High Stalinism, renewed terror (cont. from textbook p199 plus add anything from Miss Medhurst/Matthew's PPTs incl Miss Medhurst's PPT on High Stalinism)

What is High Stalinism?

The culmination of Stalin’s regime from 1945-53, during which time Stalin’s authority over the state, party and people was at its strongest and there was a renewed development of terror. Stalin’s dictatorship seemed unchallengeable and was certainly totalitarian.

How had Stalin’s control during the war been slightly different?

Many aspects of Stalin’s dictatorship had been relaxed (e.g. religious persecution was slackened). Fear of Stalin’s regime had been overtaken by the fear of the Germans

What can be said generally about the measures Stalin used to preserve his control and power?

Stalin’s rule rested on complex bureaucratic structures, a balancing act between the Party and the government and playing off key subordinates against each other

What emotions/sentiments had Stalin appealed to during the war, keeping the people in line through means other than terror?

Patriotism, national unity and the ‘spirit of the people’

What kind of image was propaganda during the war pushing in terms of the post-war world?

Propaganda promised a better world after victory (this was not the case)

Despite what the propaganda promised, what was Stalin’s attitude to change after the war?

He resisted it - any tendencies towards liberalisation were obstructed

How did Stalin reduce the power of other institutions after the war?

Wartime institutions were dismantled and the GKO (State Defence Committee) was dissolved in September 1945

What was the role of the GKO before Stalin shut it down?

Was an extraordinary organ of state power during WWII created by Molotov. Had complete state power in the country (!) and was created in the period when Stalin was having a meltdown. Issued more than 9,000 decrees on various defence measures

Give an example of Stalin downgrading the military hierarchy after the war to limit the power of those who may’ve posed a threat

Marshal Zhukov was downgraded to a minor command in far away Odessa

How did Stalin’s personal behaviour change post-1945?

He was becoming more reclusive, capricious and unpredictable

What two factors may’ve contributed to Stalin’s increasingly unpredictable, paranoid behaviour?

He was ageing (66 years old in 1945) and had suffered a mild stroke in 1946

What do some historians argue in terms of High Stalinism and continuity?

High Stalinism could be seen as a reversion to the past (think the Great Terror), rather than being radically new. His irrational behaviour seemed different from his wartime leadership (perhaps because it was largely his advisors who pioneered key decisions during the war) but was still in keeping with personality traits that had always been present

How did Stalin prevent any of his subordinates from becoming too powerful? What was the name of this kind of politics?

He would play them off against each other, something he had done for a long time. “Bear-pit politics”

What are 5 examples of men who came in and out of favour according to Stalin’s whims and the scheming of their rivals?

Molotov, Malenkov, Mikoyan, Beria and Zhdanov

What happened when Zhdanov challenged the policy of Malenkov?

Malenkov was Stalin’s closest war-time aide, but when Zhdanov challenged his actions, an investigation under Mikoyan was set up that condemned his actions. Malenkov lost his position as Party secretary and Zhdanov became Stalin’s closest advisor, launching the Zhdanovschina

When and how did Zhdanov fall from power as Stalin’s closest advisor?

1948, Malenkov and Beria schemed against him and orchestrated his downfall following disagreements over foreign policy

What is one example of someone who went from having great power to falling from power and when?

Molotov held great power in the regime during and after the war but fell out of favour in 1949

What is some evidence for their still being/not being any democratic/group influence under High Stalinism?

The Central Committee and the Politburo still met after the war (although the Central Committee only met 6 times between 1939-52) but Stalin was often able to bypass both government and Party and exert direct central authority

In what way was the power of the Party and its institutions undermined under Stalin (congresses)?

No party congresses were held between 1939 and 1952 - they should’ve met every three years at least

How was the importance of the Politburo undermined during High Stalinism?

It was reduced to an advisory body that waited to be told by Stalin or his spokesmen what the “official” line was to be followed. The big decisions were taken in ad hoc gatherings of Stalin’s inner circle

How did membership of the party change during High Stalinism?

Membership of the Party and its organisations remained high, but members were less likely to be committed ideologists from the ranks of peasants or workers. The new men were obedient bureuacrats, who did not show initiative and avoided ideological debates (“faceless bureaucrats”) and were designed to replace the “old guard” who felt loyal to Marxist ideals

Was High Stalinism a big period of change?

No - inertia (leaving things as they were) was a key feature of High Stalinism

Define dictatorship vs totalitarianism

Dictatorship = a government led by a ruler with total power over his people VS totalitarianism = all aspects of individual life are subordinated to the authority of the ruler

What could High Stalinism be broken into

Political High Stalinism (Party, government, authority and Terror) and cultural High Stalinism (society, ideology, intellectual life, Cult of Personality, Terror)

How does the use of gulags in this period indicate a level of continuity?

Mass arrests continued to take place, with people still being sent to the gulags and required to do forced labour

What is suggested about what was going on before Stalin died (purges)?

There is evidence to suggest that Stalin was preparing another intensified purge when he died

What were some of the benefits/dangers that being high up in the Party/economic hierarchy brought?

Benefits = better housing, access to scarce goods. Dangers = at greater risk, could be blamed for mistakes or attacked as a lesson to others

What was the Russian’s people knowledge of the outside world like?

The Russian people had little knowledge of the outside world except through the filter of the Party’s media operation as part of their strict censorship

What organisations weren’t permitted?

Any independent social or cultural organisations

What had lax rules during the war led to in terms of Party membership?

It had led to increased Party membership with the potential to be unreliable and unwieldy

How many members of the party were there by 1952?

7 million

How many members of the Komosol were there?

16 million

By destroying Party autonomy, what had the Party essentially become under High Stalinism?

Just a chain of command

What revival characteristed High Stalinism?

Revival of terro

Why did Stalin ruthlessly enforce isolation from the non-Soviet world?

Concern for national security at a time of the emerging Cold War, his obsessive fear of ideological contamination

Why was Stalin so brutal towards returning POWs?

He was worried they had been turned against the ideology of the USSR whilst abroad and were not as loyal to Stalinism

What is an example of the harsh treatment of a returning POW?

Leopold Trepper was a Polish communist who had been a spy in Germany in the Red Orchestra. When he returned, he was awarded a medal as a Hero of the Soviet Union. Immediately afterwards, he was arrested and sent to a gulag

Other than returning POWs, who else were victims of Stalin’s fear of ideological contamination?

Former army officers (who were then often purged), relatives of those who had spent time outside the USSR

Where was there particular pressure for people to show unwavering loyalty, even in the small minutiae of daily life?

Areas newly incorporated into the USSR (e.g. Baltic States, Western Ukraine)

How were lots of people caught/accused of disloyalty under High Stalinism?

Denouncers

When was the law passed outlawing marriage ot foreigners?

February 1947

What are some examples of enterprises/buildings that were often under surveillance under High Stalinism and why?

Hotels, restaurants and embassies. Part of Stalin’s fear of foreigners contaminating the ideology of people in the USSR, the police would especially watch out for meetings between Soviet girls and foreign men.

What could the USSR be described as in terms of surveillanec?

A secret police state

What is one example of Stalin himself personally having a role in the promotion of his image/editing of literature during High Stalinism?

According to Khrushchev, he annotated a 1948 biography of himself and highlighted points where he thought the praise was insufficient

Memoirs by who were banned under High Stalinism?

Generals, soldiers and civilians