The key defendants that were removed were Trotsky, Kamenev, Buhkarin, Yagoda and Zinoviev. This was significant in allowing Stalin to establish his personal dictatorship as they removed all of Stalin’s rivals from the 1920’s thus creating fear among the USSR showing that if you did anything that Stalin disliked, your life would be in danger, particularly because these people had been in positions of power therefore people obeyed all of Stalin’s orders. This lead to the wider terror among ordinary people. They were denounces, arrested and sent to Gulags by the NKVD. It is estimated that between 1934-8, 20 million Russians were sent to these gulags.
Communism in the Cold War "The seeds of totalitarian regimes are nurtured by misery and want, they spread and grow in the evil soil of the poverty and strife. They reach their full growth when the hope of a people for a better life has died. We must keep that hope alive." as said by Harry S. Truman on march 12, 1947 in The Truman Doctrine. While Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy all had the same same Cold War intention of ending communism, their ways of achieving their goal were different.The Cold War was an angry dispute between the United States and the Soviet Union about whether we should spread or contain communism (Ayres 817).
Many historians have said Alexander II was considering the formation of a parliament in Russia. Furthermore, the assassination caused Alexander III to rule in reactionary nature in which many counter-reforms were created to limit the impact of the Great Reforms done by his father. This supports the view that the People’s Will were highly unsuccessful, even in the taking out of Alexander II. It can be said that the only example in this period of effective political opposition was the October 1917 revolution, where, unquestionably, the Bolsheviks took power and let their political vision be known. They were extremely successful in both the short term and the long term.
Following the confessions of the multiple Americans on trial for treason and revealing the United States’ government secrets, McCarthyism was born. Senator McCarthy was so focused on keeping communism out of the United States; he had government officials and Hollywood’s “A” list interrogated to see if they supported communism and to see if they were Russian spies. I mean, even the wealthiest of them all at the time couldn’t get around these interrogations. Also, Senator McCarthy had full support of J. Edger Hoover, director of the Federal Bureau of Intelligence at that time in history. In Salem in 1962, power struggling leaders wanting to disperse of
Assess the role of Lenin in the development of the Bolshevik regime between 1917 and 1924 Lenin played a significant role between the years 1917 and 1924 as leader of the Bolsheviks party within the revolution, overthrow of the Provisional Government and the consolidation of their power to achieve dictatorship over Russia. However despite his impact, his influence was romanticised and idolised after his death, encouraged by Stalin, which consequently exaggerated his role in the eyes of many historians. This is shown in the 500,000 people that attended his funeral and the number of statues that were placed in towns across Russia following the event; contributing to the way historians viewed Lenin, ignoring reality. The primary source of Lenin’s importance within his role is the internationalist view that focuses on the key moments of the Bolsheviks throughout 1917 to 1924 that he was fundamental for. These consist of firstly, his encouragement of the revolution in 1917 through his confidence in his theory and timing.
Joseph Stalin truly strengthened this nation to become a widely known superpower, although he carried out mass genocide and created a murderous dictatorship. Historians have viewed him in many different ways, including a psychotic power-driven killer, a military and communist genius, and also the man who transformed the Soviet Union into an industrial colossus. Joseph Stalin should have never taken the role of the USSR’s leader. Instead, Trotsky should have been the one to take Lenin’s place, which would have saved the lives of millions. Joseph Stalin put forth many positive attributes to the USSR, however; the only reason this was possible was through his brutal intimidation tactics used on the nation’s
The 1950s (Social, cultural changes, international relations, US, USSR) Cold War • Started in 1948, to the 80s • After WW2, Soviets broke an agreement with the allies (tried to cut trade) • United States & democratic allies (Western Europe) • Soviet Union & communist allies (Eastern Europe) • Built up armed forces and spent large amounts of money on military equip. and nuclear weapons • Both sides engaged in espionage to uncover the enemy’s military secrets and gov’t plans • Determined to prove superiority • IRON CURTAIN→boundary between East/West Europe, name thought of by Winston Churchill NATO (North American Treaty Organization) • A defense pact intended to protect the members against further soviet aggression. All members
Stalin was worried by the idea of a successful anti-communist government in the west of Germany. Stalin who now wanted to think of a plan to stop the success of the US decided to block off the area of West Berlin. However this threat to Stalin was even harsher due to the Truman Doctrine and containment. Due to the high pressure that the US held over the Soviet Union the idea of success for the US penetrated throughout the whole of the Soviet Union and Russia. Outraged by Western plans to create an independent West Germany, Soviet forces imposed a blockade cutting off rail, highway, and water traffic between West Germany and West Berlin.
When his rivals were expelled from the Politburo, they were removed because the majority of the members voted for this. Therefore, Stalin’s action in order to gain power were quiet legal. After he was invited into the main committee of the Bolsheviks, he then gained other beneficial minority posts such as being an executive of the committee and becoming head of their party newspaper “Pravda”. Stalin, did not take part in any major roles during the October rising. During the civil war, he was consistent in disobeying orders made from Lenin and Trotsky, as they were the main organisers.
Governments followed the economic policies of the Soviet Union. Stalin made sure that the countries of Eastern Europe traded with the USSR. * When Soviet control was threatened, the Soviet Union was prepared to use its tanks to crush opposition. What did ordinary people in Eastern Europe think of Soviet control? For some people of Eastern Europe, the Communist brought hope.