Lecture slides rise of stalin and impact (2016) updated-1703_gedits

Reasons for the Rise of Stalin

3 Key Topics We Want to Learn about Chapter 2.1

& 2.2

1. Background to Stalin’s Rise2. Reasons for Stalin’s Rise to

Power3. Impact of Stalin’s Rule

Recap of Background:What were the 3 revolutions that we’ve learnt?• 1905 Revolution

Against the Tsar.

• Feb 1917 Revolution The Tsar abdicated, Provisional Govt was set up

• Oct 1917 Revolution Provisional Govt was overthrown, communist govt was established

Death of Lenin 1924Lenin became ill • Series of strokes in 1922-1923• Played less and less of a role in the government

in his last few months

Death of Lenin 19246 main contenders to take over him• Kamenev• Rykov• Zinoviev• Bukharin• Trotsky• Stalin

The Leadership Contest

Instructions• Divide yourselves into 5 groups of 4-5 each• Each group member will receive 1 handout• This handout has 2 parts

– Part 1: Important Characteristics of a Leader of USSR

– Part 2: Who was the likely successor of Lenin?• Each group is to discuss Part 1 first

What are 6 important characteristics of a Leader of the USSR?

• Following this, each group will discuss Part 2 Based on the CVs of each candidate, who was most likely to succeed Lenin?

Rank the 6 candidates in order of who you think should succeed Lenin. The entire group should agree on the ranking.

Class Debate: Out of the 6 candidates, which candidate do you think was most suitable

to succeed Lenin as head of the Communist Party

in 1924?

Candidate

Strengths Weaknesses Rank ‘most likely to

succeed Lenin

A: a good orator made Party Secretary in Leningrad which allowed

him to build up a strong power base

opposed the October Revolution – his loyalty as a revolutionary was questioned

not an intellectual not popular seen by others as incompetent and cowardly

B Strong political position: Chairman of the government

Statesmanlike (presence of a leader)

not always well-liked for his straightforwardness did not try to win the support of the Party

C Lenin’s number two Strong political position: Commissar of the Army Brilliant and capable military leader Intellectual

Feared by other Politburo members, who saw him as arrogant

Very outspoken in his criticisms and often argues with party members

Unwilling to get involved in party politics

D Close to, and well-liked by Lenin, Great intellectual capacity - important theorist

who argued with Lenin about political strategy Had control over the media: a leading role in

Pravda Popular with people: associated himself with the

working class

Supporter of NEP, an unpopular policy with communist hardliners (not from extract)

E Strong political power: Party Secretary in Moscow and later Commissar for Foreign Trade. This brought him into the Politburo and into a position to challenge for the leadership.

He was a moderate, liked and well regarded.


Opposed Lenin on few occasions too soft no desire nor the capacity to lead men. Lacked vision

F Various portfolios in the Party, which gave him political power

Viewed as someone who could only managed routine work, not an intellectual, but an administrator

Disliked by Lenin Did not play a discernible role in the party

Candidate Strengths Weaknesses Rank ‘most likely to

succeed Lenin

A:

Grigory Zinoviev

a good orator made Party Secretary in Leningrad which

allowed him to build up a strong power base


not an intellectual not popular seen by others as incompetent and cowardly

B

Alexei Rykov

Strong political position: Chairman of the government

Statesmanlike (presence of a leader)

not always well-liked for his straightforwardness

did not try to win the support of the Party

C

Leon Trotsky

Lenin’s number two Strong political position: Commissar of the

Army Brilliant and capable military leader Intellectual

Feared by other Politburo members, who saw him as arrogant

Very outspoken in his criticisms and often argues with party members

Unwilling to get involved in party politics

D

Nikolai Bukharin

Close to, and well-liked by Lenin, Great intellectual capacity - important theorist

who argued with Lenin about political strategy Had control over the media: a leading role in

Pravda Popular with people: associated himself with

the working class

Supporter of NEP, an unpopular policy with communist hardliners (not from extract)

E

Lev Kamenev

Strong political power: Party Secretary in Moscow and later Commissar for Foreign Trade. This brought him into the Politburo and into a position to challenge for the leadership.

He was a moderate, liked and well regarded.


Opposed Lenin on few occasions too soft no desire nor the capacity to lead men. Lacked vision

F

Josef Stalin

Various portfolios in the Party, which gave him political power

Viewed as someone who could only managed routine work, not an intellectual, but an administrator

Disliked by Lenin Did not play a discernible role in the party

Given that there were so many suitable successors,

why did Stalin win the leadership contest?

Reasons for the Rise of Stalin

What were the reasons that allowed Stalin to rise to power?1. Fortunate circumstances

a) Lenin’s Testament was not disclosed

2. Opponents’ weaknessesa) Trotsky was unpopular in the Politburo

3. Stalin’s manipulations a) Pretended to be close to Leninb) Controlled the Party organisationc) Exploited ideological divisions

Reason 1: Fortunate Circumstances

1A) Lenin’s Testament was not disclosed • Lenin had become suspicious of Stalin’s character

after he went into semi-retirement in 1922, and the two men often quarrelled

• He made his views known in his Testament

• In it, he voiced criticisms on his leading successors, and was especially clear in advising that Stalin be removed from his position as Secretary-General of the CPSU

• When Lenin’s Testament was read out at a meeting of the Central Executive Committee after his death in 1924, all of his successors agreed that the Testament would not be made public, as Lenin had criticised all of them.

Reason 1: Fortunate Circumstances

Stalin could retain his position as Secretary General, as Lenin’s advice for Stalin to be removed from his position was not carried out.

Hence, Lenin’s Testament did not achieve its intended effect and Party members ignored Lenin’s warning

By retaining his position, Stalin could assign his supporters to important positions, and replace the supporters of his allies with his own, thereby ensuring that his supporters could aid his rise to political power.

Reason 2: Opponents’ Weaknesses

2A) Trotsky’s unpopularity in the Politburo• Stalin’s strongest opponent at that time was

Leon Trotsky. • However, Trotsky was unpopular in the

Politburo, as he was perceived to be a threat by the other Politburo members due to his influence over the Red Army. More attention was given to TrotskyStalin was underestimated, which

allowed him to build his support base and aid his rise.

Stalin also formed a troika alliance with Kamenev, Zinoviev to remove Trotsky from power (see Stalin’s Manipulations)

Reason 2: Opponents’ Weaknesses

2A) Trotsky’s unpopularity in the Politburo

• Trotsky’s outspoken nature also meant that he criticised others and their policies– For instance, he criticised the NEP and the

increasing control of the Party by the Politburo

– These criticisms openly challenged the organisation and policies of the Party

Seen as acts of disloyalty to Lenin & the Party

Trotsky became even more unpopularPlenty of material for enemies to use to

attack him

Reason 2: Opponents’ Weaknesses (continued)

2A) Trotsky’s unpopularity in the Politburo• Trotsky’s belief in ‘permanent revolution’ that the

USSR should encourage communist revolutions worldwide. He could not convince his fellow Party members of his idea of world revolution

• Stalin, on the other hand, argued for ‘socialism in one country’ build up strength of USSR first. Stalin ensured that other Party members supported this Made Trotsky isolated as if he seemed to

be moving away from the Party’s ideas His credibility was affected Stalin could work together with other

Party members, such as Kamenev and Zinoviev, to get rid of Trotsky, which meant that Stalin was able to eliminate his strongest political rival, and ease his rise to political power.

Reason 3: Stalin’s Manipulations

3A) Pretended to have been close to Lenin• He pretended to be close to Lenin when

Lenin’s health worsened by looking after him and visiting him often looked as if Stalin was his successor

• Took messages to the Politburo from Lenin– Why was this important? – Made it seem as if Lenin trusted

Stalin– Stalin could decide what

message to disseminate to the Politburo, and could alter the messages to be in his favour

• Became chief mourner and gave the funeral speech at Lenin’s funeral – Looked like the obvious next

leader

Stalin’s Speech at Lenin’s FuneralIn leaving us, Comrade Lenin

commanded us to keep the unity of our Party. We swear to thee, Comrade Lenin, to honour thy

command. In leaving us, Comrade Lenin ordered us to maintain and strengthen the dictatorship of the

proletariat. We swear to thee, Comrade Lenin, to exert our full

strength in honouring thy command.

His speech suggested a continuity between him and Lenin

Made him appear as the next obvious successor.


3B) Control over Party Organisation • Given post of Secretary General

Gave Stalin the authority to appoint and reassign Party members Able to replace the allies of his

opponents with his own & place his supporters in important positions

• Also gained control of the Cheka Allowed Stalin to shrink Trotsky’s support base considerably.


3C) Exploited Ideological Divisions• Members of the CPSU were divided

between the moderates and the radicals – Moderates: Followed Lenin’s leadership

and ideology closely– Radicals: Formed new ideas and

challenged the system

• Stalin took advantage of these divisions and played off his opponents against each other

Stalin’s Step-By-Step Guide on

‘How to Eliminate Your Opponents’ Mwahaha

h!

Stalin’s Exploitation of Ideological Divisions

• Step 1: Allied with moderate Politburo members and formed a troika alliance with Kamenev and Zinoviev Expelled Trotsky from the Party in 1927 (pg 42)

• Step 2: Broke troika alliance with Kamenev and Zinoviev, convinced moderates that Kamenev and Zionviev were plotting with Trotsky to overthrow the government Kamenev and Zinoviev were discredited and isolated and were forced out of the Politburo in 1928

• Step 3: Switched to win support of radicals attacked and removed Bukharin and Rykov from their positions in the Politburo

With his political opponents and competitors removed from power (even executed), Stalin

became the undisputed supreme leader of the USSR by

1929.

Stalin: Before And AfterBefore(in his younger days)

After(when he became a dictator)

Recap: What were the reasons that

allowed Stalin to rise to power?1. Fortunate circumstances

– Lenin’s Testament was not disclosed

2. Opponents’ weaknesses– Trotsky was unpopular in the Politburo

3. Stalin’s manipulations – Pretended to be close to Lenin– Controlled the Party organisation– Exploited ideological divisions

3 Key Topics We Want to Learn about Chapter 2.1

& 2.2

1. Background to Stalin’s Rise2. Reasons for Stalin’s Rise to

Power3. Impact of Stalin’s Rule

So now that Stalin was in power, what did he do?

Remember the context…What challenges did Stalin face in the 1920s?• Stalin had just ousted his political

opponents Would he simply wish to sit back and not strengthen his authority?

• The USSR was an economically-backward country compared to the West What would Stalin need to do?

Stalin imposed economic, political, and social policies to consolidate his power,

and modernise the Soviet Union towards

becoming a self-sufficient and military strong communist

state.

Impact of Stalin’s Policies

Economic

Rapid Industrialisation

Collectivisation

Political

The Great Terror (1934-38)

Propaganda: Cult of the Leader

Social

State Control of Society

Living in Fear

Impact on Various Social Groups

Stalin’s

Economic

Policies

Stalin’s Economic PoliciesPurpose: • To modernise the USSR and achieve the same

economic and military levels at the Western powers– ‘We make good the difference in 10 years or they

crush us’ • Industrialisation was vital to the survival of the

USSR as a communist state• Stalin wanted the USSR to be an autarky

– Self-sufficient– Does not need to depend on trade with other

countries How? • Through Five-Year Plans which set targets for

industrial and agricultural developments

Stalin’s Economic Policies

How would Stalin achieve autarky? • Through Five-Year Plans which set targets for

industrial and agricultural developments

Stalin’s Economic Policies: Five-Year Plans

What were the Five-Year Plans?• Drawn by GOSPLAN, Stalin’s economic

committee

• Three Five-Year Plans altogether

• Set targets for industrial and agricultural growth across the USSR

• Created a command economy– State decided for factories what to produce– State decided for farmers what to grow

How were the Five-Year Plans carried out?

• Loyal party members ran the committees that were set up and supervised all levels of industry– To ensure that people would work hard– Gave out ration cards for food, paid the

workers and allocated housing.

• Food was rationed by the state

• Rewards for meeting targets – Extra rations

• Punishment for not meeting targets– Cut rations

Rapid Industrialisation

How would the Five-Year Plans bring about Rapid Industrialisation?

• Factories in the cities would produce equipment for the mechanisation of farming, such as tractors.

• This would mean that fewer farm workers would be needed, and they could move to the cities to be factory workers.

• As a result, hundreds of new factories were built, and the industrial workforce expanded

• Quotas were set for producing such machinery and other factory goods. Working hours and wages of workers were also fixed.

Overview of Stalin’s Five-Year Plans for Rapid Industrialisation

• 1st Five Year Plans: 1928-1932– Concentrated on expanding industry

such as coal, iron and steel productions– Expand transport – Expand power supply

• 2nd Five Year Plans: 1933-1938– Set high targets for everything under

first plan– Expand the production of

manufactured products

Overview of Stalin’s Five-Year Plans

• 3rd Five-Year Plan: 1939-1942– Allowed the production of ‘luxury’

goods such as bicycles and radios– Interrupted by war – Became geared towards war

production such as developing armaments, tanks and weapons

Evaluation of the Five-Year Plans

Evaluation of Stalin’s Five-Year Plans

Negatic Five-Year Plans1. Poor Coordination and Planning

• Some parts of the economy faced underproduction because factories were held up by shortages of materials

• Other factories overproduced wanted to exceed targets A lot of wastage

• Also, there was little growth in consumer industries like house-building, fertilisers, and woolen textilesdue to the emphasis on heavy industry such as coal and iron.

How it did not benefit the Russains…

• This did not benefit USSR because the emphasis on heavy industry such as coal and iron also led to a lack of consumer goods, which affected the Soviets’ quality of life.


Problems with the Five-Year Plans2. Quality of goods suffered

• In the haste to meet production figures and deadlines, the goods produced were often sub-standard

• Unskilled workers were recruited into industrial work, and they were trained on the job by workers who were only slightly more skilled


• This did not benefit USSR because consumer goods were of poor quality, which affected the Soviets’ quality of life.


Problems with the Five-Year Plans3. Declining Rate of Growth

• During the Second and Third Five-Year Plans, emphasis was placed on taking stock of production and putting in place greater planning and coordination

• Hence, the rate of growth declined

• After 1937, the USSR generally witnessed an economic slowdown industries such as oil and steel stopped growing

Results of the Second & Third Five-Year Plans

Product/Year 1932 1937 1940Coal (million tonnes)

64 128 150

Steel (million tonnes)

6 18 18

Oil (million tonnes) 21 26 26

Electricity (billion kWh)

13 80 90


• This did not benefit USSR because it resulted in an economic slowdown after 1937, industries such as oil and steel stopped growing.


Problems with the Five-Year Plans4. High human cost

• People lived in crowded towns • People worked in appalling conditions• Living conditions were cramped • No running water or sanitation• People often uprooted from homes and

sent to work in wherever workers were needed


• This did not benefit USSR because workers had poor living and working conditions as they had to work for long hours, and lived in fear of not being able to meet their quotas.

But the Five-Year Plans also had positive

effects

Positive effects of Five-Year Plans

• USSR became modernised & was an industrial base for powerful arms industry by 1941

• Production of coal, iron, steel, oil increased after the Five-Year Plans were implemented.

• Cities and hundreds of factories rose at great speed, which led to a demand for more workers.

How did it benefit the Russians…

• This benefited the Russians positively because USSR became modernised through rapid industrialisation through the 3 Five-Year Plans.

• This benefited the Russians positively because the demand for more workers increased job opportunities for Russians, reducing unemployment.

The Magnitogorsk – a showpiece of the achievement of the Five-Year

Plans

Commercial Break: Let’s Examine some

Russian Engrish!

Russian Engrish Example 1

Russian Engrish Example 2

Russian Engrish Example 3 (Spot the Engrish!)

Russian Engrish Example 3 (Huh?! What Talking You?!)

Collectivisation

Why did Stalin implement Collectivisation?

• Stalin wanted higher productivity, especially grain

• Stalin needed to feed all the workers in the rapidly expanding industrial towns

• Stalin wanted a surplus to sell abroad to raise money for industrial development

How was Collectivisation carried out?

• Stalin merged small individual farms of the USSR into huge state-run collective farms (kolkhozy)

• Peasant workers kept enough to feed themselves and sold the rest to the state at fixed prices

Bolshevik teachers teaching less than enthusiastic farmers about the benefits of collectivisation.

How was Collectivisation carried out?

• Farmers were given modern machinery such as tractors and trained to use farming methods

• Peasants could not own land or sell food privately

• State fixed their hours and wages, and provided homes, food, fuel, clothing, healthcare, and education for workers on the collectives

• Punishment for low production or absence from work

How did farmers respond to collectivisation?

Many farmers resisted collectivisation efforts

Resistance to Collectivisation• Many farmers resisted

– Food production went down– Famine struck again in 1932

What did Stalin do to stop resistance?

Use of Force• Stalin sent soldiers to force collectivisation

on people

Launched anti-kulak campaigns • Banned the kulaks (peasants in Russia who

were rich enough to own farms and hire labour) from joining collectives, took their lands and sent them to forced labour camp.

Anti-Kulaks Campaign

The collectivisation campaign in the USSR, 1930s. The slogan reads: "We, the kolkhoz farmers, are liquidating the kulaks as a class, on the basis of complete collectivisation."

What did Stalin do to stop resistance? (continued)Changed Collective Farms• In 1930, Stalin changed the collectives

– No longer huge state-run farms– Smaller collectives run by the local

communist party

• Peasants preferred this

• Those who continued to resist collectivisation or to give up their food stores and animals were sent to labour camps (gulags) or shot on the spot

Evaluation of Collectivisation

Evaluation of CollectivisationPositive impact of Collectivisation

• Achieve Stalin’s Main Aim of Raising Enough Grain to Maintain Industrial Development

• Manpower for new factories were found as peasants left the countryside

• The state managed to collect enough grain to feed workers in industrial towns and collective workers

• Grain was exported to raise money for the buying of industrial equipment

• Achieved Stalin’s main aim: securing a food supply for factory workers to maintain industrial development

Propaganda poster showing the positive

impact of Collectivisation

How did it benefit the Russians…

• This benefited the Russians positively because as the modernisation of farming meant that farmers could have more efficient farms in the long run, and more grain could be produced to feed workers in industrial towns. Hence both peasants in the countryside and workers in cities could benefit.

CollectivisationNegative impact of Collectivisation• 1) Agricultural sector was severely

hampered• In some collectives, the workers let the tractors rust in the

fields. Some could not mend them when they broke down and many reverted to traditional inefficient farming methods.

• Unskilled workers were recruited into industrial work, and they were trained on the job by workers who were only slightly more skilled.

• Many peasants, especially the kulaks, killed their own animals, and burnt their own grain and produce to prevent them from being seized.

• Loss of animal population (Cattle, sheep) which was not recovered until after WWII.

• Grain harvest dropped dramatically between 1931 & 1934 and did not recover to their 1928 level.


• This did not benefit USSR because the Collectives did not achieve their aims of producing enough grain to not only export to other countries, but to also feed the peasants and workers. The inability to meet quotas would cause the policy to be unsustainable in the long run could not withstand Great Famine.

Famines in the USSR

CollectivisationNegative impact of Collectivisation2) There was also a high human cost • Bad harvest led to the Great Famine of

1932-33 deaths of millions of peasants to starvation.

• Many kulaks were subjected to punishment and sent to the Gulags.


• This did not benefit USSR because the when the kulaks resisted collectivisation, they were harshly punished and killed. Coupled with the Great Famine caused by the collective farms snatching away the kulaks’ grain and property, millions of peasants died unjustly. There was great suffering throughout the land as the peasants starved and faced great economic loss.

Political Impact of Stalin’s PoliciesThe Great Terror (1934-38)

Propaganda: Cult of the Leader

Political Impact of Stalin’s Policies: The Great Terror

Political Impact: The Great Terror

• From 1934-38, Stalin launched a series of campaigns of political repression and purges to eliminate enemies and remove any opposition to his government

• Many show trials, arrests, interrogation, widespread police surveillance, and executions

To consolidate his power and enforce party discipline

Known as the Great Terror

The Great Terror: Purges & Show Trials

Purged Political Rivals• Kirov Affair Sergei Kirov, head of the Party

organisation in Leningrad, was assassinated on 1 Dec 1934.

• Stalin turned against his old political rivals in a series of public show trials

• Many of those on trial confessed to crimes they had not committed due to torture and threats to their families

• Many of the Politburo members were tried and executed (Kamenev, Zinoviev, Burkharin, etc)

.

Illustration of a Show Trial

The Great Terror: Purges & Show Trials

Purged the Red Army • Why? • Many Red Army soldiers were Trotsky’s

supporters• Needed to ensure that the Red Army would be

loyal to Stalin alone• Stalin then promoted younger, inexperienced

members who were loyal to him alone.

The Great Terror: Arrests & Interrogation & Loss of Intellectuals and Skilled Workers

Arrests & Interrogation• Secret police arrested, questioned, and forced

people to inform against their friends and family who voiced opposition against Stalin

• Whether you were innocent or guilty was unimportant – opponents were hunted down by the secret police

• Many were either killed or sent to labour camps (Gulags) in 1937, close to 39 million were executed and 3 million imprisoned in forced labour camps

The Great Terror: Arrests & Interrogation & Loss of Intellectuals and Skilled Workers

Loss of Intellectuals, skilled workers and officers

• As a result of these purges, many intellectuals, skilled workers, and officers were killed

• workforce for the drive towards industrialisation shrank

• Loss of engineers, administrators, and teachers affected the quality of Soviet education and civil service

‘Everyone with me so far? Pay attention. If not, you’ll be sent to the…’

- Said by History teacher with dictator-like dreams

Political Impact:

The Use of Propaganda to build the Cult of the

Leader

Stalin’s use of propaganda to control people

Definition of ‘propaganda’The deliberate spreading of ideas and

information for the purpose of promoting a specific cause

In the 1920s…

Stalin and the Russian industrial

towns

Stalin praising the army and the

strength of the people

In the 1930s…

Stalin shows himself as a fellow comrade

with the workers. The slogan reads ‘It is our workers who

make our programme achievable’.

Stalin pointing out the achievements

of the USSR on the ‘Leninist’s

path’.

What can you tell from this photomontag

e?

Question!What do you think

are the tools necessary for propaganda?

• False information• Censorship• Making everything

look good• Hiding the truth


• He used propaganda to convince people he was a closer friend of Lenin than he really was

• Fed people false information– Make Trotsky look like a bad person– ‘Official’ statistics published in the state

newspaper were made up to make the economic situation seem better than it was

– Newspapers, radios and poster gave out only state-controlled information


State censorship – Writing, art, music and plays were

censored– School textbooks were changed on a

regular basis to reflect the ‘truth’The cult of personality– Used propaganda to

show himself as a kind, brave, strong leader that the Russians would want to follow

Now you see me!

Now you don’t!

Why do you think the cult of personality was

developed?

Social Impact State Control of Society

Living in FearImpact on Various Social

Groups

Social Impact:State Control of Society

• Under Stalin, the government increased its control over everyday social life

• led to detrimental social consequences

Detrimental Social Consequences• Fall in standard of living • Famine (Great Famine of 1932)• Lack of consumer goods

A Russian exile report in 1948At any time of day or night officials may enter your

dwelling to measure the space you

occupy. If it is more than

three square meters, someone will probably be

billeted (provided lodging) with you.

Social Impact:Living in Fear

Social Impact: Living in Fear

When the factory had a breakdown, they would say: ‘Comrades, there is sabotage and treachery…’ They would look for someone who had a blemish on his record and call him an enemy. They would put him in prison, and beat him up until he confessed that he had done it.

- Riab Bindell recalls his time in a factory in 1937

Social Impact:Impact on Various

Social Groups

Impact on Minority NationalitiesLost Autonomy

• Members of nationalist groups which advocated autonomy were purged

• USSR was a one-party state, with power in the hands of Stalin and the Communist Party in Moscow

• ’

Creating the ‘New Soviet Man’:

the Stakhanov movement• USSR purged intellectuals, the privileged

class, religious leaders, and artists to move the country towards a more proletarian society with proletarian values

• Created the ‘New Soviet Man’ – an ideal Soviet citizen who was proud of being part of the modern industrial society, and was willing to serve the state selflessly and enthusiastically

Creating the ‘New Soviet Man’:

the Stakhanov movement• The Stakhanov Movement – the state

upheld the achievements of supposedly ordinary people such as factory workers, teachers or miners

• These supposedly ordinary people had exceeded their industrial targets, and were called Stakhanovites after Alexey Stakhanov

Women’s Entry into the Workforce

Some Benefits for Women• Soviet constitution – guaranteed equal rights to

women• Legalised divorce and abortion so that women

could have more control over their own lives (but abortion was made illegal in 1936 to ‘protect motherhood and childhood’

Women were encouraged to enter the workforce• State-run childcare centres were built• But these were poorly maintained• Women expected to perform role of worker

and mother

Compulsory School and Increased Literacy Rates

Compulsory Schooling• Every child – entitled to at least 9 years of free

education (but there was much propaganda)• Teenagers were encouraged to join the

Komsomol (Communist Union of Youth)

Increased Literacy Rates• Before the communist govt took power, only

40% of males aged between 9 and 40 could read

• By 1939, this had risen to 94%• Percentage of women who were literate also

rose from 13% to 65%

So let’s have a final, overall assessment of

Stalin’s policies• How do you think he fared as a ruler?• Did his policies have more positive or

negative consequences?

Education

Lecture slides rise of stalin and impact (2016) updated-1703_gedits