Joseph Stalin Flashcards
(54 cards)
Who did Stalin come to power after
Lenin
what was Stalin’s propaganda centred around?
building a ‘cult of personality’
‘cult of personality’ quote
“everywhere in Moscow one sees nothing but Lenin and Stalin became a personification of that sanctity”
What was controlled by Stalin and the Communist party?
newspaper, radio and cinema
what were artists and writers expected to do?
to adhere to guidelines issued by the communist party
what was the failure of Stalin’s economic policies put down to?
spies and sabotages
what did the media say about the 5 year plans?
they exaggerated the results to the mainstream population
What other forms of propaganda was used?
-towns and cities were named after him
-statues erected of him
-posters and pictures hung in every town
what did his cult of personality depict him as?
a “god-like figure”, who could do no wrong
what was done to history?
-it was rewritten to portray Stalin in a more prominent light
-he was given a more prominent role in the October revolutions
what did the 1st 5 Year Plan focus on?
The industrialisation of the country (emphasis on heavy industry: coal,iron,etc.)
were the goals set out for the 5 Year Plans realistic?
they were highly unrealistic (330% increase in heavy industry production)
What did propaganda say about the 5 Year Plans?
they hailed them as a success
what did the media ignore about the 5 Year Plans?
that the large emphasis led to food shortages and a reduction in the quality of life in industrial cities
what was a key element to the 5 Year Plans?
public work schemes e.g Railway System in Moscow
what was used to motivate workers?
terror + propaganda
what was used to reward efficient workers?
propaganda
who was Aleksei Stakhanaov?
a worker who was said to have produced 102 tonnes of coal in one shift
What happened over a 10 year period in the USSR?
the country transformed from an over-reliance on agriculture to an industrial powerhouse
what was collectivisation?
an economic policy followed by Stalin to make agriculture more productive and efficient to growing population of the USSR
what did collectivisation mean?
small, individually owned peasant farms transformed into larger state-run farms
how did peasants react to collectivisation?
they resisted
How did Stalin react to the peasants resistance to collectivisation?
he instilled terror and fear into them
how did Stalin instill terror and fear into the peasants?
-they were arrested
-villages bombed
-5 million sent to gulags
-tortured them
