Control of the people in the USSR, 1917–1985 (Edexcel A Level History: Route E: Communist states in the twentieth century): Flashcards
Exam code: 9HI0
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Define Glavlit.
Glavlit was the official state censorship body, created in 1922, which had to approve every book, article and film script before publication.
Which magazine targeted female readers with advice on childcare, cooking and fashion?
The magazine aimed at female readers was Rabotnitsa ('The Woman Worker').
True or False?
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was openly and fully reported on Soviet television.
False.
The invasion was heavily censored, described as 'internationalist duty', with Soviet casualties hidden from broadcasts.
Lenin declared that of all the arts, was the most important for reaching illiterate peasants.
Lenin declared that of all the arts, cinema was the most important for reaching illiterate peasants.
Define Pravda.
Pravda ('Truth') was the Communist Party's main newspaper, used to present Bolshevik ideology and attack class enemies.
How were Soviet radios deliberately designed to limit listeners?
Soviet radios were made with limited tuning capacity, so they could only receive state stations.
Define 'Book Gulags'.
'Book Gulags' were closed sections of libraries holding banned or politically sensitive books, with access usually granted only to approved academics and Party officials.
Which foreign broadcasts did the USSR use jamming technology to block?
The USSR jammed Radio Free Europe and Voice of America.
True or False?
By the 1970s, trust in official Soviet media had declined sharply.
True.
Citizens knew problems like famine and shortages were ignored, so they increasingly turned to informal information networks and samizdat.
The satirical magazine mocked inefficiency and corruption but never criticised Party leaders.
The satirical magazine Krokodil mocked inefficiency and corruption but never criticised Party leaders.
Define samizdat.
Samizdat was self-published literature that circulated secretly as an alternative to censored state media.
Whose 1961 spaceflight was repeatedly celebrated on Soviet television?
Soviet television repeatedly celebrated the spaceflight of Yuri Gagarin.
Which thinker described religion as the 'opium of the people'?
Religion was described as the 'opium of the people' by Marx, who believed it kept workers passive and distracted from class struggle.
Define the Living Church.
The Living Church was a body run by the GPU that was intended to split the Orthodox Church, before being banned from public debate in 1925.
True or False?
Communism was an atheist ideology that treated religion as a rival belief system.
True.
The Bolsheviks saw religion as a rival belief system that had to be controlled or removed.
By 1939, only about 1 in churches remained open compared with 1917.
By 1939, only about 1 in 40 churches remained open compared with 1917.
Why did Stalin form an alliance with the Orthodox Church during the Second World War?
Stalin allied with the Church to boost public morale and patriotism against the Nazis, linking Orthodoxy to national identity.
Define the Decree on the Separation of Church and State (1918).
The Decree on the Separation of Church and State (1918) stripped the Orthodox Church of its land, schools and privileges and banned religious teaching in schools.
How many Orthodox churches were reopened during the Second World War?
During the Second World War, 414 Orthodox churches were reopened.
True or False?
Khrushchev's policies targeting religious women were largely successful.
False.
The policies proved unsuccessful, as women protected their faith by marching, distributing pamphlets and taking their children out of school.
In which country did the Catholic Church remain a strong focus for resistance to Soviet control?
The Catholic Church remained strong and became a focus for resistance to Soviet control in Poland.
Under Brezhnev, religious believers in the USSR remained stable at from 1960 to 1985.
Under Brezhnev, religious believers in the USSR remained stable at 20% from 1960 to 1985.
Define the Institute for Scientific Atheism.
The Institute for Scientific Atheism was opened by Brezhnev in 1969 to promote atheism across the USSR.
How did Khrushchev present religion to the Soviet public?
Khrushchev presented religion as unscientific and outdated in a modern, space-age USSR.
What fatherly title portrayed Stalin as caring for every Soviet citizen?
Stalin's cult portrayed him as the 'Father of Nations', a protector who cared for every Soviet citizen.
Define Vozhd.
Vozhd was the title given to Stalin, elevating him above ordinary politics as a wise, fatherly leader with no legal limits.
True or False?
Brezhnev's personality cult inspired genuine loyalty among most Soviet citizens.
False.
Many citizens privately mocked the cult, as veterans knew he had inflated his war role and his luxury lifestyle undermined claims he was 'one of the people'.
Brezhnev awarded himself the title Hero of the Soviet Union times.
Brezhnev awarded himself the title Hero of the Soviet Union four times.
How did Khrushchev present himself in relation to Lenin?
Khrushchev presented himself as Lenin's disciple, the leader who corrected Stalin's 'mistakes' and returned to Leninist principles.
Define the 'myth of two leaders'.
The 'myth of two leaders' was propaganda suggesting Lenin and Stalin were the joint masterminds of the Revolution, Civil War and creation of the USSR.
Which 1962 crisis made Khrushchev appear weak in global affairs?
The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) undermined Khrushchev's cult by portraying him as weak in global affairs.
True or False?
Stalin's cult had photographs doctored to remove other Party members.
True.
The state doctored photographs to remove other Party members and rewrote history books to exaggerate Stalin's role.
Roughly how many medals did Brezhnev award himself?
Brezhnev awarded himself over 100 medals, including the title Hero of the Soviet Union four times.
Khrushchev's agricultural reputation was damaged by the failures of the Virgin Lands Scheme and the Campaign.
Khrushchev's agricultural reputation was damaged by the failures of the Virgin Lands Scheme and the Corn Campaign.
Define Generalissimo.
Generalissimo was the military rank created after the Second World War that glorified Stalin as a military genius and saviour of the USSR.
Why did Soviet leaders rely on personality cults to legitimise their rule?
Cults legitimised authority because leaders had no traditional or legal basis for power in a one-party state, giving citizens a recognisable figure to rally behind.
Who led the Cheka?
The Cheka was led by Felix Dzerzhinsky.
Define the Cheka.
The Cheka (All-Russian Extraordinary Commission) was Lenin's first secret police, led by Felix Dzerzhinsky to suppress counter-revolution and sabotage.
True or False?
The Soviet secret police changed its name several times but kept the same purpose.
True.
From the Cheka to the KGB, the secret police changed names but not purpose, protecting the Party from real and imagined enemies.
By the early 1950s, around people were imprisoned in GULAG camps.
By the early 1950s, around 2.5 million people were imprisoned in GULAG camps.
Under which leader did the KGB become highly professional and effective?
The KGB became highly professional and effective under Yuri Andropov (1967-1982).
Define the GULAG system.
The GULAG system was a vast network of forced-labour camps used to punish criminals, deter crime and provide the state with free labour.
Which two Old Bolsheviks were the key defendants in the 1936 Trial of the Sixteen?
The key defendants in the Trial of the Sixteen were Grigory Zinoviev and Lev Kamenev.
True or False?
Labour camps disappeared completely after Khrushchev's de-Stalinisation.
False.
Labour camps still existed, continuing on a smaller scale until the late 1980s.
How were show-trial defendants forced to confess?
Defendants were forced to confess through torture, threats and the arrest of their family members.
In the 1938 Trial of the Twenty-One, the leading defendant was .
In the 1938 Trial of the Twenty-One, the leading defendant was Bukharin.
Define show trials.
Show trials were public trials of senior Party members in the 1930s, designed to remove political opponents and justify the purges.
Where were most GULAG camps located?
Most GULAG camps were located in remote areas such as Siberia and the Arctic, where prisoners were used as forced labour.
Which large construction project did Yagoda oversee using GULAG labour?
Yagoda oversaw completion of the Moscow-Volga Canal, on which over 20,000 people died.
Define the Yezhovshchina.
The Yezhovshchina was the Great Terror, the most violent phase of Stalin's repression, run by Yezhov as head of the NKVD.
True or False?
Beria replaced Yagoda as head of the NKVD.
False.
Beria replaced Yezhov in November 1938; it was Yezhov who had earlier replaced Yagoda.
Yezhov's tenure saw an estimated 1.5 million arrests and executions.
Yezhov's tenure saw an estimated 1.5 million arrests and 700,000 executions.
Why did Stalin turn against Yagoda?
Stalin accused Yagoda of 'insufficient enthusiasm' for the purges, as the scale of terror in 1935-1936 did not satisfy him.
Define the 'conveyor belt' system.
The 'conveyor belt' system was Yezhov's interrogation method, questioning prisoners continuously for days without rest until they confessed.
By what nickname was Yezhov known?
Yezhov was known as the 'Bloody Dwarf' for his ruthless efficiency.
True or False?
Beria's removal marked the end of large-scale terror in the USSR.
True.
His fall ended large-scale terror, and the KGB (created in 1954) controlled dissent without mass purges.
In which month and year was Beria arrested after Stalin's death?
Beria was arrested in June 1953 and executed in December that year after a secret trial.
In February 1944, Beria organised the complete deportation of the from the North Caucasus to Central Asia.
In February 1944, Beria organised the complete deportation of the Chechens from the North Caucasus to Central Asia.
Define the Doctors' Plot.
The Doctors' Plot (1952-1953) was a fabricated conspiracy alleging that Jewish doctors were plotting to assassinate Soviet leaders, abruptly dropped after Stalin's death.
What does the fate of all three police chiefs suggest about terror in the USSR?
It shows terror was never truly delegated, as all three became victims of the same system they helped create, dependent on Stalin's favour.
Which nuclear physicist dissident was placed under internal exile in Gorky in 1980?
The dissident exiled to Gorky was Andrei Sakharov, who demanded respect for human rights.
Define dissident.
A dissident was someone who spoke out, even peacefully, against Communist Party control, including writers, scientists, religious believers and nationalists.
True or False?
Andropov relied on the mass killings of the Stalin era to control dissidents.
False.
Andropov avoided mass killings, using surveillance, intimidation and punishment to silence critics instead.
Solzhenitsyn was expelled from the Writers' Union and exiled to the West in .
Solzhenitsyn was expelled from the Writers' Union and exiled to the West in 1974.
Which author exposed Stalin's labour camps in 'The Gulag Archipelago' (1973)?
The labour camps were exposed by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in 'The Gulag Archipelago'.
Define psikhushki.
Psikhushki were psychiatric hospitals where dissidents were falsely diagnosed with 'sluggish schizophrenia' and could be held indefinitely.
What did the 1975 Helsinki Accords give Soviet dissidents?
The Helsinki Accords gave dissidents a legal basis to criticise the government by promising to respect human rights.
True or False?
By the early 1980s, Soviet stability rested on fear rather than genuine loyalty.
True.
Open protest almost disappeared, but the USSR was stable because of fear, not loyalty.
Roughly how many citizens received KGB warnings during the 1970s?
During the 1970s, around 70,000 citizens received KGB warnings.
Order No. 0051 (1968) was issued soon after the Spring.
Order No. 0051 (1968) was issued soon after the Prague Spring.
Define refuseniks.
Refuseniks were Jewish citizens denied exit visas to leave the USSR but still punished for applying.
What underground publications continued to circulate despite Andropov's repression?
Secret publications known as samizdat continued to circulate as dissent went underground.
Define Proletkult.
Proletkult ('Proletarian culture') was a movement from 1918 to 1920 to create art by and for workers, independent of 'bourgeois' traditions and the Party.
Who founded the Constructivist movement?
Constructivism was founded by Vladimir Tatlin and Alexander Rodchenko, focusing on functional, modern art with a purpose.
True or False?
The Bolsheviks saw art as pure entertainment, kept separate from politics.
False.
The Bolsheviks treated culture as political work, believing art should serve the Revolution, raise literacy and demonstrate socialist values.
The First Congress of Soviet Writers defined Socialist Realism in .
The First Congress of Soviet Writers defined Socialist Realism in 1934.
Define agitprop.
Agitprop (short for 'agitation and propaganda') was simple, emotional art used to spread political messages and educate the largely illiterate masses.
Which director used montage in the film 'Battleship Potemkin' (1925)?
Montage in 'Battleship Potemkin' was used by Sergei Eisenstein to create emotion.
Define Socialist Realism.
Socialist Realism was the compulsory style from 1932 requiring art to be truthful, optimistic and heroic, showing life as it is and as it should be under socialism.
Why did Lenin force Proletkult to merge with the Commissariat of Education in 1920?
Lenin was suspicious of Proletkult because it was independent of the government and linked to Futurism and 'enemies of the state'.
True or False?
Suprematism, led by Kazimir Malevich, used abstract shapes and bold colours.
True.
Suprematism used abstract shapes and bold colours to express the spirit of revolution rather than everyday life.
During Stalin's Cultural Revolution, the militant group attacked 'elitist' artists and demanded 'proletarian content'.
During Stalin's Cultural Revolution, the militant group RAPP attacked 'elitist' artists and demanded 'proletarian content'.
Define the Zhdanovshchina.
The Zhdanovshchina was the 1946-48 cultural crackdown led by Andrei Zhdanov, which banned or publicly criticised writers and composers deemed too experimental.
Which monumental Moscow skyscrapers symbolised Soviet power under Stalinist classicism?
Soviet power was symbolised by the Seven Sisters skyscrapers in Moscow.
Which 1957 novel led to Boris Pasternak's expulsion from the Writers' Union?
Pasternak was expelled for 'Doctor Zhivago', which subtly criticised the brutality of the Revolution and the loss of personal freedom.
Define the 'thaw'.
The 'thaw' was the period of relaxed censorship after Stalin's death under Khrushchev, named after Ilya Ehrenburg's 1954 novella.
True or False?
Khrushchev's cultural 'thaw' was a permanent relaxation of censorship.
False.
The 'thaw' was only temporary, and the government began restricting the arts again towards the end of Khrushchev's rule.
The writers Sinyavsky and Daniel were put on trial in for 'anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda'.
The writers Sinyavsky and Daniel were put on trial in 1965 for 'anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda'.
On what charge was the poet Joseph Brodsky arrested in 1964?
Brodsky was arrested and charged with 'social parasitism' for having no 'official job'.
Define stilyagi.
Stilyagi ('style hunters') were young people who copied Western fashion and music, and were ridiculed and re-educated by the state.
How did the 1974 Bulldozer Exhibition get its name?
The unofficial art exhibition was named after being destroyed by police using bulldozers and water hoses.
True or False?
The film 'An Office Romance' (1977) successfully turned audiences against Western fashion.
False.
Audiences identified with the fashionable secretary, normalising Western-style dress and boosting demand for trendy clothes.
What concept did Khrushchev promote to make citizens police each other's morals?
Khrushchev promoted 'popular oversight' (narodnyi kontrol), encouraging citizens to police each other's morals and loyalty.
The Soviet state forced Pasternak to decline the Prize for Literature.
The Soviet state forced Pasternak to decline the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Define the Moscow Conceptualists.
The Moscow Conceptualists were a loose group of artists in the 1970s-80s who used irony and parody to expose Soviet life, displaying their work illegally.
What sentences did Sinyavsky and Daniel receive at their 1965 trial?
Sinyavsky and Daniel received five and seven years in labour camps.
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