Lenin’s Policy and Stalin’s Policy

The Soviet Union● Communism was in power in Russia from

1917-1991

● Much more of an international feel than

fascism

● Not nationalistic in the sense that

communism was marketable to other nations

● Trying to stop communism would be a

major effort for the west during most of the

20th century

Lenin’s Policy● Leon Trotsky organized the suppression of

all troops opposed to communism

● The ‘Cheka’ (secret police) was created

● Bolshevik party was the ‘vanguard’ of the

revolution

● Formed a dictatorship of the proletariat

● Politics and Economics becomes highly

centralized

War Communism● Economic policy during the civil war

○ Gov’t took control of banks, transport

facilities and heavy industry

● State forcibly acquired grain from the

country to put towards the war effort

● Foreign trade was now a state monopoly

● Decree passed to end all capitalism

○ Any factory over 10 workers was nationalized

● Proletariat don’t end up any better off than

they were before.

○ Sometimes worse

New Economic Policy (1921-28)● NEP created out of the failures of War

communism

● Peasants could start to make a profit again

● Food source became more stable in both

rural and urban areas

● Free market capitalism, with state control

● Characterized as a mixed economy

Trotsky v. Stalin● There were disagreements in the politburo

between Stalin and Trotsky creating factions

● Trotsky(left wing faction)

○ NEP betrayed communist values

○ Wanted rapid industrialization

○ Voluntary collectivization by the poor

peasants

● Stalin (right wing faction)

○ Stay the course with NEP

○ More slowly towards industrialization

○ More nationalist than internationalist

● Stalin gain support of the lower level party

officials

○ Take control of the Soviet Union in Lenin’s

absence

● Trotsky gets sent to exile in Siberia

○ Killed in Mexico in 1940 by Stalin’s Agent

Politburo - highest governing committee in Communist Russia

Stalin’s 5 Year Plans● 1928 - Stalin decided rapidly industrialize

○ Time to compete against the west/capitalists

● Build industry such as iron, steel and

machine tools

● Took upon centrally planning to ensure

economic success

● Industry grow 400% from 1928-1940

● For workers conditions weren’t great

○ Often worse than 19th century Europe

○ Crowded living quarters

○ Lack of food

○ Lack of sanitation

Collectivisation of Agriculture● NEP Agriculture

○ Not that successful

○ State had a price for grain but market was

often higher

■ Kulak(well off farmer) would try to

manipulate the market price by

hoarding grain

● Stalin reverses NEP

○ Kulaks were considered enemies of the state

● Forms collectivisation

○ Replaces private run farms with huge state

run/owned farms(collectives)

Dekulakization● Previously weak agriculture was blamed on

Kulaks(scapegoat)

● Stalin took their land for the state

○ Peasants were to form collectives on this land

● Kulaks were forcibly removed from their

homes

○ Many were shot or sent to siberian labour

camps

○ Millions died because of this

● 1937 - 90% of grain produced was

collectivized

● Policy did not successfully solve the food

issue in Russia

○ Millions would starve

Holodomor● 1932-33 genocide in the Ukraine

● Stalin implemented collectivist policies

● Used the grain from the farms to sell to the

west to help industrialize Russia

● Left millions of Ukrainians to starve(7-10

million died)

The Purges (1936-38)

Gulag - System of labour camps in the soviet union

where many people would die

● Fear within Stalin and leadership that they were

losing control

● Under Stalin disloyalty would lead to execution

(even before purges)

● Increased paranoia leads to Stalin starting to

attack his own.

● He either killed or sent these people to the Gulag

○ Members of the Politburo

■ Show Trials/Forced confessions

■ Highly publicized

○ Within all ranks of the Communist party

○ Citizens (killed women and children of ‘enemies’)

○ NKVD members (Members of Stalin’s secret

police

○ Bureaucracy

● 600,000 people died (approx.)

Soviet Union during WWII● Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact - Stalin secret

alliance with Hitler to divide Poland

○ Moves into Baltic States as well

○ Took Romania

● German Blitzkrieg tactics used against USSR

○ USSR loses many of its western satellite

states (Ukraine, Baltics, Etc.)

○ Now soviets allied with the Allied Forces

(Britain, Canada, eventually US, etc.)

● 1942 - USSR wins battle in Stalingrad

○ Germans defeat is a turning point in the war

● Russia encroaches on Germans from the

East

Potsdam Conference● Allies decide the fate of future at the end of

the war at this conference

● Soviets remained in many countries they

fought to liberate

○ Try to wipe out opposition to communism as

they sweep through

○ Empower the communist sympathizers

● Soviets end up gaining multiple satellite

states:

○ Albania(‘44)

○ Poland(‘44)

○ Bulgaria(‘46)

○ România (‘47)

○ Czech Republic (‘48)

○ East Germany (‘49)

○ Hungary (‘49)