social studies unit 5B1

Autocracy

A form of government in which a single ruler has unlimited, total power and authority.

Bolsheviks

A radical Marxist revolutionary group, led by Vladimir Lenin, that favored revolution by a small, committed group. They seized power in the October Revolution of 1917 and later renamed themselves the Communist Party.

Cheka

The Bolshevik political and secret police force organized by Lenin and later known as the OGPU and NKVD under Stalin. It was used to carry out the "Red Terror" and the Great Purge.

Collective Farm (Kolkhoz)

A large, government-owned farm in the Soviet Union created by consolidating millions of privately owned peasant farms. Peasants worked on these farms, producing food for the state.

Command Economy

An economic system in which the government makes all economic decisions, including identifying the country's needs and determining how to fulfill them. This system was implemented by Stalin.

Communist Party

The new name adopted by the Bolshevik Party in March 1918, derived from the writings of Karl Marx. In reality, it held all power in the USSR, establishing a one-party dictatorship.

Duma

Russia's first parliament, created by Czar Nicholas II in 1905 in response to revolution. Its powers were limited, and the Czar dissolved it after only ten weeks, demonstrating his unwillingness to share power.

Five-Year Plans

A series of centralized economic plans, introduced by Stalin in 1928, with impossibly high quotas to increase the output of steel, coal, oil, and electricity, aiming for rapid industrialization.

Great Purge

A campaign of terror directed by Stalin from 1934 to 1938 to eliminate anyone who threatened his power, including Old Bolsheviks, army leaders, and other perceived enemies.

Kulaks

A class of prosperous peasants in Russia who owned mid-size farms. They fiercely resisted Stalin's policy of collectivization and were targeted for "liquidation" through execution, imprisonment, or exile.

Marxism

An economic and political philosophy that history is a story of class struggle. It posits that the industrial class of workers (proletariat) would eventually overthrow the capitalist class and establish a classless, communist society.

Mensheviks

A moderate faction of Russian Marxists who wanted a broad base of popular support for a revolution and favored democratic means.

New Economic Policy (NEP)

A policy introduced by Lenin in 1921 as a temporary, small-scale version of capitalism to revive the Soviet economy after the Civil War. It allowed peasants to sell surplus crops and permitted some private enterprise.

Pogroms

Organized violence against Jews, which broke out in many parts of Russia under the czars. Police and soldiers often stood by as Jewish homes, stores, and synagogues were looted and destroyed.

Proletariat

The industrial class of workers. According to Marxist theory, the proletariat would overthrow the czar and form a "dictatorship of the proletariat" to rule the country.

Provisional Government

A temporary government established by the leaders of the Duma after Czar Nicholas II abdicated in March 1917. Headed by Alexander Kerensky, it lost support by deciding to continue fighting in World War I.

Rasputin, Grigori

A self-described "holy man" who gained significant influence over Czarina Alexandra because she believed he could heal her son's hemophilia. His role in political decisions and scandalous reputation helped discredit the monarchy.

Red Army

The army of the Bolsheviks, expertly commanded by Leon Trotsky during the Russian Civil War.

Soviet

Local councils consisting of workers, peasants, and soldiers, formed by socialist revolutionaries. In many cities, soviets held more influence than the Provisional Government.

Stalin, Joseph

A Bolshevik revolutionary who became general secretary of the Communist Party and, after Lenin's death, ruthlessly climbed to become the absolute dictator of the Soviet Union by 1928.

Totalitarianism

A form of government that takes total, centralized state control over every aspect of public and private life, using methods such as police terror, indoctrination, censorship, and persecution.

Trotsky, Leon

A key Bolshevik leader who organized the November 1917 coup and expertly commanded the Red Army during the Civil War. He was Stalin's main rival for power and was eventually forced into exile and assassinated.

War Communism

The Bolshevik policy of strict centralization of the national economy during the Civil War. It involved seizing grain from peasants and nationalizing industries to supply the Red Army, but it proved enormously unpopular and ruined the economy.

White Army

A loosely-allied force of anti-Bolshevik groups who fought the Red Army in the Russian Civil War. It included czarists, democrats, and anti-Lenin socialists, and received aid from several Western nations.