Russian Dictatorships Joseph Stalin

Stalin’s accession to power Key to rise to power was his post as General Secretary of the Communist Party As Party grew in size and influence Stalin’s own influence grew Lenin warned Party of Stalin’s ambitions

Power Struggle Leon Trotsky was Stalin’s main rival Stalin allied himself with the Right to attack Trotsky Programme of ‘Socialism in One Country’ seemed to offer stability

Victory goes to Stalin Using support of Bukharin Stalin removed Trotsky from power The Right believed that the NEP would continue After a food shortage grain was seized (again!)

The drive to industrialise “We are 50 to 100 years behind the advanced countries We must make good this lag in ten years. Either we do it or they crush us…” Stalin planned to replace the NEP by the 5 year Plans

The Five Year Plans Not a general programme A Law which laid down rate of increase for industry and agriculture Emphasis to be on heavy industry & fuel supplies Target was 300% for industry Industries producing consumer goods to develop more slowly

Industrial Expansion A new iron & steel works grew up in the Urals Europe’s largest hydro-electric plant was built New tractor and car plants built

The 1st, 2nd & 3 rd Plans First Plan focused on industrial expansion Second and Third Plans stressed transport As a result 100,000 miles of air lines, roads and waterways were built Old towns were enlarged and new ones created Overall industrial output increased by 400% from 1914

Goods Pig iron4.2 mill tons3.3 mill tons15.0 mill tons Steel4.2 mill tons4.3 mill tons18.3 mill tons Coal29.1 mill tons35.5 mill tons166 mill tons Oil9.2 mill tons11.7 mill tons31 mill tons Cement1.5 mill tons1.8 mill tons5.8 mill tons Grain81 mill tons73 mill tons95.5 mill tons Tractors070031,000 Motor vehicles ,000

Cost to the workers Targets set by Gosplan Workers book system restored Conditions of service got worse ‘From each according to his means,to each according to his needs’ Some workers rewarded more than others

Stakhanovites Alexis Stakhanov produced record amount of coal Became figure head of Stakhanovite movement Awarded Hero of the Soviet Union

Conditions for the workers For majority of workers conditions worsened Food and goods in short supply Anyone who criticised the Party could be arrested for sabotage Those arrested faced show trials Many shot, thousands of others sent to work camps

Collectivisation (1) Money needed to finance industrial expansion - Peasants were only real source Growing number of workers needed cheap food Peasants needed as labour Only one solution for Stalin- peasants must be moved to collective farms

Collectivisation (2) Stalin hoped peasants would support policy – tried to blame Kulaks for problems Almost all peasants opposed – police and army units used force 1000s lost property and were exiled Millions burned crops and killed animals Chronic shortage of equipment delayed increases in production

Collectivisation

“Peasants call for the expulsion of the Kulaks from the village” At work in the Gulag

The Purges Criticism of Stalin’s policies growing in early 1930s Purges sparked by Kirov’s death in 1934 ‘Old Bolsheviks’ found guilty by public show trials One fifth Red Army officers liquidated Stalin’s men replaced those killed in the terror

Russia and Europe Stalin underestimated threat posed by Hitler – KPD opposed SPD in elections Russia joined League in 1934 – western governments did not trust Communists USSR supported Republicans in Spanish Civil War Stalin began negotiations with Germany – Nazi-Soviet Pact (August 1939)

War! June 22 nd 1941 Germany attacked the USSR Russia suffered huge losses from the ‘Blitzkrieg’ Poor treatment by German troops cost them support

The Great Fatherland War Stalin took charge of the war 1,500 factories were moved to the East Surrender was not an option for Russian soldiers Moscow, Stalingrad and Leningrad were besieged ‘General Winter’ helped to turn the tide

Victory in the East! The Germans could not afford to lose the men and equipment at the same rate As the Germans retreated Russian forces ‘liberated’ Eastern Europe At Yalta Churchill & Roosevelt gave in to Stalin’s demands By the time the war ended Russia was a ‘superpower’