Government, propaganda and the beginning of the Stalinist cult

Question 1

What two government methods were the five-year plans and collectivisation initiated using?

Answer 1

Coercion and propaganda

Question 2

What did the launch of Stalin’s economic campaigns promote?

Answer 2

A propaganda campaign to encourage all Soviet citizens to build socialism. Anyone who didn’t share this aim was to be treated as a traitor

Question 3

What else did the propaganda often emphasis?

Answer 3

The heroism of the working class

Question 4

What was presented through photos?

Answer 4

Stalin presented as Lenin’s disciple with him in Lenin’s company and sometimes the photos were doctored to eradiate the close relationship that Lenin had with other party members such as Trotsky

Question 5

How did Stalin’s propaganda shift in the 1930’s?

Answer 5

From a position where he was the rightful heir and disciple of Lenin to greater emphasis on him as the heroic leader of the SU

Question 6

What started to emerge and what did this lead to?

Answer 6

Cult of personality started to develop and contributed to the creation of a totalitarian state

Question 7

What is one of the best examples of Soviet propaganda celebrating the heroic efforts of the working class?

Answer 7

The Stakhanovite movement - 30th August 1935 a coalminer (Alexei Stakhanov) mined almost 14 times the amount expected in a normal shift and workers across Russia were told to replicate his work - medals awarded to successful workers during this campaign

Question 8

Who did the SU sign agreements with in the 1920’s and what remained the Cominterns’ role despite this?

Answer 8

Signed agreements with Britain and Germany but the Cominterns’ role remained to encourage revolutionary activities in all countries (especially western capitalist powers)

Question 9

When was the communist party form in China and what did the Comintern request?

Answer 9

In 1921 the Chinese Communist party was formed hoping to carry through a communist revolution in China
At the request of the Comintern the Chinese communist party allied itself with the nationalists in the struggle of power in China.

Question 10

When was the pursuit for revolution in Shanghai and what was the outcome?

Answer 10

Ordered by the Comintern - took place April 1927 - it failed and thousands of communist supporters were killed in the consequent purification
Stalin continued to insist that Chinese Communist Party work with the nationalists (opposed by other leading Bolsheviks)

Question 11

When was the Treaty of Berlin signed and what was it based on?

Answer 11

April 1926

Built on the Rapallo treaty

Question 12

What did Treaty of Berlin agree?

Answer 12

A non-aggression pact with one another (the desire to continue to safeguard relations with Germany proved to be a feature of Soviet foreign policy in the 1930’s)

Question 13

Why was the Comintern initially established?

Answer 13

To promote and excite revolutionary activities abroad (but attempts had not been successful)

Question 14

What further damaged hope of extending communism into Europe?

Answer 14

The rise of fascism in Italy after 1922 and the stability of Germany after 1924

Question 15

In 1924 what did Moscow order the communist parties in Europe to do?

Answer 15

Act as a united labour front in order to radicalise socialist parties

Question 16

Why did Moscow’s instructions emphasis the failure of the communist parties in Europe?

Answer 16

They were unable to exert influence by themselves to promote the revolutionary activity which the Comintern expected

Question 17

What did Stalin understand about his position?

Answer 17

The advantages of his central position in the party, especially his grip on the bureaucracy through his post as central secretary and ‘bureaucratic centralism’ was key to his style of government

Question 18

Why was factionalism a crime against the party in Stalin’s system?

Answer 18

Once the party line had been set out by the leader , backed by majorities in party committees and the Politburo, dissent meant disloyalty

Question 19

What was Stalin’s government always presented as?

Answer 19

A continuation of Lenin’s legacy with all-pervasive reminders to politicians and to the people that Stalin had been Lenin’s closest comrade

Question 20

What was Stalin’s government also build on?

Answer 20

The politics of divide and rule

Question 21

What was Stalin’s success in the power struggle owed much to?

Answer 21

His ability to build up a group of loyal supporters in the lower levels of the party leadership, men who were of crucial importance in helping Stalin outmanoeuvre his high-placed rivals but who owed their political position entirely to Stalin

Question 22

What was arguably the driving force in Stalin’s government?

Answer 22

Fear - Stalin’s loyal henchmen were essential to his dictatorship but were constantly in fear of Stalin and eachother
Fear spread within the imposition of Stalin’s policies, in the way collectivisation was imposed, officials were intimidated, extensive use of the secret police, growth of forced labour camps

Question 23

What was the role of the secret police?

Answer 23

Its sinister role and army of informers was nothing new in 1929 - Lenin and Felix Dzerzhinsky had ruthlessly used the Cheka as a political weapon from 1917 but the role of the secret police (OGPU from 1926) became more pervasive under Stalin and Dzerzhinsky’s successor, Menzhinsky

Question 24

What is bureaucratic centralism?

Answer 24

Government controlled from the centre this includes the central appointment of district officers and other party officials (the bureaucracy)

Question 25

What reached even greater heights and how did Stalin justify it?

Answer 25

Terror - Lenin had often spoken frankly about the need to use terror and initially did so to eliminate opponents and intimidate people so Stalin claimed to be continuing Lenin’s rule in this regard - repression was not just from the OGPU it was often used by government officials enforcing government policies on peasants and workers

Question 26

By 1929 what had already been established?

Answer 26

The basis of the Stalin cult as his image as a Great Helmsman steering the state through dangers and as Lenin’s true successor was fixed.

Question 27

What was Lenin’s cult?

Answer 27

Lenin never sought to create his own cult but one grew rapidly after his death (largely due to Stalin desperate to appear as his disciple and heir) - by the late 1920’s Lenin was being treated like a God. Stalin even had the body embalmed and turned the tomb into a shrine (against Lenin’s wife’s wishes) improving his own status

Question 28

What was Stalin’s aim with foreign affairs?

Answer 28

To keep Russia safe while concentrating on domestic affairs to build ‘socialism in one country’ - complete isolation from the outside world was not possible - Stalin had to deal with pressing concerns from abroad including in relation to China and Germany

Question 29

What else did Stalin have to take into account in his foreign policy and what was his view on it?

Answer 29

The Comintern and its continuing influence
He saw it as unwelcome nuisance, a hangover from the failed dreams of achieving permanent world revolution - he could never openly state this view

Question 30

Who was Stalin’s chief representative in foreign affairs an his deputy?

Answer 30

Georgii Chicherin backed by his able deputy Maksim Litvinov - they were both polished diplomats with a moderate reassuring image - Stalin regarded them as very useful in maintaining safe relations, especially with Germany

Question 31

When had China become unstable?

Answer 31

After the collapse of the Old Imperial China in 1911 - instability flared again at the death of President Sun Yatsen in 1925 and increase in industrial working class led to militant action including mass strikes in Shanghai and Canton

Question 32

Who had China expected support from and why didn’t it come?

Answer 32

From Stalin and the Comintern - Stalin preferred to back Jiang Jieshi (leader of the revolutionary nationalist movemen, the GMD who he thought was more likely to bring stability to a key strategic area on Russia’s eastern borders
He was also suspicious of the independent interpretation of Marxist ideology developed by Chinese communists

Question 33

Who did Stalin therefor push the CCP to join forces with and what was the outcome?

Answer 33

The Guomindang in ‘an alliance from within’ but this didn’t happen and there was bitter conflict

Question 34

What happened with the GMD?

Answer 34

March 1926 they massacred striking workers in Canton and established military dictatorship
April 1927 they viciously supressed a communist led workers revolt in Shanghai and thousands of workers were killed
1927 they massacred striking workers in Wuhan - 30,000 workers killed by them in 1927

Question 35

What was Stalin’s response to events in China 1925-1927?

Answer 35

His concern was for stability in Russia not spreading Rev to other countries
Stalin believed the GMD to be the strongest force in China so gave them financial backing and military help- he also pressured the Politburo into accepting the GMD as a member of the Comintern
He thought the events in China were the fault of the communists who moved away from supporting the urban class workers and focused on the peasantry - links between the CPP and the SU became weaker

Question 36

Who was Stalin’s betrayal of the CPP bitterly criticised by and what happened at the communist congress?

Answer 36

Trotsky and the left but Stalin’s policy of socialism in one country had wise support in the party and Trotsky’s influence was waning
The Communist Party Congress of December 1927 was the occasion for much criticism of Stalin’s actions over China it was also the Congress that expelled Trotsky from the party

Question 37

What had been the first break through in normalising relations between the USSR and the wider world?

Answer 37

The Treaty of Rapallo with Weimar Germany signed in 1922 - Germany and Russia continued to have good relations after this with the German foreign minister 1923-29 Stresemann keen to maintain cooperative relations and Chicherin was committed to a pro-German foreign policy

Question 38

What was happening in Germany in 1925?

Answer 38

Stresemann’s attempts to restore Germany’s diplomatic position in Europe led to the Locarno treaties (wide ranging set of agreements aimed at ensuring the post war settlement wouldn’t be altered by force)
Prosperity and peace appeared to be returning to Europe and the terms of the Treaty of Berlin 1926 reflected this

Question 39

What did the German government state that the treaty of Berlin was?

Answer 39

Adapting the German-Russian agreement at Rapallo to a new political situation . The consolidation of Russian relations was popular in Germany and on the Russian side Litvinov spoke approvingly of the Berlin agreement

Question 40

What were the terms of the Treaty of Berlin?

Answer 40

Article 1 - reinstated the importance of Rapallo as the basis for friendly German-Soviet relations with regard to all political and economic questions affecting the countries
Article 2 - stated that if either county was attacked by a third power, the other would remain neutral in the conflict
Article 3 - contained a joint promise not to join any economic boycott that might be launched against either Germany or Russia
Article 4 - stated the treaty would remain in force for five years and would then discuss future political relations
Talked in general about trustful cooperation between German and Ussr people and about promoting general peace

Question 41

What did the USSR gain from the treaty of Berlin?

Answer 41

Economic benefits - in June 1926 the USSR received large financial credits from German Banks

Question 42

When did good relations with Germany continue until?

Answer 42

1929 when Stresemann died which coincided with the world economic crisis
1928 and 29 was also the time when Stalin began to take on a radically different role in the Comintern

Question 43

What had been a low priority for Stalin 1924-29 and why?

Answer 43

The Comintern - he’d been more focused n internal affairs, winning power, developing socialism in one country etc (his actions and attitude to Chins were typical of his approach at that time)

Question 44

What changed in 1929 surrounding the Comintern?

Answer 44

As Stalin’s power increased he moved towards a radical new policy in foreign affairs as part of his Stalin Revolution

Question 45

What happened at the sixth Comintern Congress in July 1928?

Answer 45

Stalin put forward his view that the world situation was changing, world capitalism was facing a terminal crisis and that the time was right for an all out attack on anti-communist social democratic parties in Europe or ‘social fascists’ who Stalin deemed the ultimate enemy of socialism
The Comintern were pushed to purge ‘weak elements’ (as well as Trotskyites) and to prepare to fight to spread revolution across the world

Question 46

Why did Stalin push a more aggressive policy in 1928?

Answer 46

Unclear - Trotsky and his supporters condemned Stalin for hypocrisy but he had shown genuine revolutionary instincts 1917-19 so ma have been reverting to this once the need for socialism in one country had passed
Or the strongest opponent of Stalin’s new line was Bukharin so his main purpose may have been to pick a political fight with him

Question 47

How did Soviet control in the Comintern then become tighter?

Answer 47

Stalin put loyal yes men in place to run it for him
Strict discipline was imposed on the communist parties in countries such as France, Germany and Italy
Soviet agents were sent abroad to infiltrate foreign communist parties and report back to Moscow
Many foreign communist leaders were encouraged to come to the USSR to apparently join the communist drive and sharpen ideology and unity (it was in fact a way of controlling them)
Any images that he Comintern was an international brotherhood were dropped - it became a tool of Stalin’s top-down foreign policy

Question 48

What position was Stalin in by December 1929?

Answer 48

His control over the political system of the Ussr was virtually absolute