REVISION

RISE OF AUTHORITARIAN REGIMES: USSR

• What was the Russian Empire like before 1917?
– Geopolitics
– Russia under the Tsar
– Bloody Sunday
• Why did revolutions break out in 1917?
– Effects of WWI
• Casualties and defeats
• High food prices and lack of availability
– Challenge from the Duma
• Russian parliament confronted the Tsar
• Led to first revolution – Provisional government
– Kept Russia in WW1
– Failed to carry out reforms.
– Struggled to deal with the ‘Soviets’
– Influence of the Bolsheviks
• Bolsheviks and Menshviks
• Bolsheviks continued to incite riots in 1917.
• Provisional Government needed to help of the Bolsheviks to deal with a
coup by the Russian Army.
• Bolsheviks were armed by the government.
• Later carried out revolution against the Provisional Government
• Successful.
HOW DID STALIN COME TO POWER?
• How did Stalin come to power?
– Lenin's Legacy
• Lenin died in Jan 1924.
• Struggle between Trotsky, Kamenev, Zinoviev and Stalin to replace him.
• Trotsky was the front runner. He was the leader of the Red Army and a good speaker
and writer. Highly respected.
• Kamenev and Zinoviev had opposed Lenin about the timing of the October Revolution.
• Many skeptical about Stalin as he was seen to be ‘dim-witted’ and had not played
much of a role during the Oct revolution. Thus Stalin was underestimated.
• Lenin wrote a will about his successor which he had called for Stalin’s removal but this
was critical of all the candidates and this will was not read out.
– Stalin's Strategies
• Pretended to be close to Lenin – Lenin’s funeral.
• Alliances with Kamenev and Zinoviev. Allied with them against Trotsky then eliminated
them.
• Used his position as Secretary General – appointed supporters to key positions.
Controlled the party machinery and managed to spread his influence to many
supporters. Thus he managed to remove Trotsky in a 1925 party meeting.
– Trotsky's Weaknesss:
• Tricked by Stalin about not going for Lenin’s funeral – Many were angry with Trotsky.
• Unpopular amongst the party, only supported by youths, students and the Red Army.
• Complacent – Did not build support within the party.
• Insisted on world revolution when the Soviets were tired of fighting. Turned people
toward Stalin’s idea of ‘Socialism in One Country.
• Why did Stalin introduce the 5-Year Plans?
– To industrialize Russia
• Wanted to transform Russia into a modern industrial state. Focused on developing
heavy industries such as steel, oil, chemicals and electricity.
• Used 5 year plans. 3 five year plans from 1933.
• Led to:
– Poor working and living conditions. Initial working and living conditions were terrible.
However, this later improved as production increased and diversified. More essentials and
consumer items became available and more recreational and health facilities made available.
– Complete control over the economy – Government was able to control every aspect of the
economy – What was produced, how much was produced.
– System of rewards and training”
» Higher pay: Government offered salaries for meeting targets as well as other rewards
» Schooling and education: Taught Russian workers new skills. New educational
institutions set up. Primary education made compulsory.
» Access to jobs – By the 1930s, many Russians were able to obtain well paid and high
skilled jobs.
– To facilitate collectivization
• Need to increase the amount of crops produced by changing farming methods.
– Make farming more efficient
– Grow more crops for export.
• Voluntary and forced collectivization.
• Led to:
– Riots and resistance to stop collectivisation.
– Elimination of opposition – use of secret police and gulags.
– Famines in the 1930s.
– Achievement of Stalins aims:
» Cheap and regular supply of crops.
» Mechanised the farms – freed up people to work in the cities.
» Expanded Russia’s industrial capacity and this helped Russia survive the Nazi threat in
WW2.
• Was the use of propaganda the effective in creating a
Stalinist dictatorship?
– Creating a Stalinist cult
• Use of different methods of propaganda.
– To make popel in Russia worship him as a leader – portrayed himself
as fatherly, cheerful and popular.
– Use of state terror in order to eliminate opponents and
competitors within Party and the Red Army and to control
ordinary Russians.
– Purges
– Show Trials
– Mass executions
– Work camps
– Religion
– Culture