Crisis and Conflict
An Enquiry Approach to Modern World History
Secondary 3
Chapter 3:
Authoritarian
Regimes — Case
Study: Communist
Russia
Was the rise of Communism in
Russia inevitable?
What led to the rise of
Communism in
Russia?
1. Why and how the
Communists took power
in Russia.
2. The inevitability of the rise
of Communism.
What led to the rise of
Stalin?
1. How Stalin rose to
become dictator of
Communist Russia.
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What was the impact
of Stalin’s regime on
the people of
Communist Russia?
1. Stalin’s actions.
2. How they affected the
lives of his people.
2
3
In a Nutshell

Communism is a political belief that had its beginnings in the
ideas of the German thinker, Karl Marx. It advocated the creation
of a society with an equal distribution of wealth.
 Vladimir Lenin was the man who started Communism in
Russia. He united all the states that were part of the Russian
Empire to form the Soviet Union or USSR (Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics) in 1922. He wanted to modernise the Soviet
Union but died in 1924 before he could fulfill his dream.
 After Lenin’s death, Josef Stalin emerged as the new leader of
the Soviet Union. He set in motion rapid industrialisation and
collectivisation of agriculture to modernise the Soviet Union
and ensured their implementation by ruling with an iron fist.
 The people of Communist Russia both feared and admired
Stalin. By the 1930s, Stalin’s authoritarian regime had
transformed Communist Russia into a modern industrial
power but also left millions of Russian people dead.
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What led to the rise of
Communism in Russia?

Many opponents of the Tsar were inspired by the
Communism ideology.
 Some of them established political parties.
 The Social Democratic Party was established in
1898.
 In 1903, it split into two groups:

Bolsheviks (led by Vladimir Lenin)
– To seize power by force, through strikes and violent
demonstrations.

Mensheviks
– Gradual reform of society.
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5
Impact of
World War I
and the fall
of the Tsar
October
1917
Revolution
What led to
the rise of
Communism
in Russia?
Failure of the
Provisional
Government
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Bolshevik
victory in the
Russian Civil
War
Impact of World War I and the
fall of the Tsar
The farmers wanted land
Most Russians wanted the Tsar
to end the war
•
•
•
•
•
•
Living conditions of Russians
deteriorated as a result of World War I
— severe food and coal shortages.
Repeated defeats at the hands of the
German Army — the Tsar was blamed
for this, especially after he decided to
take direct command in 1915.
Russian soldiers, who were poorly
equipped and fed, were demoralised and
deserted in large numbers.
By 1917, there was little respect for the
Tsar and many soldiers found it pointless
to continue fighting.
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Land was mostly in the hands of rich
landlords.
The peasants demanded a fairer
distribution of land.
The Russians wanted food
•
•
•
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Russia’s involvement in World War I
necessitated the transportation of food
to the frontlines to feed the soldiers.
The railway system could not cope with
the double burden of sending crops
from the countryside to both the cities
and the frontlines.
Food shortages and skyrocketing prices
in the cities led to riots in the country as
workers demanded more food — ’bread
riots’.
6
7
Impact of World War I and the
fall of the Tsar
February 1917:
Series of strikes in
the capital city,
Petrograd.
12 March 1917:
The Tsar ordered
soldiers to put down
the revolt, but the
soldiers joined the
striking workers
instead and took
over public buildings
and police stations,
released prisoners
and looted food
shops.
15 March 1917:
Knowing that he had lost the
support of the army and his
people, the Tsar abdicated. A
Provisional Government was
established to run the country
in place of the Tsar. The
Provisional Government was
to bring about a peaceful
change of government in
Russia, from the Tsar’s
autocracy to an eventual
democracy with an elected
parliament.
Ba
ck
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Failure of the Provisional
Government

The Provisional Government had several
important tasks:



To hold elections for the Russian people to choose
their own government by the end of 1917.
To grant a full and immediate amnesty to all political
and religious prisoners and exiles.
To cooperate with the committees of workers,
peasants and soldiers, called soviets, which had
taken over the major Russian cities, like Petrograd.
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9
Failure of the Provisional
Government
However, the Provisional Government failed because it basically did not
address the very issues that brought about the downfall of the Tsar:

Chose to keep Russia in
World War I:
• To maintain the integrity of ties
with her allies.
• To defend her national
honour.




Did not carry out land
reforms:
• Rich landowners in the
Provisional Government
delayed the redistribution of
land to the peasants.
German army continued to
defeat the Russians.
Resources absorbed into
war effort.
Living conditions of the
people remained poor.
Support for the Bolsheviks
grew at the expense of the
Provisional Government.
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

Peasants, who made up
the masses, were
dissatisfied.
They murdered or chased
away the landowners and
seized the land for
themselves.
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Had to struggle for
power with the soviets:
• Soviets — groups of
Russian workers,
peasants and soldiers who
had organised themselves
into councils that would
govern an area — wielded
great influence with the
Russian people.
Ba
ck
10
October 1917 Revolution





Lenin won support for the Bolsheviks with his promises of
land, bread and an end to the war.
The Provisional Government ordered the arrest of Lenin
when the Bolsheviks continued to incite riots in July 1917 in
Petrograd. Lenin fled to Finland.
However, unrest continued when the commander of the
Russian army, General Kornilov, tried to overthrow the
Provisional Government by force.
The Provisional Government had no choice but to turn to
the Petrograd Soviet and the Bolsheviks who dominated it,
for help to deal with this menace.
They armed the Bolsheviks, who formed their own army,
the Red Guards.
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October 1917 Revolution





Although the Provisional Government managed to put
down General Kornilov’s troops with the help of the Red
Guards, the confrontation had exposed the fact that the
Provisional Government was weak and true power in
Petrograd was actually held by the Bolsheviks.
In October 1917, Lenin returned to Russia and overthrew
the Provisional Government. The Red Guards took over
key buildings in Petrograd and arrested the members of the
Provisional Government.
The Provisional Government was swept from power after
eight months.
Lenin established the world’s first Communist regime.
He fulfilled his promise of ending the war by signing the
Ba
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany in March 1918.
ck
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Bolshevik victory in the
Russian Civil War
A bitter three-year civil war
was fought in Russia between
the Bolsheviks and their
opponents.
Wealthy
landowners
Army and navy
officers
(against the
unfavourable terms
of the Treaty of BrestLitovsk)
Monarchists
(lost their land due to
the Bolsheviks)
Social
Revolutionaries
(set up in 1901 with
the aim of leading the
peasants in a violent
revolution against
landlords and
government officials)
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The
Bolshevik’
s
opponents
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Other
conservatives
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Bolshevik victory in the
Russian Civil War
 The
Red Army was a much more
disciplined and united force under the
leadership of Leon Trotsky.
 In comparison, its enemies fought as
fragmented and isolated forces.
 The Red Guards eventually won the war in
1921.
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14
In 1924, the former territories of the
Russian Empire were combined to
form the Soviet Union or USSR.
(Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)
Moscow
became the
new capital
of the
USSR.
The Bolshevik Party adopted a
new name, the Communist
Party.
Communist Russia
was born.
Ba
ck
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Impact of
World War I
and the fall
of the Tsar
October
1917
Revolution
What led to
the rise of
Communism
in Russia?
Failure of the
Provisional
Government
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Bolshevik
victory in the
Russian Civil
War
16
Critical Thinking
Was the rise of Communism in Russia inevitable?
What if democracy had been successfully established in Russia? Could it all
have turned out differently? Did democracy have a chance of succeeding?
Given the depths of the suffering and the disillusionment of the Russians caused by Russia’s
setbacks in World War I, do you think the Russian people cared more about the political system
and ideology or changes that would quickly make living conditions better for them?
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Critical Thinking
What were Russia’s problems? What
promises did Communism hold for the
Russian people?
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An illustration of Russians listening to
a Bolshevik leader in the mid 1910s.
What were Russia’s problems during that time? What
promises did Communism hold for the Russian people?
End of involvement in World War I:
Most Russians wanted their country to be
out of World War I. This was due to the
deteriorating living conditions and
devastating losses on the battlefields.
Lenin, the leader of the Bolsheviks,
promised to end the war.
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19
Redistribution of land:
The peasants wanted a fairer system of
land redistribution.
Communism advocated the equal
distribution of wealth among the people
in the society.
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End to food shortages:
The severe shortages of food supplies in the
cities and skyrocketing prices caused great
hardship to the Russian people.
The Communists promised them more food.
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Critical Thinking
What was ‘the democratic leaders’ referring to?
Why did it fall from power after a mere eight
months? What were its failures?
Do you think that the Communists capiltalised on the
Provisional Government’s failures by promising to
solve that very problems that the Provisional
Government failed to address?
Would the Provisional Government have succeeded if
they had more time?
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Outwitted
his rivals
What led to
the rise of
Stalin?
Trotsky’s
weaknesses
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Establishmen
t of
dictatorship
23
Outwitted his rivals

When Lenin died in January 1924, there was a
struggle to replace him as leader of the Soviet Union.
 Among the candidates were:
•
•
Leon
Trotsky
Lev
Kamenev
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Played a leading role in the October 1917 Revolution and the Civil War.
Brilliant man with great public speaking and writing skills and was
respected as a political thinker.
Regarded by Lenin as ‘the most able man in the Party’.
Lenin’s choice as successor.
Did not try to win over the support of the key members of the Bolshevik
Party, as he believed that he would definitely succeed Lenin.
Member of the Bolshevik Party since its formation in 1903.
Trusted by Lenin.
Had good leadership and organisational skills.
Acted as Lenin’s deputy before.
Opposed Lenin on the timing of the October Revolution.
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Outwitted his rivals
Grigory
Zinoviev
Josef
Stalin
•
•
•
•
Member of the Bolshevik Party since its formation in 1903.
Trusted by Lenin.
Had good leadership and organisational skills.
Also opposed Lenin on the timing of the October Revolution.
•
Did not play any significant role in the October Revolution or the Civil
War.
Seen as a quiet man, neither liked nor disliked by Party members.
Was seen by Trotsky and many others as a ‘dim-witted’ person.
Lenin was sceptical about whether he would make a good leader.
He was doubtful about Stalin’s ability to use power with sufficient
caution.
He also felt that Stalin was rude, impatient and not attentive to his
comrades. He wanted to remove Stalin as Secretary-General
•
•
•
•
•

Trotsky was considered the front-runner.
 In 1924, no one expected Stalin to become Lenin’s successor.
 Yet by 1929, he had managed to outwit all his rivals to become the
leader of the Soviet Union. How did he do that?
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Pretended to have been close to Lenin

Lenin’s negative opinions towards Stalin in his will
were not made public.

When Lenin died, Stalin organised the funeral and
gave himself the role of chief mourner, making it
seem as if he had always been close to Lenin.

He also tricked his biggest rival, Trotsky, into
missing Lenin’s funeral by giving him the wrong
date.

As a result, many party members were angry with
Trotsky’s apparent lack of respect for Lenin when he
failed to appear at the funeral.
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Made alliances

Stalin formed alliances with other members to
get rid of his opponents.

For instance, he formed an alliance with
Kamenev and Zinoviev because he knew that
they wanted his support in their struggle
against Trotsky for the leadership of the
Communist Party.
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Made alliances
Zinoviev, one of Lenin’s closest associates, defended Stalin against
Lenin’s call, in his will, for Stalin’s removal
“Comrades, every word of Lenin’s is law to us … But we are happy to say that
in one point Lenin’s fears have proved baseless. I have in mind the point about
Stalin. You have all witnessed our harmonious cooperation in the last few
months; and like myself, you will be happy to say that Lenin’s fears have
proved baseless.”

However, once Kamenev and Zinoviev had
served their purpose by helping Stalin to
eliminate Trotsky as a rival candidate, Stalin
found new allies to remove them as well.
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Used his position as Secretary-General




Stalin used his power as Secretary-General to
appoint his supporters to important posts.
Thus, many key Party officials were loyal to him and
he controlled the central Party machine.
He also controlled the local Party committees,
spreading his influence even more broadly among
the rank and file members.
As a result, Stalin was able to pack a 1925 Party
meeting with his supporters, who voted to remove
Trotsky from his posts.
Ba
ck
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Trotsky’s weaknesses
Over-confident
Lack of support for his idea
• Believed he would succeed
Lenin and was complacent
about building support within
the ranks of the Party.
• Drew his support from a
narrow base: the youths,
students and the Red Army.
• Came across as arrogant to
most Party members.
• His idea of world revolution
did not find broad acceptance
among Party members
because they were weary at
the prospect of more fighting.
• In contrast, most Party
members felt that Stalin’s
idea of ‘Socialism in one
country’ was more practical.
Ba
ck
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Establishment of dictatorship

Stalin established an authoritarian regime and he
was the dictator who ruled over it with absolute
political powers.
Complete control over his
government.
Could make laws without seeking
agreement from the people or other
members of the government.
Absolute power
Banned other political parties from
the Soviet Union. Any person who
opposed him was beaten, jailed or
even killed.
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Establishment of dictatorship

Used propaganda to persuade people to accept and
obey him as the rightful leader of the country.



For example, he exaggerated his achievements.
He also made writers and journalists write about him as a
hero of the people.
Exercised control through the education system.


Centralised education system under strict government
control.
Schools had to teach Marxist and Leninist ideas and instil
complete loyalty to the state among the students.
Ba
ck
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Outwitted
his rivals
What led to
the rise of
Stalin?
Trotsky’s
weaknesses
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Establishmen
t of
dictatorship
33
What was the impact of Stalin’s
regime on Communist Russia?
 Stalin
aimed to modernise and develop the
Soviet Union into a great country, more
powerful than Britain and the USA.
 Two measures he implemented to achieve
these were:


Rapid industrialisation.
Collectivisation of culture.
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What was the impact of Stalin’s
regime on Communist Russia?
 To
consolidate his dictatorship and
absolute power, Stalin also undertook two
oppressive measures:


Development of a terror state.
Tight control over culture.
 All
these measures left a huge impact on
the people of Communist Russia and
would endure as the legacies to Stalin’s
regime.
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Communist
Russia
became an
industrialised
country
Farms in
Russia were
collectivised
Development
of a
terror state
What was the
impact of
Stalin’s
regime on
Communist
Russia?
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Tight control
over culture
Communist Russia became an
industrialised country

Stalin talked about putting ‘the Soviet Union on an
automobile and the farmer on a tractor’.

he wanted to transform the Soviet Union into a modern
industrial state, one which was strong enough to stand
up and defend its independence against other countries,
instead of suffering humiliating defeats.
Stalin in a 1931 speech to factory managers explaining the need for
industrialisation
“Tsarist Russia suffered many defeats because of her backwardness. All those
countries defeated her because she was weak. This is why we must no longer
lag behind. Do we want our Motherland to be defeated and lose her
independence?
………”
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Communist Russia became an
industrialised country
Stalin in a 1931 speech to factory managers explaining the need for
industrialisation
“……..
If you do not want this, you must put an end to backwardness in the shortest
possible time. We are 50 to 100 years behind the advanced countries. We must
catch up in 10 years or they will crush us.”

Not just industrialisation, but rapid industrialisation!

Stalin believed the country needed to be developed
rapidly to be prepared for an attack by the nonCommunist countries whom he thought might invade
the Soviet Union.
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Communist Russia became an
industrialised country

As a result, his economic plans focused on
developing heavy industries such as steel,
metallurgy, chemicals, oil, coal and electricity.

To develop the steel industry, new industrial
cities such as Magnitogorsk were built from
scratch mainly using forced labour (i.e. people
arrested for various reasons).
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Communist Russia became an
industrialised country

Steel produced by the new factories was
used for building industrial products such as
tractors and railways.

High output targets for oil and coal were also
set so as to generate more electricity to keep
the new factories going and for the needs of
the people.
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Communist Russia became an
industrialised country
Labour and expertise that helped fuel the
development of the new industries.
Foreign experts who
were sympathetic to the
Communist cause were
hired to teach the
Russians, especially in
technical areas.
As many more job
opportunities were
created, more women
were employed.
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Farmers were also
encouraged to move to
the cities to work in the
industries.
40
41
How did Stalin implement
industrialisation?

Stalin implemented three Five-Year Plans:
First Five-Year Plan
(1928–1932)
Second Five-Year
Plan (1933–1937)
Focused on heavy
industries, especially iron
and steel.
• Output was to be doubled
for iron and steel
production and in
electricity, chemicals and
engineering.
• After some early success,
targets were increased
and this Five-Year Plan
was ordered to be
completed in four years
instead of five.
• Set new targets for heavy
industries.
• But it also gave more attention
to industries that produced
goods such as clothing.
• From 1934 onwards, priority
was given to industries related
to military production as the
Soviet Union anticipated
another war.
• Factories were built to the East
of the Ural Mountains, where
they would be beyond the
reach of Western invaders.
• Transport and communication
networks were greatly
improved.
•
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Third Five-Year Plan
(1938–1942)
• Emphasis on industries
related to military
production.
• Disrupted when the Soviet
Union was invaded by
Germany in 1941.
• From then on, all resources
were focused on military
production and defeating
the Germans.
42
How did Stalin implement
industrialisation?
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Critical Thinking
1.
In 1932, Stalin announced that the First Five-Year
Plan was a great success.
Was this completely true (referring to the chart on the previous slide)?
How true was it?
2.
Comparing the actual production achieved in 1932
and the planned production for the Second Five-Year
Plan, do you think that the targets set were realistic?
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How did Stalin implement
industrialisation?
 Despite
the early successes of the First
Five-Year Plan, some of the targets were
not met.
 However,
there was a great increase in the
amount of coal, iron, steel and oil
produced.
 More
than 1 500 factories and more than
100 new cities were built.
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How did Stalin implement
industrialisation?

In the beginning, progress of Stalin’s industrialisation
programme was inhibited because of these problems:
• Very few
workers had
the skills
required for
factory work.
• Many workers
were illiterate.
Many of the new
industrial workers
were farmers who
had lived in the
countryside and
were not used to
life in the cities.
• Machines were often damaged because of workers’
ignorance or lack of training.
• When their equipment broke down, the workers did not
know how to repair it and it would lie unused on the factory
floor.
• They often found it hard to adjust to their new living
environment.
• Their inability to settle in affected their productivity.
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Impact of industrialisation
Poor work conditions




When the First Five-Year Plan was announced, many
Russians, especially young, idealistic Party members
formed ‘Shock Brigades’ or groups of highly-motivated
workers.
However, their enthusiastic support for the
industrialisation programma waned under appalling work
conditions and unrealistic production targets.
By 1929, there was labour unrest as workers protested
against their conditions.
In response, the government took disciplinary action
against workers who were underperforming or who
engaged in sabotage.
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Impact of industrialisation
Restrictions placed on workers in the Soviet Union
1929
All factory workers had to work seven days a
week.
October 1930
Workers were not allowed to move around the
factories during working hours.
December 1930 Factories were not allowed to hire people who
had left their previous jobs without permission.
January 1931
Workers would be sent to prison if they broke
any rules in the factories.
February 1931
All factories were to keep notes on a worker’s
job record.
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Impact of industrialisation
March 1931
Workers were responsible for any damage to
tools.
July 1932
Workers could be transferred from one place
of work to another without their agreement.
August 1932
Workers would be sentenced to death for
stealing things from the factories, as these
belonged to the government.
November 1932 Workers could be dismissed if they missed a
single day of work.
December 1932 Workers had to make a passport for any travel
within the Soviet Union.
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Impact of industrialisation
Poor work conditions
 The
Soviet Union’s economy became a
planned economy — the government had
complete control. A new government
department was formed to:


set targets in each industry.
plan the locations of new towns and industrial
cities like Magnitogorsk.
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Many of the new towns and industrial
cities were to be built in the East,
beyond the Ural Mountains.
This was very
different from
Tsarist Russia,
where all the major
cities were located
in West Russia.
The strategic
location of these
industrial cities
would place them
beyond the reach
of Western
invaders, thus
ensuring that
production critical
to any war efforts
could not be easily
sabotaged by the
enemies.
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Impact of industrialisation
System of rewards and training for workers

To ensure that their targets were met, the Communist government
implemented a system of rewards and incentives:



The government started a big campaign to teach the Russian
workers new skills so as to tackle the problems posed by an
uneducated labour force.




Salaries were pegged to the productivity of a worker — the more he
produced, the more he earned.
Hard work was rewarded with medals and the opportunity to go on a
holiday at a discount.
New colleges, schools and universities were built.
Primary education was made compulsory.
Thousands of teachers, scientists and engineers were trained.
By the 1930s, Russian workers were able to obtain well-paid, highskilled jobs.
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Impact of industrialisation
Changing living conditions

Initially, due to the focus on heavy industries, industries that
produced basic goods were neglected.



After 1935, the situation began to improve.




There was a shortage of basic goods such as food, clothes and shoes.
These items were rationed.
The shortages led to escalating prices. Between 1928 and 1933, the
actual purchasing power of the workers’ salaries fell by 50%.
Production of basic goods increased and more supplies became
available to the people. Rationing ended in 1936.
Workers received cheap meals and free uniforms.
Free education, subsidised health care and the provision of extensive
leisure facilities, such as cinemas, public parks, sports fields and
gymnasiums, were provided.
Thus, the living conditions of the Russians improved considerably.
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Impact of industrialisation
Which do these viewpoints tell you about the
Russians’ general feeling about Stalin’s
industrialisation programme?
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54
Impact of industrialisation
Which do these viewpoints tell you about the
Russians’ general feeling about Stalin’s
industrialisation programme?
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Impact of industrialisation
Which do these viewpoints tell you about the
Russians’ general feeling about Stalin’s
industrialisation programme?
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Impact of industrialisation

Stalin managed to stave off the initial problems
faced in his industrialisation programme.
 With his Five-Year Plans, the Soviet Union’s
heavy industries expanded rapidly and
production of consumer goods increased.
 The Soviet Union’s industrial capacity was also
protected from an attack from the West due to
the location of industrial cities in the Eastern part
of the Soviet Union, beyond the Ural Mountains.
 As a result, the Soviet Union was more ready to
face the threat from Germany when it came
Ba
under attack in June 1941.
ck
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Farms in Russia were
collectivised

Most of the farms in the Soviet Union were small strips of land
owned by individual farmers. They used primitive equipment
like ploughs to work the fields and harvest the crops.
 Stalin’s reasons for collectivisation:
If farming methods were improved,
fewer people would be needed to
work the land. This meant that
some of the people in the
countryside would be able to move
to the cities to work in the new
factories.
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
The farmers would be able to grow
more crops. The Soviet Union
would be able to sell the extra crops
to other countries. The profit it
earned could be used to pay for the
building of new factories.
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Farms in Russia were
collectivised
What did collectivisation entail?
• Farmers in a particular area would combine all their land together
to form a single large unit, known as a collective farm (kolkhoz).
• All their tools and animals were shared.
• Each collective farm would have a common pool of tractors. These
tractors were then rented out to the farmers.
• The farmers would work together and share what the farm
produced. They would be paid labourers on the state-owned farm.
• They would sell a percentage of their crops to the government at a
very low price. This made it easier for officials to get food supplies
to the cities.
• In return, the government would provide them with machines such
as tractors and harvesters.
• Government officials managed the farms. The collective farms
would also have schools, hospitals and libraries.
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59
Voluntary collectivisation


Initially, Stalin used reasons and persuasion to try to
garner the farmers’ support in joining collective
farms.
It was a policy of voluntary collectivisation.
Stalin speaking to Communist Party members in 1927
“What is the way out? The way out is to turn the small and scattered farms into
large united farms ... The way out is to unite the small and dwarf farms slowly
but surely, not by pressure but by example and persuasion into large farms…
There is no other way out.”
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Voluntary collectivisation
The response was mixed.
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Voluntary collectivisation
The response was mixed.
• Voluntary
collectivisation
did not work
because many
farmers did not
want to abandon
their traditional
way of life.
• The kulaks
(richer, landowning farmers)
especially, did not
want to give up
their land to the
government.
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Forced collectivisation

Thus, Stalin adopted a policy of collectivisation by
force.




He began by ordering Communist officials to force farmers
to hand over their crops.
Young Communist Party members went around looking for
food. They confiscated any crops that were found.
The farmers reacted by assassinating Communist
Party members. In 1928 alone, 1 400 of such
assassinations were reported.
Fewer crops were harvested after collectivisation
than in previous years.
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Forced collectivisation

Stalin put the blame squarely on the shoulders of
the kulaks.
Stalin addressing the Communist Party in 1929
“The kulaks are the sworn enemies of the collective farm movement. We are to
eliminate them as a class … We must break down the resistance of the kulaks
and deprive them of their existence. We must smash them … We must strike at
the kulaks so hard as to prevent them from rising to their feet again.”

He decided to eliminate them.


Stalin’s secret police, the NKVD were ordered to shoot
farmers who resisted or send them to labour camps.
Thousands of kulaks were persecuted in these ways since
they preferred destroying their crops to handing them over
to the government.
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Forced collectivisation

Backed by the NKVD, Party officials and volunteers were sent
to the countryside to forcibly form collective farms.




They forced the farmers to sign documents agreeing to the
formation of collective farms.
They would then take over the fields, livestock, farming tools and
buildings of the farmers. The Communist officials also forced
farmers to hand over their crops.
Young Communist Party members went around looking for food.
They confiscated any crops that were found.
Stalin succeeded in his forced collectivisation.



He had a cheap and regular supply of crops.
He freed workers from the countryside by mechanising the
farms. Thus, more workers were available to work in the
factories.
Altogether, an estimated 25 million farmers were forced to join
huge collective farms.
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Impact of collectivisation
Riots and resistance

The farmers rioted and engaged in armed
resistance to try to stop forced collectivisation.

Stalin responded by ordering 17 million horses
used in farming to be killed so that the farmers
would be forced to use tractors instead.

However, there were not enough tractors to
replace the horses that had been killed.
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Impact of collectivisation
Getting rid of people who opposed
collectivisation
 Villagers
who did not co-operate were
forced to move from their villages.
 They
were sent to gulags (labour camps)
to the north of the Soviet Union where they
were made to work on Stalin’s ambitious
construction projects.
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Impact of collectivisation
Famine

Farmers burnt their crops and grew less food rather than
send them to the Communist officials.

The decline in crop production was made worse by
natural disasters such as droughts and floods.

Severe food shortages caused famine in the Soviet
Union.

The problem was compounded when Stalin rejected
offers of food aid from the USA. Instead, he suppressed
information about the famine.
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Impact of collectivisation
Famine

Despite the severe food shortages, Stalin
ordered officials and the NKVD to take whatever
crops were left.

Some of the crops were sold to other countries
to raise money to buy machines from other
countries.

It is estimated that more than 10 million
peasants and their families died in the famine.
Ba
ck
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Development of a terror state
Stalin dealt with his
opponents by:
Before 1934
• Expelling them from the
Communist Party.
• Sending them into exile.
Launch of the purges:
After Kirov’s
murder on
1 December
1934
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
• Used Kirov’s death as an excuse
to eliminate his opponents in the
Communist Party.
• Accused them of murdering
Kirov and of plotting to
assassinate Stalin himself.
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Development of a terror state
Purges
 First
to be arrested were the followers of
Zinoviev.
 Altogether, thousands of people were
arrested by the NKVD in the weeks after
Kirov’s murder.
 The NKVD was given a quota, which
meant that they had to arrest a minimum
number of ‘enemies of the people’.
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Development of a terror state
Purges

The people who were arrested were usually
intellectuals because they were seen as a threat
to Stalin’s rule.

They might have organised other Russians to resist
Stalin’s rule.

Thus, they were usually forced to sign
confessions and implicate others, who were also
arrested.
 Between 1934 and 1935, the number of those
sent to prison and gulags more than tripled.
 The purges continued from 1934 to 1938.
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Development of a terror state
Purges
 In
1936, the old Bolshevik leaders, such
as Kamenev and Zinoviev, were put on
show trials.
 This took place after they had been worn
down by treacherous conditions,
continuous questioning and threats to the
lives of their loved ones.
 They confessed to all the charges against
them and were executed.
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Development of a terror state
Purges
 Altogether,
1 million lower-ranking Party
officials were expelled and were either
shot or sent to labour camps.
 Half
of the officer corps was shot.
 Even
the Commander-in-Chief and a hero
of the Civil War, Marshall Mikhail
Tukachevsky, was not spared.
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Development of a terror state
Purges

Later, the purges
included even
ordinary Russians.

Millions of Russians
were arrested and
either shot or sent to
the dreaded labour
camps.

The NKVD arrested
politicians,
scientists, military
men, teachers,
writers and workers.
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
Prisoners of Stalin in a cell. Many of these
prisoners were taken from their homes at night
and never heard of again.
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Impact of Stalin’s rule of terror
Fear and suspicion

During the period of the purges, people were encouraged to
inform on their fellow workers, their neighbours and family
members if they made any comments against Stalin or the
Soviet Union.
 As no evidence was needed for an arrest, anyone who had a
grudge against another person could get rid of him by simply
denouncing him to the NKVD.
 The NKVD would often take people away from their homes in
the middle of the night or in the early hours of the morning.
 Thus, many Russians were afraid of answering the door at
night because they assumed that the NKVD had come to take
someone away.
Much fear and suspicion!
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Impact of Stalin’s rule of terror
Mass executions






As a result of the purges, there were mass executions.
An estimated 20 million Russians were victims of the
purges.
Mass graves were discovered throughout Russia after
Stalin died.
Those who had been purged were removed from any
photographs and paintings that they had appeared in.
The old heroes of the Revolution, having been purged,
were forgotten. From the 1930s until his death in 1953,
Stalin was the only leader that mattered.
Russians feared and obeyed him.
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Impact of Stalin’s rule of terror
Religious persecution




Religion was banned for the Russians, most of whom
were devout members of the Orthodox Christian Church.
Young Communist Party members spread anti-religious
propaganda by distributing pamphlets and journals or
organising lectures that criticised religion for promoting
‘harmful superstition’.
Churches, mosques and synagogues were vandalised.
Christian, Muslim and Jewish religious leaders were
persecuted.
Ba
ck
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Tight control over culture
 How
did Stalin control culture?
Education
• Controlled what people were taught.
– Teaching of History was changed to
focus on the importance of Lenin and
Stalin.
– Stalin was shown as having played a key
and heroic role during the October 1917
Revolution (which was not true).
– The other leaders, such as Trotsky, were
either unfairly presented or ignored.
• Very strict discipline in schools – for
teachers and pupils.
The arts
• Only writers, artists and musicians who
made art praising Stalin and his
programmes could remain in their jobs.
• Many others were arrested and sent to
labour camps.
• In this way, he also controlled the arts.
– Teachers were closely watched and they
were purged if it was felt that they had
taught the pupils to be anti-Stalin.
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Tight control over culture

Impact of Stalin’s control over culture



Writings, paintings and music were expected to act as
propaganda for him and his programmes, such as
industrialisation and farm collectivisation.
As a result of these restrictions, there was a lack of
variety in the arts in Communist Russia.
Young Russians also grew up learning a skewed
version of history where Stalin took centrestage and
was hugely important.
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Tight control over culture

Cult of personality




Tried to make people in Communist Russia worship
him as the leader.
Portrayed himself as a fatherly, cheerful and popular
man.
Had his pictures and statues placed almost
everywhere.
All offices, classrooms and factory floors had pictures
of Stalin and the successes of the country were
attributed to him.
Ba
ck
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Communist
Russia
became an
industrialised
country
Farms in
Russia were
collectivised
Development
of a
terror state
What was the
impact of
Stalin’s
regime on
Communist
Russia?
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Tight control
over culture
82
Critical Thinking
Did Stalin bring more harm than good to
Communist Russia?
Consider the viewpoints below. What were the ‘harms’ and what
were the ‘goods’?
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Critical Thinking
Did Stalin bring more harm than good to
Communist Russia?
Consider the viewpoints below. What were the ‘harms’ and what
were the ‘goods’?
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84
Critical Thinking
Did Stalin bring more harm than good to
Communist Russia?
Consider the viewpoints below. What were the ‘harms’ and what
were the ‘goods’?
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Summary
Was the rise of
Communism in
Russia inevitable?
Reasons for the
rise of
Communism in
Russia
Impact of Stalin’s
regime
How Stalin rose
to power
Industrialisation
World War I
and the Tsar
October 1917
Revolution
Failure of
Provisional
Government
Bolshevik
victory in
Russian Civil
War
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
Outwitted his
rivals
Collectivisation
Trotsky’s
weaknesses
Purges
Establishment
of dictatorship
Control of
culture
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Summary
• Humiliating
defeats and
devastating
losses.
• Poor living
conditions.
• Peasants’ desire
for land.
• Food shortages.
Reasons for the
rise of
Communism in
Russia
World War I
and the Tsar
• Chose to keep
Russia in World
War I.
• Did not carry out
land reforms.
• Power struggles
with the soviets.
October 1917
Revolution
Failure of
Provisional
Government
Bolshevik
victory in
Russian Civil
War
Back to
main
summary
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
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• Provisional Government
provided weapons
which helped the
Bolsheviks set up the
Red Guards.
• Showed that it did not
have real power when it
needed the Red Guards
to help it defeat General
Kornilov.
• The Red Guards swept
the Provisional
Government from
power.
• The Red Guards
defeated its enemies as
a united and disciplined
force.
• The states of the
Russian Empire were
combined to form the
Soviet Union.
Summary
How Stalin rose
to power
Outwitted his
rivals
Trotsky’s
weaknesses
Establishment
of dictatorship
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
• Pretended to be close to Lenin.
• Made alliances.
• Used his position as Secretary-General.
• Over-confident and did not establish a
broad enough support base.
• His idea of world revolution was much
less accepted than Stalin’s idea of
‘Socialism in one country’.
• He had absolute political power and
control in the authoritarian regime.
• Used propaganda to get people to
accept and obey him.
• Exercised control through education
system.
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Back to
main
summary
87
Summary
Back to
main
summary
88
Short term
• Low wages, poor working conditions.
• Poor living conditions.
Impact of Stalin’s
regime
Long term
• Modernisation and industrialisation of the
country.
• Russia became a powerful country.
• Higher wages, better living conditions.
Industrialisation
Collectivisation
Short term
• Many killed or sent to labour camps.
• Famine.
Purges
Control of
culture
• Widespread fear
and suspicion.
• Mass executions.
• Skewed education.
• Lack of variety in the arts.
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Long term
• Cheap and regular supply of crops.
• More workers from the countryside to work
in the factories and support the rapid
industrialisation.