The Rise of Stalin and Stalin’s policies

Do the ends always justify the means?

Lesson AgendaBy the end of today’s lesson you

will learn:

◦How Stalin made use of circumstances to rise to power.

◦Stalin’s policies and their impact

◦Make comparisons

Rise of Stalin

Stalin’s strengths-Outwitted his rivals

Weaknesses of hisRivals

-Personal weaknesses(Trotsky’s arrogance)-Allowed themselvesTo be manipulated

(Kamenev + Zinoviev)

Made alliances toGet rid of

Opponents.(Nobody is

indispensable)

Used his position as Secretary-General to Appoint his supportersInto important posts.

They were now loyal to Stalin.

Reasons for the rise of Stalin External circumstances (beyond Stalin’s control)

◦ Lenin’s Will

Stalin acted as Lenin’s go-between during Lenin’s semi-retirement – but Lenin was suspicious of Stalin’s character and ambitions.

Lenin urged the Party to have Stalin removed as Gen-Sec of the Party – this was stated in his will.

Lenin’s will was read after his death – but only to the Party members. But did not carry out Lenin’s wishes on removing Stalin. Party leaders believed that Trotsky was a greater threat.

Meanwhile, Kamenev and Zinoviev allowed their distrust of Trotsky to make them open to manipulation by Stalin.

Lenin’s will was not made known to the public. As there were many negative comments about other communist leaders.

Reasons for the Rise of Stalin

External circumstances (Beyond Stalin’s control)

◦ Trotsky’s unpopularity

Trotsky = head of the Red Army and led the Bolsheviks to victory in the Russian Civil War. Considered as Lenin’s right-hand man.

Trotsky was outspoken – clashed with Lenin and CP on many occasions. Criticized Lenin’s New Economic Policy (NEP).

Advocated “Permanent Revolution” – spread revolutions all over the world. Stalin argued for “Socialism in One Country” – which called for strengthening Soviet Union internally first.

Trotsky seen as deserting Communist ideas and the Party

Reasons for the Rise of Stalin

Stalin’s Manipulations

◦ Pretended to have been close to Lenin

Stalin made himself look as if Lenin favored & trusted him. He did this by:

Organizing Lenin’s funeral to be a grand affair and; renaming Petrograd as “Leningrad”. Stalin also kept Trotsky from attending Lenin’s funeral by

giving him the wrong date.

These actions damaged Trotsky’s reputation in the Party.

Reasons for Rise of Stalin

Stalin’s manipulations◦ Power of party organization

Stalin was appointed Secretary-General of the Communist Party in 1922. It did not seem to be an important post, but Stalin used it to replace Trotsky’s allies with his own.

Trotsky’s support base shrunk and in 1925 Trotsky was forced to resign as leader of the Red Army. Expelled from the party in 1927.

Assassinated in 1940 while in exile in Mexico.

Stalin as LeaderStalin became the undisputed

leader of the Soviet Union by 1928.

He firmly believed in autarky (rule by one man), territorial expansion and war

He focused on feeding the people through a government controlled economy.

Stalin’s Policies (Economic)

Rapid industrialization.◦ Soviet Union very backward. Stalin feared that Western

powers would attack the Soviet Union because it was economically weak. USSR had to industrialize to protect itself.

◦ Stalin decided to centrally plan the economy. Government determined what and how much to produce.

◦ Came up with 3 five-year plans (1928-1942) to coordinate production:

1st Plan – emphasized heavy industries like coal, iron and steel. Result was tremendous increase in production. More than 1500 plants set up and 100 new cities built.

2nd Plan – Also heavy industries and transport. Road, rail and canal networks improved tremendously.

3rd Plan - could not be completed as WW11 had begun and Nazi Germany had attacked the Soviet Union. All resources channeled to defence and the war industry.

Stalin’s Policies (Economic)Evaluation

Positive Impacts Negative Impacts

Output of coal, oil, Iron and steel significantly rose.

People paid terrible price. Workers lead difficult lives.

Full employment in USSR, even though Western countries experiencing high unemployment

Wages low and food shortages were common. Worked very long hours under very bad conditions

Infrastructure: roads and rail and canal networks expanded and improved upon.By 1940 – USSR recognized as a major industrial power.

Homes were sub-standard and lacked basic amenities

Stalin’s Policies – (Economic)

Agricultural Policy – Collectivization

◦ Stalin modernized the agricultural sector through setting up collective farms.

◦ Peasants in an area would combine their individual plots of land together to form a kolkhoz. Tools and animals used collectively. Schools and amenities built on the farms

◦ Peasants sold a % of crops at low price to government – Govt gave them tractors and machinery. Farms managed by government officials.

◦ Collectivization important as it would lead to more efficient food production and less shortages in the cities. Less labor-intensive.

Stalin’s Policies - Economic

Positives Negatives

Stalin achieved the aim – obtained food supplies from the countryside cheaply and regularly- Removed private ownership of land and resources – USSR truly a communist country.

Collectivization forced on peasants. Rich and efficient farmers (kulaks) were targeted. Peasants who resisted were shot or deported

Agriculture was now mechanized and therefore more productive.

Horrendous human cost – 10million peasants were shot or sent to labour camps. The number of deaths due to famines was also in the millions.

Stalin’s Policies - Political Great Terror (1934-1938) (a) Kirov’s assassination:

◦ By 1930, Stalin had removed most of his rivals competing to succeed Lenin. He then focused on eliminating other potential rivals.

◦ Growing opposition to Stalin’s 5-year plan. High human costs and suffering. In 1934, Communist Party leadership stripped Stalin of his title (Gen-Secretary). He was now to be Secretary together with Kirov

◦ Party was divided on whether to continue with the second-five year plan – Kirov in favour of relaxation of the Five-Year plan. A group of communists also approached Kirov to replace Stalin.

◦ Kirov was assassinated in 1934 – Stalin used this assassination as an excuse to go after the others Communist leaders who were against his policies.

Stalin’s Policies - Political Great Terror : (b) Purges and Show trials

◦ Using Kirov’s death as an excuse – Stalin tasked the secret police to eliminate “anti-Soviet” elements.

◦ Show trials for prominent Party officials. Zinoviev, Kamenev, Bukharin and Rykov were accused of crimes against the country and executed.

◦ Red Army was purged (some members forced to leave) in 1937. Roughly half of the army officers had been executed or imprisoned.

◦ Ordinary citizens were encouraged to denounce one another. By 1938, the entire population was living in a state of terror. No trust within the society.

Stalin’s Policies - Political Elimination of Intellectuals, skilled workers and officers

◦ The execution of large numbers of intellectuals and skilled workers had an adverse effect on the strength of the country.

◦ The loss of: …engineers and scientists - affected industrialization …administrators & teachers – affected management of

government …RA officers affected leadership of armed forces & prep for

WW11 Living in fear

◦ Soviet citizens lived in constant fear. Anyone suspected as being an enemy of the state faced dire consequences. Even children encouraged to tell on their parents.

◦ Those who failed to meet targets – severely punished…they would also find it difficult to apply for housing and jobs.

Stalin’s Policies - PoliticalPropaganda – The cult of the leader

◦ Stalin used propaganda to justify his rule. portrayed as a “father figure” – media depicted him as a benevolent and wise leader.

◦ All achievements in the Soviet Union were accredited to his leadership. Stalin also encouraged citizens to support his policies – even to worship him.

◦ Views of Stalin’s opponents and their contributions were removed from historical accounts of the Soviet Union.

Stalin’s Policies - Social• Negative Impacts :

• Artists could only draw art that glorified Stalin, Communism or Russian workers/peasants. Any work critical of Stalin resulted in the artist or writer spending the rest of his life in labour camps.

• Government controlled education strictly. Any teacher who disobeyed government orders would be sent to the labour camps.

• History was distorted and the pupils taught that Lenin and Stalin were the two great leaders of the Communist party. Trotsky’s contribution was ignored.

• Cult of worship of Stalin. Demolished places of worship – no spreading of religion.

Stalin’s Policies - SocialPositive Impacts:

◦Women were given equal opportunities as the men in terms of jobs.

◦They were also eligible for appointments to senior positions in the Party.

◦Women were also not discriminated against in the workforce.

Stalin’s Policies - Conclusion

General Observations:◦ Stalin had laid the model for a Communist country. There

would be a command economy and harsh dictatorial government.

◦ Many Russians benefitted from his policies. These included those workers whose lives improved under Stalin’s rule as compared to when they were under the Tsarist regime.

◦ Eventually his policies transformed a backward USSR into a modern industrial & military power on par with Western Capitalist countries.

◦ However, Stalin’s oppressive regime also harmed his people. They did not have basic freedoms or necessities and led a life of fear. The command economy and oppression of the people would destroy the economy and eventually the USSR itself in 1991.

Comparison QuestionHistory

Study Sources A and B

Question: How different are these sources as evidence of the results of collectivization?

Source A:

Although some resisted at first and food production decreased initially, the peasants eventually saw that the Party and the government, overcoming difficulties, were building factories to make tractors and new farm machines. Numerous groups of peasants visited the new factories, attended workers’ meetings, and were inspired by their enthusiasm. Upon returning to their villages, working peasants took the initiative in setting up new collective farms. Food production began to rise as more converted to collective farms.

Official view on collectivization presented in Communist Party History, Adapted from Russia under Stalin, by J.F Aylet

Source B - Communist party activist’s view on collectivization, published in 1986. Adapted from the Harvest of Sorrow, by Robert ConquestWith the rest of my generation, I firmly believed that the ends justified the means. Our goal was the universal triumph of Communism…I saw what “total collectivization” meant – how they mercilessly stripped the peasants in the winter of 1932-1933. I took part in it myself, scouring the countryside, testing the earth with an iron rod for loose spots which might lead to buried grain. With the others I emptied out the old folks storage bins, stopping my ears to the children’s crying and the women’s wails. I had to convince myself I was accomplishing the great and necessary transformation of the countryside; that in the days to come the people who lived there would be better off. In the terrible spring of 1933, I saw people dying of hunger. I saw women and children with bloated bellies, turning blue, still breathing but with vacant, lifeless eyes.

“How Different” QuestionIdentify 2 differences & 1 similarity

First step: Identify ideas/concepts to compare:◦ (Point of view, Content, Tone, Purpose)

Second step: Look for clues in the sources that shows differences or similarities in the sources based on the ideas/concepts.

Third step: Write out answer!

Difference 1Sources A and B are different in their

views about the outcome of collectivization. Source A states that collectivization was a success, as it states that: “…food production began to rise”, In contrast Source B states that collectivization failed miserably because the author saw “…people dying of hunger…”

Difference 2 Source A and B differ in their purpose towards

presenting the history of collectivization to later generations of Russians. Source A’s purpose is to show younger citizens how the Communist Party successfully won over the peasants and that collectivization was for the greater good of the Soviet Union and that the whole country was united in ensuring the success of collectivization. In contrast, Source B aims at exposing the extreme measures undertaken by the CP to impose collectivization. The author acknowledges the harm he and his colleagues inflicted on ordinary Russians by slavishly supporting the programmes of the CP by saying: “…I firmly believed that the ends justified the means…” His purpose is to convince later generations to be more forgiving of his generation for their misguidance.

Similarity Sources A and B are however

similar as they both agree that collectivization initially caused food shortages. Source A states that: “…food production decreased initially’ and the author of Source B also says that he saw, “…people dying of hunger…” thus showing that a drop in food production meant starvation for the people.

Essay Practice“Stalin’s policies benefitted the

USSR.” How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer. [12]

Introduction Stalin’s policies did benefit the people of USSR. Through his

policies, the USSR was transformed from a backward

country into a modern, industrialized state. Although this

was achieved at a high human cost, had Stalin not utilized

such harsh measures, this transformation of the Soviet

Union which benefitted the economy and country as a

whole would not have been possible.

Para 1 – Rapid Industrialization Stalin’s policy of rapid industrialization benefitted the USSR. Stalin

was motivated by the conviction that the USSR being the first

communist state in the world, would be crushed by non-communist

countries if it did not strengthen itself through industrialization.

He came out with Five-Year Plans which set targets for industrial

development. Hundreds of new factories were built and the

industrial workforce expanded. Each worker was urged to work

harder and shock brigades (or workers who outperformed their

targets) were recognized and rewarded. A system of reward and

punishment was set up to motivate workers to give their best. This

ensured that Russia became a great industrial nation by the end of

the 1930s. Thus, Stalin’s industrialization benefitted the USSR, by

propelling it from a backward state into a modern nation so rapidly.

Para 2 - Collectivization However Stalin’s collectivization did not benefit the USSR. Stalin

implemented collectivization in order to merge small individual

firms into larger collective farms called kolkhozy. Stalin hope

that through collectivization, a secure food supply would be

available for the workers and support his industrialization of the

USSR. This meant that farms would no longer be owned

privately, and kulaks farms were confiscated and the peasants

given fixed working hours and wages. There was a period of

widespread famine as the kulaks resisted collectivization and

even killed their own animals and burned their crops than give it

to the state. These attempts at resistance were met with

violence, with those who resisted shot or sent to gulags. Hence,

Stalin’s policies did not benefit Russia and resulted in massive

loss of lives.

Para 3 – The Great Terror Stalin’s policies also did not benefit the USSR as he established

a climate of fear through his purges and show trials. He got rid

of any possible political competition by placing many Politburo

members on show trials where they were eventually purged.

The secret police also monitored and persecuted anyone who

was suspected of criticizing Stalin. Thus, Stalin’s Russia was

characterized by fear and terror, and the lack of political

freedom. More importantly, his purges of experienced and

capable communist members, engineers and scientists meant

that the USSR suffered in the long run with the lack of capable

men to run the country. Thus Stalin’s policies did not benefit

Russia and instead cost many lives.

Conclusion – Weigh and Link

In conclusion, Stalin’s policies brought benefits to the

USSR in the long run. Through his Five-Year Plans, the

Soviet Union was transformed into a formidable world

power. It benefitted from Stalin’s economic policies as

modern machinery was introduced and new factories

were built. It was Stalin’s harsh political policies which

enabled him to assume total control over Russia, making

it possible to push through policies necessary to

modernize Russia. Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged

that all these achievements were only made possible at a

high human cost and immense suffering of the people.