Civil War
Between which years was the Russian Civil War fought?
1918-1921
What economic policy replaced War Communism in 1921?
New Economic Policy (NEP)
What government position did Stalin attain in 1922?
General Secretary of the Communist Party
What were Stalin's economic plans for rapid industrialisation called?
Five Year Plans
What were the forced labour camps collectively known as?
The Gulag
What were the main anti-Bolshevik forces known as?
The Whites
What major uprising in 1921 demonstrated opposition to Bolshevik rule?
Kronstadt Rebellion
When did Lenin die?
1924
What term was used for supposedly wealthy peasants targeted during collectivisation?
Kulaks
What was the Great Purge?
A period of mass political repression, executions, arrests and imprisonment, particularly intense in 1937–38.
What was War Communism?
An emergency economic policy involving state control, requisitioning and centralised distribution during the Civil War.
Why was the NEP a significant ideological compromise?
It temporarily restored elements of private enterprise and markets within a communist state.
What was the Left Opposition associated with Trotsky arguing for?
More rapid industrialisation and continued international revolution.
What was the primary purpose of collectivisation?
To increase state control over agriculture and secure grain supplies for industrialisation and urban populations.
How did Stalin's government control education and culture?
It imposed ideological conformity, censorship and state-approved forms such as Socialist Realism.
Why did the Bolsheviks win the Civil War?
They controlled the central industrial region, had better internal communications and organisation, and faced divided opponents with different political objectives.
Why did Lenin support the NEP despite his commitment to communism?
He regarded economic recovery as necessary to preserve Bolshevik power and create conditions for future socialist development.
Why was Stalin's position as General Secretary important to his rise?
It allowed him to influence party membership and appointments, helping him build a network of supporters.
Was collectivisation primarily an economic policy or a means of political control?
It served both purposes: restructuring agriculture and securing food supplies while breaking peasant independence and strengthening state control.
To what extent did Stalin create a totalitarian state?
The regime exercised extraordinary control over politics, economy, media, culture and private life, although the extent of state control varied across society and over time
To what extent did the Civil War justify the development of Bolshevik authoritarianism?
The war created genuine security pressures, but Bolsheviks also used the circumstances to eliminate political opposition and establish mechanisms of repression that continued afterwards.
Why did the Bolsheviks become more authoritarian under Lenin?
Civil War, political opposition, economic crisis and fears of counter-revolution encouraged increasing centralisation and repression.
Why was Trotsky unable to convert his revolutionary prestige into political power?
Stalin controlled party structures, while Trotsky was politically isolated and underestimated Stalin's bureaucratic power.
How successful was Stalin's industrialisation program?
It produced enormous increases in industrial capacity, but at very high human costs and with significant inefficiency and coercion.
Was Stalin's rule based more on ideology or personal power?
Ideology provided the justification and framework, but Stalin increasingly concentrated power personally and used the state to eliminate actual and perceived opponents.