JOSEPH STALIN AND COMMUNISM
IN THE SOVIET UNION

• Review Hitler and The Russian Revolution-
Answer these questions in your notes:
• 1. Who did Hitler blame for Germany losing the
First World War? How did he use this to his advantage?
• 2. Did Hitler succeed immediately in seizing power? What event helped him? Why is this?
• 3. What two revolutions make up the Russian
Revolution? What was each revolution attempting to overthrow?

• RUSSIA AFTER THE REVOLUTION :
• War and Revolution had destroyed Russia’s economy
• Minimal trade
• Industrial production stopped
• Skilled workers left the country

• Bolsheviks – become the Communist Party
• *COMMUNISM –
– *No classes (everyone is equal) - There is no upper, middle, or lower class
– *Workers control society (the Proletariat) – Not employers
– *Wealth and goods distributed equally – the people own all aspects of society

• *Vladimir Lenin dies in 1924
• *A new leader emerges: JOSEPH STALIN

• *STALIN –takes power in 1928
• Cold, hard, and impersonal leader
• *Dictator
• *Government during Stalin’s rule was a
TOTALITARIANISM

• *DEFINITION: government that takes total, centralized, state control over every aspect of public and private life

• *Use terror and violence to force obedience and to crush oppression
• *Make people believe in the government’s beliefs
– Made people believe they were helping everyone by following the government

• *Use Propaganda and Censorship
– Used to sway people’s beliefs
– Control all aspects of mass media and education
• *Religious and Ethnic Persecution
– Persecuted any religion or ethnicity that went against beliefs of communism