Chapter 30.2 Totalitarianism

Stalin and Trotsky were rivals

Joseph Stalin (rename last name because it means “man of steel”) was a cold, impersonal man

Lenin had died in 1924 and always said that Stalin was a “dangerous man”

1928, Stalin came to complete power of the Communist Party

Stalin transformed Russia into a totalitarianism state: means the gov’t has total centralized control over every aspect of life including public and private

He tricked many into a this form by giving them a false sense of security (had been at war for decades)

Totalitarianism went against democracy and freedom, others who used it were: Hitler, Mussolini in Italy, Mao Zedong in China and Kim II Sung in North Korea

Stalin Seizes Control of the Economy

Stalin wanted a command economy: gov’t makes all the economic decisions

In order to “advance” his country, Stalin made factories produce less consumer goods and the people faced a severe shortage in homes, food and clothes so that factories could devote more time to electricity, oil, coal and steel

Workers need permission from the police to move!

Secret police would execute anyone not contributing to the Soviet’s economy

Agriculture Revolution

1928, gov’t seized 25 million private farms and combined them into gov’t owned collective farms

Stalin used force to make the people work on the farms

5-10 million were killed and millions more were shipped to Siberia

there was much resistance among the Kulaks-class of wealthy peasants-Stalin executed 1000s of them

1938: 90% of the people worked and lived on collective farms

Weapons of Totalitarianism

Stalin’s police monitored phone lines, read mail and had informers everywhere, secret police arrested and killed millions

1934, Stalin launched the Great Purge: campaign of terror directed at eliminating all who opposed him

police would arrest each other or each other’s family members if they didn’t meet their monthly “quotas” of “criminals against the state”

Stalin is directly responsible for the death of up to 13 million people

Stalin relied on molding people’s minds with propaganda

State supported youth groups were made to be “training” camps for future members

Socialist realism: artistic style that praised Soviet life and Communist values

Stalin wouldn’t tolerate individual creativity so he had ALL aspects of media censored

Communists tried to replace religious ideas with Communist ideals, such as the “League of Militant Godless,” they were atheists

Russian Orthodox Church was a main target of persecution and Stalin’s police destroyed almost all of the magnificent churches and synagogues as well as killed religious leaders

Daily Life Under Stalin

Women’s roles expanded and by 1950 they made up 75% of Russia’s doctors

More people were educated and there was more technology

According to Stalin if women were to be equal then they had to do ALL of the same work that men did (physical labor) as well as have babies, it was “patriotic” to give Stalin a future generation of obedient citizens

Gov’t controlled all schools, even nurseries so that little kids would learn of Communism