Totalitarianism Case Study: Stalinist Russia Chapter 30, Section 2

Joseph Stalin: Background Information He was a revolutionary supporter of Vladimir Lenin During his early days as a Bolshevik, he changed his name from Dzhugashivili to Stalin Stalin means “man of steel” in Russian He was cold, harsh, and impersonal He became Lenin’s successor Before Lenin died, Lenin began to distrust Stalin and believed that all of the power would go to Stalin’s head

Stalin spent about 5 years working his way to the top of the government Many times he worked behind the scenes and moved those loyal to him in key political positions By 1928, Stalin was in total command of the Communist Party Trotsky, Stalin’s main rival, was forced into exile and was no longer a threat to Stalin’s political power

As a leader, Stalin created a myth that he was the country’s father and savior He wanted people to think of him as “The Greatest Genius of All Times and Peoples” Many towns were renamed for Stalin A new metal was called Stalinite Everyday children at school would recite, “Thank Comrade Stalin for this happy life.”

Totalitarianism Definition: government that exerts total control of every aspect of a citizen’s private and public life Totalitarian leaders appear to provide a sense of security and give a direction for the future Totalitarianism challenges Western democracies Other totalitarian governments that began to emerge in the 1920s and 1930s were Hitler in Germany and Mussolini in Italy

Command Economy Stalin’s economic policies involved total state control His plans called for a command economy – a system in which the government made all economic decisions Political leaders identify the country’s economic needs and determine how to fulfill them

Industrial Policies Stalin initiated Five-Year Plans to promote industrial growth – these set impossibly high quotas to increase the output of steel, coal, oil, and electricity Stalin announced, “We are 50 or 100 years behind the advanced countries. We must make good this distance in 10 years. Either we do it or we shall be crushed.” The government also had to limit the production of consumer goods in order to reach its goal People now faced sever shortages of housing, food, clothing, and other necessary goods

The government controlled every aspect of workers’ lives – including their working hours Anyone who resisted was imprisoned or executed by the secret police All of this improved the Soviet economy A second Five Year Plan would prove equally successful From 1928 to 1937, industrial production increased more than 25%

Agricultural Policies Stalin’s agricultural revolution was also successful, but it was far more brutal to the farmers The government seized over 25 million privately owned farms and combined them into large, government-owned farms, called collective farms The government expected that the modern machinery on the collective farms would boost food production and reduce the number of workers

Many peasants killed livestock and destroyed crops in protest Terror and violence was used to force them to obey Between 5 million and 10 million peasants died as a direct result of Stalin’s agricultural revolution Kulaks, or wealthy peasants, were eliminated by either death or they were shipped to work camps Millions were shipped to Siberia

Propaganda Methods Art was used for propaganda Socialist realism was an artistic style that praised Soviet life and Communist values The government controlled the media and censored all forms of creativity The government also replaced religious teachings with Communist ideals Police destroyed churches and synagogues; many religious leaders were killed or sent to labor camps

Education The government controlled all education – from nursery schools through the universities Totalitarian states relied on indoctrination – instruction in the government’s beliefs- to mold people’s minds Stalin's economic plans also created a high demand for skilled workers This opened up educational positions for women who were preparing for careers in engineering and science Despite being expected to work full-time for the state, women were given the added pressure of being the house wife and mom Women were expected to provide the state with future generations of loyal obedient citizens

Control Methods Stalin made sure to destroy all of his enemies His secret police use tanks and armored cars to stop riots They monitored telephone lines, read mail, and planted informers everywhere The secret police arrested and executed millions of so-called traitors

Stalin turned against members of his own Communist Party in 1934 The Great Purge refers to Stalin’s campaign of terror directed at eliminating anyone who threatened his power Everyone was a suspect and no one felt safe! When the Great Purge ended in 1939, it is estimated that 8 million – 13 million were killed