Lenin’s Successor

1. Lenin’s Successor Lenin died in 1924. He had never fully recovered from a bullet wound during an assassination attempt in 1918. When he died, Petrograd was re-named Leningrad in his honour. In the first three days after his death,one million Russians filed past the body to pay their respects

2. Lenin’s body was not buried or cremated. A special mausoleum was built near to Red Square in Moscow for his body. The name over the entrance is ‘Lenin’

3. Lenin’s body was embalmed and put on display. Although the Communist system came to an end in Russia in 1991, Lenin’s body is still preserved. His suit is changed every three years!

4. Lenin’s death raised a crucial question. Who would replace him as head of the Communist Party and Russian leader? There were only two possible contenders LENIN ? ? TROTSKY STALIN

5. Stalin builds up a position of power in the Communist Party I must build up my support in the Party without arousing suspicion General Secretary of the Communist Party Head of the Control Committee of the Communist Party These two jobs gave Stalin enormous power behind the scenes

6. Russia was still very backward compared to the West, so Stalin needed to tansform Russia QUICKLY From This To This

7. STALIN’s aim was to transform Russia My aim is to build Russia into a great power as strong as Britain,Germany or the USA Stalin wanted to transform Russia from a backward, rural country to a modern industrial country. He wanted Russia to be strong enough to challenge the great powers.

8. The Five Year Plans Stalin decided that Russia could be transformed by using Five Year Plans to develop Russian industry. The Five Year Plans were drawn up and decided by the Government-not by private businessmen. This was very different from the way business and industry was run in the Western nations.

9. Who was in charge of the Five Year Plans? Stalin set up GOSPLAN to draw up plans for industry and agriculture

10. What did GOSPLAN do? GOSPLAN had control over every aspect of the running of agriculture and industry.

11. Electricity Production Targets Target 1937 Actual 1937 Target 1933 Actual 1933 Actual 1927/8

12. Coal Production Targets Target 1937 Actual 1937 Target 1933 Actual 1933 Actual 1927

13. Alexander Stakhanov and the Stakhanovites The targets set by the five year plans were unrealistically high Workers had to work very hard to try to achieve them. One worker who broke all records for coal production was Alexander Stakhanov Stakhanov and his men produced 102 tons of coal on a single shift! Stalin made Stakhanov a Soviet heroand people who wanted to be like him were called Stakhanovites Some Russian workers thought Stakhanov was a socialist hero but others thought he was a fool!

14. The Collectivisation of Agriculture As well as transforming Russian industry, Stalin also aimed tomoderniseRussian agriculture Stalin’s Aim:Collectivise Russian Agriculture Why? POLITICAL REASONS No Private ownership No rich peasants(kulaks) ECONOMIC REASONS Produce more food to feed the workers at home and sell abroad to make money

15. The Formation of Collective Farms (KOLKHOZ) All the individual farms in an area had to merge together to form a collective farm. All the land,machinery, animals and tools had to be shared In theory, the KOLKHOZ would be more efficient. It would be bigger and would, be able to afford to buy more tractors and other machinery. As a result,it would produce more food

16. In Stalin’s propaganda, the kolkhoz were a great success. This photograph shows kolkhoz peasants, proud of their new tractor. In reality, there were not enough tractors to increase production

17. The Failure of Collectivisation The Collective farms were not a success. Agricultural production did not increase.It actually fell. In 1932 and 1933 there was a famine which killed millions. It could have been avoided but Stalin ordered that grain should still be sold abroad in order to buy foreign machinery for the Kolkhoz.

18. The Great Terror and the Purges Stalin was responsible for the deaths of millions of Russians during the years of his ruthless dictatorship. He died in 1953 and had been in power for 29 years Millions of Russians died of overwork,disease and mis-treatment in Soviet labour camps. Many others were killed by the Secret Police on Stalin’s orders. Google images

19. The Murder of Kirov begins the Great Terror Armstrong: Russian Revolution Sergei Kirov, a top ranking Bolshevik and critic of Stalin was murdered in 1934. This was the start of the purges of Stalin’s opponents and anyone he suspected might become an opponent. Thousands were arrested, put on trial and shot.

20. Bolshevik Leaders in 1917 By 1940, only Stalin remained among the Bolshevik leaders who had led the 1917 Revolution. Stalin had killed nearly all of them! Kamenev, Zinoviev, Bukharin and Trotsky were all murdered!

21. Stalin’s Terror:The Labour Camps Stalin was responsible for the deaths of millions of Russians in the labour camps. The people included ordinary criminals, kulaks and anyone who Stalin’s political opponents

22. How Stalin changed Russia’s History Stalin even had his critics and opponents removed from photographs in Soviet history books Trotsky and Kamenev have been removed from this photograph of Lenin speaking in November 1917.

23. The Cult of the Leader Stalin also promoted the ‘Cult of personality’ or the ‘Cult of the leader’ to help him stay in power. He was portrayed in Soviet art, literature and propaganda as almost God-like. Every new policy and idea in Russia was said to have come from Stalin’s own brilliant mind!

24. Stalin: the Balance Sheet FOR AGAINST Industrial development achieved at huge human cost Transforms Russia into an industrial superpower in twenty years Collectivisation of agriculture fails but causes mistreatment and deaths of millions of kulaks Russia’s industrial power was decisive in the defeat of Hitler during World War 2 The Great Terror, responsible for the deaths of millions The Cult of the Leader prevents the growth of democracy and genuine socialism