support for the movement from the US and Pope John
Paul II eventually forced the government to negotiate with
the union, which eventually led to free elections in Poland
in 1989.
239. Andropov General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet

Union after Brezhnev, from November 1982 to February
1984. Died in office. Tried mostly unsuccessfully to intro-
duce reforms.
240. Chernenko General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet

Union after Andropov. Ally of Brezhnev who had wanted
him to succeed him instead of Andropov. Part of a brief
Brezhnevite conservative reaction. Only in office from
Februar 9, 1984 to March 10, 1985. Sick and feeble. Died
in office.
241. Mikhail Gor- General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet
bachev Union after Chernenko from March 10, 1985 to August 24,
1991. Also held the title of President of the Soviet Union
from March 1990 to December 25, 1991 (he resigned that
day and handed over power to Boris Yeltsin). Had trained
as an agronomist-economist. Former Secretary of Agri-
48 / 55
culture; joined Politburo in 1979. Tried to fundamentally
reform but preserve the Soviet Union, which contributed
significantly to its end. Received Nobel Peace Prize in
1990 for ending the Cold War. Final leader of the Soviet
Union.
242. Glasnost Means "openness" in Russian and refers to Gorbachev's

policy of creating an more transparent and liberal political
system in the USSR. Part of Gorbachev's "New Thinking"
approach to politics in the USSR.
243. Perestroika Name for Gorbachev's policy of reconstruction and reform

of the political and economic system of the USSR. Part
of Gorbachev's "New Thinking" approach to politics in the
USSR.
244. The Sinatra Doc- In 1989, Gorbachev announced that the USSR would no
trine 1989 longer intervene in the affairs of the communist states in
Eastern Europe, thereby ending the Brezhnev Doctrine.
This was nicknamed "the Sinatra Doctrine", since these
states could now do things their way, as in the Frank
Sinatra song "My Way".
245. Socialist plural- Gorbachev's view that socialism and political pluralism
ism (i.e. other political parties besides the Communist Party
were allowed) were compatible.
246. socialist markets Gorbachev's view that socialism and free markets could
be compatible.
247. Boris Yeltsin Russian leader after Gorbachev and after the collapse
of the Soviet Union. First Secretary of the Moscow City
Committee of the Communist Party, 1985-1987; As no-
body had ever done before him, he resigned from the
Politburo in protest in 1987; Chairman of the Presidium
of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Soviet Federative
Socialist Republic (i.e. the actual country of Russia within
the USSR), May 1990 to July 1991; Originally a supporter
Gorbachev, but became one of his most powerful political
opponents. Liberal reformer; became popular when he led
49 / 55
the resistance against the attempted coup of Gorbachev
in 1991. Succeeded Gorbachev as leader and reelected
in 1996; the Russian economy became very weak under
his leadership; a lot of corruption; he became very un-
popular and had to resign in 1999, making way for Prime
Minister, Vladimir Putin to succeed him as president of
Russian Federation.
248. 1991 Soviet coup Failed attempt by hard-line members of the Communist
d'état attempt Party to take control of the country from Gorbachev, by
putting Gorbachev under house arrest at his vacation
home in Crimea. Opposed, mainly in Moscow, by a short
but effective campaign of civil resistance led by Yeltsin;
although the coup collapsed in only two days, and Gor-
bachev returned, it destabilized the Communist Party and
the Soviet Union.
249. The New Union Gorbachev's attempt to change the Soviet Union into a
Treaty, 1991 Union of Sovereign States; one of the main reasons for
the attempted coup of 1991
250. Chernobyl disas- Catastrophic nuclear accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear

ter, 1986 Power Plant in northern Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Repub-
lic, Soviet Union; worst nuclear disaster in history; reactor
explosion leading to thousands of deaths from cancer
due to radiation exposure; Soviet government delayed the
announcement about the disaster; became symbolic of all
that was wrong with the USSR.
251. CPSU Communist Party of the Soviet Union
252. Nomenklatura A system of personal selection under which the com-

System munist party maintained control over the appointment of
important officials in all spheres of social, economic, and
political life; the process of filling influential jobs in the
state, society, of the economy with people approved and
chosen by the communist party.
253. Coup d'etat A sudden overthrow of the government by a small group.
50 / 55
254. Bourgeois class The term bourgeois class, or bourgeoisie was used by
Marx to refer to the capitalist or ruling class in modern
societies.
255. Chistka A political purge
256. One Party State A political system in which one party controls the gov-
ernment and actively seeks to prevent other parties from
contesting for power.
257. SRs Soviet Revolutionists.
258. Communist Par- A political party that believes the government should con-
ty trol all production and distribution of goods and working
people should control their own lives and destinies.
259. Party Apparatus A person of full time professional functionary of the Com-
munist Party of the Soviet Union.
260. Kronstadt Supporters of the Bolsheviks from a naval fortress located

Sailors in a Russian seaport town, Kronstadt near the Gulf of
Finland. Post Civil War they rebelled against the Bolshe-
viks because of the discontent with Russia's economical
situation post-war.
261. The Sovnarkom It was a government institution formed soon after the
October Revolution during 1917.
262. New Economic Lenin's 1921 policy to re-establish limited economic free-
Policy (NEP) dom in an attempt to rebuild agriculture and industry in the
face of economic disintegration. It was seen as a return
to capitalism.
263. How was the So- - The Bolshevik party, led by Lenin took power in Novem-
viet Union estab- ber 1917 by means of an armed seizure of power in a
lished? well-executed coup d'etat.
- The existing government, which had taken over following
the collapse of the Tsarist regime in March was seriously
undermined by the pressure of WW1.
51 / 55
264. Why did the So- - By the time of Brezhnev's death in 1982, stability was
viet Union col- starting to look like stagnation: economic growth was
lapse? grinding to a halt, society lacked vigour and the govern-
ment seemed devoid of ideas.
- Gorbachev took over and unleashed a period of reforms
in an attempt to improve socialism, however the people
were not pleased with socialism and wanted to get rid of
it. Calls for economic liberalisation and the growth of na-
tionalism among the people of the Soviet Union, brought
a swift end to the state in 1991.
265. Authoritarian A government in which one leader or group of people

holds absolute power.
266. What was the Authoritarian, highly centralised and based on the use of
government sys- terror to reinforce the dominant position of the Party.
tem established
by the Bolshe-
viks?
267. What was the - To get rid of the upper and middle classes who exploited
Bolshevik par- the workers and peasants under the capitalist system that
ty's aims? had developed with the Industrial Revolution.
- They wanted to create socialism, an ideology through
which a government representing the workers would im-
prove living and working conditions of the people as a
whole.
268. What is some - The Bolsheviks seized power in October using a

key information well-planned and well-executed uprising. The provisional
about the Octo- government, which had been set up after the fall of the
ber Revolution of Tsar, was forced from power.
1917? - The Bolsheviks were still only a party of around 300,000
members, but in order to justify their rule, the Revolution
was portrayed as a mass uprising of the workers.
- Propaganda presented the event as a heroic storming
of the Winter Palace in Petrograd with mass support.
Although, the only troops guarding the palace where a
women's battalion.
52 / 55
269. What politi- - Other left-wing groups who were denied a share of
cal groups did power by the Bolsheviks, such as the Socialist Revo-
the Bolsheviks lutionaries (SRs), and the Mensheviks who were fellow
face opposition Marxists.
from? - Groups on the right, such as Tsarist supporters, and the
liberal groups who often represented the interests of the
middle class and now feared the Bolsheviks would take
away their businesses and deny them political freedoms.
The ideology of Marxism, with its emphasis on giving pow-
er and control to the proletariat, represented a challenge
to the rich and privileged in Russia.
- Nationalist groups within the Russian Empire, such as
Ukranians, Poles and Finns, who saw the collapse of the
Tsarist regime as a chance to assert their independence.
270. How did the - Lenin made it clear that there would be no sharing of
Bolsheviks deal power.
with the oth- - Calls for a socialist coalition were swiftly and firmly
er left-wing rejected by Lenin.
groups? - The results of the Constituent Assembly were not in the
Bolshevik's favour. To use the assembly as a national par-
liament would clearly pose a threat to continued Bolshevik
rule. Lenin dissolved the Assembly and condemned it as
an instrument of the bourgeoisie.
- Lenin instead used the all-Russian Congress of Soviets
as an instrument of popular support.
271. How did the - The removal of the vote from the 'bourgeois classes',
Bolsheviks man- such as employers and priests, stripped the opposition
age to achieve parties of a possible reservoir of support.
the destruction - The Mensheviks and SRs found it difficult to publish their
of other political newspapers due to restrictions imposed by the Bolshe-
parties? viks.
- The left-wing SRs, who had been given a role within the
Bolshevik government in 1917 and 1918, lost all influence
when they walked out of government in March 1918 in
protest at the Bolshevik decision to pull out of WW1.
- In March 1918, the Bolshevik Party renamed itself the
Communist Party and, by 1921, all other parties were
53 / 55
effectively banned.
- In April 1921, Lenin called for the Mensheviks and SRs
to be arrested, during the first three months of 1921,
5,000 Mensheviks were arrested.
272. What was - Lenin aimed to put a quick end to Russia's involvement
the Treaty in WW1. He signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in 1918
of Brest-Litovsk, with Russia.
1918? - However, in doing so, Russia lost control over the Baltic
States and parts of the Caucasus region.
- It was a national humiliation for the conservatives, es-
pecially for military officers who had served in the Tsar's
army.
273. What was the ef- - It provided a necessary spur to those who wished to fight
fect on Russia against the Bolsheviks, known as the Whites because it
of the Treaty of offered promise of foreign help.
Brest-Litovsk? - The Allied powers of Britain, France, the USA and Japan
were anxious to keep Russia in the First World War.
- The Treaty provided Lenin with considerably more power
as he was able to focus on instilling communism and not
have to be concerned over Russia's loss of materials and
resources.
274. How did the Bol- - The Whites were an amalgam of different groups united
sheviks win the only by their desire to get rid of the Bolsheviks, as a result,
civil war? there military tactics were poor. Co-operation was limited
and was not helped by the long-front on which the Whites
fought.
275. What were the - The experience of civil war lead the Bolsheviks to adopt
key results of a highly authoritarian and centrally controlled system.
the Russian Civil - The Bolshevik state had became highly centralised due
War? to the demands of the civil war. Fighting a war required
quick decision making and direction of resources.
- The civil war has resulted in the Bolsheviks making
extensive use of terror against their political opponents.
This set the tone for the development of the Party after
the civil war.
- The supporters of the Bolsheviks had been a formative
54 / 55
experience that must have affected them deeply. This
reinforced the militaristic values in the population, those
who fought in the war generation did not buckle under
pressure and didn't think twice about implementing force
or terror.
55 / 55

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Edexcel AS History - Russia 1917-91 from Lenin to Yeltsin

Study online at https://quizlet.com/_74slxm

4. What was some - He had a working class upbringing.

5. What was some - Born into a family of teachers.

6. What was some - Born the son of a prosperous farmer.

7. What were some - Seen as a Georgian peasant.

16. What were the - The anti-Trotsky alliance split apart.

24. What four rea- - Economically, it seemed to offer a better alternative to

25. What were the - Money was reintroduced.

28. What were the - Expand heavy industry.

30. What were the - Most targets were not met.

31. What were the - Expand heavy industries.

32. What were the - More realistic targets were set.

34. What were the - Expand heavy industries.

38. What was - Many people were encouraged to work harder.

42. What three rea- - Economically, he wanted to modernise the old-fashioned

45. How did Collec- - Private land ownership would be abolished.

47. When did Stalin In December 1929

48. Did peasants No

50. What happened In propaganda, kulaks were shown as greedy capitalists,

Kulaks were forbidden from entering collective farms. In-

51. When did Stal- 1929

52. By 1940, how 240,000

53. What was the - Made up of 50-100 families.

56. What were the - Grain harvests fell by 7% between 1928-33.

59. What started the The murder of Sergei Kirov

60. Who did Stalin Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev.

61. Who were arrest- Zinoviev and Kamenev

62. When is the first August 1936

63. When is the January 1937

64. When does the May 1937

65. When is the third March 1938

66. When does Stal- March 1939

73. Who could of- - Common criminals

75. Who were the Zinoviev and Kamenev.

76. What were most - Organising Kirov's murder.

77. What was - Plotting to assassinate Lenin.

83. What was the hu- - 7-8 million arrests.

84. How did the - Experienced members of the government, including

86. What were the - A cult of personality to glorify Stalin.

95. What was cen- Restricting access to ideas and information.

97. What were the - Everyone had a job.

98. What were peas- - The loss of their own land.

102. What was the - Too few schools.

106. What four things - Celebrating local languages and culture.

116. What were Gen- - Defence of Moscow

136. When did Stalin March 5, 1953

142. When was state 1918

144. February Revolu- Uprisings and protests in 1917

145. What would - re-establish workers discipline by offering higher pay to

148. Kerensky Moderate socialist PM of the Russian Provisional gov't;

150. When was War 1918

151. Features of - Grain requisitioning: Cheka seized grain without pay-

152. Bolsheviks A party of revolutionary Marxists, led by Vladimir Lenin,

156. What were the - There was no stable or unified currency

162. What had the 5.8 million

163. Sovnarkom First Bolshevik government under Lenin--the Council of

165. Treaty of Signed by Trotsky on March 3, 1918, allowing Russia to

166. Cadres - Helped enforce the parties policies, controlled schools

173. Socialism A political and economic system in which the means of