Stalin Flashcards
Why did Stalin emerge as Lenin’s successor?
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Who were the main contenders to succeed Lenin?
-Joseph Stalin
-Leon Trotsky
-Gregorii Zinoviev
-Lev Kamenev
-Nikolai Bukharin
-Alexei Rykov
What were the main issues debated among Bolsheviks regarding ideas and ideology during the struggle for power?
Answer: The main issues included:
The future of the New Economic Policy (NEP)
The growth of the bureaucratic party
The debate between Permanent Revolution and Socialism in One Country.
Stephen Cohen highlighted the tragic internal strife among old Bolsheviks over principles while Stalin rose to power.
Stalin’s formulation of “Socialism in One Country” contrasted with rivals’ emphasis on Leninism, despite their disdain for his perceived ignorance.
The NEP’s role in industrialization sparked passionate debates in the mid-1920s, questioning its effectiveness and the transition to industrialization.
Why did Stalin succeed Lenin?
-The role of the individual -Seemed safe, competent and unthreatening
-The importance of ideology - Reverted to Lenin’s war communism strategy
-Stalin’s control of the party -
-Lenin’s concept of the party
-The impact of social and cultural factors
-Luck/chance
What was the impact of the NEP on women and family?
-Laws passed to make divorce easier (By the mid-1920s Russia had the highest divorce rate in Europe)
- Women forced from. skilled to unskilled work
-Women in proletarian families worked an 8-hour day plus an extra 5-hours at home
What was the impact of the NEP on education?
- It was felt by the Central Committee that key areas, such as numeracy and literacy, were being neglected, and to combat this a new curriculum and series of text books were introduced in 1935
- The 1935 curriculum set out a series of core subject areas, such as reading, writing, Communist ideology and science
- The state also specified that homework was to be set regularly, and it introduced national examinations
- School discipline was designed so as to prepare children for the harsh regulation of the workplace under the Five-Year Plans
- State funding for education was reduced to free up resources for the Five Year Plans, and fees were introduced to make up for the shortfall
- The system of grants and scholarships offered by the Party and trade unions, however, favoured the sons and daughters of Communist Party officials, providing an other incentive for loyal service to the Party -1930’s uniforms brought back . -Entrance requirements -Old intelligentsia returned
What was the impact of the NEP on youth organisations?
-During the 1920s, radical communists had urged children and young people to challenge the bourgeois authority of parents and teachers -Soviet youth organisations such as the Komsomol reinforced this message in their publications (Respect Parents)
-Perfect child
What was the impact of the Bolsheviks on religion?
-Aggressively atheist
-January 1918 decree on the separation of church (declared the church could not own property)
-1921 The union of the militant godless was established to challenge the church directly
-Orders sent out to strip the church of their precious items
-More than 8000 people were executed or killed in1922 in the anti-church campaign
-28 bishops and 1215 priests imprisioned
How did the Bolsheviks use propaganda between 1918-28?
-artists and filmmakers utilised for propaganda, education, and cultural development.
After the October Revolution, the Commissariat of Popular Enlightenment was established, shifting focus from ‘high art’ to ‘popular culture.’
Avant-garde artists produced propaganda for the Bolsheviks, with over 1,000 ROSTA posters created over ten years.
Lenin aimed for monumental propaganda in the streets, unveiling statues and promoting mass street processions.
Cinema was seen as an ideal medium for propaganda; agitprop trains spread political messages through films and plays.
Soviet cinema experienced a brief period of creativity in 1925 after a decision not to intervene in artistic style, but Hollywood comedies were more popular among audiences.
By 1928, the number of cinemas grew rapidly, with 300 million tickets sold, but they were mostly restricted to urban areas.
Why was collectivisation carried out?
-Stalin saw forced collectivisation as necessary to bring the peasantry under control and eliminate the kulaks as a class.
-It aimed to increase the state’s share of larger harvests at a lower price and make surplus rural labor available to industry.
How was collectivisation carried out?
-Stalin mobilised industrial workers, Party officials, and army and police units to go to the countryside and organise collective farms.
-The process involved herding millions of peasants into collective farms within a short period, with roughly half of the Soviet peasantry being collectivised in the first two months of 1930.
-Despite initial disruptions and resistance, Stalin resumed the collectivisation offensive, reaching 90% collectivisation of households by the end of the 1930s, combining 25 million peasant households into 250,000 kolkhozy.
When was the offensive against the Kulaks?
December 27, 1929, when Stalin called for the liquidation of the kulaks as a class.
What were the events of the offensive against the KUlaks?
-The kulaks were targeted for liquidation, with their number exaggerated and the definition of kulak being elastic.
-They were divided into three categories: counter-revolutionaries to be shot or sent to forced-labour settlements, active opponents of collectivisation to be deported, and those expelled from their farms and settled on poor land.
-Mass deportations occurred, with approximately 1.8 million peasants deported to remote areas, many of whom died there.
-The campaign included arrests, executions, and displacement of kulaks, contributing to immense human suffering.
How did the peasants react to collectivisation?
-Peasants resisted collectivisation bitterly, leading to outbreaks of mass unrest, demonstrations, riots, and uprisings involving millions of peasants.
-Acts of kulak terrorism targeted Communist activists and Soviet officials.
-Peasants burned crops, tools, and houses rather than handing them over to the state, and slaughtered animals rather than giving them to collective farms.
-Women played a significant role in organised protests against grain requisitioning and collectivisation.
How did the famine affect collective farms?
-The famine, particularly in Ukraine in 1932-1933, resulted from ruthless and excessive grain procurements, causing widespread starvation.
-Despite the famine, state procurements doubled, and exports continued, with people prevented from fleeing the affected areas.
-Hunger led to increased theft of grain from collective farms, with some collective farmers involved in theft.
-Laws such as the “law of five ears of corn” were enacted, resulting in arrests and executions of those accused of stealing grain, contributing to the substantial prison population of peasants throughout the 1930s.
What was the model statute
The kolkhoz model statute, adopted in 1935, regulated the organization of collective farms and remained influential until the 1960s. It outlined rules for kolkhozniks’ payment and the relationship between kolkhozy and Machine Tractor Stations (MTS). Additionally, it legalized private plots of up to one acre per household. Livestock ownership was restricted, typically to one cow and calves, one sow and piglets, four sheep, and unlimited rabbits and poultry. These private plots provided a significant portion of essential food items to Soviet consumers, including vegetables, fruit, meat, milk, butter, honey, and wool.
Did collectivisation bring about greater change than the october revolution?
Economic Impact:
Grain harvest dropped dramatically in the early 1930s, failing to recover to pre-collectivisation levels until the latter half of the 1930s.
There were significant losses in the animal population, with meat production not reaching pre-collectivisation levels until after 1953.
Political Impact:
Collectivisation provided resources for industrialisation, as dispossessed peasants moved to towns to provide labour for new factories.
The Party gained control over the countryside, eliminating a sizeable private market sector and securing agricultural resources for industrial development.
Human Cost:
Collectivisation resulted in horrendous human costs, including mass deaths and forced displacement of millions of peasants.
Millions died due to de-kulakisation and famine, leading to the disappearance of traditional ways of life in villages.
Peasant Opposition:
Peasants blamed Stalin for collectivisation and the famine, viewing him as their enemy and wishing for his downfall, even at the cost of war and foreign occupation.
What were the features of the first 5 year plans under stalin?
Emphasis on Heavy Industry: The plans focused heavily on the development of heavy industry, such as coal, iron, steel, and other sectors crucial for industrialization. This emphasis aimed to provide the necessary infrastructure and machinery for further economic growth.
State Control and Central Planning: The plans were centrally directed by Stalin and the Supreme Economic Council (Vesenkha). Production and output targets were set for industrial enterprises, and failure to meet these targets could result in criminal consequences. Bonuses were offered for exceeding plan targets.
Construction of New Industrial Centers: Massive industrial centers were constructed from scratch, often in strategic locations east of the Ural Mountains to reduce vulnerability to Western attacks. Examples include Magnitogorsk and Kuznetsk.
Spectacular Projects to Showcase Industrial Might: Ambitious projects, such as the Dnieprostroi Dam and the Moscow-Volga canal, were undertaken to demonstrate the industrial capabilities of the Soviet Union. These projects were often monumental in scale and intended to symbolize Soviet progress.
