2.2 The Soviet Union under Stalin

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2.2

The Soviet Union 

under Stalin

1924-1953

Stalin did not have a happy childhood: the family lived in abject poverty. He went to school, but was eventually sent away

...because he had not taken an exam and he found revolutionary ideas (by Marx) very interesting. 

Stalin knew that Lenin preferred others to lead the country.

These opponents were eliminated in a power struggle, literally.

Stalin zal het economisch achtergebleven land snel industrialiseren

en de Sovjet-Unie laten uitgroeien tot een wereldmacht.

Maar dit had een erg hoge prijs..

Het land werd een totalitaire staat met Stalin als dictator

Stalin used everything to increase and maintain his power in the country, such as censorship.

Stalin determined what appeared in newspapers as well as history books: former allies were 'written out'

Pictures were manipulated to make it look like his opponents had never existed

...or that they had done such bad things that they should never be thought of again

2.2

The Sovjet-Union 

under Stalin

1924-1953

Copy these words in your notebook. Write down the meaning of these words while watching the video:

1. collective farming    4. The Great Purge

2. Gulag                           5. totalitarian state

3. five year plans            6. propaganda

Industry

A new system came under Stalin.

This meant that the state decided what and how to produce.

What is this called?

Stalin wanted to show that the Soviet Union was a more powerful country was than the capitalist countries with their free market economy.

Planned economy

The Soviet Union became a planned economy under Stalin.

This meant that the state decided what and how to produce.

Stalin wanted to show that the Soviet Union was a more powerful country was than the capitalist countries with their free market economy.

Five-year plans: these set out what was to be produced in the next five years.

That it was produced was usually more important than how it was produced: the quality and choice was limited.

Glorification of

workers and farmers

The Soviet Union is a nation of workers and farmers,

These are the heroes of the land!

See the images, what is this an example of?

Verheerlijking van

arbeiders en boeren

De Sovjet-Unie is een land van arbeiders en boeren,

dit zijn de helden van het land!

Overigens leek dit in propaganda veel mooier dan de realiteit was...

Collectivisation

Agriculture had to change by working through 5-year plans. They had to produce more: surplus sales abroad

The proceeds were invested in machinery and factories.

Dozens of small independent farms were merged (collectivisation) into one large farm, a kolchoz.

The farming families worked and lived there together.

The land, the cattle, the tools, the harvest: everything belonged to everyone. 

• Own farms were no longer allowed: collective farms. Many families lived and worked on one large farm.
• Did you not want this? Then you went to the Gulag (penal camp).

No succes:

1. Farmer became a worker.
2. All proceeds went to the state.
3. Cattle slaughtered instead of ceded.
4. Farmers had to leave their own village to work on a state farm.

            Totalitarian society

The Soviet Union became an extreme left-wing totalitarian society under Stalin:

A society in which the government has all the power in its hands and has a great influence on the lives of its citizens.

In a totalitarian society the individual is unimportant.

CHARACTERISTICS:

1. Planned economy

2. Dictatorship

3. Personal Glorification

4. Indoctrination

5: Terror!

• Stalin saw opponents everywhere, especially in people who had an important role in the government or army. 
  
• Between 1934 and 1938 Stalin had around 1 million 'opponents' arrested and convicted. 
  
• The Soviet Union is thus 'purified'.
  

Great Terror

• 1934-1938
  

• Stalin saw enemies everywhere
• Penal camps
• Show trials

Gulag

• Millions of 'opponents' ended up in a gulag, a penal camp.
  
• In these 'parenting camps' the prisoners had to perform forced labour under very difficult circumstances.
  
• Some of these camps did not even have fences, because escaping was pointless: the cold and the wolves would eventually kill you.
  
• Approximately 12 million people died in these camps. 

Showtrials

• Opponents were (mostly) falsely accused and sentenced to severe penalties in an unfair trial.
  
• In this kind of show trial, the outcome was determined before the trial had started or one was guilty.

The Great Purge

Stalin saw opponents everywhere, especially in people who had important roles in the administration or army.

Between 1934 and 1938, Stalin had around 1 million 'opponents' arrested and convicted.

The Soviet Union was thus 'purified'.

Read 2.2 

Summarize par. 2.2.

Workbook par. 2.2. 1 to 10.

HW 2.1 and 2.2

Recap 2.2 The Sovjet-Union 

under Stalin

1924-1953

Create three sentences using the keywords below. 

All words must be used correctly! 

1. Collective farming    5. totalitarian state

2. Gulag                           6. propaganda

3. five year plans

4. great purge