Mike - Stalin

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Contents

[edit] Rise to Power

  1. Stalin’s role in Lenin’s Russia
    1. Played organizational and administrative role during the Civil War
    2. General Secretary of the Cabinet- 1922. This enabled him to control promotions and ranks in the Soviet Union, making powerful people loyal to him.
    3. Revered as a great Administrator by Lenin, but would be a terrible leader
  2. Stalin vs. Trotsky
    1. Stalin joins with other prominent leaders Kamenev and Zeneveiv an alliance against the powerful Trotsky
    2. Stalin betrays K. and Z. by joining Bucharin, another prominent member, K. and Z. join Trotsky to counter Stalin’s move.
      1. Later, K. Z. and Trotsky would join in the “United Opposition” but did not pose as a faction
      2. Stalin removed the men from office, weakening their public images
    3. NEP – focus of much of the debate between Trotsky and Stalin
      1. Bakharin supported concessions to the peasantry, Kamenev and Zeneveiv favor mass industrialization
      2. K and Z, who were allied with Trotsky were looked upon (through propaganda) as declaring “war on the peasants.”
      3. Stalin changes the NEP in 1927-8, when he defeats Trotsky and opponents (not complete until the Great purges), first the 5 year plans is ushered in.

[edit] Establishment of the State

  1. Much of the political system is already in place when Stalin takes power
  2. Stalin makes a few notable changes
    1. Elimination of outer influences (educational, religious, and political) See section IV.
    2. April 1923, Reorganization plan- undermines the politburo and gives more power to the secretaries
    3. Launch of 5 year plans
    4. Stalin Constitution- 1936 offered the rights of men conditional only if they worked for the benefit of the state. (see Attachment for government setup)

[edit] Forms of State or Regime

  1. Totalitarianism
    1. Single party state dominated by a single dictator,
    2. Exercise and control of all economic, political, social, and educational aspects of the country through the use of state sponsored terrorism
  2. Stalin’s Socialism (Stalinism)
    1. Instead of less government control, he uses full governmental control, unrestricted by laws or constitution.
    2. He was seen as the representation of the state.
    3. Police State- NKVD, soviet secret police detained and murdered hundreds of “suspected opposition”
    4. Fear used to control the people (see section IV)

[edit] Opposition and Methods to overcome

  1. Purges- the removal of unwanted or potentially threatening elements from the country
    1. Show Trials
      1. Trials of prominent Communists to make examples
      2. Forced confessions often ending in hangings or shootings.
      3. Fabricated charges to intimidate suspects to naming other remotely potential threats
    2. Assassination of Sergei Kirov (Popular secretary of Leningrad party)
      1. Stalin was not guilty of this, but used this event as an excuse to eliminate the remainder of the inner party (including the Old Bolsheviks)
      2. Replaced with new and loyal members.
    3. Members of the clergy (reduced from some 2000, to almost 200)
  2. Chistka (great purges of 1936-8)
    1. Mainly against Communist members
    2. Officers of the Red army were liquidated, lead to great loss in morale and ability to counter the German invasion
    3. Cultural figures and Scientists (not electricians or weapons designers however)
  3. Domestic Policies
  4. Economic: Stalin develops two Five Year Plans to industrialize Russia. Meant to catch Russia up with the rest of Europe (Radzinsky, Rappaport).
    1. Russian industrialization became his primary goal, overriding everything.
      1. “an economic war on Russia’s backwardness”
      2. Concentration on productivity at all costs was very non-Marxist (capitalist ideology).
      3. Capitalist models used for nearly every project (Radzinsky).
    2. Gosplan: Organization that headed up the Russian growth planning (Rappaport 98).
      1. Produced false figures to show exaggerated increases.
      2. 1933: industrial production at 281% of 1913 levels
      3. 1938: production at 658%
  5. Social: Greatly impacted by Stalin’s economic policies.
    1. His goal of “Socialism in one country” put productivity before any social programs (Rappaport).
      1. Russia was exporting the majority of its food to support the massive industrialization projects.
      2. Thousands starved to death during the Five Year Plans.
    2. Concentration on alliance of Proletariat and the peasants – Collectivization.
      1. Needed progress now.
      2. But this encouraged class distinctions.
        1. Very un-Marxist; supposed to be encouraging equality, not alliances.
  6. Education: Another of Stalin’s primary goals (Rappaport 66, Radzinsky)
    1. Emphasized admission of women and literacy.
    2. Education of Russia fairly successful.
      1. 1917: 60% illiteracy
      2. 1939: 20% illiteracy
    3. Religion: None.
      1. Cheka and later organizations strictly enforced this.
    4. Culture/Arts: Stalin encouraged as much cultural progress as possible (Rappaport 54).
      1. Helped spread Communist ideals.
        1. Stalin Prizes: rewarded ideological correctness in the arts.
    5. Police: Stalin kept Lenin’s Cheka and improved it, taking it through many different names.
      1. The purpose of the organization remained the same (Rappaport 166, Vartavarian Online).
        1. Cheka: 1917-1923; OGPU: 1923-1934; NKVD (Narodniy Komissariat Vnutrenikn Del or People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs – credited with the Terror) 1934-1943; NKGB 1943-1946; MGB 1946-1953; MVD 1953-1954; KGB 1954-Present.
      2. Purging of supposed counter-revolutionaries began with the OGPU, but was stepped up by the NKVD; millions of Russians (and later Germans) killed.
    6. Youth: Educated Russians to obey the party (Rappaport 66).
      1. Young Pioneers and Komsomol – junior thought police.
        1. Many parents turned in as traitors by their own children.
    7. Treatment of Women: Stalin was very favorable towards women (Rappaport 67).
      1. Women let into universities and universal suffrage.
      2. Anti-“cradle to grave” mentality.
        1. Unhappy workers are unproductive.
        2. Wanted everyone to have a purpose.

[edit] Foreign Policies

“A riddle wrapped inside a mystery in an enigma” Churchill

  1. Stalin’s initial policies
    1. Socialism in one country. Removes hope of World revolution
    2. Propaganda campaign to condemn Capitalism
  2. 1920’s
    1. 1925 – send advisors to China in hopes of taking China during its brief leaderless time.
    2. 1928- First nation to sign and ratify Kellog-Briand pact (agreed to disarmament on League of Nations’ terms.
  3. Pre-World War II
    1. In a tough spot- Germany dominating Europe, Japan becoming an Empire over China
    2. The Programme of Communist Internationale
      1. USSR = Fatherland of the Proletariate
      2. Working class is to destroy capitalism, and build socialism
      3. in short, it made Russia the model of Communism, and “forced” countries to aid the USSR if they were to achieve communism in their country.
    3. Relations with USA started (1933) due to Japan taking Manchuria
    4. Joining of USSR into League of nations(1934) and French Security system (1935)
    5. Sends military equipment to Spain to aid republic against Franco (fear of Germany) but had to withdraw support in 1937
    6. Popular front in China
      1. Help anti-Japanese Chinese fight
      2. Bring the communist ideals and hope to China, would last long.
    7. After loss of checkoslovakia, USSR doesn’t trust European allies, joins in Nazi-Soviet anti-aggression pact of 1939
  4. 1940’s Foreign Policy
    1. Mainly dominated by its capitalist alliance with the West to over come Germany
    2. USSR gains concessions when Western powers delay the opening of the 2nd front
    3. Yalta and Potsdam, USSR uses military victories as leverage to gain territory and power
    4. Partial resurrection- the Communist answer to the Marshall Plan, deter the Marshall plan at all opportunity
    5. Convert Germany, Poland, and other territories into Soviet Sattelites

[edit] Propaganda

  1. Served to condemn Capitalism (early on in Soviet Years)
  2. Used to glorify working (peasant and industry)
  3. Used to deter anti-communist though, and anti-Stalin thought
  4. Extremely useful against Trotsky in the “War on Peasants” propaganda
  5. a. Stetsky, propaganda chief during 1930’s, helped to make the

constitution accepted by the public.

[edit] Success

  1. Stalin created a great deal of success, he strengthened the role of the Soviet union in World politics
  2. Helped to gain and industrialize land, regaining and surpassing the amount
  3. land in Tsarist Russia
  4. United the country to overcome a great enemy (Nazis)

[edit] Failures

  1. Failed to raise the living conditions of the average person
  2. Removed an entire class of people, Kulaks, in order to pursue his 5 year plans
  3. Many factories, fearful of repercussions, falsified reports to make the industrialization process see much better, when in fact they were not moving at the “break-neck” speeds Stalin had wanted.
  4. Failed to start his last purge of the Soviet medical world, which he feared was plotting against the North Korean conflict.
  5. Collectivization of Farms plummeted the agriculture of Russia
  6. Impact on Region/ World
  7. Made Soviet Union into a Superpower in land and political status
  8. Holds a seat on the UN security counsel, after WW2
  9. Russian Agriculture is still struggling to overcome Stalinism
  10. “Cult of the Individual” idea made to downgrade Stalin and celebrate Lenin, as to have a collective Leadership in the USSR
  11. New leaders sought to celebrate, but involve themselves little with Stalin’s ideas and method of rule, seeking to re-empower the Central committee in Soviet affairs

[edit] Works Cited

Cohen, Stephen F. Rethinking the Soviet Experience. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1985.

Freeze, Gregory. Russia: a History. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.

Palmer, R and Colton, Joel. A History of the Modern World. New York: Knopf Inc. 1195.

Radzinsky, Edvard. Stalin: The First In-Depth Biography Based on Explosive New

Documents from Russia's Secret Archives. Anchor: 1997.

Rappaport, Helen. Joseph Stalin: A Biographical Companion. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 1999.

Vartavarian, Mesrob. The NKVD. Online. Visited January 3, 2002. http://www.nkvd.org/en/index.html

Zeigler, Charles E. The History of Russia. Conceticut: Greenwood Press, 1999.

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