Stalin’s Dictatorship
Sara Slusher
Stalin Gains Power
• A power struggle
among communist
leaders, the chief
contesters being
Trotsky and Joseph
Stalin.
• In 1920 Stalin became
the general secretary
of the party, he used
that position to build a
loyal following who
owed their jobs to him.
Stalin versus Trotsky
• Lenin had expressed grave
doubts about Stalin, stating
he was “too rude”.
• At Lenin’s death Trotsky and
Stalin jockeyed for position.
• Trotsky urged support for a
worldwide revolution against
capitalism, while Stalin
wanted socialism at home
first.
• Stalin put his own supporters
into top jobs and isolated
Trotsky within the party.
Trotsky fled to exile in 1921
and was later murdered in
Mexico by a Stalinist agent.
The Five-Year Plans
• Once in power Stalin set out
to make the Soviet Union into
a modern industrial power.
• In 1928 he proposed the first
several “five-year plans”
aimed at building heavy
industry, improving
transportation, and increasing
farm output. To achieve
economic growth, he brought
all economic activity under
government control.
• The Soviet Union developed a
command economy.
• The government owned all
businesses.
Industrial Growth
• Stalin’s five-year plans set
high production goals,
especially for heavy
industry and
transportation.
• Between 1928 and 1936,
large factories,
hydroelectric power
stations, and huge
industrial complexes rose
across the Soviet Union.
• Oil, coal, and steel
production grew, mining
expanded and new
railroads were built.
Mixed Results
• Despite the impressive
progress in some areas, Soviet
workers had little to show for
their sacrifices; although
some former peasants did
improve their lives, becoming
skilled factory workers or
managers.
• For others, wages were low
and consumer goods were
scarce.
• Soviet Union continued to
produce well in heavy
industry, but failed to match
the capitalist world in making
consumer goods.
Revolution in Agriculture
• Stalin also brought
agriculture under
government control.
• He forces peasants to
give up their private
plots and live on either
state owned farms or
collectives.
• Peasants were aloud to
keep their homes and
personal belongings, but
farm tools and animals
were turned over to the
collective.
A Ruthless Policy
• Peasants resisted
collectivization by killing farm
animals, destroying tools, and
burning crops, and the
government responded with
brutal force.
• Stalin targeted Kulaks, or
wealthy peasants, for special
treatment.
• The government confiscated
Kulaks’ land and sent them to
labor camps where thousands
were executed or died from
overwork.
Effects
• The government seized all the
grain, leaving the peasants to
starve, leading to a terrible
famine.
• Between 5 and 8 million people
died in Ukraine alone, millions
more in other parts of the Soviet
Union.
• During the 1930s, grain
production inched upward, but
meat, fruits, and veggies
remained in short supply.
• Feeding the population would
remain a major problem for the
rest of the Soviet Union’s
existence.
The Great Purge
• In 1934 Stalin launched the
Great Purge, in which him and
his secret police targeted Old
Bolsheviks, army heroes,
industrial managers, writers, and
ordinary citizens.
• Between 1936 and 1938 Stalin
staged “show trials” in Moscow,
where former Communist
leaders confessed to all kinds of
crimes against the government.
• At least 4 million were purged
during the Stalin years; almost
800,000 were killed.
• 90% of the nations military
officers were purges also.
Foreign Policy
• Between 1917 and 1939, the
Soviet Union pursued divided
foreign policy goals.
• Soon after the revolution, Lenin
organized the Communist
International, or Comintern,
aiding revolutionary grasps
around the world.
• The Soviet Union sought to join
the League of Nations.
• In the 1930s Stalin urged Britain
and France to join in an alliance
against Germany, but western
suspicions of Soviet intentions
made this impossible.