USSR Overview: Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev

Flashcards about Lenin, Stalin, and Khrushchev's rule in the USSR.

1905 Revolution

Revolution that failed to end Tsarist autocracy, contributing to later revolutions.

February Revolution

Overthrew Tsar Nicholas II and formed a Provisional Government in 1917.

October Revolution

Led by Lenin, seized power from the Provisional Government in 1917.

Lenin

Led the Bolsheviks in seizing power during the October Revolution.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Treaty that withdrew Russia from WWI, signed by Lenin.

One-party state

Political system established by Lenin, banning other political parties.

Cheka

Secret police used by Lenin for repression and control.

Civil War (USSR)

Conflict between the Red Army and White forces (1918–1921).

Trotsky

Led the Red Army to victory in the Russian Civil War.

War Communism

Economic system where the state controlled industry and requisitioned grain.

New Economic Policy (NEP)

Economic policy that allowed small businesses and private trade to recover the economy.

1922

Year the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was created.

Lenin's Testament

Warned against Stalin in his 'Testament'.

Stalin

Defeated rivals like Trotsky to gain power in the USSR.

General Secretary

Position used by Stalin to build support within the Communist Party.

Collectivization

Forced consolidation of farms into state-run collectives under Stalin.

Aims of Collectivization

Aimed to control food production and eliminate kulaks.

Holodomor

Famine in Ukraine caused by collectivization, resulting in millions of deaths.

Five-Year Plans

State targets for heavy industry implemented by Stalin.

NKVD

Secret police used during the Great Terror.

Great Terror

Show trials and purges of perceived enemies of Stalin's regime.

Nazi-Soviet Pact

Non-aggression pact between the USSR and Germany, later broken by Germany.

Battle of Stalingrad

Major battle in WWII where the USSR played a crucial role in defeating the Nazis.

Postwar USSR Expansion

Expanded into Eastern Europe, creating satellite states.

Start of Cold War

Began in the Postwar USSR, increasing repression, censorship, and isolation.

Khrushchev

Consolidated power after Stalin's death and denounced Stalin's cult of personality.

Secret Speech

Speech denouncing Stalin's cult and purges, delivered by Khrushchev.

De-Stalinization

Policy of releasing prisoners from Gulags and easing censorship under Khrushchev.

Virgin Lands Campaign

Campaign to increase agricultural output, which had limited success.

Investment in housing and consumer goods

Investment under Khrushchev aimed at improving living standards.

Education reform under Khrushchev

More emphasis placed on technical and scientific subjects under Khrushchev.

Peaceful Coexistence

Policy to reduce tension with the West.

Hungarian Uprising

Uprising crushed by Soviet tanks in 1956.

Berlin Crisis

Triggered by the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961.

Cuban Missile Crisis

Nearly triggered nuclear war; the USSR backed down.

Sputnik

First artificial satellite launched by the USSR.

Brezhnev

Replaced Khrushchev in 1964.

Revisionist

Modernizer who industrialized the USSR.

Khrushchev revisionist viewpoint

Well-intentioned but ineffective reformer.

Event of 1921

NEP begins

Event of 1928

First Five-Year Plan begins

Event of 1936-38

Great Purge

Event of 1941

Nazi invasion of USSR

Event of 1956

Khrushchev's Secret Speech

Defeating the Nazis

The USSR played a major role.

Event of 1962

Cuban Missile Crisis

Event of 1964

Khrushchev removed from power