Stalin

I. Conditions that produced authoritarian and single-party states A. Russian Revolutions a. The first revolution in March of 1917 overthrew the tsar and set up a moderate provisional government. b. This was just as bad so in November 1917 the Bolshevik revolution overthrew the government. B. Civil War a. This new government was a little unstable so a civil war broke out between the White and the Reds. b. Thanks to Lenin and Trotsky though, the Reds were able to win the war, setting up a communist regime. i. The Red Armies had more troops, probably outnumbering the White by about ten to one. They controlled most of the modern industry and so were better supplied and had Trotsky as their inspirational leader. c. The economy of Russian was completely shattered by both the civil war and WWI. i. There were severe food shortages aggravated by droughts across the nation. ii. New Economic policy was moderately successful but forced peasants to give up any surplus produce. d. Russia was now the world’s first communist state. Power was held by the communist part and no other parties were allowed. i. All opposition and other views instead of Communism were banned and many government leaders were expelled. C. Lenin’s Death a. Lenin died in 1924, leaving the USSR isolated and facing an uncertain future. Lenin had made no clear plans about how the government was to be organized after his death, and this meant that a power struggle was inevitable. b. The Politburo didn’t want Trotsky to be leader because his aims were too high and they agreed they wanted to join the country collectively for now. c. The Politburo didn’t think that Stalin was that strong of a leader and kept him in power even Lenin had advised to have him removed. III. Emergence of leaders: aims, ideology, support A. Support a. Stalin used his position to gain more support b. His position allowed him to appoint and promote new officers, so he used this to place people who supported him in power, and removed those who gave him opposition. He surrounded himself with strong supporters of his beliefs. c. In the beginning Stalin was never strong in his opinions and kept to himself. Although there was much argument after Lenin died about how the Communist regime should be run, Stalin only expressed the ideal that Trotsky should be exiled. This allowed him to slowly get rid of his competition and rise to power. d. Stalin knew the power of his position with his job he had the power of appointment and promotion to important party positions. He filled these posts with his own supporters and removed the supporters of rivals to remote parts of country. Then, Party conferences and congresses filled with his supporters, who then elected the top leadership. B. Aims a. Stalin aimed to reduce all competition to his party, even after he had gained power. i. He felt insecure because the government had lost support due to the discontent with the collectivization and hardships of the Five Year Plans. ii. This discontent led to a wide number of purges that moved millions of innocent people into prisons and labor camps because Stalin was paranoid of a government overthrow. iii. The Great Terror from 1936-1938 showed how Stalin murdered over three million people in two years because of his aims to continue to gain more power across Russia. b. Stalin strived to make the country produce more products. i. With his collectivization of farms and Five Year plans, he made sure that the country’s economy was on its way to a world power. C. Ideology a. Improve the economic situation in Russia and strive to make the economy number one. i. He did this through his collectivization and his Five Year Plans b. Communist government throughout Russia without any opposition towards his leadership. i. He made sure that all everyone surrounding him in power was for his leadership and eliminated anyone who showed any opposition. III. Totalitarianism: the aim and the extent to which it was achieved. A. Economic a. The Five year plans were set up by Stalin to revolutionize industry as fast as possible with as much outcome as possible. i. The money from these plans was taken from mostly Russians themselves, who were already poor. Many peasants were charged heavily for use of government machinery. They were also forced to pay to the government all profits and surpluses. ii. Stalin’s law brought about severe punishments for people with bad workmanship and many were convicted for being saboteurs when targets were not met. b. Collectivization dealt with the farming problems and forced small private farms to merge into one large collective farm to produce more products. i. Stalin wanted to eliminate the peasant class with collectivization because he thought that the kulaks were a threat to Communism. ii. All the peasants who were landowners were brutally forced into the collective farms. They were stripped of all their land, crops and livestock and forced to work for the government. Peasants who refused to join were tortured, arrested and murdered. iii. Collectivization didn’t even increase production and ultimately failed. B. Political Totalitarianism a. Stalin felt that under his totalitarian rule political and social aspects must be controlled just as much as economic life. He aimed at complete and unchallenged power for himself and became increasingly paranoid throughout his reign. b. Stalin used the murder of one of his leaders to start the Purges. i. Over the next four years hundreds of political leaders were arrested, tortured, and made to confess all sorts of crimes that they were mostly innocent for. j. Millions of innocent people who were convicted ended up in labor camps. C. Social Totalitarianism a. Writers, artists, and musicians were forced to create things that promoted Communism and Stalin’s regime and anyone who did not conform was executed. b. Education was also closely watched by the secret police, although literacy did increase. c. Also, churches were closed and clergy were prosecuted.

I. Method of taking control in Russia a. Russian Revolution - Despite not having much of an impact on the actual events of the Russian Revolution, many sources refer to Stalin as little more than a petty thief for the communists, but it did clear the way for Stalin to eventually seize power from his closest allies. b. Communist Party and Lenin- Stalin was quick in the post Tsarist Russia to make allies. He aligned himself not only with the Communist Party but with its greatest leader; Vladimir Lenin. Stalin took up the unthreatening position of General Secretary and made more allies on the side that opposed Lenin, covering all his bases. c. Upheaval of Trotsky- Stalin appeared to be right, as Lenin, on his death bed, declared Leon Trotsky as his successor and pleaded with the Communist Party to listen. Stalin used his allies from the party to quickly overthrow the intellectual Trotsky and seize the position as the USSR’s leader. II. Form of Government in Russia a. THE Communist State - The Soviet Union was the single most powerful communist state in history and followed strict communist ideals under Stalin. However Stalin did slowly drift away from traditional Marxism in favour of more cost effective means. b. Cold War and Weapons Development- The Soviet Union and the United States became locked in a struggle that would define the 20th century, as such, Stalin focused much of his government on weapon’s development and expansionism. Russia even designed what is universally referred to as the most reliable gun on the planet; the AK-47. c. Suppression of the People- A cornerstone of Stalin’s society was that he maintained an iron grip over almost every aspect of his people. Many consider Stalin to be one of two of the biggest authoritarian dictators of the 20th century. d. The Communist Elite- The Soviet Union was guilty of perpetuating a sort of Communist Elite, something they always swore against, in which some communist wielded unbelievable power and money over all other people in their nation. III. Nature, extent, and Treatment of Opposition a. Suppression of All Rights- As mentioned above, Stalin brutally repressed nearly all of his people’s rights to the point that he was easily an authoritarian dictator, which allowed him to easily crush opposition beneath his heel. b. Detainment of Enemies- The Gulags are probably one of Stalin’s most famous forms of dealing with his enemies. Although exile did exist, such as with Trotsky, Stalin’s preferred method was sending all his opponents to the harsh Gulags. c. Eventual Slaughter- Although not exactly a blatant slaughter directly ordered by Stalin, Stalin must have been aware of the nigh unbelievable amount of people being killed at the Gulags, and he used that slaughter to his advantage to scare other enemies into silence.

I. Stalin A. Structure and organization of government and administration

1. Under Stalin, Russia was under totalitarian type rule, which meant only one party was allowed, in this case being the Communist Party. Under this totalitarian government, Stalin was the supreme dictator and thus could command the people with absolute powers, while also getting rid of any rivals that may want to remove him from power.

B. Political, economic, social and religious policies

1. Stalin’s main political goals were to create an environment where he would have no competitors. Thus purges and executions were frequent. Starting out, Stalin conducted a Great Purge, in which potential revolutionaries would be put on trial and executed or sent to work camps. Millions were killed during these purges.

2. Stalin wanted rapid growth of the Russian industrial sector and therefore placed a command economy and implemented Five-Year Plans in order to get to his goal. This allowed Russia to rapidly industrialize (sometimes sacrificing the lives of farmers) by exporting extra agricultural goods that were obtained on collectivist farms. This allowed the USSR to rival other world powers, and allowed it to become the second largest economy after World War II.

3. Social policies changed, as the greater freedom given under Lenin was quickly taken back by Stalin. Due to the high numbers of homeless children wandering around the country, Stalin put a great emphasis on family. Stalin would pay families a child allowance if the couple were married. Divorces would become much harder to obtain, and restrictions on abortions were placed. Woman had become elevated in Russia and all jobs were essentially opened to women. Furthermore, Stalin had provided a few holidays each year, as well as opening sports facilities and other recreational facilities that were paid for by the state.

4. In Stalin’s Russia, worship of Stalin was allowed, but any form of religious worship was not tolerated. Christian churches and mosques were closed down and converted into clubs, cinemas, schools, and warehouses. Church bells were removed and melted down as scrap metal. Muslim women were forbidden to wear the veil, and religious pilgrimages to Mecca were banned. People associated with religion faced persecution in Stalin’s Russia. Church leaders were arrested and jailed, and religious activities in public were banned. Stalin also organized anti religious militia in order to drive people away from religion.

C. Role of education, the arts, the media, propaganda

1. Education was changed during Stalin’s Russia. School life had become much stricter, an education law of 1935 allowed teachers to use strict methods of discipline. Furthermore, report cards and test marks, which had been abolished, were reintroduced. Literacy greatly improved under Stalin’s rule. At least 7 years of schooling were compulsory, and adults were encouraged to attend classes as well. By 1939, illiteracy was at 4% of the male population and 18% for the female population. Education was mainly used as a tool in order to bombard the Soviet people with propaganda.

2. Art often was also filled with propaganda images. One statue in Russia depicted Pavlik Morozov, a Young Pioneer and child who had denounced his own father for having ties to kulaks. His father was then murdered by the other members of his family. The Communist party tried to make sure that all writers supported the communist party, and therefore would publish works that were inherently anti communist. For example, all writers had to become part of the Union of Soviet Writers, and had to follow a strict policy of socialist realism, in which their works must focus on the ordinary working people. This policy also applied to any other artist as well.

3. Propaganda frequently targeted the young. Children were encouraged to join party groups, such as the Young Pioneers as well as the Komsomol until the age of 28. Pictures of these parties would often show Komsomol members participating in activities that seemed enjoyable.

D. Status of women, treatment of religious groups and minorities.

1. Women received an elevated status in Stalin’s Russia and was therefore almost on par with men. Besides a few implementations that had put restrictions on abortions and divorce, women did receive rights that were previously not given to them. Women now had the opportunity to work any job that men had once had.

2. Stalin mainly followed the religious position adopted by Lenin in that religion needed to be removed in order to have a ideal communist society. Therefore massive amounts of anti religion propaganda was distributed leading to tens of thousands of priests, monks, and nuns to be persecuted and killed. Many religions such as the Roman Catholic Church, Baptists, Islam, Buddhism, and Judaism underwent horrible treatment, as any sacred buildings would be ultimately destroyed.

Works Cited "Russia Under Stalin." //Library Thinkquest//. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. .

"Stalin." //History Learning Site//. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. .

Stalin: Domestic policies and impact I. Structure and Organization a. Communist Party: In Russia, Stalin’s communist party was supreme. All criticism and opposition is eliminated. People are expected to be totally loyal to the party and to the leader. Stalin was the supreme ruler. b. //Supreme Soviet//: The national assembly in the Soviet Union. This was created in 1936 by the new constitution in which everyone was allowed to vote to choose members of the //Supreme Soviet//. However, this group only met for two weeks in the year. During this time it would elect a smaller body, the //Praesidium//, to help carry out it’s tasks. The Supreme Soviet also chose the //Union Soviet of Commissars//, which was a small group of ministers with Stalin as the secretary. This group held much of the power making the democracy an illusion. c. Politburo: The real power remained with the politburo II. Political, economic, social and religious policies a. Political: i. Purges: Stalin’s government had lost popularity because of the brutality of the Five Year Plans and collectivization. There was growing opposition within the party and a push for Stalin’s removal. This caused Stalin to demand a purge of opposing party members. Many were sent to prisons and labor camps in 1933-34, but none were executed at this point. ii. Great Terror: After the murder of Kirov in 1934, Stalin’s regime executed and sent to labor camps nearly three million people. Officials were arrested, tortured, and forced to confess crimes that they did not commit. “Old Bolsheviks” were targeted for bringing about the 1917 revolution. The army was also targeted as the Commander-in-Chief of the Red Army, 13 generals and top officers were executed. The great terror was successful in creating fear within the Russian society to obey Stalin and his policies. However, because so many top officials and educated people were executed, the country’s progress was sacrificed. b. Economic: i. Five Year Plan: Stalin believed a rapid expansion of heavy industry was vitally important to Russia’s success. He recognized that Russia was behind and that the country needed to make up for lost time so he installed a series of  plans to expand industrialization. 1. First Five Year Plan: The first of the two plans was concentrated on expanding heavy industry including coal, iron, steel, oil and machinery. 2. Second Five Year Plan: This plan did not meet all of its targets. It tried to increase consumer goods as well ' as heavy industry. These plans brought about strict working conditions and if quotas were not met, some workers were sent to forced labor camps. 3. Success: The plans were mostly successful. By 1940 the USSR had surpassed Britain in iron and steel production. The plans were made possible by cash provided by the Russians themselves rather than foreign investment. Many foreign technicians were brought in to the USSR to help with the plans. ii. Collectivization: 1. Reasons: Small farms were inefficient and need to be replaced by larger, mechanized farms. The Kulaks were enemies of communism, so extreme force needed to be used. 2. Process: Small farms were combined and made into larger, more efficient farms. Many peasants were reluctant and had to be forced to give their land and cattle to the government. Kulaks often revolted by burning crops and killing their cattle, however these peasants that refused were either sent to labor camps or killed. In reality, the program was not successful as total grain production did not increase. This led to famine during 1932-3. While grain exports were increased, nearly 5 million peasants died of starvation. Stalin claims collectivization was a success because it increased mechanization, but many critics look to the amount of peasants that died during the process. c. Social: i. Art: Writers, artists and musicians were expected to produce songs, paintings etc. that glorified soviet achievements and anyone that did not comply was persecuted. ii. Education: Education was closely monitored by the secret police and much of the material taught glorified Stalin and the Soviet Union. Education was compulsory and free and literacy rates did increase. iii. Orthodox Church: Churches were closed and clergy was persecuted during Stalin’s reign. However, Stalin’s plan to eliminate the Orthodox Church failed as half of the population were still convinced believers in 1940. III. Role of education, arts, media and propaganda a. Education: This was one of Stalin’s main achievements. He was able to raise the literacy rate from 50% to nearly 100%. Teachers reverted back to a more traditional style of teaching with an emphasis on math and science. As part of the five-year plan, education in colleges and universities was expanded to provide a new generation of skilled workers. b. Media and propaganda were strictly regulated. Any anti-Stalin literature, news etc was prohibited and anyone that openly opposed Stalin was sent to labor camps or executed. IV. Status of women, treatment of religious groups and minorities a. Kulaks: Stalin wanted to eliminate the class of prosperous peasants known as the kulaks. He believed that they were standing in the way of progress so he used collectivization to undermine their power. This led to the death and starvation of many peasants, which Stalin saw as an easy was to get rid of the unwanted population. b. Stalin was committed to shutting down the orthodox church by closing churches and persecuting clergy.