DICTATORSHIP IN THE SOVIET UNION

World History Honors

Do Now: What did the flag of the USSR symbolize?

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

1) Bright red to symbolize revolution 2) Hammer and sickle symbolized worker

and peasant unity 3) Star stood for the Communist Party

Republics of the Soviet Union - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.url

End of Tyranny? In 1922 the communists seized power

and imprisoned Czar Nicholas II, his wife, and their five children.

They were shot, many communists believing they had ended centuries of oppression under czarist rule.

Within a few years, however, Russia was again at the mercy of an absolute ruler, Joseph Stalin.

Under his leadership, the Soviet Union became a powerful police state.

Russia Under Lenin In 1920 Russian farmers produced

significantly less grain than they had grown before WWI.

Factory production was less than one-sixth of its pre-war levels.

By 1921 the Communist leadership faced economic collapse and social disorder.

New Economic Policy- the major industries (heavy industry, communications, transportation, and the credit system) remained under government control

Russia Under Lenin Continued The New Economic Policy allowed some

free enterprise. Individuals could buy, sell, and trade farm

products. Some private business was allowed.

Russia Under Lenin Soviet agriculture made important changes

during this period. During the revolution farmlands had been

seized from wealthy landlords and divided amongst the peasants.

The government tried to persuade peasants to form collective farms- land was pooled into large farms on which people worked together as a group.

On a collective farm, peasants shared the scarce modern farm machinery.

Reform Movements in the USSRUnder Lenin

The Communists claimed to believe that both men and women in Soviet society should be equal.

1) Women received the same pay as men. 2) Women were granted time off from work to

take care of newborn babies. 3) The Soviet government made it much

easier to obtain a divorce. 4) Emphasis on education (hoping to increase

literacy rates and teach socialist doctrine in the schools)

The Realities of Soviet Education

Technical schools were established to train industrial workers.

Educators had limited success because they lacked funds.

Students lacked supplies such as pencils and notebooks, and some schools were forced to close in the winter because they lacked heat.

The government also emphasized higher education, often ignoring the needs of elementary schools.

The First Five-Year PlanFirst-Five Year Plan Agricultural, industrial, and social goals were

outlined for the next five years.Goals (under Stalin) Double the production of oil and coal Triple the output of steel Ultimately to create a more modern,

industrialized society Collective farming-to produce enough food for

the Soviet people, as well as a surplus for export to other countries

Realities of the First Five-Year Plan

Numerous hardships for the people of the USSR.

Expecting peasants to voluntarily join collective farms was unrealistic.

As a result of the initial failures of collective farming, peasants were forced into collective farms.

By the 1930’s, 90% of productive farmland was converted into collective farms.

The plan ultimately failed, causing millions of people to die from famine and crop failure.

Soviet Economy Under the First Five-Year Plan

The economy grew under the First Five-Year Plan (steel production increased dramatically).

Second Five-Year Plan 1933 Despite the optimism of the government, the

production of consumer goods actually decreased.

As a result of this, the government focused most of their effort on military production.

Consumer goods and food became scarcer.

Stalin’s Dictatorship Stalin ruled with an iron fist, ultimately

creating a state of fear. People were forced to obey the demands

of the Communist Party. Two areas of Soviet life that the

government sought to control was religion and art.

All property of the Orthodox Church was seized and religious worship was strongly discouraged.

Stalin’s Dictatorship Continued Many ministers, priests, and rabbis were

executed or imprisoned in the Gulag. All music, artwork, and literature was

seized by the government, forcing the work of artists, musicians, and writers to be subjected to government censorship.

Artists were forced to produce works that depicted the “realism of the socialist state,” proving their loyalty in the process.

Government Under Stalin 1936-Stalin created a new constitution that was very

similar to the one under Lenin. The parliamentary body (The Supreme Soviet) met

twice a year. The Council of Ministers held administrative and

executive authority. Most of the power lay in the hands of the Politburo

(Political Bureau) of the Communist Party. The parliamentary body elected members to the

Politburo, which was under Stalin’s complete control. 1934-Stalin purged party members who were

supposedly disloyal to him

Purges Stalin purged anyone whom he believed

was working against the interests of the Soviet state.

Outside of the government, people were imprisoned without a trial for the most minor offenses.

1939-more than 5 million people had been arrested, deported, executed, or imprisoned in the Gulag