1928-41 Part Two Flashcards
Why was religion persecuted by Stalin and to some extents Lenin
Quote Karl Marx
Religion exists because capitalism leaves people repressed and suffering
“Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of the heartless world”
Give examples of Lenin’s persecution of religion (4)
1917 - church property seized when property made illegal which impoverished the orthodox church. Monostries became state-owned and converted to hospitals and barracks
Church control over education removed as schools taken over by the state. 1921 - religious teaching in schools = forbidden
Persecuted priests - attacked in propaganda as enemies of the people. 8,000 priests executed for filing to hand over valuables
Christian festival days slowly replaced
Give examples of Stalin’s persecution of religion (4)
1929-40 Sunday was abolished and a five-day working week established with workers all getting. different day off. Meant workers were rarely off work on their Holy day
1935 - pilgrimages to Mecca was forbidden, many imams imprisoned + executed
By 1941 0 40,000 Christian churches had been closed and 25,000 mosques
Give an example of religious belief remaining strong
1937 survey found 57% population still declared themselves believers of some sort despite their institutions being broken
Possibly strengthened by collectivization and purges
How did culture change under Lenin
1920’s became known as the silver age of Russian literature and poetry
Free expression encouraged as .ong as it was not counter-revolutionary
How did culture change after the First Five Year plan
Cultural revolution
A new generation of artists and writers denounced the cultural and intellectual leaders under Lenin as not truly committed to socialism
How did culture change from 1932-6
April 1932 - ‘resolution of the party’ establishes Stalin’s supreme vision of soviet culture
Doesn’t care who produces the culture, but what the culture was - relentless propaganda to help create the ‘socialist man’
Socialist realism was the only accepted style. Individual expression was considered suspect. Writers were expected to depict reality in its revolutionary development
Work should glorify the working man, especially communities working together. Uplifting messages
How did the state enforce Stalin’s vision of culture
Unions were set up for musicians, film writers, painters, writers
Without membership to these bodies - they were deprived of a career
What did Stalin ask writers to be
“Engineers of the human soul”
What happened to culture form 1936
Artists and writers were swept up in the Great terror - around 1,500 writers died
The orders to conform now came with menace, and artists overwhelmingly did conform or leave the USSR
Stalin’s vision of culture was utterly dominant
How did Lenin utilise propaganda to secure support
Used effectively in civil war. SImple repeated messages had powerful impacts on illiterate peasants and workers
Never sought cult status, but due to Stalin’s efforts was viewed as God. Tomb turned to a shrine
How did Stalin utilise propaganda to secure support
Initially focused o the Lenin cult as part of a successful attempt to build a cult of personality for himself and paint himself as the legitimate successor and disciple
Propaganda gained support for industrialisation
Slogans like “Stalin is the Lenin of today” gave Stalin’s leadership legitimacy and peasants set up the red corner in their homes to worship great leaders
Give some positive changes for women under Lenin
1917 - Sexual Discrimination Banned. Women given the right to own property and civil marriage
Part set up the Zhentol - women’s branch of the central committee designed to promote the position of women
Divorce became easier and less expensive
Expectation to get involved in paid employment
Girls now had the same educational rights as boys. Bu 1940, over 40% engineer students were women
Give some negative changes for women under Lenin
Making divorce easier often had a negative impact on women as their husbands deserted them with children leaving them with no means of economic support
Expectation to get involved in employment placed further burden on women who also expected to do the domestic tasks
Give evidence of Stalin’s restrictive policies for women
marriages were nullified
Propaganda posters presented women as feminine carers of families, encouraged to give unpaid employment when married
1930 - Zhenotdel shut - women remained hugely unrepresented in communist party
Contraception banned and financial incentives given for large families
Women earned 40% less than men
