Stalin’s consolidation of power in Russia in the 1930s
During the 1930s, Joseph Stalin transformed the Soviet Union from a one party state to a
totalitarian regime in which all power resided with Stalin himself. This topic examines
the political, economic and social changes that occurred during that period. It also
examines the elements of the Soviet system that were embedded during the period of
Lenin’s leadership, and which remained unchanged during the Stalinist period.
Historical context: Russia in the 1930s.
Historical issues: the exercise of power; the role of the individual; ideology (Marxism).
Content criteria: Historical continuity and historical change.
Question: To what extent did Stalin change Russia between 1929 and 1937? To what
extent was Russian totalitarianism a product of Stalin’s policies, as opposed to those of
Lenin and Marx?
Content criteria:
 relate continuity and change to a relevant historical context.
 describe and account for significant change.
 examine the contribution of continuity to historical outcomes.
Conditions:
 this assessment will be done in week 17 of semester.
 the essay will be written under exam conditions in class.
 the essay will be written in no more than 100 minutes.
 the issue selected must not be the same as that chosen for SAE1.
 a bibliography of at least five items, but no more than ten, must be compiled prior to
assessment event.
 students will have access to their bibliography during the assessment event for the
purposes of in-text referencing.
 learners should prepare an essay plan of no more than 100 words to use during the
assessment event.
 the essay plan is to be handed in with the completed essay.
Essay plan:
Continuity: The authoritarian system was first put in place by Lenin following the
Revolution. He eliminated multi-party democracy and basic civil rights. He also
introduced a command economy during the Civil War (though he later reverted to a
mixture of capitalism and socialism – a system called NEP).
Change: Stalin eliminated NEP, introduced command socialism, eliminated democracy
within the Communist Party, and used terror against virtually the entire population.
References:
Alan Bullock (1991) Hitler and Stalin: Parallel Lives, London, Fontana Press.