Tuesday – January 13, 2015 Mr. Lombardi
Do Now: Do these quotes portray Stalin in a positive or negative way? 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

• At first, Lenin’s government controlled all aspects of business (Communism) – this plan was not working to improve Russia.
• Lenin’s New Economic Policy (NEP) allowed for
some private ownership of businesses.
• Non-Russian territories joined Russia, creating the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.).

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.
How did Stalin achieve his goal?
Positive Achievements of Stalin
•
Initiated 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 stateowned farms.
Negative Achievements of Stalin
•
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.

• With 1 partner- examine and discuss each document and answer the questions that follow in COMPLETE SENTENCES
• For each document write whether it is a
positive or negative achievement by Stalin
• Teacher will randomly select students to present each document and their answers to the class

Do Stalin’s positive achievements make up for the negatives of his reign?
+ Positive Achievements + - Negative Achievements -

Czar didn’t want war initially
-Took over command of army
-Czar left Alexandra in charge of government
Russian public didn’t trust
Alexandra because she was related to German Kaiser
-Stalin appoints loyal followers to government positions.
-Lenin, on his deathbed, says
Stalin should be removed.
-Stalin turns against his alliances and puts himself alone as the leader of the government.
-Food shortages & prices increase
-Strikes and marches.
-Army joining the protestors.
-Army ordered to suppress strikes.
-Czar is asked to abdicate throne- he does.
-Provisional government takes over.
- Russian soldiers desert army.
- Bolshevik army storm the
Winter Palace and take over the provisional government.
- Appointment of Lenin as the head of the new government
-People revolt from harsh treatment of Bolsheviks
-Lenin realizes that the
Bolsheviks are too harsh on the citizens of Russia
-Lenin creates the NEP to strengthen Russia and spread
Communism.