Lenin to Stalin Ms. Burke March 15, 2006 Bolsheviks in Power • Lenin orders all farmland to be distributed among the peasants and gave control of the factories to the workers Treaty of Brest-Litovsk • The Bolsheviks sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany • Russia had to surrender a large chunk of territory to Germany • The land contained a large portion of Russia’s population and industry. • The terms of the treaty caused widespread anger Civil War • The Bolshevik opponents form the White Army • Leon Trotsky commanded the Bolshevik Red Army • Around 15 million Russians died in the civil war from 1918-1920 • The Red Army won Lenin’s Economic Reforms • War and revolution destroyed the Russian economy • Lenin launched the New Economic Policy or NEP • Lenin put aside his idea for a state-controlled economy and resorted to a small scale version of capitalism. • The government still kept control of major industries and banks Lenin’s Political Reforms • Lenin organized Russia into several self-governing republics under the central gov’t • The country was named the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) • Bolsheviks renamed their party the Communist Party • They created a constitution based on socialist and democratic principles, but the Communist part had total control v. • Trotsky (right) was a firm Marxist who wanted support for a worldwide revolution against capitalism • Stalin (left) wanted to work on socialist views in Russia first • Stalin put his supporters into top jobs and isolated Trotsky in his own party Stalin v. Trotsky cont… • Trotsky was stripped of party membership and fled into exile in 1929 • He was later murdered in Mexico by an agent working for Stalin Stalin becomes Dictator • Stalin was cold, hard and impersonal • After forcing Trotsky out Stalin focused on Russia’s development • He used the phrase “socialism in one country” to describe his aims of perfecting a Communist state Stalin’s Totalitarian State • Stalin transformed Russia into a Totalitarian state • Totalitarianism described a gov’t that takes total, centralized state control over every aspect of public and private life • Totalitarian leaders appear to provide a sense of security and give direction for the future Stalin’s Economic Reforms • Lenin’s NEP was a mixture of free enterprise and state control • Stalin’s economic policy called for total state control • He called for a command economy, which is a system where the government makes all economic decisions USSR’s Industrial Revolution • In 1928, Stalin outlined the 1st of many five-year plans for development of the USSR’s economy • The five-year plans set unrealistic quotas to increase the output of steel, coal, oil, and electricity USSR’s Industrial Revolution cont… • To try and reach these unrealistic quotas, the gov’t limited consumer production • People faced shortages of housing, food, clothing and other goods • The gov’t controlled every aspect of the worker’s life, which took a toll on peoples personal lives • From 1928-1937, industrial production increased by 25% Agricultural Revolution • In 1925, the gov’t seized 25 million privately owned farms • The gov’t combined them into collective farms • Peasants resisted the gov’t and Stalin used terror and violence to force the peasants to work Agricultural Revolution • The kulaks, a wealthy class of peasants, resisted heavily and the gov’t executed them or sent them into exile • By 1938, more then 90% of peasants lived on collective farms and agricultural production was twice what it had been in 1928 Weapons of Totalitarianism 1) Police Terror • Dictators of totalitarian states uses terror and violence to force obedience • Monitored telephone lines, read mail, planted informers Lavrent Beria (right): head of secret police Weapons of Totalitarianism • In 1934, Stalin launched the Great Purge, a campaign of terror that was directed at eliminating anyone who threatened his power • When the Great Purge ended in 1939, Stalin gained total control of both the Soviet government and the Communist Party Weapons of Totalitarianism 2) Indoctrination and Propaganda • Totalitarian states rely on indoctrination or instruction on the govt’s set of beliefs, to mold people’s minds • Party leaders lectured workers and peasants on the ideals of communism • The State supported youth groups and used them as training grounds for future party members Weapons of Totalitarianism • Soviet newspapers and radio broadcasts glorified the achievements of Communism and Stalin • Soviet Realism was an artistic styles that praised Soviet way of life Weapons of Totalitarianism 3) Censorship • Stalin would not tolerate individual creativity that threatened conformity • Gov’t controlled all newspapers, motion pictures, radio and other sources of information Weapons of Totalitarianism 4) Religious Persecution • Communists aimed to replace religious teachings with the ideals of Communism • The Russian Orthodox Church was the main target of persecution • Roman Catholics and Jews were also persecuted Daily Life for Women Under Stalin • With the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, women won equal rights • Women had new educational opportunities, but were still responsible for their household duties • Women were supposed to provide the state with future generations of obedient citizens Education • The government controlled all education from nursery school to the university • School children learned the virtues of the Communist Party • They party also set up youth programs called Komsomols