IB HISTORY HL/SL USSR review FINALS

Collectivisation

policy of abolishing private farms and replacing them with state collective farms

The 5 year plans (USSR)

Stalin seizes control of the economy and began an Industrial and Agricultural Revolution to speed up their industrialization in which 10 million people were killed.

The Konsomol

The Soviet Communist Union of youth. It was similar to the Hitler Youth, but was for young communist party hopefuls

De-Kulakisations

seize farms, killed kulaks, sent to gulags

The great terror

Stalin's set of "purges," killed off all the old Bolsheviks for fear of them being a threat to his absolute power, then he liquidated over 40,000 army officers, and in the end of his life, he killed Jewish doctors out of superstition - through the NKVD and the continuation of show trials.

The Great Retreat

The Great Retreat refers to a period in the 1930s in the Soviet Union when the government under Stalin introduced more conservative social policies to encourage population growth. After years of radical policies that promoted women's equality and liberalized laws (like easy divorce and abortion), the USSR shifted gears to promote traditional family values. This included restrictions on abortion, promoting marriage, encouraging larger families, and offering financial incentives for having more children. The idea was to increase the population, which had suffered from war and famine.

Operation Barbarossa

Codename for Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II.

All Union Congress of Soviet Writers

This was a gathering of Soviet writers in 1934, where the Soviet government established "socialist realism" as the official style for all art and literature. Socialist realism was meant to glorify the state, the Communist Party, and the achievements of the working class in a simple, positive, and easily understandable way. Writers were expected to follow these guidelines, which meant that their work needed to show the Soviet Union in an optimistic light, even if reality was different.

The show trials

Public trials of Stalin's enemies to terrorize the population into obedience. Old bolsheviks confessed to crimes against the soviet union; Shown to the world- showed Stalin was right

Sergei Eisenstein

Russian film maker who pioneered the use of montage and is considered among the most influential film makers in the history of motion pictures (1898-1948)

Martemian Riutin

Ryutin is best remembered as the leader of a pro-peasant political faction organized against Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in the early 1930s and as the primary author of a 200-page oppositional platform. Executed.

Zinoviev and Kamenev

Leaders in the Communist Party. Were in an alliance with Stalin, persuaded Central Committee not to act on or publish Lenin's Testament, thinking Stalin would be seriously weakened under their control. Shot.

Lavrenti Beria

Headed NKVD since 1939. Had been one of Stalin's chief henchmen. Used his position of power within the secret police to indulge his personal perversions to the point of criminal acts. Stalin tolerated these since he carried out all of Stalin's orders - often personally - without question.

Stakhanovites

These were workers who exceeded their production targets. They were rewarded with special status and perks like free holidays, cash bonuses and better housing. This was not very socialist. It shows how Stalin was willing to sacrifice ideology for the sake of production.

NKVD

Stalin's secret police who were authorized to arrest, execute, or relegate political opponents to gulag camps.

What were the key issues and ideas involved in the power struggle after the death of Lenin?

Facts:

- No clear successor; rivals included Trotsky, Kamenev, Zinoviev, Bukharin, and Stalin.

- Lenin's Testament warned Stalin was "too rude" and recommended his removal.

- Key debates: leadership style, NEP vs. rapid industrialization, and international revolution vs. socialism in one country.

What did this mean?:

Stalin maneuvered as a "man of the party," positioned himself as Lenin's natural successor, and exploited factional divides. These ideological debates masked a ruthless power grab.

How did Stalin defeat Trotsky and emerge as leader of the Soviet Union?

Facts:

-Stalin used his role as General Secretary to control appointments.

- Trotsky was isolated and removed as Commissar of War.

- Stalin formed temporary alliances to outmaneuver rivals (e.g., with Bukharin), then turned on them.

What did this mean?:

Stalin systematically eliminated opponents left and right. His manipulation of party mechanisms allowed him to emerge as uncontested leader by 1929.

Why did Stalin decide to carry out rapid industrialization?

Facts:

- The NEP was failing—grain shortages, backward peasant farming, low industrial output.

- Stalin cited a need for autarky and defense against capitalist invasion.

"We must make good this distance in ten years. Either we do it, or we shall be crushed."

What did this mean?:

Stalin viewed industrialization as essential to survive foreign threats and consolidate internal control. It justified mass mobilization and repression in the name of progress.

How effective was collectivization?

Facts:

- Launched in 1929, aimed to feed cities and fund industry through grain exports.

- Kulaks (wealthy peasants) were targeted.

- Many resisted; up to 19 million peasants fled rural areas.

What did this mean?:

It devastated agriculture and caused famine (e.g., Holodomor in Ukraine), but gave Stalin control over the countryside and a steady (though limited) grain supply to cities.

What were and how successful were the Five Year Plans?

Facts:

Launched in 1928, focused on heavy industry. Propaganda was used heavily (e.g., Dnieprostroi Dam, Moscow Metro). Steel, coal, and electricity production surged.

What did this mean?:

The USSR industrialized quickly but at immense human cost. Widespread falsification, forced labor, and shortages of consumer goods characterized the era.

What ideological factors drove forward the industrialization of the USSR during the 1920s-30s?

Facts:

- Stalin framed industrialization as a "second revolution" against NEPmen, kulaks, and capitalist enemies.

- It was a class war meant to strengthen the proletariat.

What did this mean?:

Industrialization wasn't just economic—it was political. It justified violence, repression, and total state control in the name of socialist transformation.

What were the reasons and results of the Terror in 1934?

Facts:

-Triggered by Kirov's assassination, used by Stalin to purge party, army, and intelligentsia.

- Show trials, quotas, and gulag labor camps.

- Deaths: ~5-18 million.

What did this mean?:

Stalin eliminated all opposition, instilled fear, and tightened personal control. Terror became a central tool of governance.

What was the new constitution of 1936 and how did Stalin use it to his advantage?

Facts:

- Guaranteed civil rights, voting, and equality.

- In reality, it centralized power and facilitated purges.

What did this mean?:

The constitution was a propaganda tool. It projected a democratic image while reinforcing Stalin's totalitarian regime.

How important was Stalin's cult of personality?

Facts:

- Promoted as "Father of the Nation," "Universal Genius."

- History rewritten, old Bolsheviks erased from photos, art glorified Stalin.

What did this mean?:

In a society ruled by fear and chaos, the cult gave people something to believe in — reinforcing Stalin's absolute power even among victims.

What was done to improve Stalin's cult of personality?

Facts:

- Mass propaganda in art, film, and education.

- Heroic portrayals, show trials, Stakhanovite movement,

- 'Foundations of Leninism' to legitimize his rule.

What did this mean?:

Stalin used media and fear to position himself as Lenin's heir and indispensable savior of socialism.

Why did Operation Barbarossa fail?

Facts:

- Hitler underestimated Soviet resistance; poor logistics, harsh winter, long supply lines.

- Red Army regrouped and launched counterattacks (Stalingrad).

What did this mean?:

The war turned against Germany. Soviet survival preserved Stalin's regime and turned the USSR into a global superpower.

Why was the Soviet Union able to survive and push back the Nazi invasion?

Facts:

- Strategic relocations of industry, scorched earth policy, resilience at Stalingrad.

- Patriotism used as propaganda.

What did this mean?:

Centralized control and nationalistic propaganda enabled the USSR to transform into a wartime powerhouse.

How effective was propaganda in consolidating Stalin's control?

Facts:

- Used to justify terror, collectivization, industrial success, and the war effort.

- Stalin portrayed as savior.

What did this mean?:

Propaganda maintained mass obedience and rationalized suffering. It became a pillar of Stalinist control.

What was the political impact of the Great Patriotic War on the USSR?

Facts:

- GOKO gave Stalin absolute wartime power.

- Post-war purges returned, POWs persecuted.

What did this mean?:

Stalin emerged more powerful than ever, justifying totalitarianism through victory.

How did the war impact Soviet society economically?

Facts:

- Mass mobilization, industrial relocation, gulag labor, famine, infrastructure destroyed.

What did this mean?:

War effort strained economy. Reconstruction post-1945 needed new Five Year Plans and increased repression.

What were the social effects of the Great Patriotic War and were they successful?

Facts:

- Women gained roles, religion reintroduced for morale, ethnic groups deported.

What did this mean?:

Social order was restructured to support the war; rights were given and taken based on loyalty.

What were the political developments after 1945?

Facts:

- Return to repression;

- 2.5 million in labor camps.

- Events like the Leningrad Affair and Doctors' Plot showed ongoing paranoia.

What did this mean?:

Stalin's postwar USSR remained a police state despite its global victory.

Why did a 'Cold War' develop with the West after 1945?

Facts:

- Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe violated Yalta agreements;

- Stalin demanded security through control.

What did this mean?:

Ideological mistrust and territorial ambition created a new global conflict: the Cold War.

What economic developments took place after 1945?

Facts:

- USSR launched reconstruction through Five Year Plans, gulag labor, and reparations from Germany.

- Agriculture struggled.

What did this mean?:

The economy recovered in industry but remained weak in agriculture, with persistent shortages and repression.

How did the economic developments affect social life after 1945?

Facts:

- Living standards low, consumer goods scarce, rural hardship intensified.

What did this mean?:

Economic progress came at great human cost; peasants were repressed and urban life remained difficult.

How successful were Khrushchev's domestic policies?

Facts:

- Housing construction doubled; 108 million moved into Khrushchyovkas.

- Virgin Lands Campaign (1954) initially increased grain output but later failed.

- Industrial focus shifted to consumer goods.

- 1957: Decentralized economy via 105 Regional Economic Councils.

- 1961: 7-Year Plan aimed to improve living standards.

What did this mean?:

Khrushchev achieved moderate success in improving Soviet living standards and housing but failed in agriculture and overpromised results. His reforms lacked coordination, leading to long-term inefficiencies.

What was the significance of the secret speech?

Facts:

• Delivered in 1956 at 20th Party Congress.

• Denounced Stalin's cult of personality and mass purges.

• Shocked party members and the global communist movement.

What did this mean?:

The speech destabilized Stalinist legitimacy, encouraged reform movements (like Hungary 1956), and triggered de-Stalinization, but also undermined Soviet unity, especially in Eastern Europe.

What were the aims, factors and results of the Agricultural and Industrial reforms of the 1950's and did they improve the soviet Economy?

Facts:

• Virgin Lands Campaign brought 42 million hectares under cultivation.

• However, by 1963 grain imports were needed due to drought and overuse.

• 7-Year Plan aimed for 40% rise in consumer goods (missed).

• Investment diverted from heavy to light industry.

What did this mean?:

Agricultural reforms were initially successful but unsustainable. Industrial reforms modernized production but lacked coordination. The economy grew (5.8% per year 1950-58) but slowed by 1963.

What did Khrushchev implement socially and did they improove soviet society?

Facts:

• Schooling expanded, hours cut to 6 days/week.

• Art and culture liberalized briefly ("The Thaw").

• Religion repressed: ~10,000 churches closed.

• Censorship relaxed but returned after 1962.

What did this mean?:

There were real improvements in education and urban housing, but inconsistent cultural freedoms and repression persisted, especially toward religion. Khrushchev's social liberalism was limited and temporary.

To what extent did he carry out his policy of 'peaceful co-existence' with the West?

Facts:

• Geneva Summit (1955): Thawed relations with Eisenhower.

• 1959: Visited the USA.

• 1960: U-2 Crisis soured relations.

• 1962: Cuban Missile Crisis nearly caused nuclear war.

• Supported nuclear arms reduction → 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty.

What did this mean?:

Khrushchev promoted peaceful co-existence but acted aggressively at times. His diplomacy achieved some success, but contradictions (e.g., Berlin Wall, Cuba) meant co-existence remained fragile.

Why was Khrushchev removed from office?

Facts:

• Failed Virgin Lands Campaign.

• Humiliation after Cuban Missile Crisis.

• Party felt reforms were erratic.

• Removed by Politburo vote in October 1964.

What did this mean?:

Khrushchev was ousted for policy failures, unstable leadership, and alienating the bureaucracy. His removal marked a return to collective leadership and slower reform under Brezhnev.

Compare and contrast Khrushchev´s and Brezhnev´s domestic polices

Facts:

• Khrushchev focused on reform and decentralization; Brezhnev returned to central control.

• Brezhnev emphasized stability: "No experiments."

• Brezhnev reversed many of Khrushchev's policies (e.g., education reform, agriculture).

• Housing continued, but social stagnation increased.

What did this mean?:

Khrushchev tried to transform the USSR, but Brezhnev aimed to preserve it. Brezhnev's stability came at the cost of innovation and long-term economic sustainability.

Compare and contrast Khrushchev´s and Brezhnev´s foreign polices, were they sucessful?

Facts:

• Khrushchev pushed for nuclear diplomacy, supported revolutions (Cuba, Vietnam).

• Brezhnev asserted Soviet power via Brezhnev Doctrine (Czechoslovakia 1968).

• Brezhnev negotiated Détente and SALT I (1972), but invaded Afghanistan (1979).

What did this mean?:

Khrushchev aimed for coexistence with confrontation, Brezhnev for coexistence with control. Both had mixed success — progress in arms control was undercut by military interventions.

How did Brezhnev's policies affect the soviet economy? Why did that happen?

Facts:

• Economic growth slowed to 2% in the 1970s.

• Heavy subsidies, lack of innovation.

• Black market flourished; consumer goods scarce.

• Military spending ~15-17% of GDP.

What did this mean?:

Brezhnev's emphasis on stability over reform led to stagnation. The economy was inefficient, corrupt, and overly dependent on oil exports.

What were the positives and negatives of Brezhnev social policies? Were they successful?

Facts:

• Standard of living rose modestly.

• Housing improved.

• Education expanded, but ideological control tightened.

• Alcoholism and absenteeism rose.

What did this mean?:

While Brezhnev maintained social calm, his era became known for "social contract" stagnation — minimal freedoms in exchange for basic welfare.

What were perestroika and glasnost and how did Gorbachev implement them in the Soviet system? How successful were they?

Facts:

• Perestroika: restructuring economy — introduced private ownership, cooperatives.

• Glasnost: openness — allowed free speech, media, criticism of the past.

• Reform began ~1985; major laws passed in 1987-88.

What did this mean?:

The reforms unleashed massive expectations, exposed state failures, and destabilized the USSR. They encouraged nationalism and reform movements across the Soviet bloc, leading to collapse by 1991.

What were Gorbachev's economical policies and did they have a significant impact on the Soviet economy?

Facts:

• State subsidies reduced.

• Law on Cooperatives (1988): legalized private business.

• 1990: 20% GDP in private hands.

• Budget deficit = 14% of GDP by 1990.

What did this mean?:

Gorbachev's reforms lacked coordination (GIPE) . He angered conservatives and disappointed reformers, failing to stabilize the economy or maintain control.

What challenges did Soviet society face?

Facts:

• Nationalism surged in Baltic States, Caucasus.

• Chronic shortages of goods.

• Decline in living standards.

• 1989: 40% of urban housing lacked hot water.

What did this mean?:

As reforms exposed inefficiencies, public trust collapsed, and ethnic tensions surged, destabilizing the USSR from within.

How did Yeltsin's policies lead to the breakdown of the Soviet Union?

Facts:

• Elected President of RSFSR (1991).

• Supported nationalist movements.

• Opposed August 1991 coup; declared Russian independence.

• Dec 1991: Signed Belavezha Accords with Ukraine & Belarus — dissolved USSR.

What did this mean?:

Yeltsin undermined Gorbachev and used Russian sovereignty to dismantle the union. He became the first President of post-Soviet Russia, but left behind economic chaos and political instability.