Stalins dictatorship: USSR, 1924-41

Key Questions
To what extent had Stalin become a personal dictator in communist Russia by the end of the 1920s? How did Stalin reinforce his dictatorship, 1929-41? To what extent did Stalin make the USSR a great economic power?

To what extent had Stalin become a personal dictator in communist Russia by the end of the 1920s?
The death and funeral of Lenin The background of Stalin and Trotsky Lenins testament Stalins and Trotskys claims to power Communist rule in the 1920s The power struggle between Stalin, Trotsky and other rivals in the 1920s

The death and funeral of Lenin

Lenin died in January 1924; Stalin and other Politburo (main Bolsheviks) members had to arrange the funeral Lenins body was embalmed (preserved) and put on display in Red Square in Moscow Lenins cult was perpetuated with posters and statues; Petrograd was renamed Leningrad

The background of Stalin and Trotsky

Stalin was General Secretary of the Communist Party and controlled much of the government machinery Stalin had been a loyal Bolshevik for 20 years Stalin had humble origins; he was a Georgian and spoke Russian as a second language

The background of Stalin and Trotsky

Trotsky only became a Bolshevik in 1917 Trotsky was Jewish Trotsky was chairman of the Petrograd Soviet in 1917 Trotsky played a leading role in the November 1917 revolution Trotsky was Lenins right-hand man in the Civil War (1918-21) and directed the Red Army

Lenins testament
Lenin criticised Stalin in this document from January 1923 Stalin has concentrated enormous power in his hands Stalin is too rude I (Lenin) propose that the comrades appoint another man who will be more patient, more loyal, more polite

Stalins claim to power

Stalin was General Secretary of the Communist Party and an excellent organiser Stalin had support from the junior party officials he had appointed Stalin had always been loyal to Lenin, and liked to be seen as Lenins right-hand man Stalin believed in Socialism in One Country or consolidating communism in one country before attempting to export it abroad Stalin organised Lenins funeral; it made him appear more dedicated to Lenin

Trotskys claim to power

Trotsky had carried out the actual revolution in November 1917 Trotsky had led the Reds to victory in the Russian Civil War showing excellent leadership and skills of motivation and propaganda Trotsky was a powerful speaker and writer Trotsky supported the idea of World Revolution or the immediate spread of communism around the world

Communist rule in the late 1920s

When Lenin died, no preparations had been made for a successor The Russian empire had become the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Under Lenin there was already strict control of the media The most important thing was service to the State, not freedom of the individual

Communist rule in the late 1920s

Stalin persuaded the Partys Central Committee not to publish Lenins testament Stalin wrote Foundations of Leninism praising Lenins policies Trotsky favoured continuous revolution Most Russians wanted a period of stability and sided with Stalin

The power struggle between Stalin, Trotsky and other rivals in the 1920s
1925 Trotsky dismissed as Commissar (Minister) for War 1926 Trotsky said NEP should be abandoned; Zinoviev and Kamenev supported Trotsky; Stalin persuaded the rest of the Politburo (leading Bolsheviks) to persist with the NEP 1926 Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev were dismissed from the Politburo

The power struggle between Stalin, Trotsky and other rivals in the 1920s
1927 Trotsky and Zinoviev were expelled from the Party; their places were given to Stalins supporters like Bukharin 1928 Stalin criticised the NEP and those in the Politburo who were supportive of it; those dissenters were expelled too 1929 Trotsky was exiled from USSR; Tsalin now had complete control

How did Stalin reinforce his dictatorship, 1929-41?

Communist control over the government The 1936 Constitution The purges of the 1930s Show Trials The Great Terror Purging of the armed forces The cult of personality

Communist Party control over the government

Stalin controlled the Politburo and the Politburo controlled government departments Policies were enforced by the secret police, the Cheka, and its successors, OGPU and NKVD Open criticism was therefore extremely dangerous

The 1936 Constitution

The 1936 Constitution replaced those of 1918 and 1924 This one was written by Bukharin; in theory, it guaranteed freedom of speech and religion The Supreme Soviet (parliament) would be elected by all over-18s in a secret ballot However, only Communist Party candidates were allowed

The 1936 Constitution

The Supreme Soviet only met for two weeks a year The ruling committee of the Party had the real power; this was controlled by Stalin The NKVD acted outside the Constitution The NKVD did whatever it wanted: imprisonment and murder

The reasons for the purges of the 1930s

Stalin felt insecure; the purges allowed him to excuse failures and setbacks Stalin was paranoid, sadistic or cruel; some say he was all three Stalins purges appealed to the peoples nationalism and loyalty at a critical time when the Communist regime was consolidating itself and foreign powers threatened

The extent of the purges in the 1930s

The purges began with the murder of Sergei Kirov in December 1934; Kirov was young and popular Kamenev and Zinoviev were arrested on false charges of terrorism; they were old Bolsheviks

Show Trials
Show Trials were for crimes against the State Wealthy kulaks were targeted, tried and shot or sent to the gulag (labour camp) Victims were humiliated by the State prosecutor, Andrei Vyskinsky; the trials were filmed for public consumption Even the NKVD itself was not immune; Yagoda, its head, was dismissed and shot

The Great Terror

Millions were shot or sent to labour camps; they came from all walks of life NKVD had spies everywhere; people denounced others to avoid arrest themselves Those sent to labour camps often died in the harsh conditions through work or starvation

Purging of the armed forces

7 generals 75 out of 80 of the Supreme Military Council 35,000 army officers (half of the total) All 6 navy admirals Most of the air force commanders The timing was poor with WW2 around the corner; there were now no experienced officers at all

The cult of personality

Stalin created an image of himself as the father of the nation Writers, film-makers and artists were told they must produce works in praise of Stalin History was re-written, dissenters punished

To what extent did Stalin make the USSR a great economic power?
The economic situation in the USSR in the late-1920s Collectivisation; the theory, the process and the results Industrialisation; the Five Year Plans The building of Magnitogorsk The economic, political and social consequences of the plans

The economic situation in the USSR in the late 1920s

In 1921 Lenin had introduced the New Economic Policy (NEP) which allowed peasants to sell surplus food Richer peasants, known as kulaks, benefited most from the NEP Most agricultural plots were small and unproductive; they also lacked modern machinery USSR did not produce as much food as it might to feed the industrial workers in the cities In 1929 Stalin abandoned the NEP and took direct control of agriculture; he did this to increase production and to ensure that the USSR could withstand any invasion

Collectivisation: the theory

The theory was simple: large farms would be more productive than small plots of land Large farms could exploit tractors and combine harvesters Peasants, not natural followers of communism, would be brought into line

Collectivisation: the process

The process began in 1929; 25 million farms became 240,000 collective farms (kolkhoz) Many peasants killed their livestock rather than surrender it to the State; this led to terrible famine Kulaks were hunted, imprisoned and shot or transported to Siberia (labour camps)

Collectivisation: the results

1928 (millions) Grain (tonnes) Cattle Pigs 73 29 19 1933 (millions) 69 19 10 1940 (millions) 95 28 27

Collectivisation: the results

The locally controlled kolkhoz was supervised by Communist Party officials Local benefits included the building of schools and hospitals In the late 1930s Stalin allowed peasants to have a small individual plot, with one cow and several pigs or sheep

Industrialisation: the Five Year Plans

Stalin realised that modernisation was vital for USSR to compete internationally and resist foreign aggressors The First Five Year Plan (1928-32) concentrated on heavy industry (coal, iron, steel and oil) GOSPLAN was the government agency in charge The Second Five Year Plan (1933-7) concentrated on machines, mostly tractors The Third Five Year Plan (started 1938) targeted consumer goods; it was cut short because of the Second World War

Industrialisation: the Five Year Plans

1921 Electricity (billions kWs) Crude oil (million tonne) Coal (million tonne) 0.5 4 9 1928 6 12 35 1933 16 22 76 1940 48 31 165

Steel (million tonne)

Tractors (millions)

0.2

4
0.1

7
7

13
3

Industrialisation: the reality

Managers were under great pressures to get results; they cut corners, produced shoddy goods or just lied about production figures For this reason, figures from the 1930s are likely to be inaccurate Very little attention was paid to safety, and many workers were injured or died Temperatures in winter could reach -30 degrees Centigrade There were impressive achievements: Magnitogorsk; Dnieper Dam; Moscow Underground

Industrialisation: economic effects

Sufficient progress had been made to repel the German invasion of 1941 USSR transformed itself at a time of worldwide Depression in the 1930s The foundations of USSR becoming an economic superpower were laid

Industrialisation: social effects

Dislocation of workers forced to work away from home Atrocious working conditions and 7-day week Accidents treated as sabotage; absenteeism and lateness were treated as a crime BUT some workers became heroes, like Alexei Stakhanov who, allegedly, mined 102 tonnes of coal in a single shift; similar feats led to the growth of Stakhanovite movement

Industrialisation: social effects

Cities became overcrowded with a shortage of accommodation BUT society was transformed with electricity, radios, education and healthcare becoming the norm Some blocks of flats even had central heating