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Cult of Personality
The use of mass media, propaganda, and state-controlled information to create an idealized and heroic public image of a leader, demanding unquestioning devotion. Stalin's cult portrayed him as an infallible genius and the father of the Soviet nation.
Gulag
The Main Administration of Camps, a vast Soviet network of forced labor camps where millions of political prisoners, criminals, and perceived enemies of the state were imprisoned. The Gulag served both as a tool of political repression and as a source of forced labor for economic projects.
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs - the Soviet secret police responsible for political repression, surveillance, running the Gulag system, and enforcing state security from 1934 to 1946.
Nomenklatura
The Soviet system of Party-controlled appointments to all important positions in government, industry, and society. Under Stalin, it became a patronage network that rewarded loyalty over competence, creating a privileged ruling elite.
Politburo
Politburo was the highest policy-making body of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, responsible for all major political and economic decisions. Its members were the most powerful figures in the USSR.
Propaganda
Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view. States use propaganda through media, education, and public events to shape public opinion.
Show Trials
Show Trials were staged public trials in the USSR (1936-1938) in which prominent Old Bolsheviks were forced to confess to fabricated charges of treason and sabotage before being executed.