Areas of Russia from 1924-39:

War Communism

Economic and political system in Soviet Russia (1918-1920) characterized by the nationalization of industry and the forced requisition of agricultural produce.

NEP (New Economic Policy)

Implemented by Lenin in 1921, this policy allowed a degree of private business and profit to stabilize the economy after War Communism.

NEPmen

Private entrepreneurs who emerged during the New Economic Policy, taking advantage of the temporary allowance for profit.

Grain Crisis (1927-28)

A situation where farmers held back their food supplies, resulting in food shortages and famine, exacerbated by the introduction of capitalism in the NEP.

Land Decree (1917)

Bolshevik decree that nationalized all land, transferring it from private landowners to peasants.

Workers’ Right Decree (Nov 1917)

Decree that placed factories' responsibility and authority in the hands of workers, establishing factory committees for control.

Collectivization

Policy initiated in 1929 to consolidate individual peasant farms into collective farms (kolkhozes), intended to boost agricultural production.

Kolkhoz

Collective farms formed during collectivization, where multiple families worked together to eliminate private ownership.
Survive itself.
The head is elected

Sovkhoz

state-owned farm, formed from state-reserved land confiscated from larger estates and worked by landless rural residents
The head is appointed by the state

State budget

Holodomor

Man-made famine in Ukraine (1932-33) resulting from collectivization policies, leading to mass starvation.

First Five Year Plan

Stalin's initiative (1928-1932) focusing on rapid industrialization, emphasizing heavy industry at the cost of consumer goods.

Scissors Crisis (1923)

Economic crisis caused by the disparity in rising industrial goods prices and falling agricultural prices.

The Great Purges

Stalin's campaign of political repression during the late 1930s, characterized by widespread arrests, executions, and the purging of perceived enemies within the Communist Party.

Trotskyism

Political theory by Leon Trotsky advocating for permanent revolution and the idea that socialism should be established worldwide.

NKVD

People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs, the main security agency of the Soviet Union responsible for political repression and enforcing Stalin's policies.

Stalin Enrollment (1931-34)

Period during which Stalin increased the Communist Party's membership by recruiting skilled workers to consolidate power.

Cheka

The first Soviet secret police organization, established to combat counter-revolution and sabotage.

Yezhovschina

Period of extreme repression from 1937-38 under NKVD head Nikolai Yezhov, marked by mass arrests and executions.

Socialist Realism

Artistic style mandated by Stalin that promoted socialist ideals and glorified the achievements of the working class.

Konsomol

a youth movement formed in Lenin’s time and made an official body in 1926 under the direct control of the Communist Party (CPSU)

Deculakization

The campaign to eliminate the kulaks, or prosperous peasants, as a class during collectivization.

Forced Labor Camps (Gulags)

Prison camps in the Soviet Union where millions were sent for political dissent or as criminals, subjected to extreme conditions.

Beria

Head of the NKVD after Yezhov, known for his role in the Great Purges and later actions during WWII.

Religion and the State

Stalin's policy of reducing the influence of religion in Soviet life, leading to the closure of churches and persecution of clergy.