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Balance Scale

Chapter 33 - The Soviet Union - 1929-1939 (European States)

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Red Triangle Pointed Up

Chapter 1 - China 1839-60 (China 1839-1997)

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Globe Showing Europe Africa

Chapter 2 - The Opening Of China To Foreigners  1860-1901 (China 1839-1997)

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Counterclockwise Arrows Button

Chapter 3 - Defeat & Revolution 1901-25 (China 1839-1997)

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Books

Chapter 4 - Nationalists & Communists 1924-45 (China 1839-1997)

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Sos Button

Chapter 5 - The Japanese Threat & Communist Takeover 1931-49 (China 1839-1997)

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Globe With Meridians

Chapter 6 - China & The Wider World  1949-76 (China 1839-1997)

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Hammer

Chapter 7 - Government, Economy & Society Under Mao After 1949 (China 1839-1997)

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Open Book

Chapter 8 - The Cultural Revolution 1966 -76 (China 1839-1997)

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Factory

Chapter 9 - Deng Xiaoping

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World Map

Chapter 10 - China & The Wider World 1978-97 (China 1839-1997)

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Downcast Face with Sweat

Chapter 11 - Concluding Survey (China 1839-1997)

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Writing Hand

Chapter 12 - Jews, Arabs & The British 1900-39 (Middle East)

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Mantelpiece Clock

Chapter 13 - The Birth Of Isreal 1939-49 (Middle East)

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Pine Tree

Chapter 14 - Arab-Israeli Wars In 1956, 1967, & 1973 (Middle East)

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First Quarter Moon

Chapter 15 - Nasser, Egypt & Arab Nationalism (Middle East)

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Castle

Chapter 16 - The Palestinian Problem (Middle East)

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Speaking Head

Chapter 17 - The Challenges Of Peace-Making 1991-2008: Israelis & Palestinians (Middle East)

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Bridge

Chapter 18 - The Iran-Iraq War 1980-8 (Middle East)

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Triangular Ruler

Chapter 19 - Iraq & The West 1988-2008 (Middle East)

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Magnifying Glass Tilted Left

Chapter 20 - From Arab Nationalism To IsIamic Fundamentalism (Middle East)

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Abacus

Chapter 21 - Truman (Cold War 1945- 81)

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Rocket

Chapter 22 - The Korean War (Cold War 1945-81)

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ringed-planet

Chapter 23 - Eisenhower & Dulles (Cold war 1945 -81)

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Thought Balloon

Chapter 25 - Kennedy To Carter (Cold War 1945-81)

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Clipboard

Chapter 26 - Weimar Germany - 1918-1933 (European States)

🎨 Picture This: It&#39;s a chilly night, and suddenly, a black vehicle pulls up outside your home. These ominous vehicles are called the &#39;ravens&#39; and are symbols of fear.

&nbsp;

🌟 Fun Fact: &quot;Yezhovshchina&quot; isn&#39;t a new dance move or a fancy dish, but a dark period in Soviet history named after Nikolai Yezhov.

<ul>
	<li>Role: Head of the NKVD after Yagoda.</li>
	<li>Significance: Under him, the Great Terror peaked in 1937&ndash;38.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
	<li>Role: Soviet war hero, deputy commissar for defence.</li>
	<li>Fate: Tried and executed for &#39;treason&#39; by Stalin.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
	<li>Stephen Cohen: &quot;No one was guilty, so no one was safe. Everyone was innocent, so everyone was vulnerable.&quot;</li>
	<li>Melanie Ilic: Discusses the focus on socially marginal groups during executions.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
	<li>The Great Terror reached its zenith in 1937&ndash;38 under Yezhov.</li>
	<li>Targeted: Everyone! From scientists, artists, and historians to regular workers.</li>
	<li>Reasons for arrest: Random! Think of it as the worst lottery ever.</li>
	<li>Denunciations: People reported others, often to settle scores or grab assets.</li>
	<li>The &ldquo;ravens&rdquo;: NKVD&#39;s terrifying vehicles that conducted nighttime arrests.</li>
	<li>Quotas: Certain areas and public bodies had arrest and execution quotas, leading to numerous unjust arrests.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
	<li>Casualty Estimates: 📈 Pre-1990: 5 million to 18 million. Post-1990: 2 million to 3 million.</li>
	<li>Biggest Tragedy: The famine of 1930&ndash;1933 where more than five million perished.</li>
	<li>Economic Impact: Reduced factory management and skilled workers hindered production. No one wanted to take risks.</li>
	<li>Education: Quality took a hit due to purging of academics and teachers.</li>
	<li>Military: Massive purge weakened the army at a crucial time with international tensions escalating.</li>
	<li>Political Impact: Strengthened Stalin&#39;s grip over the party and cemented autocratic rule.</li>
</ul>

📺 Real-World Parallel: Imagine your school team&#39;s best players all getting suspended right before the championship game!

<ul>
	<li>Totalitarian/Intentionalist Historians
	<ul>
		<li>View: Stalin was the main man.</li>
		<li>Examples: Robert Conquest, Roy Medvedev, and Isaac Deutscher.</li>
		<li>Argument: Stalin controlled the purges. The NKVD simply followed orders.</li>
	</ul>
	</li>
	<li>Revisionist Historians
	<ul>
		<li>View: There&#39;s more to the story.</li>
		<li>Examples: J Arch Getty, Sheila Fitzpatrick, Graeme Gill, and Roberta Manning.</li>
		<li>Argument: Multiple factors and individuals, like Yezhov, contributed. The Soviet state was chaotic during the mid-1930s.</li>
	</ul>
	</li>
</ul>

💡 To Ponder: If you were in Stalin&#39;s shoes, would you have acted the same way?

&nbsp;

🖍️ Homework: Dive deep into the perspectives of two historians mentioned above. Are they convincing? Which side resonates more with you and why?

The Yezhovshchina and the Great Terror weren&#39;t just about numbers or statistics; they were about lives, dreams, and the course of history. So next time you hear a mention of Yezhov or the Great Terror, remember the ravens, the purges, and the perspectives!

The Yezhovshchina Era Unveiling Stalin's Dark Reign (1937-38)

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Higher Level

History HL

Chapter 33 - The Soviet Union - 1929-1939 (European States)

The Yezhovshchina Era Unveiling Stalin's Dark Reign (1937-38)

Table of content

Background: Who’s Who?

Nicolai Yezhov

Marshal Tukachevsky

Unlock the Full Content!

Chapter 33 - The Soviet Union - 1929-1939 (European States)

The Yezhovshchina Era Unveiling Stalin's Dark Reign (1937-38)

Table of content

Background: Who’s Who?

Nicolai Yezhov

Marshal Tukachevsky

Unlock the Full Content!