Stalin And His Cult Of Personality

Question 1

How did Lenin die?

Answer 1

In early 1922, Lenin suffered a stroke - he recovered but suffered a second stroke towards the end of the year. This led him to write a final letter to the party congress. Within this he laid out his final wishes for Russia - essentially his last will and testament. This letter was critical of Joseph Stalin.
In March 1923 Lenin suffered a third stroke that left him unable to speak. On the 21st January 1924 , Lenin suffered his fourth stroke and died at age 53.

Question 2

Discuss the rise of Stalin.

Answer 2

• Lenin’s scathing paragraph in his letter criticised Stalin but also reflected poorly on the Communist Party (Politburo). After the policy-making committee read the letter, they decided not to publish it. This saved Stalin’s image.
• As the general secretary of the Communist Party, Stalin grew to have a lot of power.
• Now that Stalin had power, he was able to appoint people into power that now ‘owed’ him favours.
• this put Stalin in a position where he could eliminate Trotsky.

Question 3

What was Stalin like as a person?

Answer 3

Quiet / reserved / hardworking
Stalin was an extremely paranoid pragmatist to believed and acting on his common sense . his paranoia is what led him to kill Trotsky in 1940 (somewhat unnecessarily).

Question 4

How did Stalin’ personality help him?

Answer 4

People underestimated Stalin, and he was described as “a grey blur which flickered obscurely and left no trace.” This allowed Stalin to win absolute power before anyone realised how dangerous he was.

Question 5

What rift developed in the Communist Party?

Answer 5

Question 6

Once Stalin acquired power, how did he continue to build his image and tarnish the image of his enemies?

Answer 6

• Stalin first turned on the left.
• He gave Trotsky the wrong date for Lenin’s funeral.
• Stalin ensured that the public heard his undying support for Lenin.
• At the 1927 Party Congress, Stalin accused the left of abandoning Lenin’s ideals.
• Then, Stalin turned on the right and expelled them all.
• By 1928, Stalin was the unchallenged ruler of Russia.

Question 7

When was ‘The Stalinist Era?’

Answer 7

1928 to 1952

Question 8

How and when did Leon Trotsky die?

Answer 8

Trotsky was sent into exile in 1927. He was then relocated to Turkey and several other countries before he ended up in Mexico. Still not satisfied, Stalin sent assassin to kill him. On the 21st of August 1940, Trotsky was murdered with a pickax.

Question 9

What type of leader was Stalin as he came to power?

Answer 9

Stalin was now effectively dictator and he handpicked members of the politburo from his supporters. Every original politburo member that Lenin had previously appointed was eventually assassinated or executed.

Question 10

What kind of state did Stalin’s govt introduce?

Answer 10

A ‘police’ state. This punished workers or saboteurs if they failed to meet the ambitious goals of the Five Year Plans.

Question 11

Stalin had a ‘cult of personality.’ What does this mean?

Answer 11

Stalin used controlled media and propaganda to portray himself as a wise, great and much-loved leader. For example, he erected statues of himself, controlled all forms of media, and reinforced the idea that he was “destined” to guide the USSR.

Question 12

What did Stalin realise after coming into power?

Answer 12

He realised that he needed to modernise fast in order to avoid advanced capitalists invading and conquering. Thus, he Stalin replaced the NEP with pure Socialism. This means that he would need to collectivise agriculture, develop heavy industry and adopt an authoritarian govt.

Question 13

What were the ‘show trials?’

Answer 13

Displays of ‘justice’ for the Russian people and the world, involving those who were charged being tortured through food and sleep deprivation for long periods of time. They were forced to confess to a charge sheet of crimes out of fear of death/punishment for their loved ones. Often, the accused were sentenced to death before the trial even begun, and the judiciary was merely going to through the motions for what they believed to be the benefit of the public.

Question 14

How did Stalin deal with anyone he believed to be a threat to his rule?

Answer 14

Stalin launched a massive and rapid purge of these individuals. The Great Purges resulted in the deaths of over one-fifth of all the members of the communist party by 1938. By 1939, three out of five of the Red Army Marshalls, all the admirals and about half of the officers had been executed in the purges.

Question 15

What social class did Stalin eliminate?

Answer 15

The Kulaks.

Question 16

Who were the kulaks?

Answer 16

The rich farmers.

Question 17

Who undertook Stalins arrests, tortures, assassinations and executions?

Answer 17

Stalin’s secret police, the NKVD.

Question 18

What were the Gulags?

Answer 18

Labour camps.

Question 19

What were the aims of Stalin’s first five year plan?

Answer 19

• factors for heavy industry, how to equal those in the USA.
• Agriculture had to be collectivised to feed the growing urban population.
• Education programs had to be undertaken to combat illiteracy.

Question 20

Why did Stalin eliminate the Kulak?

Answer 20

He would believe they were enemies of the revolution and a threat to his rule, especially after they were bitterly opposed to the collectivisation of agriculture and killed their livestock and burned their crops rather than handing it over to the government.

Question 21

What was the focal point of agriculture in the first five-year plan?

Answer 21

Large scale mechanisation was a focal point = higher yields.

Question 22

How did the first five-year plan affect agriculture?

Answer 22

Peasant farms were confiscated and amalgamated to become collective farms (Kolkhozes) and state farms (Sovkhozes). Collectivisations started in 1929. This was opposed by the kulaks - they killed their livestock and burned their crops rather than handing it over to the government. Stalin declared the kulaks enemies of the revolution. About four million were either killed or exiled to Siberian labour camps.

Question 23

What were the Kulak casualties?

Answer 23

About 4 million were either killed or exiled to Siberian labour camps.

Question 24

How successful were state farms?

Answer 24

They were largely a failure. They were too large or established in unsuitable areas.

Question 25

What happened to the farmers on the state owned farms?

Answer 25

They were reduced to state labourers, and mainly carried out the orders of GOSPLAN (the coordinating body of all economic activities in the USSR).

Question 26

How fast was progress in the kolkhozes?

Answer 26

Slow. This was partially because the communists in charge lacked expertise and often there were disagreements between the various families responsible for particular Kolkhoz.

Question 27

How did the productivity of the collectives within agriculture change over time up until 1933?

Answer 27

Mechanisation had improved the productivity of the collectives by 1933.

Question 28

How did the first five-year plan affect industry?

Answer 28

Industries were established as close to the raw materials as possible. Private ownership was abolished and each factory had to meet specific quotas set up by GOSPLAN. Hydroelectric dams were built to provide electricity for the new factories and cities. Labourers could only change jobs with the permission of management. They also worked longer hours including Sundays for less pay. Propaganda was used to create enthusiasm and idealism many Russians believe they were working for the benefit of all. Foreign expertise were used to develop heavy industry. Production levels increased:
- Industrial and agricultural machinery improved
- Iron and coal production increased
- Oil Wells were expanded and electricity output tripled with hydroelectric dams.
However, housing was inadequate. And consumer goods, textiles and furniture were of bad quality and short supply.

Question 29

When was the first 5 year plan?

Answer 29

1928 - 1933

Question 30

When was the second five year plan?

Answer 30

1933 - 1937

Question 31

What were the aims of the second five year plan?

Answer 31

• To improve and consolidate efficiency / techniques / quality
• Provide consumer goods
• Be on par with the west.

Question 32

How did Stalin attempt to actualise the aims of the second five year plan?

Answer 32

• Mining projects were established in Central Asia and oil reserved were tapped in the Urals-Volga region.
• Workers interests were catered for:
  > workers were trained (up-skilling of workers)
  > bonuses were paid for high output
  > communication (telephone and post) was improved
  -By 1937, 90% of all peasants worked on collectives
• workers on state farms earned wages and farmers on Kolkhozes shared the profits of surplus yields.
• There was a huge emphasis on education:
  > compulsory education was introduced
  > schools for adult literacy established in working areas (most mines and factories, etc)
  > Technical training produced more engineers/architects/doctors.

Question 33

Fill in the blank;
By 1937, ___ of all peasants worked on collectives

Answer 33

90%

Question 34

Fill in the blank:
With the threat posed by an agressive ______, focus shifted to the production of _____ to ______.

Answer 34

Germany, consumer goods, armaments

Question 35

How did the threat of World War Two impact the third 5 year policy? How did the third 5 year policy deal with the threat of war?

Answer 35

Focus shifted form the production of consumer goods to armaments. By 1941, rapids industrialisation enabled the ussr to withstand (somewhat) the invasion and eventually defeat Germany. The German Invasion interrupted the third 5 year plan however, and destroyed the huge leaps of progress, especially in terms of living standards and consumer goods. This meant that the standard of living of the average Russian citizen was far below that of the average american citizen.

Question 36

How did Russia respond to the threat that Germany posed to the growth of the USSR in 1939?

Answer 36

Russia and Nazi Germany signed the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact. This was an agreement to split Poland between them: Hitler invaded from the west and Stalin from the east in September.
Stalin put the 3rd five year plan on hold to develop arms and prepare russia for war.

Question 37

Why did Stalin sign the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact?

Answer 37

It gave him time to industrialise and prepare for war as much as possible. Without the pact, it is likely that Russia would have been invaded by Hitler far sooner. Stalin knew that despite the Pact, Hitler would likely still invade, but the extra time meant that he would be more prepared.

Question 38

What happened after Russia and Nazi German signed the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact? When did they sign it?

Answer 38

The pact was signed in August 1939. Two years later, on 22 June 1941, Hitler’s troops invaded Russia under Operation Barbarossa. Stalin then joined the Allies to fight the Nazis.

Question 39

How did the German invasion of Russia go? What key mistakes did Stalin make?

Answer 39

German forces advanced rapidly because of key mistakes on Stalin’s part:
- Stalin had previously purged his officers. This left the Russian armies facing the Nazis largely leaderless.
- His troops were poorly trained, resources were in short supply and russia was fairly backward compared to the Nazi troops.
- Stalin’s stubborn insistence of managing battlefield strategy by radio, despite his lack of military training, was a terrible mistake.
All of this meant that the Nazis were able to make huge advances and were only stopped, just outside Moscow, as winter began.

Question 40

How did Stalin rally and motivate troops? What happened after he did so?

Answer 40

Stalin called on the people to fight in the “Great Patriotic War” in defence of the “Motherland” which was highly effective. The people embraced the nationalism and patriotism. Workers filled the factories to produce tanks, rocket launchers (called “Stalin’s Organ”), rifles and rounds of bullets. By 1943, the Soviet armies were finally better equipped than the Nazis and launched their counterattack.

Question 41

How did the Soviet counter attack on the Nazis go? What happened and when?

Answer 41

In 1943, the Soviet armies were finally better equipped than the Nazis and launched their counter attack. Despite the fact that the Nazis had surrounded the city of Stalingrad, the Soviets did not surrender, and later the battle of Stalingrad became on of the symbols of promoting Soviet patriotism. In 1943, the Soviet forces captured over 100 000 Nazi soldiers after reaching Stalingrad. By 1945, the Red Army had pushed the Nazis to the outskirts of Berlin, where the Battle of Berlin was fiercely fought, causing one million casualties.

Question 42

Discuss the events of 1945 in the Russian context.

Answer 42

The Battle of Berlin occurred. After Hitler committed suicide in his Berlin Bunker, the Nazis surrendered on 8 May 1945.

Question 43

What costs did Russia face as a result of WW2?

Answer 43

Russia lost 25 million lives, infrastructure and farms were destroyed and the achievements of the 5 year plans were undone. However, if it were not for Soviet involvement, it is unlikely that the Allies would have defeated the Nazis and won World War II.