Stalin's Rise & Rule (SBCS) Flashcards
What were the 5 reasons for Stalin’s rise? (Circumstances & Manipulations)
CIRCUMSTANCES
- Trotsky’s unpopularity in Politburo
- Non-disclosure of Lenin’s testament
MANIPULATIONS (done by Stalin)
- Pretended to be close to Lenin
- Control over party organisation as Secretary General
- Exploitation of ideological divisions
How did Trotsky’s unpopularity in the Politburo lead to Stalin’s rise?
Trotsky -> Leader of the Red Army
- Held much power due to military support -> Stalin saw him as a threat and a rival.
Radical / argued with Lenin, who was greatly respected by the party members, about economic policies and views -> unpopular among party members.
(EL) Stalin took advantage of this unpopularity by allying with other party members (troika alliance)
- Opposed him to remove him from his position and his power.
Gave Stalin the opportunity and power to take control over the Communist party without his opponents and rivals getting in the way.
How did the non-disclosure of Lenin’s testament lead to Stalin’s rise?
(EV) Lenin’s Testament urged party members to remove Stalin from as Secretary-General, but also criticising all his leading successors.
(EL) Since it was highly critical -> undermined the reputation and authority of the Politburo.
This worked to Stalin’s advantage (Why? public’s high regard for Lenin and the reveal of Stalin’s shortcomings -> would have been removed).
This enabled Stalin to retain his reputation and his position, and gain more support from the public, allowing him to rise to power.
Remained as General- Secretary that allowed him to appoint & re-assign Party members
How did Stalin pretending to be close to Lenin lead to Stalin’s rise?
(EV) Stalin frequently visited Lenin during his last days.
After Lenin’s death in 1924,
- Made funeral a grand affair,
- Appointed himself chief mourner, + gave funeral speech.
- Tricked Trotsky, gave wrong date to funeral.
(EL) Stalin pretended to be very close to Lenin -> party members saw him as a worthy contender for the leadership.
Being chief mourner + absence of Trotsky-> impression of natural successor of Lenin.
Improved Stalin’s reputation + gained more support from the public & party.
Furthermore, Trotsky’s absence regarded as disrespect towards Lenin, fuelled Trotsky’s unpopularity & strengthened his own support
How did Stalin’s control over the party led to his rise?
(EV) Power of Secretary-General
- Could re-assign and appoint party members
- Replace his opponent’s (esp. Trotsky’s) allies, with his own, to important posts.
Trotsky’s REPUTATION DESTROYED & LACK OF SUPPORT
- Forced to resign as the head of the Red Army & expelled from the Communist Party in 1925 by vote
(EL) Managed to eliminate all his opponents and rivals, including Trotsky, to ensuring only he could rise to power.
He also installed his allies in important party posts, which further built his own support base.
This weakened opponent’s support base -> opponents have no chance of gaining power over Stalin -> rise to power
How did Stalin’s exploitations of ideological divisions led to his rise?
- Took advantage of the
Moderates (Lenin loyalists, follow his ideology closely) &
Radicals (challenged system).
Stalin allied himself with both sides at diff times
- Expelled Trotsky (radical) from the Party by siding with moderate Politburo
- Broke troika alliance w Zinoviev & Kamenev, discredited & isolated them
- Joined radicals, removed Bukharin & Rykov from their positions as they opposed his industrialisation measures
- He removed his rivals from power, discredited or assassinated them
What were the economic impacts of Stalin’s rule?
From 1921-1928: [Lenin’s New Economic Policy]
1928-1932: Stalin’s 1st 5 year plan, focused on expanding industry, power supply, transport
Industrialisation + Collectivisation
1932-1933: Great Famine
1933-1938: 2nd 5 year plan, focused on manufactured goods
1939: Plan for 3rd 5 year plan cancelled due to WW2
What were the economic impacts of Stalin’s rule? (Collectivisation & Rapid Industrialisation)
COLLECTIVISATION
+ve
Larger collective farms =increased agricultural output
- Meet needs of the rapidly industrialising economy
- Steady supply of food.
- Provide funds for industrialisation ->
- Use of machinery (tractors) increased productivity and efficiency ->
[Economic progress]
(EL)
- Contribute to the industrialisation and modernisation of their backward farming systems
- Fund use of machinery for productive farming ->
- Greater manpower from farms to factories
Collectivisation provides capital, food + money for workers in factories
Industrialisation provides machinery for collectivisation
TOGETHER they MODERNISE & make the USSR self-sufficient
-ve
(EV)
- Collectivisation failed to increase crop production, but fell drastically between 1931-1934, and did not recover.
Exported more food to foreign countries instead of providing for the people
Peasants, Kulaks killed their own animals & produce + bad harvest
- Resulting in Great Famine - 7 million died of starvation.
Took away land and assets of Kulaks. -> burned crops in protest -> those who resisted collectivisation were killed.
(EL) Collectivisation resulted in agricultural output falling drastically.
Many cannot survive due to the lack of food -> widespread poverty, starvation and suffering among the people.
Furthermore, killings of Kulaks, worsening their lives, lost their wealth, property, living in constant fear of death.
What were the economic impacts of Stalin’s rule? (Five Year Plans)
+ve:
- Produced equipment for mechanisation of farming
- Reduced need for farmers, increased factory workers
- More mechanised, state-owned, farms fuel economy & feed workers
- Generally perceived as success despite not meeting targets, helped propel USSR into a powerful arms industry
-ve:
- Little growth in consumer industries (house-building, fertilisers, woollen textiles)
- Some underproduced due to shortage of material
- Some overproduced wanting to meet or exceed targets -> a lot of wastage
- In haste to meet deadlines, products were sub-standard & hazardous
- 2nd & 3rd 5 year plans declining rate of growth, after 1937, economic slowdown
What were the political impacts of Stalin’s rule? (Propaganda, The Great Terror)
PROPAGANDA
(EV) Strict censorship
-Media could only praise Stalin or face execution/labour camps.
- History books rewritten to discredit contributions of his opponents -> edited out from pictures.
(EL)
- Build impression of a great leader -> whose rule greatly benefited the nation.
- Boosted his authority + status -> continued support and obedience
- Removing opponents and strict censorship
- Undisputed leader -> Impossible to oppose -> unknowing of Stalin’s shortcomings.
THE GREAT TERROR
(EV) (Starting with assassination of Kirov, Kirov Affair)
Stalin’s secret police arrested, executed and forced people to inform against friends and family who voiced opposition against Stalin.
Scientists & teachers, executed/sent to labour camps to weed out those who might oppose his rule.
Close to 39 million were executed and 3 million were sent to labour camps.
(EL)
- Purging of opposers + rivals ensured that Stalin had no possibility of having anyone to oppose him.
- Created a climate of fear and distrust in Soviet society
- Deterred opposing against Stalin, further solidifying his authority and power over leader of USSR
- Nobody dared to oppose him, otherwise they might lose their life -> rise to power.
What were some of the social impacts of Stalin’s rule?
+ve:
Women’s entry into workforce (legalised abortion for some time)
Compulsory education + increased literacy rates
-ve:
STATE CONTROL OF SOCIETY:
- Fall in standard of living (work long h, little pay & social goods)
- Great Famine (1932-1933, ended in 1934 7mil died)
- Lack of consumer goods
LIVING IN FEAR
- Police informers everywhere, panopticon-like experience, afraid
- Minority nationalities losing autonomy, opposers purged
- Creating the ‘New Soviet Man’ -> Cultural Revolution, Stakhanovites hailed as heroes, leading to pressure to perform up to state standard, HATED them as a result
What were the social impacts of Stalin’s rule? (Compulsory education, Decreased standard of living)
COMPULSORY EDUCATION
(EV) Education was made compulsory - provided with 9 years of free education.
Stalin managed to increase the literacy rate drastically, and schools emphasised technical subjects to help meet industrialisation targets.
(EL) Provision of free education -> increased literacy rate -> broaden their perspectives and improve their chances of getting better jobs as they are able to learn technical skills essential for the work life.
With increased employment -> earn a salary to sustain a living / afford basic necessities so that they can improve their quality of life.
DECREASED STANDARD OF LIVING
(EV) The mass movement from farms to factories in cities created a housing shortage, influx / cannot build houses as lands are state controlled.
Most live in cramped and in bad living conditions.
Workers endured long hours / bad working conditions / meagre salaries.
People lacked basic human necessities / overcrowded slums due to a housing shortage.
Workers pushed to overwork to achieve ambitious economic targets -> insufficient rest and leading miserable lives.
causing a decrease of living standards and greater hardships and suffering in the USSR
