Stalin and Russia

1
Stalin and Russia

• Stalins rise to power
• The Purges
• Stalins Economic Policies

2
What factors meant that Stalin came to power
after the death of Lenin?

• Luck
• Stalins Political Strengths
• Stalins personal qualities
• Trotskys weaknesses.

3
How did luck help Stalin come to power?

• It was lucky that
• Lenins testament was never published
• Lenin died at a good time (earlier and Stalin
  wouldnt have had enough power)
• Trotsky was ill through most of the power
  struggle.

4
What strengths of Stalin helped him come to power?

• He was in charge of appointing offices. He could
  give good posts to his allies and bad posts to
  his opponents where they couldnt get much
  support.
• He had played a vital role in Bolshevik history
  so he was admired and considered loyal.
• His roles meant that he was a good ally to have
  for leading politicians and they were equally
  useful to him.
• He advocated the popular socialism in one
  country

5
What personality traits of Stalin helped helped
him come to power?

• He was cunning, had no qualms about playing
  people off one another. He tricked Trotsky about
  Lenins funeral so it looked like he was much
  closer to Lenin.
• He was considered mediocre and not a threat until
  it was too late.
• Didnt mind doing boring, administrative tasks
  which were vital to his plan.

6
What weaknesses of Trotsky helped Stalin come to
power?

• He was high minded and looked down on his
  colleagues. They respected him but didnt like
  him.
• The partys most eminent mediocrity, didnt see
  Stalin as a threat.
• He didnt believe in political alliances and
  dirty politics.
• Used to be a Menshevik so was not seen as loyal.

7
When did Russia become the USSR?

• Just before Lenin died.

8
What 2 major economic policies did Stalin make?

• 5 year Plans
• Collectivisation

9
What did the 5 year plans aim to do?

• Increase production in heavy goods
• Modernise the industry
• Improve agriculture and economy
• Catch up with other countries
• Equip army for predicted war
• Get power, control, order and discipline.

10
What measures were taken to enforce the 5 year
plans?

• Ambitious targets were set. Fines for not
  complying.
• Whole cities built where there were rich natural
  resources
• Dams built so hydropower could be used in
  industry.
• Railways and canal built to improve
  transportation (e.g. Moscow underground)
• Siberia's rich mineral exploited
• Spare money ploughed into agriculture
• GOSPLAN drew up plans
• Labour Camps
• Propaganda

11
What were the successes of the 5 year plans?

• Production increased
• No unemployment
• Women started to work
• More doctors/ head than Britain.
• Basic education
• Saved Russia from WWII defeat
• Good for propaganda (promote communism)
• Overtaking Britain and Germany
• Soviet workers had slightly better living
  conditions
• Alexei Stakhanov a hero story.

12
What were the failures of the 5 year plans?

• Human cost (100 000 died on Belmor canal)
• Overcrowding
• Racism
• Not many consumer goods for normal people.

13
What were the aims of collectivisation?

• Get peasants to use machinery
• To modernise farming
• Supply materials for 5 year plans
• Fund the 5 year plans
• Control over a large amount of the population
• Eliminate Kulaks
• Feed growing population
• Introduce communist system

14
What were the measures taken to enforce
collectivisation?

• Farms groups together (Kolkhoz), government
  owned. Could keep small plots of land for
  personal use.
• Animals and tools pooled together
• Given free grain and steady income
• Machinery make available by government at Motor
  tractor stations
• 90 of food and produce would be sold to the
  state and profits shared out.
• Terror and propaganda turned people away from the
  Kulaks.
• Requisition parties took all food, all of it if
  you refused.

15
What were the successes of Collectivisation?

• Nearly all the kulaks were gone by 1941
• After it had been introduced there was no more
  famine
• 2 million peasants started using machinery.
• Foreign experts taught new ways to farm.
• Nearly all agriculture was organised in a
  collective system by 1941.
• Communist practise achieved
• Eventually 30 million tons of grain produced a
  year.

16
What were the failures of collectivisation?

• Initially caused a famine
• Peasants didnt like growing flax not food
• Kulaks unhappy about have to give land and
  produce
• Kulaks burned land and killed animals in protest
• Peasants were suspicious of government
• Didnt work in the short term.

17
What were the purges?

• The systematic elimination of opponents by
  Stalin.
• Millions of people imprisoned in labour camps
  (gulags)

18
What force did Stalin use to control the USSR

• NKVD

19
When did the purges begin?

• 1934, when Kirov, leader of the Leningrad
  communist party was murdered.
• This was used as an excuse.

20
How did Stalin weaken the army?

• By getting rid of able officers that he saw as a
  threat. 1 in 5 officers were killed in the
  purges.

21
What cosmetic measures did Stalin introduce ?

• Gave people free speech and election.
• In fact, all newspapers and magazines had to be
  approved and only communist candidates could
  stand for election.