USSR

• Before 1917, Russia was strongly hierarchical, held by Tsarist political structures and religion.
• The Emancipation Edict was signed in 1861, Serfs were technically freed.
• The Bolsheviks (communist party) seized power under Lenin, encouraging Lenin to bring in 'War Communism' and 'The Red Terror' to wipe out resistance.
• Stalin replaces Lenin after his death in 1924, and takes total power control, launching 'Stalinism'.
• Collectivisation is the process of bringing agricultural production under the collective ownership and control.
• Lenin identified Kulaks as capitalist enemies of the revolution and ordered De-Kulakisation.
• As the De-Kulakisation campaign intensified, Kulaks began to mean anyone who opposed Stalin's collectivisation plans, and they were all deported.
• The consequence of the De-Kulakisation campaign and peasant opposition, was the complete collapse of the agricultural sector and widespread famine in 1932-33.
• Kulak's made up 3.9% of the peasantry in 1927.
• Marxism is Karl Marx’s theory of class conflict where proletariat must defeat bourgeoisie in order to make society equal.
• Stalin rationalised Collectivisation by putting fear into the workers that capitalist countries would try to destroy communism in the USSR.
• Stalin took sole charge in 1928 and announced a move away from the policies of the NEP.
• The three kinds of farm were the Toz (owned own farms but shared machinery), the Sovkhoz (owned and run by the state, wages paid), and the Kolkhoz (land held in common and run by committee, private plots generate income after state quotas met).
• Motor Tractor Stations (MTS) were established with hired tractors and machinery to farmers in order to improve productivity.
• In 1929, Stalin announced that Collectivisation was being sabotaged by the Kulaks and announced his intention to ‘liquidate’ this class.
• The problem with removing the Kulaks was that they were generally the most efficient farmers so production figures fell.
• The  Great Purges refer to the use of terror during the late 1920s, but particularly after 1934, against alleged ‘Enemies of the State’.
• The Great Purges began with trials for industrial sabotage during 1928 – 1933.
• Managers of factories and industries that failed to meet production targets were labelled as saboteurs and some sentenced to death while others were sent to prison camps (usually in Siberia).
• In 1932, Stalin arrested and sentenced to death Mikhael Riutin (a former central committee member) for publishing a 200 page document that was highly critical of Stalin.
• Because of the difficult living conditions imposed by Stalin, many of the Proletariat were disillusioned and resented Stalin’s ‘Cult of Personality’.
• In 1934, Kirov, who was Stalin’s protégé, ran against him for the position of Party Secretary, he won the vote but Stalin fixed it and remained Party Secretary. Kirov was murdered in December 1934.
• Kirov’s death began the great purges, as Stalin eliminated anyone who was threatening to his leadership. By 1938, Stalin was the only surviving member.
• Cult of Personality’ refers to the excessive adulation of a person and usually applies to the leader of a Totalitarian State.