The USSR Under Stalin: Nature of the Soviet State, Propaganda, Cult of Personality IB History

Soviet Government Communist Party Council Politburo of People’s Central Committee Congress City & Provincial Parties Local Parties Soviet Government Communist Party Council of People’s Commissars (Sovnarkom) Central Executive Committee All-Russian Congress of Soviets Provincial & City Soviets Local & District Soviets

Democratic Centralism In Theory In Reality Village soviets elected by working people Day-to-day admin by executive committee Appointed by soviets Delegates sent to higher bodies Local -> District -> Province -> All-Russian Congress -> Central Executive Committee -> Sovnarkom Sovnarkom made all decisions Politburo influenced & eventually replaced Sovnarkom Decisions passed down to local levels to be carried out

Soviet Government Council of People’s Commissars (Sovnarkom) 15 – 20 members, key decisions, less important as Politburo took more control Council of People’s Commissars (Sovnarkom) Central Executive Committee All-Russian Congress of Soviets Provincial & City Soviets Local & District Soviets Elected by Congress, Oversaw government, actually had little power Elected by city & provincial soviets, supreme law-making authority Elected by local & district soviets, Moscow & Leningrad dominated, carried out policy decisions Elected locally, carried out policy decisions, direct contact for people

City & Provincial Parties ~7-9 members, chosen by Central Committee, Met daily, Ultimate decision-making body Politburo Central Committee Congress City & Provincial Parties Local Parties Communist Party ~40 members, chosen from level below, debate & vote on key party issues but became increasingly irrelevant to Politburo Chosen from level below, debate & vote on main issues Chosen from level below, sent delegates to Congress, Party secretaries often very powerful at this level Base unit, people often joined for benefits: jobs, election to soviets, consumer goods, extras

Relationship of Government to Party Key officials in government were members of Communist Party E.g., Politburo members often held high government positions Over time, government bodies became instruments for carrying out policies made by Politburo The further from Moscow the more independent the local parties

Activity: In the next few slides there are Propaganda posters. Look at the posters and try to guess what they want you to think, feel or believe.

Stalin’s Care Creates a Wonderful Childhood

Learn the great path of Lenin’s and Stalin’s Party!’

Talking too much – helping the enemy!’

‘Each day we live happier!’

‘Love your motherland!’

‘Hail to the powerful air force of the country of socialism’

With the guidance of Great Stalin – Forward to Communism!

Thank you to the Party, Thank you to our Dear Stalin for a joyful and happy childhood.

Were Soviet culture and society transformed by the Oct. Revolution? 1 Soviet Russia had the most liberal divorce and abortion laws in Europe, but generally they worked against women. Childcare was to become the collective responsibility of the state; but 7-9 million children homeless. Alexandra Kollontai was the only woman among the leading Bolsheviks, and the impact of her radical feminist ideas was limited. The Bolsheviks believed in mass art that had to serve the new state. Some avant-garde artists were initially attracted to the regime but the relationship soured as political control increased. Lenin was especially keen on the cinema and Eisenstein was an outstanding film-maker, but political control curbed his freedom later on. Education was an essential element in building socialism but schools in the 1920s were not one of the Bolsheviks’ successes. 6 The campaign to liquidate adult illiteracy had a higher success rate. The Bolsheviks were aggressively atheistic and over 8000 believers were killed in the anti-Church campaign of 1922. However, religious belief persisted, especially amongst the peasants

What is a ‘Cult of Personality’? Undeserved or excessive admiration for a person Created via excessive praise Government uses of mass media to create larger-than-life public image Can be led by a specific leader (Stalin) Can be done after death of a leader (Lenin)

The Lenin Cult ‘Lenin Lived, Lenin Is Alive, Lenin Will Live’ Body preserved in mausoleum Every city has Lenin statue St Petersburg renamed Leningrad Many children named after Lenin Thousands join party in Lenin enrolment

Cult of Personality Stalin links himself to Lenin Funeral Photographs Many doctored Propaganda

Cult of Personality Stalin seen everywhere Worshiped by People Roads Posters Pictures on every wall Even projected image into night sky Worshiped by People Their ‘god’ Myth persists today even though Kruschev denounced Stalin’s purges Cities, factories renamed E.g., Stalingrad to Volgograd

Socialist Realism The ideological philosophy that guided Soviet literature and the arts after 1934, all creative writing and art had to celebrate the achievements of the proletarian in his struggle to make a contribution to the Soviet achievement.

Cult of Personality One of Stalin’s speeches was published on records One side of record contained speech The other side contained nothing but applause

Cult of Personality Stalin edited his own biography: ‘Although he performed the task as leader of the people with consummate skill and enjoyed the unreserved support of the entire Soviet people, Stalin never allowed his work to be marred by the slightest hint of vanity, conceit, or self-adulation.’

Cult of Personality At a provincial meeting there was a standing ovation when Stalin’s name was mentioned, and no one would sit down first. An old man finally could stand no longer and was first to sit…he was arrested the next day.

Re-Writing History – Short Course ‘History of the All-Union Communist Party’ AKA the ‘Short Course’ 1938 Main history course used for all educational institutions Stalin closest friend & disciple of Lenin Trotsky called a ‘bourgeois specialist’ Other Bolsheviks demoted to ‘enemies of the people’ or other minor roles

Re-Writing History – Doctored Photographs The shop sign ‘Watches, Gold, Silver’ changed to ‘In Fight You’ll Get Your Right’ The red flag received the words ‘Down with the Monarchy’

Doctored Photos Trotsky distanced from Lenin to make Trotsky appear less important

Doctored Photos: Crowd too small for Lenin? Bottom photo distributed to world media

Doctored Photos Multiple changes required as purges continued to execute party leaders

Doctored Photos: Victims of the Purge

Doctored Photos Secret police leader executed in purges, and therefore removed from photo with Stalin

Doctored Photos No one should show the way for Stalin!!

At its Height the Soviet Union: 2nd largest economy after the United States Largest armed forces Largest nuclear arsenal Leader in space exploration But… The Communist leaders had totalitarian control: government, business, education, & notably the media Freedom we take for granted did not exist: speech, religion, assembly, fair trial, etc.

Religion Need to add more Official religion is atheism Churches closed Churches used for other functions Meetings Storage Barracks Cathedral of Christ the Savior (restored) Original destroyed by Stalin in 1931

Education Soviets strongly supported education Expanded schools Most citizens are peasants Needed managers & workers for new industry Expanded schools Developed research institutions Employed 100,000s of scientists, engineers, technicians Stressed science and technology Achievements among highest in the world

The Arts Control of all artistic expression Writers had relative freedom in 1920s as long as they did not criticize, but in 1930s they were heavily censored & persecuted Socialist Realism Emphasized goals & benefits of life in the USSR

Culture and society in a decade of turmoil  1 The Cultural Revolution of 1928–31 coincided with industrialisation & collectivisation. It saw a return to the class struggle of the Civil War.  2 The Komsomols were particularly active in enforcing the Cultural Revolution in education and art and intensifying the attack on religion.  3 After the Cultural Revolution there was a return to traditional values in many areas of Soviet society. This is sometimes called the ‘Great Retreat’  4 Abortion was outlawed and divorce was made harder after the introduction of the 1936 Family Code, which emphasised the value of family life.  5 In education, discipline, exams and traditional procedures were brought back.  6 Socialist Realism was the guiding principle for all artist from 1932 onwards.  7 Art was even more tightly controlled than it had been in the 1920s. Artists rose, like Brodsky, or fell, like Meyerhold, depending on how closely they followed the dictates of Socialist Realism.  8 Great writers like Pasternak were silent; lesser ones produced novels about the Five-Year Plans.  9 The Soviets were trying to produce a new type of man. 10 Their success was very limited. In spite of Stalin’s terror, the Soviet people were survivors and remained sceptical.