Stalin: The Five-Year Plans and the Purges

McKay Chapter 29 (957-963) Palmer 18.95

Today’s Agenda

• Finish Stalin Revolution

• Objective Test on WWI to Russian Revolution Thursday

• Corrected DBQs due tomorrow

Totalitarian dictatorships • Emerged in Soviet Union, Germany, and Italy • RejectedRejected parliamentary and liberal values liberal values

(including rationalityrationality, peacefulpeaceful progress, economic freedomfreedom, and a strong middle classmiddle class)

• State regulates nearly every aspect of public and private behavior

• Characterized by – secret police– propaganda disseminated through the

state-controlled mass media– personality cults– regulation and restriction of free

discussion and criticism– single-party states– use of mass surveillance– terror tactics– Extreme nationalismExtreme nationalism

• sought full control & mobilize over the masses• believed in will power, conflict, the worship of

violence• USSR was totalitarianism of the left• Nazi Germany was totalitarianism of the right

• 1860s- Era of Reform– Fundamental Institutions altered

• Serfdom ended• Zemstvos

• 1890s– Reactionary period (Alexander III)– Stolypin Policies

• Industrialization• Kulaks supported

– Political Parties Form• Kadets• Populists• Social Democratic Party

– Mensheviks– Bolsheviks

» Marxists-Leninists• 1905

– Russo Japanese War– Bloody Sunday– October Manifesto

• Duma

• 1914 (WWI)• 1917

– February Rev. (March)• Petrograd Food Riots• Provisional Gov v

PetroSov• May

– Army Order #1– October Rev. (Nov)

• Peace, Land and Bread• 1918-Brest Litovsk• 1918-1922- Civil War

– Red Army• War Communism

– Cheka– Red Terror

• 1921-1927– New Economic Policy (NEP)

(1924– Stalin v Trotsky

Review

Moderate Period• Feb-Oct 1917Feb-Oct 1917• “Age of

Montesquieu”• Constitution

– Liberal moderates Kadets (nobles & bourgeoisie) in control

• Provisional Gov.

• Duma• Limited

Change• Limited

enfranchise-ment

• Legal equality, not social

RadicalRevolution

Reignited • 1921-1953• “Stalin’s

Revolution”• 5 Year Plans• Collectivization• Forced

Industrialization• Great Purges• Liquidation of

Counter- Revolutionaries

Radical Period

• Oct 1917-1921Oct 1917-1921

• “Age of Rousseau”

• Republic

– Strong central government

– Radicals in control

• Bolshevik Rev.

• Radical Revolutionary Change

• Total enfranchise- ment

• Terror (Cheka)

• Regicide

• Command economy (War Communism)

• Utopian/ idealized vision

Thermidorian Period

• 1921-1927

• “Age of Smith”

• Oligarchy

• Gov. pro Bourgeoisie (Kulak)

• New Economic Policy

• Idealized visions of Rev forgotten

– Period of decadence

• Free Market economy

– High Inflation

Crane Brinton & The Anatomy of Revolution

Stalin’s Soviet Union

1917 1921 1924 1927 1929 1936 1939 1941

Russian Revolution

-Red Army defeats White

Army-NEP begins

Lenin Dies

Stalin Emerges as the Leader

Collectivization Begins

First Five Year Plan

(1928)

Great Purges

Molotov Ribbentropp

Pact

Operation Barbarossa

The New Economic Policy, 1921 – 1927• A strategic retreat• By 1920 the countrycountry is in ruinsin ruins• “War Communism” had

antagonized peasants• Produced only 62% of pre-

Revolution land• Also dealing with drought,

famine, transportation problems, WWI, Revolution, Civil War, The Terror, ‘war communism”– 50-90% in 17 provinces

starving– Steel & textile production only

4% of 1913 levels• Millions died• Lenin

– believed that revolution (socialism) was going to fast

– ordered a compromise with compromise with capitalismcapitalism (a strategic retreat)

The New Economic Policy, 1921 – 1927• A relaxation of the Terror and tempo of

the socialist movement• State still controlled the “commanding

heights” of the economy– Banks, RR, heavy industry

• But allowed private trading allowed private trading for private profitprofit

• Effort was intended to increase trade between town and country– Peasants could sell excess produce

for manufactured goods• NEP was pro Kulakpro Kulak

– Led to the growth of a Neo-bourgeois• Nouveau riches Nouveau riches in a classless

society• Reached 1913 level of production by 1926• A thermidorian period?

Stalin and Trotsky• Lenin died in 1924 Lenin after series

of strokes (54 years old)• Had been incapacitated for 2 years

before death• Trotsky and StalinTrotsky and Stalin were top two

candidates for position• Stalin Stalin (background)

– Expelled from theological seminary

– Joined Bolsheviks in 1903– Poor speaker, writer– Appointed General Secretary of General Secretary of

Communist PartyCommunist Party• Not viewed as very influential

post (at first)• Used it to appoint alliesUsed it to appoint allies

– Good organizer, palm greaserClick for Clip (0-6min)

Stalin and Trotsky• TrotskyTrotsky

– Colorful and bombastic ideologue – Called for permanent revolution

• Communism must spreadCommunism must spread• Girondistic weltanschauung

– Called for forceful industrializationindustrialization and collectivizationcollectivization of agriculture

– Demanded the adoption of an overall “PlanPlan”

• StalinStalin– Covert, subtle, politically practical – Called for “socialism in one country”

• Montagnardic weltanschauung – 95 percent of the party delegates voted for voted for

Stalin at the party congress Stalin at the party congress (1927)• Trotsky was exiled Trotsky was exiled and banished to Siberia• Lived in Turkey, France, and Mexico• Organized an underground against Stalin• Was murdered in Mexico in 1940murdered in Mexico in 1940• Name not mentioned in Russian textbooks

until 1980s

The First Five-Year Plan (1928-32)• Known as second revolution &

“Revolution from aboveRevolution from above”• Aim was to make nation make nation militarily

and industrially self-sufficientself-sufficient– Stalin (1929)-”We are becoming a

country of metal, a country of metal, a country of automobiles, a country of automobiles, a country of tractors…”tractors…”

– Declared fulfilled in 1932 • Second 5 Year Plan (’32-37)• Third 5 Year Plan (’38- WWII)• Plan listed economic goalsgoals

– 250% increase in industrial 250% increase in industrial outputoutput

– 150% increase in agricultural 150% increase in agricultural outputoutput

"The Victory of the Five Year Plan is a Strike Against

Capitalism"

• Gosplan– Planned the economy – Answered all

economic questions– how much to produce– amount of capital to

produce– amount of consumer

goods– wages, prices– Created a command &

planned economy• Why?

– Stalin feared Thermidorian (capitalism)

– Wanted to catch up to the West

– Feared establishment of conservative land-owning peasantry

This poster from 1929 attacks eight groups that were frequently scapegoated (clockwise from top left): landlords, kulaks, journalists, capitalists, White Russians, Mensheviks, priests, and drunkards

The First Five-Year Plan (1928-32)

Goals of the First Five Year Plan• Main goal of 1st 5

– Build up heavy industry withoutheavy industry without foreign loansforeign loans

– Make USSR self sufficient Make USSR self sufficient

• History offered no paradigm no paradigm of going from agriculture to going from agriculture to industrial based economy industrial based economy without borrowing capitalwithout borrowing capital– GB industrialization aided by Dutch

investment– GB first had agricultural revolution

(land enclosure, scientific cultivation)

– This released rural population to find employment in factories

• 1st Five attempted similar feat without landowning class

• How? "Long live the international socialist revolution!"

The Collectivization of Agriculture• CollectivizationCollectivization (1928-1940)

– Part of 1st 5 Year Plan to convert small, convert small, privately owned farms into large, privately owned farms into large, collectively owned farmscollectively owned farms

– peasantry would become proletariat peasantry would become proletariat (owned no capital, employed no labor individually)

• Goals:– Increase food supply– Free up labor for factory work

• Collective farms Collective farms – a few thousand acres each– Kolkhozy

• owned by peasants themselves (the collective)

• Paid tax in produce• Mir paradigm

– Sovkhozy• State owned• Mass produced one product

Soviet Collectivization Propaganda (1930). The poster reads "Hey Friend, Come with us into the Collective!" 

Effects of Collectivization• Before 1928 Before 1928

– average peasant was too poor to easant was too poor to afford a tractorafford a tractor, fields too small and dispersed

• After Collectivization– Machine Tractors Stations – organized throughout country

with expert agronomistexpert agronomist, a fleet of fleet of tractors, combinestractors, combines

• Each collective was assigned a quota

• Almost whole nation was collectivized by 1939

• Was Collectivization successful?– Did free up labor free up labor (20 million) to

work in cities (industrialization)– Did not Did not increase food production

• Denied peasants freedom Denied peasants freedom to make their own economic decision, killed killed incentiveincentive to improve land, passing land to offspring

Collectivization in Soviet Union 1927-1940

Human Costs of Collectivization• Kulaks (large landowning peasants)

resistance– Viewed collectivization as the “Second

Serfdom”– Stalin said “liquidate them as a liquidate them as a

class”class”• Kulaks slaughtered horses, cattle, slaughtered horses, cattle,

pigs, rather than give them up pigs, rather than give them up (50%)• Loss of animals was worst

unforeseen calamity• Stalin still refused to cut back on refused to cut back on

cereal and food exports cereal and food exports because they were needed to pay for industrial imports (under 1st 5 Year Plan)

• millions were killed/others millions were killed/others transported to labor camps in Siberiatransported to labor camps in Siberia

• Many of the most capable farmers perished

• Led to deadly famine in southeast Russia and Ukraine in ’32-’33

• 6 Millions died

Soviet Collectivization Village Propaganda(1929): The Poster Reads "On our collective there is no room for priests or kulaks"

Click for clip (8:34-15

The Growth of Industry• Greatest industrial growth in 10 year period in Greatest industrial growth in 10 year period in

historyhistory• GB growth was gradual, Germany and US it

was rapid (USSR was light speedUSSR was light speed) – 1928-38 USSR increased production of iron

and steel 4xs, coal 3.5xs, became largest producer of farm tractors, RR locomotives

• Plants of Magnitogorsk in the Urals and Stalinsk in Siberia produced as much iron and steel as the whole Russia empire did in 1914

• Only the US and Germany had greater gross industrial output in 1939– Plans called for development of industry

east of Urals (Asia)– Copper mines near Lake Balkhash, lead

mines in Altai Mountains were developed• Grain producing regions developed in Siberia

and Kazakh• Tashkent (formerly remote village in Uzbek)

grew to city of .5 million and a hub of cotton, copper mining, electrical industries

• RR of ’38 carried 5xs that of 1913

Early Soviet poster: The Smoke of chimneys is the breath of

Soviet Russia

Changes Brought by Modernization• Incredibly inner Asia was turning industrial• USSR was carrying on more trade with its

Asian neighbors (although less foreign trade than in 1914)

• Industrialization in the Urals and Asia saved Russia in ’41 (BarbarossaBarbarossa)

• BUT– it’s easy to exaggerate USSR’s

industrialization• Started from almost nothing• Low standards Low standards of production (shoddy work)• Low efficiency Low efficiency and output compared to

West• Produced less coal, electricity, cotton, Produced less coal, electricity, cotton,

woolens, leather shoes, and steel woolens, leather shoes, and steel per capita than almost all Western nations

• Paper is good indicator (index) of industrialization, “civilizing activities”

• 1937 US = 103 pounds per person• Germany and GB= 92• Japan= 17• Russia = 11

Let's make stronger industrial power of Soviet Union ! 1932

Social Costs and Effects of the Plans• Soviet citizens had to forgo forgo

consumer goodsconsumer goods– Lack of quality food, housing, Lack of quality food, housing, – Kulaks and others who

resisted were killed• 1/31/3rdrd of national income was of national income was

reinvested in industry every yearreinvested in industry every year– Hard work for low wageslow wages

• Morale sustained by propagandapropaganda

• Late 1930s life began to ease• food rationing abolished (1935)• More products (dishes, pens) began to appear• Living standards = 1927 levels• Threat of war and need for preparation kyboshed the utopian dream• Socialism did eliminate some of capitalisms evilsSocialism did eliminate some of capitalisms evils

– No acknowledged unemployment– No cycle of boom and depression– No exploitation of children, women– No extremely wealthy class

• But no economic equalityBut no economic equality (actually great difference in income)• Govern officials, managers, engineers, artists, and intellectuals of the Party

were rewarded

Competition• AlexeyAlexey StakhanovStakhanov

– Coal miner who was propagandized as a “Hero of Hero of Socialist Labor”Socialist Labor”

• mined a record 102 tons of coal in under 6 hours – 14 times his quota

• Greatly increased his wages (piece rate)

• Led to increased compeincreased competition as other workers began to set production records

• Stakhanovites Stakhanovites (labor heroes) were held up by government (IE. A production line speed up)

• Factory managers who failed to reach their quota (profit) could lose job, status, or life

• Poor management was viewed as sabotage or a betrayal of Soviet society

• Press denounced those who didn’t meet the plan

Soviet Medal for Labor Valor

The Price of Solidarity• Feeling of building a socialist

motherland was prevalent• Became national pastime to watch the national pastime to watch the

mounting statistics, fulfilling of quotasmounting statistics, fulfilling of quotas– Instead of sports, readers read about the

economy• This solidarity came with

totalitarianism• Gov supervised everything• No room for skeptics, independence of

thought• No one could leave country without No one could leave country without

permission (permission (given rarely)• No free labor union, no free press,

association, only slight toleration of religion

• Jews harassed• Untold millions perished, were

imprisoned, forced labor camps in Stalin’s juggernaut

Shaming: Winners of the "infamous banner for a tortoise's pace."

Socialist Realism• Officially approved art of the Communist

Party• Loaded with propaganda• A reaction against “decadent bourgeois art

of impressionism and cubism• purpose was to elevate the common workerelevate the common worker

• Factory and agricultural worker

– presenting his life, work, and recreation as admirable

– ultimate aim was to create New Soviet Man

– “Man will make it his purpose to master his own feelings, to raise his instincts to the heights of consciousness, to make them transparent, to extend the wires of his will into hidden recesses, and thereby to raise himself to a new plain plane, to create a higher social biologic type, or, if you please, a superman.”

Soviet poet Vladimir Mayakovsky:

Who needs a "1"?The voice of a "1" is thinner than a

squeak.Who will hear it? Only the wife...A "1" is nonsense. A

"1" is zero.

Constitution of 1936• New constitution

proclaimed in 1936 (because socialism was so successful)

• Gave rights – employment, rest, employment, rest,

leisure, economic leisure, economic security, social security security, social security

• Condemned racismracism, gave equal and universal equal and universal suffragesuffrage

• At first applauded in the west

• Communist Party remained sole governing group

• Diverging opinions within the Party led to conspiracy (since one could not question Stalin himself)

The Great Purges• Series of “Show Trials”

between 1936-38 of Old Bolsheviks accused of traitorous activities– Trying to assassinate

Stalin– Restore capitalism– Dismember Soviet

Union– Being part of

"Trotskyite Terrorist Trotskyite Terrorist Centre"Centre"

• Verdicts predetermined • “Confessed” their

crimes after torture & threats to family members and promptly executed by firing squad

The Great Purges• Began when Serge KirovSerge Kirov, old

friend of Stalin and head of Lenigrad party apparatus, Politburo member was was assassinated in his office assassinated in his office – Actually murdered by Stalin’s Actually murdered by Stalin’s

menmen for showing signs of dissention

– Stalin used this assassination as excuse for further terror

• Over 100 Bolsheviks executed100 Bolsheviks executed• KGB later disclosed that from

1930-1953 3,778,334 persons had 3,778,334 persons had been tried for crimes against the been tried for crimes against the statestate

• Most of them during Great Terror Great Terror of 1934-38

• 786,098786,098 were executed• Unknown others died in

labor/prison camps• Gulag Archipelago Gulag Archipelago

– Soviet forced labor and concentration camp system

Click for Stalin Documentary

Reinforcing the Dictatorship• Stalin rid himself of the

Old Bols who knew Lenin and potential rivals

• Young revolutionaries were products of the new order

• Didn’t question Stalin’s dictatorship

Click for Clip6:50 (5 Year Plan)