Class Work 5; term 4

1. Briefly describe a couple of political, economic and social conditions that led to Stalin's rise a dictator of Russia. (Chapter 1 of "Stalin" Book)

-Political Cause: The death of Lenin. Stalin sort of portrayed himself as being Lenin's disciple in a sense, like he was going to be the savior after Lenin died. Thus, when Lenin did die, everyone wanted Stalin to rule.

-Economic: The USSR was isolated from the western democracies economically, and thus they had to industrialize themselves on their own. (They needed a leader who was stable for support and help in doing this.)

-Social: There were bread riots which ultimately led to the fall of the Romanov government. Also, people hated the Tsar government.

2. What were four of Stalin's Aims as leader of the USSR?

-His main aim was to gain and maintain power.

-He also wanted to "collectivize agriculture." By doing this he hoped to make enough profit to buy equipment for industrialization.

-He aimed at destroying the Kulaks, who opposed his efforts of collectivisation.

-He wanted to industrialize the Soviet Union to be prepared for the inevitable invasion from the Western Capitalists.

3. Where did Stalin get support from during his rise to power? (Chapters 2 and 3)

-Stalin had to work to build up his support over the years. He did this by taking jobs from the communist party, such as the head of the Central Committee and eventaully he became the secretary of the communist party.

4. To what extent was totalitarianism achieved during his rule?

-A totalitarianism state was achieved to a very large extent because there was almost no recognition of "authority limits," and Stalin aimed at regulating every aspect of the public that he could.

5. Describe at least two "legal" methods Stalin used to achieve his aims during his rule.

-Stalin created trials against "anti-communist" people, who in reality were simply people which he didn't like.

-He sent kulaks to gulags.

6. Describe at least two examples of "force" Stalin used to achieve his aims.

-He increased the amount of power which military agencies had, so that he could use their power to his advantage as a way of killing people who he saw as a threat.

-He ordered the assassination of Kirov, because he thought he was a threat to his power.

7. Briefly describe Stalin's ideology as a ruler.

-He wanted to increase the economy of Russia, while aiming at keeping power by killing whoever "got in his way."

8. What was the nature of Stalin's opposition during his rise and rule? Give specific examples of groups/people that opposed him. (Chapters 2-4, 7)

-The general people opposed Stalin because their lifestyle worsened as he came to power.

-Trotsky opposed him and created a small group of people that also opposed him as well.

-Kirov attempted to win a vote against Stalin, which can be seen as a slight opposition because they were competing against each other in a sense.

9. How was the Soviet Government Structured and administered?

-Stalin controlled everything in Russia. In doing this, he killed everyone who could be a threat to him. All of the laws which were created were administered by Stalin- he had to approve of a law for it to be passed.

10. Give two examples of Stalin's political policies.

-The government began to control the military officials and police.

-He wanted to destroy the Kulaks (I don't know if this is really a policy, it is more an aim, and I'm not sure if it is political.. but I don't know another one.)

11. Give two examples of Stalin's social policies.

-Girls started to receive the same education as boys; Women had equal rights when it came to working as well.

-Health care improved greatly.

12. Give one examples of Stalin's religious policies.

-Stalin closed the churches when he rose to power however once WWII began, he re-opened them.

13. Give an example of how Stalin used education to achieve his aims. (Chapter 9)

-His ideology was taught in school to young children (this is similar to what Hitler did!)

14. Give an example of how Stalin used the arts to achieve his aims.

-Writers were made to write about the achievements of the government, to make the government look better.

15. Give an example of how Stalin used media or propaganda to achieve his aims. (Chapters 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 14)

-Pamphlets were given to worked during the 5 year plan as a way of boosting their morale. In these pamphlets, things were said about "other workers," and how much more these people worked in comparison to the normal person. This motivated people to want to work more, because others were doing it.

16. What was the status of women under Stalin's rule? (handouts from mid year review)

-The treatment of women improved, they began to be treated equally in the workplace. Girls also received the same education as boys did, which was also an improvement.

17. Give an example of how Stalin treated religious groups or minorities in the USSR during his rule. (Chapter 9)