Rise of Stalin
Who was the leader of the Soviet Union before Stalin?
Lenin
What was Stalin's policy regarding socialism?
Socialism in one country i.e. not trying to spread it
How did peasants respond to collectivisation and what did they do?
Resisted it and burnt crops/slaughtered animals
Give one example each for heavy industry and light industry
coal oil, iron, steel etc.
clothing, shoes, food, furniture etc.
What do historians continue to argue about in regard to the Holodomor in Ukraine?
Whether it was a famine or genocide
What was the name of the race to build up weapons and technology?
arms race
What did Lenin say about Stalin in his will?
unsure if he is capable of using unlimited authority with caution
too rude, disloyal, intolerable, impolite, incapable of succeeding Lenin
What is the term for when propaganda is used to create immense admiration and pride of the leader?
Cult of personality
What did Stalin use as justification for starting the Great Purge?
Assassination of Sergei Kirov
When did the first Five Year Plan start and end?
1928 - 1932
What is Stalin implying about the West in his speech about the results of the first Five Year Plan? i.e. "The opinion of The New York Times in November 1932: “The collectivization campaign is of course a ghastly failure. It has brought Russia to the verge of famine.” It means that there can be no doubt, about the successes and achievements of the Five Year Plan."
that they were nervous socialism was succeeding
Why is it called the Cold War?
Because US and USSR never fought each other directly
Stalin formed an alliance with two other Politburo members that was known as what?
triumvirate
Who advocated for a 'Permanent Revolution' in Russia?
Lenin and/or Trotsky
What policy did Stalin claim a necessary response for collectivisation to succeed?
dekulakisation or liquidation of the kulaks as a class
Why could Stalin truthfully claim that collectivisation was successful when the grain and crop harvest had decreased?
Because the state continued to acquire the same amount regardless
Why is it difficult to trust historians even if they visited/lived in the USSR?
Because their experience was intentionally warped by the Soviet gov and many were shown only the positives during their visit
Who was the last leader of the Soviet Union before it collapsed?
Mikhail Gorbachev
Name the prominent figures of the Politburo that Stalin removed from power so that he could replace Lenin. (100 for each correct name)
Trotsky, Zinoviev, Kamenev, Bukharin
Why was Lenin's New Economic Policy (NEP) flawed? (200 for name of the issue, 200 for explanation)
Scissor crisis where agricultural prices would plummet as industrial costs increased leading to food shortages
Who was Nikolai Yezhov and why was he purged?
NKVD Chief who did Stalin's 'dirty work' and knew too much
Who was Alexei Stakhanov?
model worker who exceeded his quote and used as propaganda
What controversial claim did Nikita Khrushchev make in his 1956 'secret speech' to the Party Congress?
That Stalin had been behind Kirov's murder and used it to justify the repression and terror that followed
What was the name of the alliance between Eastern bloc countries in response to the West's NATO?
Identify the two things that Stalin did regarding Lenin's funeral to further his viability as the new leader
1. Told Trotsky it was a day early than actually was so he didn't try to come
2. Made a speech when he approached Lenin's body
What is the difference between Marxism and Leninism?
Marx believed that a revolution would happen eventually whereas Lenin believed it needed to be forced as peasants would never gain class consciousness on their own
How did Stalin change the nature of propaganda during WWII to gain popularity/support?
Dedication to socialism --> dedication and fighting for your country/motherland
What was the name of the organisation that implemented the 5 Year Plan and how did they do it?
Gosplan who would set targets/quotas down to the individual
In Animal Farm, the pigs changed the last commandment of Animalism to "All animals are......"
All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.
Why did the Soviet Union collapse in 1991?