USSR (1924-1941)

USSR (1924-1941)

1. Struggle for power

   • Lenin dies 1924, vacancy for the leader of the party
     • Trotsky
       • Popular in army and in party
       • Led red army in civil war
       • Had been a menshevik and made some enimies
       • Lenin said he was arrogant, but very able to lead
       • But Trotsky wanted revoloution to spread and make a ussr world revoloution
     • Zinoviev
       • Left wing
       • Didnt want trotsky as leader
       • Friend of lenin
     • Stalin
       • Unlikely to lead
       • Did some behind the scenes work as "General secretary"
       • Lenin said he should be removed from office as he was too rude and ambitous
   • Stalin makes himself leader
     • Stalin wanted a period of peace and rebuilding "communism in one country which most of the party agreed with
     • He appointed people loyal to him to senior positions in the party
     • Supressed lenins testament that stated he was too rude and should be kicked out
     • By late 1920's Stalin had enough party support to vote his rivals out
   • Stalin got rid of the left wing and right wings
     • In 1925, He joins with Zinoviev (Left Wing) against Trotsky who was then dismissed as commissar for war, then in 1927 he was thrown out of the party
     • New loyal members were elected
     • Stalin supports gradual reform of the economy, and dismissed Zinoviev (The left wing) because they believed in fast economic modernisation
     • Trotsky forced to leave the USSR in 1929
     • In 1928 Stalin adopts fast modernisation (More left wing) and as a result can remove leading right wing members who still supported gradual reform
     • 1929 Stalin in COMPLETE CONTROL

2. The purges

   • Kirov Murder
     • Kirov, the popular head of party in Leningrad (Moscow) was murdered in 1934
     • Many people think Stalin was responsible for the murder, but there is no definate proof
     • Stalin said there was a conspiracy against Kirov and himself and used this as an excuse to get rid of his rivals
   • What happened in the purges
     • Many old communists and other leaders that posed a threat were arrested
     • Those who were too popular to kill without reason were given show trails, where they were forced by torture or threats to confess betraying stalin
     • Basically, the purges seemed an excuse to get rid of anyone Stalin saw as a threat to him
   • The effects of the purges
     • Any normal person suspected of disloyalty to stalin was taken away by the secret police
     • Most of these were shot or sent to labour camps, to avoid arrest people had to provide info on others (which was often false)
     • Trotsky condemed Stalin from his home in mexico and called for a new revoloution (He was killed in 1940 by one of stalins agents)
     • As many as 10 million were thought to be killed in the purges (More than the holocaust)

3. Stalins dictatorship

   • Controlling information
     • Artists and writers had to follow the party line (create art that was good for the party)
     • Newspapers, cinema, radio etc spread propaganda and never criticised Stalin
     • History was re-written to make Stalin look more important in the story of the october revoloution than he actually was
     • Trotsky was removed from history books and rubbed out of any old photos, which were altered to make stalin look like a close friend of Lenin's
   • The Purges Consequences
     • Many of the most gifted people had been killed or sent to camps
     • The army had lost its most senior officers
     • Top scientists and engineers were lost, resulting in a lack of industrial progress
     • Overall the purges really weakened the USSR
   • Removing the church
     • The church was a supporter of the Tsar
     • Church land had started to be taken, and many priests etc were murdered
     • 1929 the church was banned from any activity except leading worship
     • MANY STILL RELIGOUS THOUGH!

4. The 5 year plans

5. Collectivisation

6. Results of collectivisation