...DOCUMENT ANALYSIS Joseph Stalin: Industrialization of the country, 1928 Prepared by: Yulia Kirillova ID: 10095380 The Soviet Union was founded in 1922, when the Bolsheviks seized power in Russia. After the death of its first leader, Vladimir Lenin, there was a power struggle from which Joseph Stalin emerged as winner for the control of the Communist party. By the day of Lenin’s death there were five candidates with the potential to emerge as the new leader of the U.S.S.R: Stalin, Trotsky, Bukharin, Zinoviev, and Kamenev; Bukharin belonged to the “Rightists” and wished to continue Lenin’s economic policy, which gave more economic freedom for the peasants and promoted agriculture, Zinoviev and Kamenev wanted state control of economic life, Trotsky believed in the importance of a worldwide communist revolution, and Stalin filled the room for interpretation in Marxist though with the concept that he called “socialism in one country”. That was a significant shift from the previously held Marxist position that socialism must be established globally, and was in sharp opposition to Leon Trotsky’s theory of permanent revolution. In contrast to what Trotsky thought and envisioned for Russia, Stalin believed that the success of Marxism in Russia was dependent on the construction of a successful soviet union, rather than a multitude of communist revolutions throughout the world. One step towards building a successful Soviet Union, as Stalin saw it, was the introduction...
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...are associated with the word “terror.” One of those names is Joseph Stalin. He served as the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union for a period of 30 years from 1922 until 1952. During his reign, millions perished as the result of his totalitarian terror machine. He eliminated all those who he saw as a threat, whether they were actually a threat or not. Stalin’s uses of propaganda were crucial in maintaining power. The totalitarian state controlled education; making sure that the subjects were in line with what Stalin wanted. History books were rewritten to overplay Stalin’s part in the Revolution of 1917 and his relationship with Lenin, who was a father of the revolution. Many previously printed books were banned and the new ones were censored. Stalin, just like Hitler, developed a cult of personality. Many people blindly believed everything that Stalin and the Communist Party put out. This blind belief coupled with fear gave Stalin the ability to use state terror against his own people. Many were executed and many more sent to perish in the vast emptiness of Siberia. In order to better understand state terrorism in The Soviet Union, it is important to understand what lead up to it, how and why the state used terrorism, how the international community viewed the situation, as well as what was the final outcome. In order to comprehend state terror under Joseph Stalin, it is important to recognize what conditions led up to it. Vladimir...
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...For as long as organized civilization has existed, humans have asked the same question of who should lead, and how they should do it. There have been a variety of answers: monarchy, democracy, aristocracy, a republic, or something entirely different. For European nations, the mid-1900s was a time of growth in one specific type of government. Totalitarianism, or dictatorships, became one of the most common types of government after World War I. Although the results of Adolf Hitler’s leadership in Nazi Germany are the most widely known, multiple dictators came to power before him. Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, and Adolf Hitler all shared the same fundamentals when related to leadership. These three dictators were able to gain power in their...
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...That is correct that Stalin ordered the burning of these books in order to erase Jewish culture in the Soviet Union. Although unlike Hitler, Stalin did not target the Jews as a race, he embraced anti-Semitic stereotypes at times, such as in the infamous doctor's plot. See http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Human_Rights/plot.html We learn from our text, that "Stalin forced writers and artists to use the techniques of approved 'socialist realism' for artistic and literary expression" (235). Do you think that this is comparable to the Nazi book burnings? I think Stalin, like Mark mentioned, enforced only areas of education which benefited his plans for the government and its people. There was a big change in the way that classes of people were treated; Stalin cared much less about women than the previous leader and he aimed to increase profits through industry for the already wealthy elite and the military (Goff, 2008). During this time he promoted education which would reinforce the values of hard work and discipline, but did very little for the people who worked just as hard as others, the farmers. They were living in poverty. I think that the only difference between Stalin and Hitler here is that Stalin's goals were centered around earning more wealth and making people more productive, though at the expense of certain classes' qualities of life. Hitler sought to "extinguish" an entire race of people, based on superior beliefs of a duty to cleanse the world...
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...and luxurious housing. This belief of superiority is mirrored in the supposedly equal communist Soviet Union, where many were forced into gulags while Stalin and the Bolsheviks lived in the lap of luxury. To stop any outrage at this inequality between supposedly equal animals, Napoleon creates a cult of personality within his followers using propaganda. Soon, the animals are true believers in the strength of Napoleon, chanting “Napoleon is always right”, a rhetoric shared within Italy where, “Mussolini is always right.” Like Hitler, Napoleon makes sure to target his propaganda towards the youth, who one day could compose a loyal army and military dedicated to the any cause supported by the leader who they believe in...
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...Essay response to: Why did Stalin implement forced Industrialization, Collectivized Agriculture, and the Terror in the Soviet Union? Why did many Soviet peoples cooperate in this “Stalin Revolution,” despite the violence, cruelty, and tremendous sacrifices involved? Joseph Jughashvili (1878 – 1953), later known as Joseph Stalin believed that industrialization was necessary in order to create a true proletariat class so a true communist revolution could occur. Stalin and true Marxists believed that only through a modern industrialized economy could a true proletariat class be developed. Additionally, Stalin believed that the Soviet Union was “backward” and behind in the times and had to catch up with the rest of the world, otherwise the Nation would be conquered. Stalin made this clear when he said, “we are fifty or a hundred years behind the advanced countries. Either we do it, or they crush us” (Perry, 193). In doing so, Stalin brought about sweeping changes of economic reform. While Vladimir Lenin’s New Economic Policy (NEP) was successful in returning agricultural harvests to prewar levels, by the late 1920’s, Stalin sided with the critics of Lenin’s NEP in that the Soviet Union could not catch up with other industrialized countries by relying on taxes from peasant farmers (Coffin/Stacey, 908). In 1927, Stalin implemented the first five-year plan, which he referred to as the “revolution from above” and called for a command economy (McKay et al., 907). The five-year...
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...The Irreversible Damage Caused By Joseph Stalin “Death is the solution to all problems. No man - no problem.” -Joseph Stalin. In the early 1900’s Russia was on the verge of a revolution. For decades the country had been in an immense struggle between the Czars (otherwise known as the rulers of Russia) and the people. Corrupt leadership and inequalities throughout the Russian society eventually lead to a revolution. Nevertheless when Russia started fighting in World War One it was evident that the spark had been ignited and the insurgency had begun. And as Europe approached the end of the war, Russia further advanced into chaos. Vladimir Lenin, a revolutionary leader, lead the Russians into a rebellion to seize the Russian government. Lenin...
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...seemed like trouble or possible competition was gotten rid of. One of them was Leon Trotsky who Stalin forced into exile. Stalin like many totalitarian leaders was very persuasive in order to keep people at bay. He exerted total control which he achieved mainly by forceful actions, intimidation and brainwashed youth and above all fear. Private life did not exist in the soviet union. Citizens mails were read by informers or secret police and telephone conversations were always monitored. A wrong word to the wrong person could cost you your family and your...
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...industrialized and the decisions that were made by Stalin would have devastating effects on the people of Russia. The main reason why Russian leaders had serious incentives to make their economy stronger was to rival Western economies, but unlike the West, Russia had forced its citizens to do what their told to make this a reality (Keefe, pg.1). At the time Stalin was in office he had proposed two five-year plans to transition Russia into a modern industrial economy, however, it came the expense of brutal oppression, forced labor, and millions of deaths to all which initially were spread through propaganda messages that incited national pride among many and was in a sense “successful” in achieving “increased production” but would come at the cost of devastating the Russian peoples’ living conditions (Keefe, pg.1). The process of collectivization from the 1927 to the 1930s and beyond lead to “cataclysmic “famines in Russia, killing anywhere from “five to six million” or more people per famine (Keefe, p.2). The Russian peasant class were severely oppressed as their rights, property, and work were taken away from them through fear and intimidation. In general, as with Zedong’s political decisions, Stalin’s decisions to make Russia an industrialized economy neglected certain aspects of the economy, which caused a shortage of food supplies that lead to famines. Notably, the government's reaction to the famines in Russia had been nothing as Stalin did not seek to aid those in need of...
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...AP Literature The classic novel Animal Farm written by George Orwell unravels the story of a group of farm animals who craved freedom from humans. Many of the characters in Animal Farm relate to ideas and people involved in the Russian Revolution such as, Joseph Stalin, Karl Marx and the idea of communism. George Orwell tends to give animals on the farm characteristics of those who lead the Russian Revolution. The novel is simply a reflection of this time period with the twist of the people involved being portrayed as animals instead. George Orwell's novel Animal Farm is directly related to the Russian Revolution in several ways. In the novel Animal Farm, Mr. Jones treats his animals extremely poorly and fails to give them enough food to be healthy (Orwell 18). He is sometimes cruel in which he beats his animals with whips and on the other hand he is sometimes kind by mixing milk into the animals' mash. This relates to Czar Nicholas II of the Russian Revolution. He was a poor leader compared to his western kings and he was sometimes cruel and brutal with opponents, and other times he was kind and hired spies to make money (CITE). Old Major is also a character that can be compared, he taught animalism as Karl Marx had taught and invented communism. Major also spoke of how the animals did all the work while the humans kept all the money and for that reason the animals should revolt against mankind. Marx believed that the workers of the...
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...birth: Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili Ruthless and ambitious, Joseph Stalin grabbed control of the Soviet Union after the death of V.I. Lenin in 1924. As a member of the Bolshevik party, Joseph Stalin (his adopted name, meaning "Man of Steel") had an active role in Russia's October Revolution in 1917. He maneuvered his way up the communist party hierarchy, and in 1922 was named General Secretary of the Central Committee. By the end of the 1920s, Joseph Stalin had expelled his rival Leon Trotsky, consolidated power, and was the de facto dictator of the Soviet Union. In the 1930s Stalin executed his political enemies and started aggressive industrial and agricultural programs that were supposed to lead to miraculous improvements in production, but instead left untold thousands of peasants dead. During World War II, Joseph Stalin was the commander of the Soviet military, first making a non-aggression pact with Adolf Hitler (1939) and then joining the Allies after Germany invaded Russia in 1941. Stalin attended the postwar conferences at Yalta, Teheran and Potsdam that determined the shape of the postwar world. He endured as maximum leader until his death in 1953; years later he was denounced by his successor, Nikita Khrushchev, and "Stalinism" was officially condemned. Brief Bio Joseph Stalin (1878-1953) was the dictator of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) from 1929 to 1953. Under Stalin, the Soviet Union was transformed from a peasant society into an industrial...
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...Joseph Stalin was the dictator of the Soviet Union from 1924 to March 5, the day of his death. During Stalin’s reign he not only killed many of his enemies ,but many of his own people as well. Stalin's dictatorship affected millions of people and transformed Russia from a backward country into a superpower. Before Stalin was in power he was studying to become a priest in the capital of Georgia (now Tbilisi). Stalin never finished his studies instead getting involved with the cities revolutionary groups risking arrest everyday. Stalin was never much of a public speaker or even much for debates and instead specialized in the organization of activities of the revolutionary groups like spreading propaganda and robbing trains to fund the revolution. Lenin had valued Stalin loyalty and after the revolution gave him many various low priority leadership positions in the new government. Later in 1922 being appointed General Secretary of the Communist Party's Central Committee. (“Biography: Joseph Stalin”)....
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...One binding ideology- To amplify Friedrich’s classification, totalitarianism incessantly demands all state-present institutions and the population to become subject to complete control under a single ruling ideology of a single leader such as the type of Joseph Stalin. The ideology in which stalin labelled himself with was communism. The ideology of Marxism-Leninism offered a powerful and appealing vision for the nation: a society that was devoid of exploitation, and in which all men and women were equal. Schools were strictly controlled and those who opposed the Communist Party’s interpretation on science and history risked losing their jobs of imprisonment. "Will the bureaucrat devour the workers' state or will the working class clean out the bureaucrat? Thus stands the question upon whose decision hangs the fate of the Soviet Union" quote from roy Medvedev. This quote by Medvedev reinstates how Stalin was depicted by many soviet historians as a bureaucrat and a totalitarian dictator Cult of personality was created....
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...The novel Animal Farm, written by George Orwell, tells a story about the irony of the Russian Revolution-how the people traded one cruel form of government to another. The lives of the animals in Animal Farm symbolize the lives of the Russian citizens before, during and after the revolution. The problem with the government before and after the revolution was corruption. All of the animals ultimately suffer, because of the corruption of the pigs. This essay will cover the people, their actions and decisions throughout the book Animal Farm. Mr. Jones was the owner of Manor Farm; he is cruel to his animals by under feeding them and over working them. During Mr. Jones's rein over Animal Farm the animals felt that they must do something so that they can be free of the Tyrant Mr. Jones. The animals of Animal Farm are symbolically representing the lower class Russian people during the reign of Czar Nicholas II. Mr. Jones was corrupt with power, because he had control over all of the animals. He controlled how much food they received and how much and how hard they were forced to work. The way Mr. Jones controls the animals on the farm parallels how Czar Nicholas II controlled the Russian people. There was an old pig called Old Major, who symbolizes Karl Marx, in that, Old Major convinced all of the animals to rebel. Before the rebellion took place Old Major died, the same as Karl Marx. In the Battle of Cowshed which parallels the Russian revolution, one pig named Snowball stood...
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...Joseph Stalin was born 18th December 1878 and died on 5th March 1953, was the leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953. Holding the post of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, he was effectively the dictator of the state. Stalin was born in Gori in the Tiflis Governorate of the Russian Empire, to Besarion Jughashvili, a Georgian cobbler who owned his own workshop, and Ketevan Geladze, a Georgian who was born a serf. He was the youngest of their three boys; their two previous sons died in infancy. Stalin's chief aim was to expand industrial production. For this, he developed three Five-year Plans between 1928 and 1938. Gosplan, the state planning agency, drew up targets for production for each factory. The first two plans concentrated on improving heavy industry - coal, oil, steel and electricity. Some keen young Communists, called Pioneers, went into barren areas and set up new towns and industries from nothing. There were champion workers called Stakhanovites, named after a coal miner who broke the record for the amount of coal dug up in a single shift. Education schemes were introduced to train skilled, literate workers. The Soviet Union also gave opportunities to women - crèches were set up so they could also work. Women became doctors and scientists, as well as canal diggers and steel workers. At the same time, many of the workers were slave workers and kulaks from the gulag. Strikers were...
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