Stalin

Stalin Becomes Dictator

• Lenin died in 1924- Trotsky & Stalin (his biggest supporters) fought to become dictator

• Joseph Stalin gained complete control over the communists &set up a Totalitarian society.

Totalitarianism

►To have “total” control over all aspects of your country.

►Typically, a bad country to live in because personal freedom is lost

►Famous Totalitarian dictators in history are: Stalin- Russia (Communist) Hitler- Germany (Fascist) Mussolini- Italy (Fascist)

Industrial Revolution

• 1928, Russia was 50-100 years behind other countries in industrialization

• 5 Year Plan (replaced Lenin’s policy)- forced work hours, quotas, limit consumer goods, boost national defense, execution/jail for bad workers= rapid industrial growth

• Command Economy (communism)- government makes ALL decisions

Many sent to Gulags (work camps)

Agricultural Revolution► Stalin seized 25 million

farms and forced the previous owners to work on them. Farms combined into

larger farms called “collective farms”

► Many workers (peasants) resisted and 5-10 million were killed or sent to prison camps

► Many Kulaks (wealthy peasants) resisted and were sent to gulags

Daily Life Under Stalin► Government assigned

jobs and working hours► Education was

important ► Communist values

promoted everywhere and everyday

► Women were given equal rights

► not working hard enough? =killed or sent to Siberia

Weapons of Terror►Totalitarian dictators like Stalin often

use terror to keep people under control Read mail and listened to telephone lines Spies everywhere/Secret police (KGB) Indoctrination/Brain-washing Propaganda: biased info meant to sway

beliefs►Socialist Realism: artistic style of the era

Censorship: Gov’t controlled newspapers so nothing bad was printed about Stalin

Religious Persecution: atheism replaced religion

The Great Purge

► 1934-39, Stalin’s plan to eliminate anybody who threatened his power

► Used phone taps, read mail, and used spies to determine enemies

► Many were arrested and 8-13 million people were killed for “crimes against the Soviet state”

Ukrainian Famine

• Stalin raised quotas in 1932 and not enough food was left for the peasants.

• Goal: break the spirit of the Ukrainian farmer

• Peasants were not allowed to store food or travel to find food.

• 7-10 million people died as a result

Stalin • Approximate deaths- 20

million

• Soviet Union became an industrial & political power

• The ideals of communism will eventually lead to the Cold War with the United States

• Stalin died in 1953

Legacy leading to WWII

►By 1939, Stalin had total control of the country

►The U.S.S.R. was industrialized

►They were also a political powerhouse