How did Stalin consolidate his power 1930's

Question 1

What were the 3 ways Stalin consolidated his power during the 1930s

Answer 1

-Establishing the policy of collectivisation and drawing
up the 5 years plans
-The purges of the people, military and political elite
- Spreading his cult of personality

Question 2

How did Stalins focus on transforming the Russian economy during the 1930s contribute to his consolidation of power

Answer 2

• Stalin believed that for Russia to become a
  superpower like its western counterparts, it must
  industrialise
• He began the first phase through collectivisation,
  forcing the peasants to adopt more efficient methods,
  creating a surplus of workers to work in the factories
• This eventually followed onto success and the series of
  5 year plans followed
• They allowed Stalin to brutally make excuses for his
  brutal treatment of his peasants and workers,
• Brutal treatment was necessary for the nation to
  develop and communism to succeed

Question 3

How did the purges allow Stalin to consolidate his power during the 1930s

Answer 3

• The purges was Stalin’s principle weapon for
  consolidating his power
  -They became the chief mechanism for removing
  anyone he regarded as a threat to his authority
• Stalin did not hold back on any particular group
• The political elite, military and of course the people
  were purged on a vast scale between this period
• Stalin’s principle weapon was fear, the more people
  feared him the less likely they were to consider
  taking action against him
  -This was actively implemented in the justice system
• Police were given daily quotas of people to arrest
  showing the mechanical, dehumanised process it
  represented

Question 4

How did Stalin use the personality cult to establish his authority during the 1930s

Answer 4

-The communist party became indistinguishable from
Stalin himself as a person
-Communism was no longer a set of theories, it was no
longer Leninism
-It was whatever Stalin said and did
-Soviet communism was Stalin
-This allowed Stalin to rule however he wanted
-No one could imagine Russia without this great figure
Stalin as its leader