AIM: How should history judge Stalin?
Do Now: Do these quotes portray Stalin in
a positive or negative light? Explain.
1. “Ideas are more powerful than guns.
We would not let our enemies have
guns- why should we let them have
ideas?”
2. “The only real power comes out of a
long rifle.”
3. “Death solves all problems - no man,
no problem.”
- Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin Vocabulary
• Command Economy – economy in which government officials
make all basic economic decisions
• 5 – Year Plan – one of a series of plans instituted by Joseph Stalin
to build the industry & increase farm output in the Soviet Union
• Collective – large farm owned & operated by workers as a group
• Gulags – Russian prison camps, where peasants who resisted
collectivization were sent to work. Over 20 million Russians froze
or starved to death in the camps.
• Cult of Personality - when an individual uses mass media,
propaganda, or other methods, to create an idealized, heroic,
and at times, god-like public image, often through unquestioning
flattery and praise
What Were Stalin’s Aims?
Russia’s production from heavy industries was very low compared to other countries.
Stalin wanted the USSR to modernize quickly so that it could make up a 50-year gap
in 10 years.
So, how did Stalin achieve his goal?
Positive Achievements of Stalin
Negative Achievements of Stalin
•
Initiated his Five-Year Plans to make •
the Soviet Union a modern industrial
nation. Under his plans huge
increases in coal, oil and steel
production were made.
•
Collectivization - temporarily
increased agricultural efficiency and
production by creating huge-state
owned farms.
•
Great Terror- when peasants rebelled
against collectivization, Stalin ordered the
imprisonment of millions of citizens, without
trial, into brutal work camps known as
gulags. Over twenty million died as a result.
Use of Secret Police (KGB)- hundreds of
thousands of people were executed in order
to intimidate the nation. Basic human rights
were denied to all citizens.
Activity
Read documents # 1 – 4 and answer the
questions for each document
For each document write whether it is a
positive or negative achievement by Stalin
•(Explain why you feel this way to your
neighbor)
Document #3
Stalin's Purges
Primary Source Activity
• As a small boy, how did the author regard
Stalin?
• What evidence of Stalin’s brutality does
Yevtushenko mention in this excerpt?
• What did ordinary Russian people think about
Stalin’s rule? How did they avoid
acknowledging reality?
Exit Card:
Summary
• Evaluate the rule of Stalin in
the Soviet Union, taking into
consideration the changes
made and the methods used.
• Was Stalin a positive or
negative influence on Russia
under his leadership?
*Make sure to provide SPECIFIC examples to
back up your outlook*