Stalinist Russia

I. Totalitarianism = government that takes total control over every aspect of life Ideology = sets goals of state & justifies government actions B. State control of individuals & society 1. individual rights count for nothing 2. citizens to obey w/o question 3. all aspect of life controlled: religion, art, youth groups, housing, education, business C. Methods of enforcement 1. police terror, indoctrination, censorship, persecution The reason people allow totalitarian rulers to take control is that they provide a sense of security and direction for the future.

D. Modern technology 1. mass communication to spread propaganda 2. advanced military weapons E. Dictatorship and one-party rule 1. has absolute authority 2. dominates government F. Dynamic leader 1. unites people 2. symbolizes people 3. encourages popular support through force of will

II. Police State A. Police served to enforce totalitarian policies 1. Violence, terror, spying, executions B. Stalin launched Great Purge 1934 Campaign of terror designed to eliminate anyone who threatened his power 2. Millions of men and women executed or sent to labor camps for “crimes against the Soviet Union” 3. An estimated 8-20 million people killed in Stalinist Russia! http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/RUSpurge.htm

III. Indoctrination Government controlled education 1. Children learned the virtues of communism 2. Workers were lectured also 3. Important to sacrifice the individual for the communist state

IV. Propaganda A. Biased information to sway people to accept certain beliefs/actions B. Controlled all media Newspapers, artists, writers, and the radio were all required to “glorify” communism and Stalin

V. Religious Persecution A. Aimed to replace the religious teachings with the ideals of communism

VI. Five-Year Plans to industrialize the nation A. Stalin’s guidelines to drastically boost the Soviet Union’s economy 1. Industrial Revolution a. Increased steel, coal, and oil output b. Limited consumer goods 2. Agricultural Revolution a. Collective farms: millions of farms taken over by force 3. Women a. Full time jobs + housework & child care

B. Standard of living remained low; industry at the expense of consumer goods… clothing, household goods expensive and hard to buy 1. wages low, but unemployment did not exist! 2. government provided pensions and free education (unknown under the czars) C. Workers had production quotas, if not met workers punished