The Secret Police
- Created by: Bigboi_Butterz
- Created on: 12-05-18 15:33
View mindmap
- The Secret Police
- Attacks on opponents of the Government, 1917 - 1928
- Terror was an important strategy for staying in power for Lenin
- From seeing French revolution, believe terror was an important weapon, however hoped it would be less severe and temporary (abandoned once revolution secure)
- Cheka were the first secret police, although there was little secret, arrests and executions public to create terror
- Political police who targeted counter revolutionaries
- During civil war, Cheka protected communist held territory, also attacked capitalists with other socialists (removed Constitutional Assembly)
- Did not impose or follow laws, dispensed 'revolutionary justice'; helped in requisition of grain closed down newspapers, killed opponents, used extreme violence, killed any men in retreat. ran concentration camps, stopped private trading
- After civil war red terror was in less force, but still targeted opponents
- Monitored press and intellectuals, organised deportations, kept public opinion under close control, monitored civillians
- Lenin was worried about power security, therefore organised trials of socialist leaders, all defendants sent to death, however most were only killed in Stalin era
- Cheka turned into GPD in 1922
- GPU protected revolution by; imprisoning Nepmen, harassing women who wore western clothes, persecuting young who danced to jazz, persecuted priests
- Stalin's Terror
- Stalin used secret police to remove political opponents, sent millions to gulags
- After the war Beria continued mass persecution; Soviet prisoners of war sent away, Leningrad party purge, Doctors arrested in Moscow
- After Stalin's death it was agreed there would be no more mass terror, Beria was killed for treason
- in ww2 secret police removed minorities who may be sympathetic to Nazi rule
- Yezhov attacked all aspects of soviet life, 1.5 arrested 10% of men, 635,000 deported, 680,000 executed, 95% targets were men, few working class
- Yezhov spread great terror to union, he accelerated terror by; Stalin set targets, removal of old agents, new loyal agents, around the clock workers
- Local initiative meant civilians helped apprehend government officials etc
- Yagoda appointed head of NVKD and arrested Stalins opponents, turned against communist party, but Stalin wanted more
- consequences of terror; Stalin was strong, mass economic problems, Yagoda and Yezhov killed
- Andropov's suppression of dissidents, 1967 - 1982
- 1967 Andropov placed in charge by KGB by Brezhnev
- Khrushchev was dedicated to cultural freedom this was backtracked with conservatism, strategy was to achieve maximum control with minimum violence, but also highlight corruption in party
- After failing to deal with artists, KGB tried to deal with dissidents in a subtle way
- KGB adopted policy of Warnings, those warned kept under surveillance, 70,000 received warnings, stopped 2000 oppression groups
- Goal of KGB was prevention instead of repression; Stalin repression ineffective, socialism incompatible with repression
- Human rights activists and church leaders internationally known could not be arrested so forced to remain in single cities instead
- Stricter policies introduced in anticipation for dissent (1970)
- Those who were low profile were sent to psychiatry hospitals, gained less attention, records were private
- Helsinki agreement meant accused could embarrass government
- if warnings were ignored; demoted or sacked, psychiatric institutes, exiled, prison
- Andropov reformed KGB; no gifts allowed, if relatives broke law agent fired, promoted based on merit, special branch made to deal with dissidents
- High profile dissidents allowed to migrate, artists, jews
- Monitoring of popular discontent 1982 - 1985
- Andropov retained control of KGB, continued to monitor public opinion
- He did this by; fake western initiation, phone tapping, intercepting mail
- Andropov used discontent towards corruption, anti communist east to justify authoritarian policy
- He did this by; fake western initiation, phone tapping, intercepting mail
- Growth in discontent in 70's and 80's; slow improvements to living standards, unsatisfied with quality of food and consumer goods, insufficient opportunities for promotion, resented privileges and corruption of party managers
- People lost faith in social contract, loss of faith led to; alcoholism, poor labor discipline, increased black market, demand for western goods, sympathy of strikes, increased Church, falling birth rate
- To deal with discontent Andropov; created anti corruption campaign, anti alcohol campaign, operation Trawl.
- anti corruption undone with Chernenko to keep his supporters happy
- Andropov retained control of KGB, continued to monitor public opinion
- Attacks on opponents of the Government, 1917 - 1928
Comments
No comments have yet been made