European historyLesson 2 of 2 in the course The Interwar Period

Bolshevik Consolidation and Stalinist Rule in the Soviet Union

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

This lesson explains how the Bolsheviks survived the Russian Civil War and transformed the former Russian Empire into the Soviet Union. These events shaped the new state’s borders and its centralized political structure.

After the Bolsheviks seized power in 1917 and withdrew Russia from World War I, they faced armed opposition. From 1918 to 1921, the Red Army, representing the Bolshevik government, fought the White Army, a loose coalition of opponents. The Whites included supporters of the monarchy, members of the upper classes, and political rivals such as the Mensheviks. They disagreed about what should replace Bolshevik rule, while the Reds had a more unified goal and organization.

All flashcards

Five-Year Plans
Soviet economic plans that set production targets and pursued rapid industrialization.
Collectivization
The forced replacement of individual farms with large collective farms under state control.
Holodomor
The famine in Ukraine in which an estimated 3.9 million Ukrainians died.
Socialist realism
Official art that portrayed workers and peasants as heroic builders of a bright future.
Political purges under Stalin
Campaigns that targeted alleged opponents through arrest, execution, and imprisonment.

Quiz questions

  1. How did the formal autonomy of Soviet republics compare with political reality?Answer: Republics had nominal autonomy, but the central government held ultimate authority.
  2. In what year was Leon Trotsky forced into exile?Answer: 1929.
  3. Which industries did the first Five-Year Plan prioritize?Answer: Iron and steel, electrical power, and farm equipment.
  4. What did socialist-realist images typically portray?Answer: Workers and peasants as heroic builders of a bright future.
  5. About how many Ukrainians are estimated to have died in the Holodomor?Answer: About 3.9 million.

Based on World History Volume 2, from 1400 by Ann Kordas, Ryan J. Lynch, Brooke Nelson, Julie Tatlock (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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