9.2.2 the Soviet Union under Stalin - T -

• History
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 3

people in this lesson

Joseph Stalin

dictator

Soviet Union

Vladimir Lenin

Communist leader

Soviet Union

Leon Trotsky

Stalin's rival

Soviet Union

Word Duty

New Economic Policy: program instituted by Lenin for a temporarily more capitalism-oriented economic policy

superpower: very powerful and influential nation in the world

totalitarian state: state with a centralised government that is dictatorial and controls every part of people’s lives

Five-Year Plan: Stalin’s plan to industrialise the Soviet Union over five years

collectivisation: forceful joining of agriculture into huge state farms

kulak: peasant in Russia, who is wealthy enough to own a farm and hire labour

Great Purge: period of repression and persecution in the Soviet Union during the late 1930s

Gulag forced labour camps: system of forced labour camps in which opponents of the Soviet Union were imprisoned and many people died

cult of personality: excessive public admiration for or devotion to a famous person

WORD DUTY

Important dates in this lesson:

1924: Lenin dies

1928: first Five-Year Plan

1936-38: the Great Purge

What you will learn in 

this lesson

• How did Stalin come to power?
• Why and how Stalin wanted to turn the Soviet Union into an industrial superpower
• Explain the workings of the Five-Year Plans and Collectivisation
• how Stalin ruled as a dictator, purged his enemies  and created a cult of personality around himself

Use these questions to make your own summary

In this lesson:

Death of Lenin (1924). Stalin is successor.

Stalin's rule: 

• Five-Year Plans
• Collectivisation
• the Great Purge
• Cult of Personality

Introduction

Lenin had begun to transform the new Soviet Union into a communist state, but died before his plans were realised. After a power struggle, Joseph Stalin became the new leader. How did Stalin rule the Soviet-Union?

Propaganda poster. The text says: ‘And Stalin raised us to be loyal to the people, inspired us to work and to deeds!’, Leonid Golovanov, 1949,

‘Thank you beloved Stalin for our happy childhood’, Viktor Govorkov, 1936

congratulations

You can recap the essentials of this lesson by watching the next 2 videos