1. The Soviet Union Under Stalin

2. A Totalitarian State Stalin’s Five-Year Plans:
Stalin imposed government control over the Soviet Union’s economy.
In 1928, he proposed the first of several “five-year plans”
-building heavy industry
-improving transportation
-increasing farm output.

3. A Totalitarian State The Soviet Union developed a command economy
Government officials made all basic economic decisions.
In a capitalist economy, a free market determines most economic decisions.
The private businesses compete to win the consumer’s choice.
This competition regulates the price and quality of goods

4. Mixed Results in Industry
Government pushed the factory workers and managers by giving bonuses to those who succeeded and punishments for those who failed.
Between 1928 and 1939, large factories, hydroelectric power stations, and huge industrial complexes rose across the Soviet Union.
Oil, coal, and steel production grew.
Mining expanded and new railroads were built.

5. Forced Collectivization in Agriculture
Stalin brought agriculture under government control
All peasants were to farm on state-owned farms or collectives.
On these collectives the gov’t would provide tractors, fertilizers, and better seed and the peasants would learn modern farm methods.
Houses and personal belongings could be kept.

6. Forced Collectivization in Agriculture
Peasants also resisted by growing only enough to live by
So the gov’t took all of the grain and left the peasants to starve.
1932- Terror Famine, 5-8 million people died of starvation in Ukraine alone.

7. Stalin’s Terror Tactics
tactics such as secret police, torture and violent purges to ensure obedience.
Stalin committed crimes against humanity and constantly violated his people’s rights.
Police spies would open private letters or plant listening devices.
Grumblers or critics were sent to Gulag, a system of brutal labor camps, many died.
No free press, censorship

8. The Great Purge
1934:
Cracked down on Old Bolsheviks( party activists from the early days of the revolution),
Army heroes
Industrial managers
Writers
Ordinary citizens.
Charged from counterrevolutionary plots, to failure to meet production quotas.

9. The Great Purge 4 million purged, some historians estimate much more
; “show trials” communist leaders would admit to crimes after being tortured or families threatened.
4 million purged, some historians estimate much more

10. Results of the Purge
Increased Stalin’s power
Lost experts in industry, economics, engineering, writers, thinkers, military leaders, half of it’s military officers

11. Communist Attempts to Control Thought
Propaganda
Made himself a god-like figure
Censoring opposing ideas, imposing Russian culture on minorities, and replacing religion with communist ideology.
Loudspeakers in factories and villages, movies, schools, billboards, posters
Communist successes and the evils of capitalism.

12. Censorship and Acts
Gov’t controlled what books were published, what music was heard, and which works of art were displayed.
Socialist realism – show Soviet life in a positive light and promote hope in the communist future.

13. Russification
Russification – making a nationality’s culture more Russian.
appointed Russians to high-ranking positions in non-Russian areas and required the Russian language to be used in all schools and businesses.

14. War on Religion
Atheism- belief that there is no god; became an official state policy.
Many priests and religious leaders were among the purged.
Communism became the new religion with its own ‘sacred texts’.
The writings of Marx and Lenin- shrines, tomb of Lenin, religious icons in home became portraits of Stalin.

15. Soviet Society Under Stalin
The head of the society was the members of the Communist Party, instead of the old order which were landowning nobles.
Soviet elite:
Best apartments, vacation homes, special shops w/ scarce goods
industrial managers, military leaders, scientists, and some artists and writers.
Purges often fell on the elite

16. Benefits and Drawbacks
All children attend communist-built school, technical schools and universities
After-school programs- sports, cultural activities
Free medical care, day care, inexpensive housing, public rec
Drawbacks
Political classes to train teenagers for membership
Also taught communist values, atheism, and love of Stalin.
Entire families in one apartment
Meat and fresh fruit were in short supply

17. Women in the Soviet Union
Won equality
Gained access to education
A wide range of jobs.
1930s- working in medicine, engineering or the sciences
Worked in factories, in construction, and on collectives