How Did Stalin Gain & Hold on to Power? (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE History): Flashcards
Exam code: 0470 & 0977
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Cards in this collection (48)
When did Lenin die?
Lenin died on 21st January 1924.
Define Lenin's Testament.
Lenin's Testament was the last will Lenin dictated between late 1922 and early 1923, setting out his aims for the Bolshevik Party and criticising leading members including Stalin and Trotsky.
Which party member shot Lenin in 1918?
Fanya Kaplan, a member of the SRs, shot Lenin twice outside a factory in Moscow.
What did Lenin's Testament suggest be done about Stalin?
Lenin's Testament suggested that the comrades find a way of removing Stalin from his post as General Secretary.
In 1921, Stalin became the of the Bolshevik Party.
In 1921, Stalin became the General Secretary of the Bolshevik Party.
Why did Lenin criticise Trotsky in his Testament?
Lenin criticised Trotsky for being overconfident and arrogant and for being too focused on the administrative side of work rather than leading the party.
Define permanent revolution.
Permanent revolution was the left-wing belief that the USSR needed to spread communism across the world, an idea that was unpopular with the party.
Define Socialism in One Country.
Socialism in One Country was the right-wing policy of strengthening communism within the USSR before pursuing global communism, an idea that was popular with the party.
What trick did Stalin play on Trotsky at Lenin's funeral?
Stalin told Trotsky the wrong date for Lenin's funeral, ensuring Trotsky missed it, while Stalin gave a speech and posed as chief mourner.
By 1929, Stalin was the undisputed leader of the USSR.
By December 1929, Stalin was the undisputed leader of the USSR.
True or False?
Lenin named Stalin as his successor before he died.
False.
Lenin did not name a successor, which led to a power struggle between the left and right wings of the Bolshevik Party.
How did Stalin isolate the left wing of the party in 1926?
Stalin allied with Bukharin to expel Zinoviev and Kamenev, promoting his 'Socialism in One Country' policy.
Define Purges.
The Purges were Stalin's campaign of political attacks, arrests and executions used to eliminate perceived enemies and enforce total loyalty across Soviet society.
Who was assassinated in 1934, triggering the Great Purge?
Sergei Kirov, a senior Politburo politician, was assassinated in 1934, which Stalin used to launch the Great Purge.
Who assassinated Sergei Kirov?
A man named Leonid Nikolayev assassinated Kirov in 1934.
What political reason did Stalin have for launching the purges?
Stalin was paranoid that party members with links to Lenin or Trotsky wanted to overthrow him, and he wanted to eliminate all opposition and secure total loyalty.
How did the purges help Stalin's economic aims?
The purges helped Stalin economically by allowing him to punish those who missed production targets, forcing people to work harder and providing free forced labour through the GULAG system.
Define saboteurs.
Saboteurs were people the state accused of deliberately damaging or obstructing industrial progress, a charge used to justify arrests during the purges.
Those arrested were sent to the system to do forced labour.
Those arrested were sent to the GULAG system to do forced labour.
What happened to the armed forces during the purges?
Stalin heavily attacked the armed forces, having eight senior generals and three out of five marshals shot, with all three armed forces losing about 50% of their officers.
Around of the Central Committee members in 1934 were arrested and shot.
Around 70% of the Central Committee members in 1934 were arrested and shot.
Why did Stalin turn against the NKVD by 1938?
Stalin turned against the NKVD because he blamed them for excessive arrests and believed they knew too much, executing their head Yagoda and 23,000 officers.
How was Trotsky assassinated in 1940?
Trotsky was assassinated in Mexico by a Spanish communist named Ramón Mercader, who murdered him with an ice pick.
True or False?
The Great Terror is also known as the Yezhovshina.
True.
The Great Terror of 1936–1938 is known in Russian as the Yezhovshina.
Define NKVD.
The NKVD was the Soviet secret police formed in 1934, tasked with eliminating political enemies and carrying out the Great Purges for Stalin.
When was the NKVD formed?
The NKVD was formed in 1934, combining all forms of military and general police into one organisation.
From what age could the NKVD prosecute children as adults from 1935?
From 1935, the NKVD could prosecute children as young as 12 as adults.
Define GULAG system.
The GULAG system was an organisation of forced labour camps, many located in Siberia, used to punish criminals, deter crime and provide the state with free labour.
Many of the forced labour camps of the GULAG system were located in .
Many of the forced labour camps of the GULAG system were located in Siberia.
Why did many prisoners die in the GULAG system?
Prisoners died from disease, cold, overwork and starvation, as the camps had overcrowded lodges, no heating, little sanitation and rationed food tied to unattainable production targets.
Define show trial.
A show trial was a staged, public trial with a predetermined outcome, in which suspects were tortured into confessing and the judge knew the sentence beforehand.
Who were the most prominent figures accused in the 1936 Trial of 16?
The 1936 Trial of 16 accused 16 people, including Zinoviev and Kamenev, who were all found guilty and executed.
The only legal newspaper in the USSR was .
The only legal newspaper in the USSR was Pravda.
How did Stalin's cult of personality portray him?
Stalin's cult of personality portrayed him as a god-like figure and 'Uncle Joe', the father of the USSR, through portraits, photographs and statues.
What artistic style were artists and writers forced to follow?
Artists and writers were forced to follow Soviet Realism, a style that praised workers and socialism.
True or False?
By 1939, only 1 in 40 churches in the USSR remained active.
True.
Communism opposed religion, so churches were closed and priests arrested, leaving only 1 in 40 churches active by 1939.
How did the purges strengthen Stalin's control of the party and army?
After the purges to the Communist Party and the army, the remaining members were loyal to Stalin.
How did fear help Stalin maintain complete control?
Fear of the NKVD and the GULAG system stopped many people from opposing Stalin.
How did the Communist Party use the media to support Stalin's control?
The Communist Party controlled all media and censored the arts, ensuring information supported the regime.
Stalin created a so that many young people worshipped him like a god.
Stalin created a cult of personality so that many young people worshipped him like a god.
Which economic policies helped keep peasants and workers controlled?
Collectivisation and the Five-Year Plans kept the peasants and workers controlled.
How did the movement of workers weaken Stalin's control?
Workers and peasants constantly relocated, making it hard for the government to keep track of them.
How did the purges undermine Stalin's control of the USSR?
The purges targeted skilled people in different sectors of society, meaning the USSR lacked experts.
How did some workers respond to unrealistic production targets?
Many workers who could not meet their targets bribed officials or produced substandard products.
Stalin only directly ruled , relying on party officials to control the rest of the USSR.
Stalin only directly ruled central Russia, relying on party officials to control the rest of the USSR.
Define underground opposition.
Underground opposition refers to the secret opposition groups, especially among the youth, that continued to exist despite Stalin's control.
True or False?
Stalin directly ruled every region of the USSR himself.
False.
Stalin only directly ruled central Russia and relied on party officials to control the rest of the USSR.
True or False?
After the purges, the remaining members of the party and army were loyal to Stalin.
True.
The purges removed potential opponents, leaving the remaining members of the Communist Party and the army loyal to Stalin.
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