Russia: Revolution and Stalinism Flashcards

Analyse revolution and dictatorship in Soviet Russia. (183 cards)

1
Q

What was the main weakness of Tsar Nicholas II’s political authority by early 1917?

A

Loss of confidence

Military failure, poor leadership and growing unrest badly weakened respect for the Tsar.

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2
Q

What impact did the First World War have on Russia by February/March 1917?

A

War brought huge casualties, supply failures, inflation, and pressure on transport and food supplies.

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3
Q

Which social group in Petrograd was especially important in starting the February/March Revolution?

A

Workers

Strikes and demonstrations in the capital helped turn unrest into revolution.

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4
Q

Which issue in the cities was a major trigger of unrest in early 1917?

A

Food shortages

Bread queues and rising prices fed anger against the regime.

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5
Q

What was the main mood among many Russians towards the Tsar by early 1917?

A

Discontent

The regime faced criticism from workers, peasants, liberals and many in the elite.

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6
Q

Fill in the blank:

In February/March 1917, Russia’s problems were made worse by the demands of _____

A

war

The war intensified economic breakdown and political instability.

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7
Q

What event began the February/March Revolution in Petrograd?

A

Strikes and protests

Demonstrations over bread shortages and working conditions escalated quickly.

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8
Q

Which troops became crucial when the revolution spread in Petrograd?

A

Garrison soldiers

Their refusal to suppress protest and later support for revolt doomed the regime.

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9
Q

What happened to Nicholas II in March 1917?

A

Abdication

He gave up the throne, ending Romanov rule.

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10
Q

Which new body claimed formal governmental authority after the Tsar’s abdication?

A

Provisional Government

It was formed mainly by members of the Duma and liberal politicians.

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11
Q

Which workers’ body emerged as a rival centre of power in Petrograd in 1917?

A

Petrograd Soviet

It claimed to represent workers and soldiers and limited the Provisional Government’s freedom.

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12
Q

What term describes the sharing of power between the Provisional Government and Petrograd Soviet?

A

Dual authority

Neither body had complete control, creating instability.

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13
Q

True or False:

After the Tsar abdicated, the Provisional Government exercised full and uncontested power.

A

False

Its authority was constantly checked by the Petrograd Soviet and wider unrest.

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14
Q

Which Bolshevik leader returned to Russia in April 1917?

A

Lenin

His return transformed Bolshevik strategy and leadership.

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15
Q

What document set out Lenin’s radical programme after his return in 1917?

A

April Theses

Lenin rejected support for the Provisional Government and called for all power to the Soviets.

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16
Q

Fill in the blank:

Lenin’s April slogan demanded ‘Peace, Land and _____’

A

Bread

The slogan linked war weariness, peasant demands and urban hardship.

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17
Q

What did Lenin demand in relation to the Provisional Government in the April Theses?

A

He argued that the government served bourgeois interests and should not be backed.

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18
Q

Which month saw an unsuccessful rising by workers and soldiers that embarrassed the Bolsheviks?

A

July

The July Days damaged Bolshevik standing for a time.

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19
Q

What were the July Days?

A

Disorder in Petrograd by workers and soldiers was associated with the Bolsheviks.

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20
Q

Which general’s attempted move against Petrograd in August 1917 strengthened the Bolsheviks?

A

Kornilov

The affair discredited the Provisional Government and increased Bolshevik influence.

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21
Q

How did the Kornilov affair help the Bolsheviks?

A

Boosted support

They appeared as defenders of the revolution and gained arms and prestige.

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22
Q

Which key Bolshevik figure organised resistance in Petrograd during the Kornilov affair?

A

Trotsky

His role increased his standing within the party and the Soviet.

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23
Q

Which body of Bolshevik leaders debated whether to seize power in autumn 1917?

A

Central Committee

Lenin pressed it to back an armed uprising.

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24
Q

True or False:

Lenin always found it easy to persuade Bolshevik leaders to support an immediate seizure of power.

A

False

Some senior Bolsheviks were cautious and doubted the timing.

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25
What was the main aim of the **October/November Revolution**?
The **Bolsheviks** aimed to overthrow the **Provisional Government** and rule in the name of the Soviets.
26
Which **city** was the centre of the **October/November Revolution**?
Petrograd ## Footnote The capital was where the Bolsheviks concentrated their forces.
27
Which **Bolshevik-led body** directed the military side of the **October rising**?
Military Revolutionary Committee ## Footnote It coordinated Red Guard and garrison action in Petrograd.
28
Which **government building** was famously stormed during the **October/November Revolution**?
Winter Palace ## Footnote It symbolised the fall of the Provisional Government.
29
Who headed the **Provisional Government** at the time of the **October/November Revolution**?
Kerensky ## Footnote He failed to rally enough support to save the government.
30
What new **government** did the **Bolsheviks** establish after taking power?
Sovnarkom ## Footnote The Council of People's Commissars became the Bolshevik government.
31
Which early **Bolshevik decree** called for negotiations to end the war?
Decree on Peace ## Footnote It reflected popular war weariness and Bolshevik promises.
32
Which early **Bolshevik decree** confirmed peasant seizures of landed estates?
Decree on Land ## Footnote It helped win support in the countryside, though Bolsheviks had not originally championed peasant land hunger in this form.
33
# Fill in the blank: The **Bolshevik government** established after October 1917 was called _\_\_\_\_
Sovnarkom ## Footnote It was dominated by Bolsheviks and ruled by decree.
34
What happened to **Russia's political system** as the **Bolsheviks** consolidated power after 1917?
One-party rule ## Footnote Opposition parties were sidelined, suppressed or banned.
35
Which elected **assembly** was dispersed by the **Bolsheviks** in January 1918?
Constituent Assembly ## Footnote Its closure showed the Bolsheviks would not accept democratic outcomes against them.
36
# True or False: The **Bolsheviks** accepted the authority of the **Constituent Assembly** when it met.
False ## Footnote They closed it when it failed to produce a Bolshevik majority.
37
Which **treaty** ended Russia's involvement in the **First World War** in 1918?
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk ## Footnote Russia gave up vast territories to secure peace with Germany.
38
Why was **Brest-Litovsk** controversial for the **Bolsheviks**?
Many saw the **territorial concessions** as **humiliating** and damaging.
39
What was the main cause of the **Russian Civil War**?
Bolshevik seizure of power ## Footnote Opposition groups rejected Bolshevik rule and conflict widened after 1917.
40
What name is given to the **anti-Bolshevik forces** in the **Civil War**?
Whites ## Footnote They were divided in aims, leadership and geography.
41
Which **Bolshevik leader** was most closely associated with organising the **Red Army**?
Trotsky ## Footnote He imposed discipline, used former Tsarist officers and travelled to fronts in his armoured train.
42
What happened to the former **Tsar** and his family in 1918?
They were **executed** by the **Bolsheviks** at Ekaterinburg.
43
Give one reason for **Red victory** in the **Civil War**.
White disunity ## Footnote Other reasons included better leadership, central position, discipline and control of key resources.
44
How did **geography** help the **Reds** in the **Civil War**?
Central position ## Footnote They controlled key cities and transport links, making coordination easier than for the Whites.
45
What wartime **economic system** did the **Bolsheviks** use during the **Civil War**?
War Communism ## Footnote It involved grain requisitioning, central control and harsh discipline.
46
What was the main purpose of **war communism**?
Sustain war effort ## Footnote It aimed to feed the towns and army and keep the Reds fighting.
47
What was **state capitalism** in the early **Bolshevik period**?
Limited mixed control ## Footnote The state controlled major sectors while some private activity still survived before full war communism.
48
What happened to conditions in many **Russian cities** during the **Civil War**?
Severe hardship ## Footnote Food shortages, disease, hunger and population decline were common.
49
What was the effect of **war communism** on the **countryside**?
Peasant resentment ## Footnote Requisitioning provoked anger, hoarding and resistance.
50
What term is used for **Bolshevik repression** of enemies and suspected opponents during the **Civil War**?
Red Terror ## Footnote The Cheka used arrest, imprisonment and execution to crush opposition.
51
Which **secret police force** carried out much of the **Red Terror**?
Cheka ## Footnote It became a key tool of Bolshevik coercion.
52
Which major **peasant rising** of 1920–1921 showed rural opposition to **Bolshevik rule**?
Tambov revolt ## Footnote It was a serious and violent challenge in the countryside.
53
Which 1921 revolt by **sailors** shocked the **Bolsheviks** because it came from former supporters?
Kronstadt rising ## Footnote Lenin saw it as a warning that policy had to change.
54
# True or False: The **Kronstadt rising** convinced **Lenin** to intensify **war communism** permanently.
False ## Footnote It helped persuade him to retreat from war communism and introduce the NEP.
55
What **economic policy** replaced **war communism** in 1921?
NEP ## Footnote The New Economic Policy restored some market mechanisms to revive the economy.
56
# Fill in the blank: **NEP** stands for New Economic _\_\_\_\_
Policy ## Footnote It represented a tactical retreat from the full controls of war communism.
57
What change did the **NEP** make to **peasant grain policy**?
Tax in kind ## Footnote Peasants no longer faced unlimited requisitioning and could sell surpluses after tax.
58
What was the political impact of the **NEP**?
Stronger Bolshevik rule ## Footnote Economic relaxation was not matched by political freedom; dictatorship remained.
59
Which **foreign powers** intervened in **Russia** during the **Civil War**?
Allied powers ## Footnote Britain, France, the USA and Japan were among those involved to varying degrees.
60
Why did **foreign intervention** fail to defeat the **Bolsheviks**?
Limited commitment ## Footnote The intervention was fragmented, hesitant and unpopular at home.
61
What was **Comintern**?
Communist International ## Footnote It aimed to spread world revolution under Bolshevik leadership.
62
Which **war** of 1919–1921 ended with **Soviet failure** to spread revolution westwards?
Russo-Polish War ## Footnote The conflict showed the limits of immediate revolutionary expansion.
63
Which **agreement** improved **Soviet relations** with **Germany**?
Rapallo Treaty ## Footnote It ended diplomatic isolation and opened economic and military cooperation.
64
What was the significance of the **Zinoviev Letter** in 1924?
Anti-Soviet backlash ## Footnote Its publication damaged Labour and worsened suspicion of Soviet intentions in Britain.
65
What was **Lenin's style of rule** by 1924?
Party dictatorship ## Footnote Power was concentrated in the Communist Party, enforced by censorship and coercion.
66
What problem followed **Lenin's death** in 1924?
Power vacuum ## Footnote No clear successor existed, leading to intense rivalry in the leadership.
67
Which **document** contained **Lenin's** critical comments on leading **Bolsheviks**?
Lenin's Testament ## Footnote It was potentially damaging to Stalin but was not widely used against him at the time.
68
Which rival of **Stalin** was most associated with the **Red Army** and **October 1917**?
Trotsky ## Footnote He was brilliant and prominent but politically isolated and often arrogant.
69
Which idea claimed that the **USSR** could build socialism without waiting for revolution abroad?
Socialism in One Country ## Footnote Stalin used this idea to appeal to party members seeking stability and practicality.
70
Which **debate** divided leaders over whether to continue the **NEP** or push industrial growth faster?
Industrialisation debate ## Footnote It was closely linked to arguments about class policy and the future of socialism.
71
Which **Bolshevik leader** was most associated with support for the **NEP** in the mid-1920s?
Bukharin ## Footnote He urged peasants to enrich themselves and backed gradual development for a time.
72
Which two senior **Bolsheviks** first aligned with **Stalin** against **Trotsky**?
Zinoviev and Kamenev ## Footnote They helped isolate Trotsky but were later outmanoeuvred by Stalin.
73
Which later allies of **Stalin** were linked to the party's more moderate **economic line** before 1928?
Bukharin, Rykov and Tomsky ## Footnote Stalin later turned against them when he changed course.
74
# True or False: **Stalin** became leader mainly because he was seen from the start as the most charismatic speaker in the party.
False ## Footnote His strength lay more in organisation, appointments and tactical alliances than personal brilliance.
75
Which **party office** gave **Stalin** important control over appointments and influence?
General Secretary ## Footnote He used the post to build patronage and strengthen his base in the party.
76
How did **Stalin** outmanoeuvre his rivals in the 1920s?
He changed **allies** as needed and presented himself as a practical defender of **party unity**.
77
What happened to **Trotsky** by 1929?
Exiled ## Footnote Stalin had defeated him politically and removed him from the Soviet Union.
78
What term is used for **Stalin's** sharp **policy shift** at the end of the 1920s?
Great Turn ## Footnote It marked the move away from the NEP towards rapid industrialisation and collectivisation.
79
Why did **Stalin** launch the **Great Turn**?
Economic concerns ## Footnote Grain shortages, fears about defence and impatience with NEP limits pushed policy change.
80
# Fill in the blank: **Stalin's** programme for rapid industrial growth began with the first _\_\_\_\_ Plan
Five Year ## Footnote It prioritised heavy industry and state targets.
81
What was the main priority of the first **Five Year Plan**?
Heavy industry ## Footnote Coal, steel, iron and machinery were favoured over consumer goods.
82
What was **collectivisation**?
Merging peasant farms ## Footnote Individual peasant holdings were forced into large collective units under state control.
83
Why did **Stalin** decide to collectivise **agriculture**?
Secure grain supplies ## Footnote Collectivisation aimed to feed towns, support exports and tighten state control over the countryside.
84
What was the beginning of the **Stalinist cult**?
Leader glorification ## Footnote Propaganda increasingly presented Stalin as the indispensable guide of the Soviet people.
85
How did **propaganda** help **Stalin** by 1929?
It promoted his **image**, justified **policy**, and marginalised rivals.
86
Which **country** became an important focus of **Soviet foreign policy debate** in the 1920s because of revolution and nationalism?
China ## Footnote The Soviet leadership argued over how communists should work with nationalist forces there.
87
Which **agreement** reaffirmed **Soviet cooperation** with **Germany**?
Treaty of Berlin ## Footnote It maintained a useful relationship despite Soviet ideological hostility to capitalist states.
88
How did **Comintern policy** begin to change under **Stalin** in the late 1920s?
Tighter control ## Footnote It became more closely aligned with Soviet state interests and Stalin's leadership line.
89
What was **collectivisation** in **Stalin's USSR**?
**Small private holdings** were combined into **large collective units** under state direction.
90
What were **state farms** called in the **Soviet countryside**?
Sovkhozy ## Footnote These were state-owned farms, distinct from collective farms.
91
What were **collective farms** called in the **Soviet countryside**?
Kolkhozy ## Footnote Peasants worked collectively, though small private plots sometimes remained.
92
Was **collectivisation** initially presented as **voluntary** or compulsory?
Voluntary ## Footnote In practice, it soon became heavily forced across much of the countryside.
93
Which **group of peasants** were especially targeted as supposed **class enemies** during **collectivisation**?
Kulaks ## Footnote The regime blamed them for resistance and grain shortages.
94
# Fill in the blank: **Stalin's** assault on better-off peasants was directed against the _\_\_\_\_
Kulaks ## Footnote Dekulakisation involved arrest, deportation and destruction of property.
95
What term is used for **Stalin's campaign** against the **kulaks**?
Dekulakisation ## Footnote It aimed to eliminate them as a class in the countryside.
96
What was one main aim of **collectivisation**?
Secure grain ## Footnote The state wanted dependable supplies for towns and exports.
97
What was another major aim of **collectivisation** besides **grain supply**?
Control countryside ## Footnote It tightened Party control over peasants and reduced independent farming.
98
What was the purpose of **mechanisation** in **Soviet agriculture**?
Increase output ## Footnote Tractors and machinery were meant to modernise farming and raise productivity.
99
Which **centres** supplied machinery such as **tractors** to collective farms?
Machine Tractor Stations ## Footnote They also helped extend state supervision over the countryside.
100
What was one major effect of **collectivisation** on many **peasants**?
**Resistance**, slaughter of livestock, and upheaval damaged **rural life**.
101
What major **disaster** struck parts of the **USSR** between 1932 and 1934?
Famine ## Footnote It caused mass death, especially in grain-producing regions.
102
# True or False: The **famine** of 1932–1934 had little connection to **Stalin's agricultural policies**.
False ## Footnote Grain requisitioning, coercion and collectivisation played a major role in worsening it.
103
Give one reason why **collectivisation** can be seen as a success for **Stalin**.
It gave the **regime** more **authority over agriculture**, despite huge human cost.
104
Give one reason why **collectivisation** can be seen as a failure.
**Agriculture** remained inefficient and the **countryside** suffered badly.
105
Which **state planning body** set industrial targets in **Stalin's USSR**?
Gosplan ## Footnote It coordinated economic plans and output goals.
106
What were the **Five Year Plans** designed to achieve?
Rapid industrialisation ## Footnote They aimed to transform the USSR into a major industrial power.
107
Which **sector** was prioritised most strongly in the first **Five Year Plan**?
Heavy industry ## Footnote Coal, steel, iron and machinery took priority over consumer goods.
108
Which three **Five Year Plans** were underway before the **German invasion** in 1941?
First three plans ## Footnote The third was disrupted by the outbreak of war.
109
What was one major feature of new **industrial centres** under **Stalin**?
Planned expansion ## Footnote Entire regions and cities were developed around major industrial projects.
110
Give one example of a type of flagship **Stalinist industrial project**.
New industrial city ## Footnote Such projects symbolised modernisation and socialist achievement.
111
Why were some **foreign companies** involved in **Soviet industrial development**?
Technical expertise ## Footnote The USSR imported skills, machinery and assistance from abroad.
112
What were **working conditions** like for many **Soviet industrial workers** in the 1930s?
Harsh ## Footnote Long hours, strict discipline and pressure to meet targets were common.
113
What were **living conditions** like in many **Soviet towns** during **industrialisation**?
Overcrowded ## Footnote Housing shortages and poor amenities often accompanied rapid growth.
114
How did **Stalinist industrialisation** affect many **women** in towns and cities?
More employment ## Footnote Women entered the workforce in larger numbers, though inequality persisted.
115
Who were the **Stakhanovites**?
Model workers ## Footnote They were celebrated for supposedly exceptional productivity.
116
What was the purpose of the **Stakhanovite movement**?
Raise effort ## Footnote It used propaganda and incentives to push workers to exceed targets.
117
# True or False: The **Five Year Plans** focused mainly on improving **consumer goods** and comfort.
False ## Footnote Heavy industry and strategic production were prioritised instead.
118
Give one strength of the **Soviet economy** by 1941.
Industrial growth ## Footnote The USSR had greatly expanded heavy industry and defence capacity.
119
Give one weakness of the **Soviet economy** by 1941.
Poor consumer supply ## Footnote Living standards and consumer goods remained weak for many people.
120
What term describes the glorification of **Stalin** through **propaganda** and public image?
Cult of personality ## Footnote Stalin was presented as wise, heroic and indispensable.
121
Which official **artistic style** promoted idealised **Soviet life** under **Stalin**?
Socialist Realism ## Footnote It required optimistic and politically approved portrayals.
122
# Fill in the blank: Stalinist art and literature were expected to follow _\_\_\_\_ Realism
Socialist ## Footnote Art was meant to inspire loyalty and celebrate socialism.
123
How did **literature** and the **arts** contribute to **Stalin's rule**?
Spread propaganda ## Footnote Cultural production was used to praise Stalin and shape values.
124
What was the main purpose of the **Stalin cult**?
Strengthen authority ## Footnote It linked loyalty to the regime with loyalty to Stalin personally.
125
What **organisation** became central to **state terror** under **Stalin**?
NKVD ## Footnote It carried out arrests, surveillance and executions.
126
What does the term **Stalinism** suggest about **Soviet rule** in the 1930s?
Personal dictatorship ## Footnote It implies rule shaped by central control, terror and ideological conformity.
127
What were the early **purges**?
Removal of opponents ## Footnote They targeted suspected critics within the Party and state before the Great Terror peaked.
128
Which murder became the trigger for intensified **repression**?
Kirov's murder ## Footnote Stalin used it as a pretext for broader purges and terror.
129
What were the **show trials**?
Staged prosecutions ## Footnote Prominent Bolsheviks were publicly accused and convicted in scripted trials.
130
# True or False: The **show trials** were genuine and open legal proceedings based on clear evidence.
False ## Footnote Confessions were forced and verdicts were politically arranged.
131
Which **document** appeared to promise **democratic rights** while dictatorship continued in practice?
Stalin Constitution ## Footnote It presented a façade of legality and popular participation.
132
What does **Yezhovshchina** mean?
Period of mass terror ## Footnote It refers to the height of repression under Yezhov in the late 1930s.
133
Who was **Yezhov** in **Stalin's system**?
NKVD chief ## Footnote He oversaw the most intense phase of the Great Terror.
134
What happened to many **ordinary citizens** during the **Yezhovshchina**?
Mass arrests ## Footnote Repression reached far beyond elites into everyday society.
135
How were **national minorities** often treated during the **Great Terror**?
Harsh repression ## Footnote Some groups were deported, targeted or accused of disloyalty.
136
What were the **gulags**?
Labour camps ## Footnote Millions passed through forced labour camps in harsh conditions.
137
# Fill in the blank: Prisoners sentenced to forced labour were often sent to the _\_\_\_\_
Gulags ## Footnote These camps were a central feature of Stalinist repression.
138
Why did the **purges** begin to ease by the late 1930s?
Terror became excessive ## Footnote Administrative disruption, fear and instability made continued mass terror costly.
139
What happened to **Trotsky** in 1940?
Assassinated ## Footnote He was killed in exile, removing Stalin's best-known surviving rival.
140
Who bore the main responsibility for the **Terror**?
Stalin ## Footnote Debate exists over detail, but Stalin drove and approved repression.
141
What was one major impact of the **Terror** on the **Soviet Union**?
Climate of fear ## Footnote It encouraged obedience, silence and distrust across society.
142
How did **Stalin's policies** affect the **church**?
Repression ## Footnote Religion was restricted, persecuted and pushed back by the atheist state.
143
What was the **Stalinist ideal** of the 'socialist man'?
Loyal collective citizen ## Footnote He was expected to be disciplined, productive and ideologically committed.
144
How were **young people** shaped by **Stalinist culture**?
Ideological training ## Footnote Schooling and youth organisations promoted loyalty and conformity.
145
What tension existed between **urban** and **rural life** under **Stalin**?
Uneven change ## Footnote Cities modernised faster, while the countryside often endured harsher disruption.
146
In what way did **Stalin's USSR** resemble **Lenin's USSR**?
One-party state ## Footnote Both systems relied on Communist Party rule and political repression.
147
In what way did **Stalin's USSR** differ from **Lenin's USSR**?
Greater terror ## Footnote Stalin expanded coercion, personal rule and ideological control much further.
148
What happened to **Soviet relations** with **Germany** in the early 1930s?
Some cooperation ## Footnote Despite ideological hostility, practical links and diplomacy continued.
149
Which **international organisation** did the **USSR** join in 1934?
League of Nations ## Footnote Entry reflected a temporary search for collective security.
150
Which two **countries** signed pacts with the **USSR** in 1935?
France and Czechoslovakia ## Footnote These agreements were meant to strengthen resistance to aggression.
151
Why did **Stalin** intervene in the **Spanish Civil War**?
Oppose fascism ## Footnote Soviet aid also aimed to increase influence on the left in Spain.
152
How did **Stalin** react to **Western appeasement** in the late 1930s?
Deep distrust ## Footnote He concluded that Britain and France might direct Hitler eastwards.
153
Why was **Japanese aggression** a concern for **Stalin**?
Eastern threat ## Footnote The USSR feared pressure from both Europe and Asia.
154
Which **agreement** shocked many observers by linking the **USSR** and **Nazi Germany**?
Nazi-Soviet Pact ## Footnote It bought Stalin time but damaged communist credibility abroad.
155
# True or False: The **Nazi-Soviet Pact** meant **Stalin** trusted **Hitler** as a lasting ally.
False ## Footnote Stalin saw it as a temporary arrangement in a dangerous situation.
156
What was one immediate outcome of the **Nazi-Soviet Pact**?
Partition of Poland ## Footnote Secret terms divided spheres of influence in Eastern Europe.
157
What was **Operation Barbarossa**?
German invasion ## Footnote It was the massive Nazi attack on the USSR launched in 1941.
158
# Fill in the blank: The **German invasion** of the **USSR** in 1941 was called Operation _\_\_\_\_
Barbarossa ## Footnote It opened the Eastern Front on an enormous scale.
159
How did **Stalin** initially react to the **German invasion** in 1941?
Shock and recovery ## Footnote The regime reeled at first, then mobilised for total war.
160
What name is often given to the **Soviet struggle** against **Nazi Germany**?
Great Patriotic War ## Footnote The phrase emphasised patriotic defence of the homeland.
161
What happened to many **Soviet civilians** in occupied territory?
Severe suffering ## Footnote Occupation brought brutality, deportation and mass killings.
162
How did the **Soviet state** respond economically to **invasion**?
Evacuated industry ## Footnote Factories were moved east to keep production going.
163
Why was **evacuation of industry** so important in the war?
Preserved production ## Footnote It allowed the USSR to continue making weapons beyond the front.
164
What does **mobilisation** mean in the **Soviet wartime context**?
Total resource use ## Footnote Labour, industry and society were directed towards victory.
165
What kind of **aid** did the **USSR** receive from allies during the war?
Foreign aid ## Footnote External supplies helped support transport, food and war materials.
166
Give one reason for the **Soviet defeat** of **Germany**.
Huge mobilisation ## Footnote Soviet manpower, relocation of industry and resilience were crucial.
167
What was one result of **victory over Germany** for the **USSR**?
Enhanced prestige ## Footnote The USSR emerged stronger internationally despite enormous losses.
168
What major **task** faced the **USSR** after 1945 at home?
Reconstruction ## Footnote War damage to cities, farms and industry was immense.
169
What happened to **agriculture** after the war?
Slow recovery ## Footnote It lagged behind industrial rebuilding and continued to face difficulties.
170
What does **High Stalinism** refer to?
Intensified dictatorship ## Footnote The post-war years saw renewed control, orthodoxy and repression.
171
Who led the **NKVD** during much of the post-war period of renewed **repression**?
Beria ## Footnote He remained a central figure in Stalin's security apparatus.
172
What was **Zhdanovism**?
Cultural control campaign ## Footnote It imposed ideological conformity in literature, music and the arts.
173
What was the purpose of the **cultural purge** after the war?
Enforce orthodoxy ## Footnote Intellectual and artistic life was tightened under Party supervision.
174
How did **Stalin's cult of personality** develop after 1945?
Became stronger ## Footnote Victory in war further elevated his status as supreme leader.
175
What was the **Leningrad Affair**?
Post-war purge ## Footnote Leading figures in Leningrad were accused and eliminated.
176
What was the **Doctors' Plot**?
Fabricated conspiracy ## Footnote Doctors were accused of harming Soviet leaders in a late Stalinist scare.
177
# True or False: **Repression** ended in the **USSR** after victory in 1945.
False ## Footnote Terror and persecution continued in renewed forms after the war.
178
What happened to the **USSR's international status** after 1945?
Became a superpower ## Footnote It emerged as one of the two dominant global powers.
179
What was the **Soviet bloc**?
Allied communist states ## Footnote Eastern European regimes came under Soviet influence and control.
180
What broad **relationship** developed between the **USSR** and the **USA** after 1945?
Cold War conflict ## Footnote Ideological rivalry and strategic tension defined post-war relations.
181
What happened in 1953 that ended **Stalin's personal rule**?
Stalin died ## Footnote His death opened the question of succession and reassessment of his legacy.
182
What was one part of **Stalin's legacy** at home?
Industrial superpower ## Footnote The USSR was stronger industrially but deeply scarred by repression.
183
What was one part of **Stalin's legacy** abroad?
Expanded Soviet influence ## Footnote The USSR dominated Eastern Europe and shaped early Cold War politics.