ib history paper 2 stalin

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Authoritarian Rule

A political system where one person or party holds absolute power.

Marxism

The idea that history is a series of class struggles between the oppressors and the oppressed.

War Communism

Lenin's policy of centralized control during the Russian Civil War.

New Economic Policy (NEP)

A policy implemented by Lenin that allowed limited free market activity.

Socialism in One Country

Stalin's concept of focusing on strengthening the Soviet Union before pursuing worldwide revolution.

Collectivization

The forced consolidation of individual farms into collective, government-owned farms.

Kulaks

Wealthier peasants who were targeted during Stalin's collectivization.

Gulags

Forced labor camps in the Soviet Union.

Gosplan

The Soviet economic planning agency.

Purges

A series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin

NKVD

The Soviet secret police under Stalin.

Cult of Personality

Propaganda to create an idealized, heroic public image of a leader.

Komsomol

The Soviet youth movement to groom future Communist Party members.

Treaty of Rapallo (1922)

Treaty between Germany and the USSR that allowed German troops to train in Soviet territory.

Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (1939)

A non-aggression pact between the USSR and Germany, including secret provisions to divide Poland.

Winter War (1939)

War primarily fought to secure Leningrad where the USSR fought and eventually won against finland.

Russian crisis state

came about as the Tsar Nicholas II fell from power in the WWI era. There was an extreme economic deficit, the Russians were starving, and the country didn't have a stable leadership.

democratic centralism

idea created by Lenin that power disseminated from the "top down" and that true democracy lies in party members' obedience to enlightened leadership

general secretary

Most powerful position in the communist party that Stalin ascended to in 1924 and therefore gathered significant amounts of intelligence on party members (Comrade index card)

Politburo

founded in 1917 under Lenin's rule and was fully controlled by him. Under Stalin's rule, he exploited members of the Politburo and many of them were purged

Lenin's testament

written in 1922, was a letter that outlined his wishes for the Communist Party after his death and included warnings about both Stalin and Trotsky rising to power and the dangers that accompanied it. The testament was evidently suppressed by Stalin as it showed him in a bad light and thus foreshadowed his coming to power

Lenin and Stalin Enrolments

Under Lenin's rule, he aimed to increase the number of workers within the Party's ranks. Under Stalin, however, he took advantage of the enrollment and decided to hire specific, skilled workers and industrial managers that supposedly were supposed to tighten the links of the party. But, it ended out being that Stalin had power of the patronage which caused everyone he hired under the enrollment to kiss his ass.

Nomenklatura

Stalin's group of appointed, specifically selected government officials that received extraordinary benefits. It established a loyal base for Stalin as all of the government officials were considerably satisfied and had no reason to object or oppose him

Stalinism/Leninism-Marxism

Term invented by Stalin as a propaganda tool to justify his ideological distortion of Marx and Lenin. it dictated that there was to be only one party to eliminate conflict and called for socialism in one country

collectivization

Stalin's goal to bring peasants under control and raise capital for investment because USSR needed industrial investment and workers-collectivization policies provide both. Theoretically, exploitation of the peasant class would lead to a significant increase in production and would allow for surplus grain to be sold.

de-Kulakization

Ideal established by Stalin that higher-class farmers and officials were hoarding produce and becoming rich at the expense of the poor (peasantry). For these reasons, Stalin disposed of some of the best leaders and farmers throughout the Soviet Union and thus established a state of fear.

Holodomor

man-made famine/genocide within Ukraine that Stalin imposed through unnecessarily high quotas that were impossible to reach. it was part of the first five year plan and essentially forced collectivization on the Ukrainian population

deportation

During Stalin's rule, he utilized the technique of exiling individuals and groups that he deemed threats to his power from the Soviet Union (ethnic minorities and gov. officials). The NKVD was responsible for mass deportations of entire nationalities and Kulaks to unpopulated regions of the country. Allowed Stalin to perpetuate ideologies of a uniform state, ultimately securing his power.

5 Year Plans

Stalin's Gosplan set production quotas within the Soviet industries from 1932 to 1955 (Five 5 year plans). It was Stalin's economic scheme for advancing industrialization and laid down what was to be achieved, but not how-Just assumed it would get done somehow and that quotas would be met for coal, iron, electricity, steel, etc.

Stakhanovite movement

movement instigated by a mine worker during 1932 when work productivity was linked to pay and rations within industry. the movement thus functioned as propaganda for the five year plans as it motivated workers to go above and beyond in their productivity and production within their field.

Show trials

Public trials run by Stalin or those under him, staged trials where the accused would confess to (typically) false crimes usually after being tortured. It was used as a method of intimidation throughout the entirety of Stalin's reigns. They helped Stalin maintain power through fear, with the bonus of eliminating any and all opposition. (examples: Moscow Show Trials and the Shakhty trial)

Shakhty Trial 1928

A group of engineers and factory owners were accused of working with former coal mine owners to deliberately sabotage the Soviet economy. Was first show trial since 1922 and allowed Stalin to undermine the leadership of his opposition and he used this to prove that "class struggle" was intensifying

Ryutin Affair 1932

Ryutin and a few of his colleagues published a pamphlet that essentially criticized Stalin as a leader and pointed out his weaknesses as a last ditch effort to prevent him from rising to power. This convinced Stalin that organized resistance was still possible which heightened his paranoia and instigated a number of purges and executions, especially within the party. Party members were ordered to hand in their cards & those who did not receive their cards back were eliminated from the party.

17th Party Congress 1934

Essentially the last opposition to Stalin within the Party--he received an extremely high amount of negative votes in comparison to Kirov, who only received 3. This indicated that party members favored Kirov, which angered Stalin and led to almost every member of the party being exiled or purged in one way or another. Stalin then imposed democratic centralism on the remaining members and essentially forced them to support him unconditionally. This was a dick move on Stalin's part but was very successful with respect to his attainment of power.

NKVD

Stalin's secret police that was responsible for mass executions and deportations, such as the Gulag, and protection of Soviet borders

Great Terror

Period from 1936 to 1939 that Stalin's purges worsened as he continued to assert that the Soviets were under siege. 3 groups were targeted (Purge of the Party, Armed Forces, and the people). Within the purge of the party there were 3 major show trials (Bukharin, Rykov, Tomsky, Zinoviev, and Kamenev). Within the armed forces, Stalin wanted the military to be subservient to him as he was suspicious that individuals may still be loyal to its original founder-Trotsky. The purge of the people was used to force individuals into complying with the five year plans (total subordination). With this, it is said that each family within the Soviet Union lost at least one member, and approximately 1/8 of the overall population was arrested. Most of Stalin's victims confessed guilt in order to lessen their sentences, which also served as justification for Stalin as these confessions were public and open to all.

Great Retreat

a strategic withdrawal from the gali poland area by the Russian army during September 1915 to prevent an encirclement of the russian troops.

New Family Law 1936

array of restrictions on prior liberalizations on policies in regards to women.

"Housewives Movement"

Stalin's ideal that the sole purpose of a woman was to produce as many children as possible and that her main duty was to her household and her family (and without complaint)--not participation in social or political events. The movement silenced the voice of women, opposite of what Stalin claimed the aim of the movement was. Essentially did nothing for women and bettering their situation and was comprised solely of false hope and empty promises

Socialist Realism

Style of art that Stalin established that was defined as representational work which related directly to the lives of the people (But didn't really)

The Great Patriotic War

silly Russians name for the second world war the occurred in the USSR between 1941-1945.