Russia and the Soviet Union 1917–1941 Review

500 Flashcards covering Chapter 5: Russia and the Soviet Union 1917–1941, focusing on the Bolshevik Revolution, Stalin's rise, and social/economic transformations.

What specific years are covered in the focus of Chapter 5 regarding Russia and the Soviet Union?

$1917$ to $1941$

Who was the leader of the Bolshevik group following the split in $1903$?

Lenin

Who was the leader of the Menshevik group after the party split in $1903$?

Julius Martov

In what year was the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party originally formed?

$$1898$$

What does the term 'Bolshevik' translate to in English?

Majority

What does the term 'Menshevik' translate to in English?

Minority

According to Lenin, what kind of group was necessary to lead a successful proletarian revolution?

A small group of disciplined and professional revolutionaries

What class did the Mensheviks believe should lead the initial revolution in Russia?

The bourgeoisie (middle class)

Which three-century-long dynasty ended with the Russian Revolutions of $1917$?

The Romanov dynasty

Which Tsar was forced to abdicate in March $1917$?

Tsar Nicholas II

What were the primary colors used to represent the opposing sides in the Russian Civil War?

Red (Bolsheviks) and White (Anti-Bolsheviks)

During what years did the Russian Civil War take place?

$1918$ to $1920$

What was the date of Lenin's death?

January $1924$

What slogan did the Bolsheviks use to gain popular support in $1917$?

'Peace, land and bread'

In what month and year did the first Provisional Government form?

March $1917$

Who became the Prime Minister of the Provisional Government in July $1917$?

Alexander Kerensky

What was the name of the document where Lenin called for the soviets to take power in April $1917$?

The 'April Theses'

Which treaty formally ended Russia's involvement in the First World War in March $1918$?

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Who organized the anti-Bolshevik volunteer army known as the 'Whites'?

General Lavr Kornilov

In which year did the Russian Civil War officially end with a Red Army victory?

$$1920$$

Where did a major naval mutiny against the Bolshevik government occur in $1921$?

Kronstadt naval base

What economic policy replaced 'War Communism' in $1921$?

New Economic Policy (NEP)

To what position was Joseph Stalin appointed in $1922$ that helped him consolidate power?

General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party

In what year was the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) officially created?

$$1922$$

What was the purpose of the first Five-Year Plan launched in $1928$?

To further develop Soviet industry and agriculture

Where was Leon Trotsky exiled to in $1928$?

Alma-Ata in Soviet Central Asia (Kazakhstan)

What does the term 'liquidating the kulaks' mean in the context of Stalin’s policy?

Eliminating the class of wealthier peasants

How many deaths were estimated to have resulted from famine and disease between $1931$ and $1933$?

Some $7$ million

In what year did the Soviet Union join the League of Nations?

$$1934$$

Which Leningrad Communist Party leader was assassinated in $1934$, triggering further purges?

Sergey Kirov

What was the timeframe for the major 'show trials' held under Stalin?

$1936$ to $1938$

What was the name of the non-aggression pact signed between Germany and the Soviet Union in $1939$?

The German-Soviet Non-aggression Pact

On what date did Germany launch 'Operation Barbarossa' to invade the Soviet Union?

$$1941$$

Which calendar did the new Soviet state adopt in February $1918$?

The Gregorian calendar

How many days behind was the old Julian calendar compared to the modern Gregorian calendar?

$13$ days

What was the 'dictatorship of the proletariat' according to Marxist theory?

A society where the working class holds political power

According to historian Sheila Fitzpatrick, when did the Bolshevik Revolution really begin?

She suggests it had only just begun in November $1917$, requiring a defense against opponents

What was the name of the Bolshevik inner circle composed of senior leaders?

The Politburo

Who commanded the Red Army during the Civil War?

Leon Trotsky

What were the dates of the 'War Communism' economic system?

$1918$ to $1921$

What happened to gross industrial output in $1921$ compared to $1913$ levels?

It fell to one-third of the $1913$ level

What happened to agricultural output during the period of War Communism?

It fell to two-thirds of its previous level

When did the New Economic Policy (NEP) take place?

$1921$ to $1928$

What was the name of the Bolshevik woman who became the Commissar of Social Welfare in $1917$?

Aleksandra Kollontai

In what year was the Communist Party's Women’s Section (Zhenotdel) founded?

$$1919$$

When was the Women's Section (Zhenotdel) officially closed?

$$1930$$

In what year did abortion become freely available in Soviet hospitals under Bolshevik rule?

$$1920$$

When was the Family Code, which made divorce easier, first established?

$$1918$$

What was Stalin's ideological goal regarding the spread of communism?

'Socialism in one country'

Who were the 'kulaks'?

Wealthier peasants who were persecuted under Stalin’s regime

What was the term for the ruthless harassment of 'enemies of the people' launched in $1936$?

The 'Great Purge'

What were 'Old Bolsheviks'?

Members of the Bolshevik Party who joined before the $1917$ Revolution

What was the 'Comintern'?

The Third Communist International, founded in $1919$ to foster relations with foreign communists

How did the Bolsheviks describe the social system where state ownership replaces private property?

Communism

What does 'socialism' mean in the context of the Soviet Union?

The belief in sharing wealth through public ownership rather than private ownership

Who was the first Prime Minister of the Provisional Government before Alexander Kerensky?

Georgy Lvov

What was the increase in Bolshevik Party membership from early $1917$ to the end of the year?

From $24000$ to $350000$

In what month and year was Leon Trotsky elected chairman of the Petrograd Soviet?

September $1917$

What were 'Red Guards'?

Groups of armed factory workers who supported the Bolsheviks

Which specific unit guarded the Provisional Government against the Bolsheviks during the storming of the Winter Palace?

The Women's Battalion of Death

What was the 'Sovnarkom'?

The Council of People's Commissars, the new Soviet government body

What percentage of the vote did the Bolsheviks receive in the Constituent Assembly elections of December $1917$?

$25$ per cent

Which party won the most seats in the Constituent Assembly elections of $1917$?

The Socialist Revolutionaries ($40$ per cent of the vote)

How long did the first freely elected Russian parliament (the Constituent Assembly) last?

A little over $12$ hours

In March $1918$, what did the Bolsheviks change their party name to?

The Russian Communist Party

What was the 'Fundamental Law' adopted in July $1918$?

The Constitution of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic

In $1919$, who were the four members of the Politburo?

Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin, and Kamenev

What was the Orgburo?

The Organisational Bureau, responsible for internal administration within the party

What were the 'Central Powers' during the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk negotiations?

Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire

What war indemnity did Russia have to pay under the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?

Six thousand million marks

What percentage of its population did Russia lose in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?

$30$ per cent

How much of its coal mines did Russia lose under the terms of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?

$89$ per cent

In the Civil War, who were the 'military specialists' recruited by Trotsky?

Officers from the old Imperial Army

What was the purpose of attaching a political commissar to each Red Army officer?

To ensure their loyalty to the communist regime

Who were the 'Whites' composed of?

Liberals, monarchists, disgruntled socialists, and ex-officers

What was the Czech Legion?

A collection of ex-prisoners of war who fought against the Bolsheviks

Why did Britain and France send troops to Murmansk and Odessa during the Russian Civil War?

To keep Russia in the war and protect financial interests after Bolsheviks repudiated debts

What is 'state capitalism' in the context of Lenin's early economic policy?

Allowing existing industrial systems to continue under state supervision

By $1918$, what percentage of its workforce had Petrograd lost?

$60$ per cent

What was the total urban workforce in $1917$ compared to $1919$?

$3.6$ million in $1917$ versus $1.4$ million in $1919$

What did Lenin use to seize grain from peasants during War Communism?

Armed requisition squads

What was a 'tax in kind' introduced under the NEP?

A tax paid with produce instead of money

What did Lenin define as 'factionalism'?

Arguments or disputes between small groups within the larger party, which he banned in $1921$

Who was the head of the Moscow Communist Party and part of the troika that opposed Trotsky?

Lev Kamenev

Who was the head of the Petrograd Communist Party and the Comintern in the early $1920s$?

Grigory Zinoviev

What was the 'Scissors Crisis' of $1923$?

A fall in agricultural prices occurring alongside a rise in the prices of manufactured goods

What was Trotsky's theory of 'permanent revolution'?

The idea that the Russian Revolution could only survive if it spread to other countries

In what year was Trotsky forced to resign as Commissar for War?

$$1925$$

What did the term 'renegade' mean when used by Stalin against his opponents?

A deserter of the party’s Leninist course

In what year was Trotsky banished from the Soviet Union?

$$1929$$

What did 'pseudo-federalism' refer to according to historian Richard Pipes?

The idea that the Soviet republics were a cover for the real power of the Communist Party

Who were the primary leaders of the Zhenotdel (Women's Section)?

Inessa Armand and Aleksandra Kollontai

What was the name of the journal published by the Zhenotdel?

Kommunistka

What did the Family Code of $1918$ achieve regarding marriage?

It made divorce easier and addressed property rights

Who was the Soviet Union's first female ambassador?

Aleksandra Kollontai

Who was Anatoly Lunacharsky?

The head of the People's Commissariat of Enlightenment responsible for cultural policy

What was the 'Proletkult' movement?

A movement seeking to reject 'bourgeois' culture and create a new culture for the proletariat

How did the Soviet regime treat religious holidays like Easter and Christmas in the $1920s$?

They attempted to replace them with secular anniversaries like the revolutions of March and November

What was Lenin's 'testament' written in December $1922$?

A document expressing his views on Bolshevik leaders, specifically warning about Stalin’s power and rudeness

What specific criticism did Lenin have of Stalin in his postscript to his testament?

That Stalin was 'too rude' and should be removed from the office of General Secretary