Russia 1917-91: From Lenin to Yeltsin- Communist government in the USSR 1917-85.

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Name of elected parliament set up after october revolution.
Constituent assembly
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What % of CA vote did the Bolsheviks win?
25%
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How did Lenin deal with other political parties early on?
After one meeting of the CA fissolved the parliament and governed through the newly set up Soviets
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How did Lenin deal with opposition parites in the Long term?
Had bannes all parites by 1921 and made it hard for oppositon parties to circulate newspapers. Arrested leaders: over 5,000 Menshviks arrested in 1921
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What popular public treaties did Lenin announce once in power?
Land Decree (peasants could seize land); Worker's decrees (8-hour max. working day and min. wage)
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What was the treaty which pulled Russia out of WW1 called?
.Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
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Why did Lenin want to pull Russia out of WW1?
Waste of governments resources which could be used to help consolodate power internally. Popular with the public
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On the whole, how did the civil war increase Bolshevik control?
Allowed them control over all areas of Russia with no oppposition
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How did the Bolsheviks win the civil war?
Poor organisaton of Whites; increased centralisation with politburo very powerful; use of former bourgeisie administrators and factory owners; terror
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At 10th pary congress how did Lenin further increase his and Bolsheviks control?
Ban on factions- meant Bolsheviks would move in one direction as it gave more power to the politiburo
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What two uprisings occured in 1921 angry at Bolshevik actions?
Tambov uprising; Krondstadt mutiny
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Name of the top of Soviet government
Sovnarkom
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Which was more powerful; the government or the Bolshevik Party?
Party
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Where was power largely centralised within the party?
Politburo
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What were the two lower down section of the party pyramid?
Central Committee; Party Congress
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What did the ban on factions do to political centralisation?
Stifled debate in the lower structures of the party which eant they had less influence on policy decisions
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What illustrated the party's power over the soviet government?
Party members having positions in both the party and government; Lenin was Head of Sovnarkom as well as being in the Politburo
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Was Lenin a dictator and why?
No, even though he had conciderbale influence there was still debate within the Politiburo- more of a collective leadership
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Name of secret police under Lenin and who was the leader?
Cheka/OGPU ; Dzerzhinsky
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What were the respective names of the internal and external terrors under Lenin?
Chistka (internal) Red Terror (External)
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How much of the party was purged during the Chistka?
1/3
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After what event did terror against political enemies escalate?
Fanny Kaplin assasinatoin attempt on Lenin
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Characteristic features of Communist rule in 1924
Centralisation, lack of democracy, terror, large and growing bureaucracy form middle classes
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In what ways did Stalin use his position as General Secratary to his advantage?
Access to info on part members; set agendas at Politburo meetings; gain support through Lenin enrolment; build up support through expanding Nomenklatura
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How did Stalin gain power by 1928?
Flexible position on policy i.e adapted his ideology to prevailing conditions at the time
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What instruments did Stalin use as terror?
NKVD to carry out surveillance, arrests and executions which he brought firmly under his control
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Who were the main targets of Stalin's 'Great Terror'?
Top party members (Zinoviev, Kamenev, Bukharin) and local level officials; Red Army generals; Secret Police
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Why did Stalin conduct the 'Great Terror'?
Increase his hold on power within the party and Soviet institutions
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How many died suring Stalin's Great Terror?
10 million
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Main difference between Stalin and Lenin's terror?
Stalin main purpose to increase power over party-(internal) whereas Lenin's was more externally focussed
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Was Stalinism inevitable progression from Leninism?
No, but he used the foundations set up by Lenin (terror, bureaucracy) to construct a personal dictatorship
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After WW2, how powerful was Stalin?
Powerful, but not fully as his health was deteriorating and his control over new higher party members such as Beria was weakening. Even so it was 'High Stalinism'
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How did Khrushchev get into power?
Placing supporters in Central Committee; elimination of Beria
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Key aspects of De-Stalinisation
Secret Police under party control; some de-construction of the gulag (2 million prisoners released); Socialist legality; regular meetings of 'Presidium'
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What is 'Socialist Legality'?
Part and State are subject to the law
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After 1957 what other aspects of reform did Khrushchev push through?
Tenure of 3 years to party officials; split party into agricultural and industrial sections
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What factors led to Khrushchev's downfall?
Upset party officials with tenure; economic mistakes made him unpopular; too many 'hare-brained schemes'
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What were the guiding principles behind Brezhnev's leadership?
'Trust in Cadres'; Collective leadership ('First among equals')
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What did Brezhnev do once in power?
Scrap limits on tenure; division of party in to ind. and agri. sectors dropped; 'Trust in Cadres'
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What was the result of Brezhnev's leadership?
Growing oligarchy in the Politburo/ political and economic stagnation; corruption; nepotism;
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One word to define Brezhnev's leadership
Stagnant
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Card 2

Front

What % of CA vote did the Bolsheviks win?

Back

25%

Card 3

Front

How did Lenin deal with other political parties early on?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

How did Lenin deal with opposition parites in the Long term?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What popular public treaties did Lenin announce once in power?

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