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| 806203368 | Stalin | A long-time Bolshevik from a working class background who emerged as the leader of the USSR after Lenin's death. This was partly because he was not seen as a threat by the other candidates until too late, partly because he held key positions in the party, partly because he looked like a moderate who supported the NEP and collective leadership, partly because of luck and partly because of political maneuvers like telling Trotsky the wrong date for Lenin's funeral and allying first with Kamenev and Zinoviev to defeat Trotsky, then with Bukharin and Rykov to defeat Kamenev and Zinoviev before finally turning on them as well. | 1 | |
| 806203369 | General Secretary | This was the position held by Stalin from 1922. It looked like a boring administrative position when it was first created. Only later did people realize that it gave him enormous power, especially when he was also the head of the Orgburo from 1919. Stalin was the one who decided what would be discussed at Central Committee meetings. He was also in charge of party membership, so he could admit his own supporters. He could influence which delegates form local party organizations got selected to represent their regions at national organizations, and he decided which party members got which positions in the government. All of these powers helped Stalin to assume the leadership of the USSR. | 2 | |
| 806203370 | Trotsky | One of the contenders for the leadership in 1924. He had been in charge of organizing the October Revolution and commanding The Red Army during the Civil War. Lenin called him the most able member of the Central Committee. On the other hand, he had only joined the Bolsheviks in 1917, he was Jewish and, as the frontrunner, all the other candidates ganged up on him. Also, he was reluctant to engage in political scheming and he was often ill and away from Moscow during the crucial time. | 3 | |
| 806203371 | Permanent Revolution | A policy advocated by Trotsky in the 1920s. He argued that Socialism could only survive in the USSR if it quickly spread to other countries. To many in the USSR, this looked like a recipe for constant war. Stalin's counter-policy was more popular. | 4 | |
| 806203372 | Socialism in One Country | A policy advocated by Stalin to counter Trotsky's policy of "Permanent Revolution". He advocated building up the USSR's economy before worrying about spreading Socialism to other countries. This helped to gain Stalin support in the right wing of the party, because it looked as though Stalin advocated continuing the NEP. | 5 | |
| 806203373 | Lenin's Testament | A letter by Lenin to the Central Committee of the Communist Party. It was started in 1922 after Lenin had had a stroke that left him unable to speak. He added a postscript in January 1923. He called Trotsky and Stalin the most able members of the Central Committee, but said Trotsky had "excessive self-assurance" and that Stalin had concentrated unlimited authority in his hands and might not be "capable of using that authority with sufficient caution. In his postscript, he wrote: "Stalin is too rude and this defect, although quite tolerable in our midst and in dealing among us Communists, becomes intolerable in a Secretary-General. That is why I suggest that the comrades think about a way of removing Stalin from that post...." This letter also criticized Kamenev and Zinoviev, which may explain why they helped persuade the Central Committee not to publish it more widely in 1924. About Bukharin he said: "Bukharin is not only a most valuable and major theorist of the Party; he is also rightly considered the favorite of the whole Party, but his theoretical views can be classified as fully Marxist only with the great reserve, for there is something scholastic about him." | 6 | |
| 806203374 | Zinoviev | One of the contenders for the leadership in 1924. This man was a long time member of the Bolshevik party (he was with Lenin on the train in April 1917. He was the Leningrad Party Secretary, chairman of the Comintern and a member of the Politburo. On the other hand, he had disagreed with Lenin on the October Revolution, he was not great thinker and he was seen as vain, incompetent and cowardly. He was on the left wing of the party, in favour of getting rid of the NEP. He initially allied with Stalin to help outmaneuver Trotsky. Later he allied with Trotsky to protest against Stalin's policies, but only succeeded in getting himself kicked out of the party. He managed to get back in, only to be executed in the first show trial in 1936. | 7 | |
| 806203375 | Kamenev | One of the contenders for the leadership in 1924. This man was a long time member of the Bolshevik party, a member of the Politburo, and the Commissar for Foreign Trade. On the other hand, he had disagreed with Lenin on the April Theses and the October Revolution. He was on the left wing of the party, in favour of getting rid of the NEP. He initially allied with Stalin to help outmaneuver Trotsky. Later he allied with Trotsky to protest against Stalin's policies, but only succeeded in getting himself kicked out of the party. He managed to get back in, only to be executed in the first show trial in 1936. | 8 | |
| 806203376 | Bukharin | One of the younger Bolshevik leaders at the time of Lenin's death, this man was described in Lenin's "testament" as "the biggest and most valuable theoretician in the Party" and "the favourite of the whole party". He was on the right wing of the party, favouring continuing the NEP. He would eventually be executed in a show trial in 1938. He was posthumously rehabilitated after Stalin's death. | 9 | |
| 806203377 | Lenin's Funeral | This occurred in January 1923. Stalin used this event to embarrass Trotsky by telling him that it would take place too soon for Trotsky to be able to travel to Moscow to attend (when in fact the event was a day later than Stalin said and Trotsky should have been there) . He also used this event to set himself up as Lenin's natural successor. He served as a pallbearer and made a long speech that is often called the "Lenin Oath", vowing to continue Lenin's work. | 10 | |
| 806203378 | Kolkhoz | A type of collective farm that consisted of between 50 and 100 households. This type of farm was run by an elected committee. Land and livestock were pooled and peasants farmed collectively, but each family had a private plot of up to one acre on which they could grow vegetables and keep a cow, a pig and a chicken. This was the most common type of collective farm. There were 250,000 of these by 1937. The private plots provided 52% of Russia's vegetables, 57% of Russia's fruit, 70% of Russia's meat and 71 % of Russia's milk. | 11 | |
| 806203379 | Sovkhoz | A type of collective farm in which the land was owned and run by the state. The farm was run by a state-appointed manager and the peasants worked as employees for fixed wages. Originally the government wanted most of the peasants on this type of farm, but the peasants preferred the kolkhoz. | 12 | |
| 806203380 | Toz | A type of collective farm where peasants owned land individually but shared machinery and cooperated in activities like sowing and harvesting. This type of farm was reasonably common before 1930, but few farms of this type survived collectivization. | 13 | |
| 806203381 | OGPU | The secret police from 1922 until 1934. (The Cheka acquired a bad reputation in the Civil War, so the organization was renamed in 1922.) This organization was important for carrying out collectivization, dekulakization and grain seizures during the famine of 1932-3. | 14 | |
| 806203382 | Kulaks | Better-off peasants (officially those who employed other peasants to work for them, but this was a loose definition). They could be expected to oppose collectivization. They were used as scapegoats to help unite the poorer peasants behind collectivization. Also, by confiscating their farms the government got he start-up land and equipment for the collective farms. Finally, fear of receiving the same treatment as the kulaks were receiving "convinced" the rest of the peasants to collectivize. | 15 | |
| 806203383 | Dekulakization | This term refers to the campaign to eradicate the class of better-off peasants as part of the drive to collectivize Russia. This often involved shooting the adult males. Others were sentenced to prison camps. In most cases, whole families were deported to Siberia. About 10 million people were deported to Siberia as a result of this campaign. | 16 | |
| 806203384 | Famine of 1932-3 | This was a direct short-term result of collectivization. The government took more grain from the countryside to feed the cities and to export, even though grain production had dropped because of the disruption caused by collectivization. About 13 million peasants died. | 17 | |
| 806203385 | Production of grain during and after collectivization | The government hoped this would increase as a result of efficiencies and mechanization. However, it dropped initially. By 1940 it had increased beyond 1928 levels, but it still lagged behind countries with capitalistic farming practices. 1928: 73.3 million tonnes 1929: 71.7 million tonnes 1930: 83.5 million tonnes 1931: 69.5 million tonnes 1932: 69.6 million tonnes 1933: 68.4 million tonnes 1934: 67.6 million tonnes 1935: 75 million tonnes 1940: 95 million tonnes | 18 | |
| 806203386 | Procurement of grain during and after collectivization | This refers to the grain the government was able to take to feed the cities and to export. It increased as a result of collectivization, providing adequate food for the industrial workforce and food to export to raise money to buy machinery. 1928: 10.8 million tonnes 1929: 16.1 million tonnes 1930: 22.1 million tonnes 1931: 22.8 million tonnes 1932: 18.5 million tonnes 1933: 22.6 million tonnes | 19 | |
| 806203387 | Gosplan | This was the name of the state planning agency, in charge of setting targets and allocating resources for the five year plans. | 20 | |
| 806203388 | First Five Year Plan | This was a plan to industrialize Russia rapidly. It lasted from 1928-1932 (It was declared completed a year ahead of schedule.) this plan emphasized heavy industries (the industries needed to provide fuel and raw materials for other industries). Although the targets were not met (they were ridiculously ambitious), coal and iron production both almost doubled, electricity nearly tripled, 1500 new industrial plants were built and more than 100 new towns sprang up. | 21 | |
| 806203389 | Second Five Year Plan | This was a plan to industrialize Russia rapidly. It lasted from 1933-1937. This plan emphasized heavy industries (the industries needed to provide fuel and raw materials for other industries) but also some secondary industries such as metallurgy. Transportation and communication improvements were also an important part of this plan. The targets were generally a bit less ambitious than the first plan. Again, not many of the targets were actually achieved, but there was impressive growth in all targeted areas. 4,500 new enterprises opened. Coal and iron production doubled and steel production more than tripled. | 22 | |
| 806203390 | Third Five Year Plan | This was a plan to industrialize Russia rapidly. It lasted from 1937-1941 (It was interrupted by the Second World War.) This plan ended up emphasizing the production of armaments as the international situation got more threatening. Oil production targets were not met, leading to a fuel shortage. This plan also suffered from the loss of qualified personnel during the purges. Nevertheless, growth continues in most sectors of the economy. | 23 | |
| 806203391 | Dnieper Dam | A huge hydroelectric project begun during the first five year plan. It was the largest hydroelectric project in Europe when it came online in 1932. It was built under the supervision of an American specialist, which demonstrates Stalin's willingness to employ outside expertise to serve the needs of industrialization. | 24 | |
| 806203392 | Moscow-Volga Canal | A canal linking Moscow to the Volga River (which in turn links it to the Black sea, the Baltic sea, and the Caspian sea.) It also provides about half of Moscow's water supply. It was dug during the second five year plan 1932-7. Most of the workers were gulag prisoners. | 25 | |
| 806203393 | Managers | Under the five year plans, these individuals were appointed to run the various state run enterprises and factories (although it ran counter to the workers' control which many workers expected from Communism). Those who met their targets were rewarded with perks like better housing and cars. However, they frequently got blamed when targets were not met (whether or not it was reasonable to blame them). | 26 | |
| 806203394 | Wreckers and Saboteurs | These were standard terms for the people who got the blame whenever enterprises failed to meet their targets under the five year plans. When this happened, workers were routinely rounded up almost at random, given show trials and either executed of deported to forced labour camps. As a result, everyone covered up mistakes and reported inflated production figures. | 27 | |
| 806203395 | Shakhty Trial | A show trial in the Donbass coal mining region in 1928. When the mines fell behind on their target, 53 engineers were accused of conspiracy to wreck the coal mining industry. 5 of them were executed and the rest imprisoned. This was the first of many show trials directed at "wreckers and saboteurs" when enterprise failed to meet their targets under the five year plans. | 28 | |
| 806203396 | Stakhanov | A coal miner who managed to mine 102 tonnes of coal in a single shift - 14 times the expected amount. This feat was publicized in newspapers and posters. He was rewarded with perks like better housing, free holidays and cash bonuses. Other workers were encouraged to follow his example. (Actually, the extraordinary amount the man managed to mine was partly because he was provided with extra helpers to help move the coal that had already been mined out of the way and shore up the tunnel so he could mine more.) | 29 | |
| 806203397 | 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. | 30 | |
| 806203398 | Forced Labour | A lot of the hardest work in the industrialization campaign was done by this method. Prisoners sent to gulags were used to build dams and canals, mines, etc. They did not have to be paid. They were motivated by fear of physical punishment or being deprived of food. These workers' fate also helped convince the other workers to work harder. | 31 | |
| 806203399 | Magnitogorsk | A new city built near huge iron ore deposits in the Ural mountains. It was built during the first Five Year Plan and it became a huge centre for iron and steel. On the other hand, working and living conditions for the workers were appalling, at least in the early years. | 32 | |
| 806203400 | Great Purges | Mass arrests and of millions of Soviet citizens between 1934 and 1938. Some were shot and others sent to labour camps. This created a large pool of forced labourers to help with industrialization. It also created an atmosphere of fear and fanatical loyalty to Stalin. | 33 | |
| 806203401 | Kirov | A leading Communist and a good friend of Stalin. He was appointed to the Politburo in 1930. In 1932, he argued against executing party members who had called for Trotsky to be reinstated. At the 17th Party Congress in 1934, he argued that the government should release people who had been imprisoned for opposing collectivization and the Five Year Plans. He was approached by party members who wanted him to replace Stalin - he refused. In the elections to the Central Committee only 3 people voted against him, the fewest of any candidate, whereas Stalin got 292 negative votes, the most of any candidate. He was assassinated in suspicious circumstances a few months later. Stalin responded to his death by accusing thousands of Party members of conspiring to assassinate him. This was the beginning of the Great Purges and the show trials. | 34 | |
| 806203402 | Show Trials | This refers to three trials of top Bolshevik leaders accused of crimes against the USSR. They were broadcast to the world on the radio and were also filmed. The leaders confessed to a variety of terrible crimes and were all found guilty and almost all sentenced to be shot. First: 1936 - Zinoviev, Kamenev and 14 others. Second: 1937 - 17 leaders Third: 1938: Bukharin, Rykov, Yagoda and 18 others. | 35 | |
| 806203403 | NKVD | Literally the "People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs", this was the name of the USSR Secret Police between 1934 and 1946. This organization was able to operate independently of judicial control, often imprisoning, torturing and executing people without any trail. It was the organization responsible for carrying out the great terror and the purges and running the gulags. | 36 | |
| 806203404 | Tukhachevsky | A Soviet Field Marshall and "Hero of the Civil War" who had had serious disagreements with Stalin during the Civil War. In 1937 he and seven other generals were executed. This marked the beginning of the Purge of the Armed Forces. | 37 | |
| 806203405 | Purge of the Armed Forces | This took place in 1937-38. Most of the top officers of the army and navy were either imprisoned or shot, including three of the five Field Marshalls, 90% of the Generals and eight of the nine Admirals. This ensured that the army could not form an effective opposition to Stalin, but it also weakened the army at a crucial period in the lead-up to World War II. This perceived weakness of the Soviet army may have encouraged Hitler to attack in 1941 | 38 | |
| 806203406 | Gulags | These were labour camps established all over the USSR in the late 1920s. Between 1929 and 1953 about 14 million people passed through these. Many of the prisoners died either during their sentences or shortly after being released. These camps held those accused of being Kulaks, "wreckers and saboteurs", petty criminals, political prisoners and those convicted of serious criminal offenses. | 39 | |
| 806203407 | Yagoda | Head of the NKVD from 1934-1936. He was arrested in 1937. In 1938 he was one of the defendants in the third show trial. He was executed for various trumped up crimes against the state. The real reason for his execution seems to have been that he was not ruthless enough about arresting Stalin's targets. For instance, he released evidence from interrogations that suggested some of the accused might be innocent and he expressed sympathy for Bukharin. | 40 | |
| 806203408 | Yezhov | Head of the NKVD from 1936-1938. He was known as the "bloody dwarf". One old Communist once said of him "In the whole of my long life I have never seen a more repellant personality". During his administration of the NKVD, the purges accelerated dramatically and quotas were given to administrators of districts. The quotas even specified that 28 % of those arrested were to be show and the rest sentenced to ten years in the gulags. He also presided over the purge of the armed forces. In 1938, Stalin blamed this man for purging excessive numbers of people, he lost his post in 1938 and was shot in 1940. | 41 | |
| 806203409 | Beria | This man was head of the NKVD from 1938 to 1953. He presided over the winding down of the purges and the purge of the NKVD (who were blamed for the excesses of the purges.) He became one of Stalin's most important lieutenants. In 1953 it appeared that Stalin was preparing to move against him as he had against so many others, and there is some evidence to suggest that this man may have poisoned Stalin to save himself. After Stalin's death he was briefly part of a team of three leaders running the USSR, but was quickly arrested and executed by political rivals in 1953. | 42 | |
| 806203410 | Article 58 | A clause added to the USSR's penal code in 1928 that allowed for the arrest of people accused of counter-revolutionary or anti-Soviet activity. The phrasing of the clause was so vague that almost anyone could be arrested for violating it. Many political prisoners during the purges were convicted of crimes under this clause. | 43 | |
| 806203411 | Socialist Realism | A type of art which all Soviet artists were forced to produce during Stalin's rule. This type of art had to be easily understood (not impressionistic or avant-garde) and had to glorify Socialism and the role of the workers. | 44 | |
| 806203412 | Short History of the USSR | A school history text book produced under Stalin's regime. This emphasized Stalin's role in the revolution and removed figures like Trotsky altogether. In this way, education and History itself were used to serve the cult of Stalin. | 45 | |
| 806203413 | Orthodox Church | This had been the official religion of Russia under the Tsars. Under both Lenin and Stalin, it was suppressed, with persecutions accelerating under Stalin. Most of its bishops were arrested during the purges and spreading religious ideas was illegal. During the war, the bishops were released and churches were reopened to help keep up morale. | 46 | |
| 806203414 | Blitzkrieg | "Lightning War" A tactic used by the Germans in the early part of World War II, featuring surprise attack, use of tanks and motorized infantry to break through and advance quickly, before the defenders have time to react, use of paratroopers behind enemy lines to capture key bridges and telegraph stations, disrupt enemy communications and cause chaos. and use of air raids to knock out enemy air fields while the 'planes are still on the ground and cause chaos and confusion by attacking other targets. These tactics allowed the Germans to advance into the USSR rapidly in 1941, but unfortunately for them the USSR is simply too big to be subdued by such tactics. | 47 | |
| 806203415 | Cult of Personality | This term refers to the glorification of a leader as a type of super-being. This was encouraged in the USSR under Stalin by parades, speeches, films, statues, posters, paintings, songs, radio, and even History books. The constant repetition of the same message over and over made it seem true. Even the National Anthem was revised to include Stalin. | 48 | |
| 806203416 | Stalingrad | A battle over a city in the oil-producing region in the Volga valley. It lasted from July 1942 to February 1943. Between July and November, the Germans took most of the city, but failed to completely drive out the Russian defenders. In November, the Russians sent two armies to surround the city. Hitler refused to let the German soldiers withdraw, so they were trapped with dwindling supplies for two months of fighting in the middle of winter. Finally, the 91,000 surviving German soldiers surrendered in 1943. Only 5000 of these prisoners would survive the war. This was the first major defeat for the German army and marked the turning point of the war on the eastern front. | 49 | |
| 806203417 | Kursk | The last major German offensive on the Eastern front, this took place in July and August of 1943. It is the largest tank battle in history. After initial advances, the Germans were driven back. They lost more tanks than could be replaced by German production. From that point onward, the Germans were in full retreat in the Eastern front. | 50 | |
| 806203418 | Nazi-Soviet Pact | An agreement between Germany and the USSR in 1939, which involved them dividing Poland between them and dividing Europe into "spheres of influence". Both also pledged to remain neutral if the other got involved in a war. This agreement made it possible for Hitler to invade Poland in 1939, which in turn prompted France, Britain, and most importantly Canada to declare war on Germany. It also seems to have convince Stalin that Hitler would not attack the USSR, which resulted in his being taken by surprise in 1941. | 51 | |
| 806203419 | Weather | This more than any other factor helped to halt the German advance in 1941. In October, heavy rains turned the unpaved Russian roads to mud, preventing German vehicles from moving and in November the onset of winter (for which the German were completely unprepared) literally froze the Germans in their tracks as even their fuel didn't work at Russian winter temperatures. | 52 | |
| 806203420 | Partisans | These are militias or bands of fighters which formed in German-occupied USSR. They attempted to harass the German army and its supply lines, as well as attacking Soviet citizens who collaborated with the Germans. German brutality toward the occupied peoples helped to encourage these militias. The Germans tended to respond to attacks by these militias by executing hostages or random civilians, which in turn increased support for these militias. | 53 | |
| 806203421 | Hitler's Mistakes | These helped to ensure that the USSR would survive the German invasion. For instance: 1) The invasion was launched too late in the year, so winter came before the objectives had been taken. 2) He split his force into three parts instead of concentrating on one objective. 3) No provision was made for the winter conditions. 4) Brutality toward the conquered people encouraged partisan activity. 5) He refused to allow the sixth army to fall back before they could be surrounded at Stalingrad in November 1942. This resulted in the loss of this whole army. | 54 | |
| 806203422 | Cold War | This was one result of the war. It was a state of tension between the USA (and allies) and the USSR (and allies) that lasted from 1945 to about 1989. After the end of the war, these two countries were clearly the most powerful in the world. They were known as "superpowers" and each exerted powerful influence on its allies. Both sides built up arms and looked for ways to expand their influence around the world. | 55 | |
| 806203423 | Buffer States | This term refers to the countries that lay between the USSR and Germany. Before World War II they had been neutral or anti-Soviet which had made it easier for Hitler to expand towards the USSR. After the war, Stalin was determined that governments of these supposedly independent countries would be "friendly" to the USSR, so that if the USSR were attacked again these states would help protect the USSR. The USA accepted this in principle, but opposed the policy when it became clear that Stalin was imposing undemocratic Communist regimes in all of these countries. | 56 | |
| 806203424 | Satellite States | This is another result of the war. This term refers to countries like Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, East Germany, Poland and Hungary during the Cold War. In theory, these were independent countries, but in practice they were completely controlled by the USSR. | 57 | |
| 806203425 | Iron Curtain | A phrase coined by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to describe the boundary between US- dominated Western Europe and USSR-controlled Eastern Europe. This division existed from about 1949-1989. Citizens of Eastern European countries were rarely given permission to travel to the West. | 58 | |
| 806203426 | NATO | Literally the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This was formed in 1949 after the USSR had made an attempt to force the USA, France and Britain out of Berlin. It was an alliance of Western European and North American states *dominated by the USA) aimed at defending against further Soviet expansion. In 1955, West Germany joined this alliance. | 59 | |
| 806203427 | Warsaw Pact | An alliance of Eastern European states (dominated by the USSR) dedicated to defending the territory against attack from the West. It was also dedicated to maintaining Socialism in its member states. It was formed in 1955 after West Germany joined NATO. | 60 | |
| 806203428 | Tartars | One example of an ethnic group that welcomed the German invasion of the USSR. When the USSR retook the area, they deported this whole group to Siberia en masse. They did the same to several other ethnic groups considered potentially disloyal. | 61 | |
| 806203429 | Scorched Earth Policy | The policy adopted by the USSR as they retreated before the German advance in 1941. They tried to destroy everything as they retreated in order to leave the Germans with nothing to live on. The Germans followed a similar policy in 1943-44 as they retreated. This was devastating for the civilians in the path of the fighting. | 62 | |
| 806203430 | Jews | During the war, leaders of this ethnic group were encouraged to help the USSR form ties with the USA. Immediately after the war they were systematically persecuted, and the ties they had made with foreigners were used as evidence that they were not fully loyal to the USSR. | 63 | |
| 806203431 | Fourth Five-Year Plan | This economic plan ran from 1946-50. It focused on rebuilding agriculture and heavy industry, but also managed to rehouse 2.5 million people who had been made homeless by the war. Stalin claimed that it had exceeded its targets in 1950 and that production levels had reached the level of 1940. This wasn't true, but the plan was definitely a success. | 64 | |
| 806203432 | Fifth Five-Year Plan | This economic plan ran from 1951-55. It was modestly successful, but it suffered because a lot of funds were devoted to the defense industry as the Cold War got going. Also, too much effort was put into showy building projects. | 65 | |
| 806203433 | Professor Vinogradov | Stalin's personal physician, who was arrested in 1952 for suggesting that Stalin take it easy. This shows that repression continued after the war. It also backfired on Stalin, because he had no personal physician on hand when he had a fatal stroke in 1953. | 66 | |
| 806203434 | Effects of the Second World War on Stalin | Both of the leader of the USSR and the Communist party gained tremendous prestige from the victory in the war. | 67 | |
| 806203435 | Effects of the Second World War on the army | During the war, these men had tremendous power and prestige and direct access to Stalin. Immediately after the war, they were demoted and sidelined to prevent their becoming a threat to Stalin. The political commissars in the army, who had lost power during the war, were restored to the powers they had had before the war - any commands by military officers had to be approved by these commissars. | 68 | |
| 806203436 | Effects of the Second World War on Industry | 25% of Russia's factories and transport facilities were lost - more in the areas directly affected by the war. By 1942 80% of Russia's industry was devoted solely to the war effort. Russia's wartime production was very impressive, but it diverted massive amounts of resources from other industries. | 69 | |
| 806203437 | Effects of the Second World War on Agriculture | 102,000 collective farms were destroyed, along with 17 million cattle. Crops, equipment and infrastructure were destroyed by the retreating Germans. Also, there was a shortage of male agricultural workers. In many places, after collective farms were destroyed, individual peasants just took the land and began farming privately. Even in 1950 after massive rebuilding efforts almost half of agricultural production came from private farming, either on plots in Kolkhozs or from entire private farms. | 70 | |
| 806203438 | Stavka | The special Soviet High Command, which was set up in 1941 to oversee all military operations. It was modeled on the command structure in Tsarist Russia. Stalin was the chair, and leading ministers, Generals and Admirals made up the members. During the war, these men wielded an enormous amount of power and influence due to their access to Stalin and his need for their advice. After the war, he disbanded this body and demoted many of the generals. | 71 | |
| 806203439 | GKO | The State Committee of Defence, which was set up in 1941 to oversee the Russian war effort, including the political end economic aspects of the war. Its members were high-ranking ministers and party members. During the war they wielded a lot of power, much of which they lost when Stalin disbanded this body at the end of the war. | 72 | |
| 806203440 | Zhadovshchina | A period of repression and purges between 1946 and 1948. Many leading party and administrative officials were purged. | 73 | |
| 806203441 | Leningrad Affair | A purge of over 1000 leading party officials and administrators from Leningrad were arrested in July of 1949 and many were executed. This was done partly because Tito (communist ruler of Yugoslavia who had just fallen out with Stalin) had visited Leningrad and partly because they had been trying to act independently of direction from Moscow. | 74 | |
| 806203442 | Mingrelian Case | In this 1951 purge, Georgian communists were accused of encouraging Mingrelian tribesmen to break away from the USSR. This was probably a made-up charge aimed at reducing Beria's power, because Beria was from there. Many leading Georgian communists were purged. | 75 |
