Stalinism

Question 1

Totalitarianism

Answer 1

> The state recognises no limit to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of both public and private life. Centralisation of econ, single party, single leader, single official ideology, absolute control over press, supervision over society.

> There is no such thing as alternative
opinion. Anti-religious campaigns. Establishment of socialist realism as only acceptable artistic method (1934).

• Prison labour: gulag (do not use in plural). Gulag is a system of prisons, not a prison itself. Using slave force and prison work to achieve economic results.

Question 2

Economy

Answer 2

New Economic Policy (1921-1928) repealed and replaced with:

Collectivisation (1927) – new policy proclaimed by Stalin. Getting rid of independent farmers, put all farmers and peasants in collective farms. Take all belongings, eg
cows, and make them joint property of the collective farm. This was v difficult for peasants (esp the newly independent ones). This was done to help industrialisation.

Industrialisation (1925) – required relocation of thousands of peasants to cities to work in factories (urban population doubles). Cities required constant influx of food, supposed to be provided by collective farms. “Dizzy with Success” in boosting heavy manufacturing.

Five Year Plans (1928) – everything planned, eg how many rockets, tanks, bottles will
be made in 5years. One of the ways to structure the economy and make sure the
goals set by the gov will be achieved.

Question 3

The Purges

Answer 3

• Public Trials
• Purging of “deviants” and those who go against Soviet Ideology by sending to Gulag or by execution. 600,000 at least killed in the Purges.
• Yezhov (head of NKVD) was eventually executed in an ironic twist.