Stalin’s Dictatorship

1. Stalin’s Dictatorship Sara Slusher

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.