Stalinism, politics and control, 1929–1941 (A-level only) Key Terms

State Terror

The use of violence and intimidation by a government to maintain control and suppress opposition.

Purges

The systematic removal of individuals deemed undesirable or a threat to the ruling authority, often through violent means.

Yezhovshchina

A period of intense political repression in the Soviet Union from 1936 to 1938, marked by mass arrests and executions.

Gulag

A government agency that administered forced labor camps in the Soviet Union, where millions were imprisoned under harsh conditions.

Five-Year Plans

State-directed economic plans aimed at rapid industrialization and collectivization in the Soviet Union, initiated by Stalin.

Gulag

A government agency that administered forced labor camps in the Soviet Union, often used to imprison political dissidents and criminals.

Collectivization

The policy of consolidating individual landholdings and labor into collective farms in the USSR, initiated by Stalin in the late 1920s.

Great Purge

A campaign of political repression in the Soviet Union from 1936 to 1938, characterized by widespread arrests, executions, and the persecution of perceived enemies of the state.