Dictatorship in the Soviet Union SWBAT: identify how Stalin shaped the Soviet Union. Homework: None Do Now: Where did we last leave the Soviet Union?

Russia under Lenin  After WWI was over, Russia’s economy still struggled to get back to its pre-war levels.  Lenin decided to allow some to start private businesses to try and jumpstart the economy.  To try and meet the food needs of the nation, Lenin decided to “persuade” farmers to form collective farms.  Land is pooled into large farms that people worked on together.

Stalin takes over  Upon Lenin’s death in 1924, Joseph Stalin came to power.  Wanted to create a model communist state.  Those private businesses that Lenin allowed? Not under Stalin’s watch.  The goals of this state were agricultural and industrial growth.  Wanted to transform USSR from a backward rural nation into a great industrial power.  This meant continuing collective farming.  Created what were known as “Five-year plans” to direct industrialization. All economic activity was placed under state control.

Stalin’s Success  By 1937, the USSR had become the world’s 2 nd largest industrial power, surpassed only by the USA.  But, at what cost?

Solidifying Power  Stalin executed or imprisoned all his political enemies.  One of the first people to fall under this category was Leon Trotsky, a fellow communist who Stalin had outmaneuvered to become Lenin’s successor.  Trotsky fled Russia, first to Paris, and then eventually Mexico City.  He was assassinated in 1940 by one of Stalin’s agents, stabbed to death with an ice pick.

The Purge  In 1934, an important figure in the communist party was assassinated.  Stalin responded by using his power and position to kill off many people in high level positions, including many who had been leaders of the Russian Revolution.  The trials given to these people were a sham, their confessions of guilt tortured out of them.  One result of this purge was that many of the Soviet Union’s best military minds were killed, a situation which left the state vulnerable in case of foreign invasion.

The Kulaks  In his attempt to modernize the Soviet Union, Stalin was ruthless and did away with anyone who he thought opposed his power and that includes the everyday people.  The 1 st people that fell victim to his policies were the kulaks, independent farmers.  When collectivization began, these people were forced off their farms to work for the state.  Those that did not comply were executed.

The Holodomor  During the years , the Ukraine, a territory of the Soviet Union, suffered from widespread famine and malnutrition.  But the Ukraine was the breadbasket of the Soviet Union. How was a famine possible?  The government was collecting all the food for storage and not distributing it properly to the populace.  Scholars still argue today whether the Holodomor was a planned genocide or not, though several countries officially recognize it as such.

Countries which recognize the Holodomor as a genocide

The Death Count  In total, Stalin was responsible for the death of some 8 to 13 million people.  His establishment of the NKVD, a secret police, also led the people of the Soviet Union to live in fear for their lives.  The state was firmly in control of every aspect of its citizens lives. Thus, the Soviet Union is known as a totalitarian state.

Stalin’s Effect on Culture

Religion  Soviet officials discourage religious worship and seized the property of the Orthodox Church.  Churches and synagogues were destroyed or converted into public buildings.  The state executed ministers, priests, and rabbis.  Outlawed teaching religion in schools.

The Arts  The works of artists, musicians and writers were subjected to government control and censorship.  Artists were ordered to product works of “socialist realism” to prove their loyalty to the state.  Everyday humans became the subject of the novel, the play, poetry, and art.  Also celebrated Stalin as a great leader.  The working class was at the center of communist ideals; hence, his life was a worthy subject for study.  This was an important shift away from the aristocratic art produced under the Russian tsars of previous centuries.

Activity  There are 4 different accounts of the Holodomor. You are going to read one and fill in the chart. You will do this 2 times.  You will have 8 minutes to read and take notes on each.  You may not be able to fill in every block, but you should be able to jot down something for most.  These are notes, not sentences.  Be ready to discuss what you read.

Questions  What was the effect of rationing on the population of the Ukraine?  What lengths were people willing to go to eat?  Do you think this was a planned genocide?  What similarities/differences do you see between the genocide in the Ukraine and the Holocaust?  Why do you think Russia neglects to recognize the genocide?