Stalin

Josef Stalin

D.O.B: 1879 Birthplace: Georgia (province of Russian empire) Birth Name: Joseph Djugashvili Meaning of ‘Stalin’: ‘Man of Steel’ Father: Cobbler Mother: Washerwoman Education: Attended a seminary as mother wanted him to be a priest. Was influenced by revolutionary writings and took part in illegal activities. Later expelled from school. Criminal / exile record: Took part in demonstrations, worker strikes, bank raids. Often arrested and spent time in prison or in exile in Siberia  Stalin’s impact on the USSR: He wanted to transform the USSR into a modern industrial state (a state that relies on its industries rather than farming. It has advanced technology to produce goods on a large scale). Development was needed in case of any future conflict with non-communist countries. The heavy industries (industries in which large machines are used to process raw materials or to make large objects) that were developed include steel, metallurgy, chemicals, oil, coal and electricity (Steel was needed to build new railways and tractors. Coal and oil was needed to generate electricity which powered factories). Forced labour (prisoners) was used to build new cities. Foreign experts were hired to teach the Soviets how to work in industry. As there were many opportunities for work, women were employed and farmers were encouraged to move to the city. The soviet economy became a planned economy (where the government takes complete control). Each industry was set a target that they had to meet. Salaries were based on how much a worker produced. Hard workers also received medals and discounted holidays. A campaign was introduced to teach workers new skills. Thousands of teachers, scientists and engineers were trained. In the short term smaller industries became neglected under Stalin. Basic goods such as food, clothing and shoes were in short supply. Rationing was introduced. This situation improved in later years.  **Excerpt from Lenin’s will (p.65)** “Comrade Stalin, having become Secretary-General, has too much power in his hands; and I am not sure that he always knows how to use that power with sufficient caution…Stalin is too rude and this fault is insupportable in the office of Secretary-General. Therefore I propose to the comrades to remove Stalin from the position and appoint another man who will in all respects differ from Stalin- more patient, more loyal, more polite, and more attentive to comrades. Trotsky is the most able man in the Party. His defect is that he has too much self-confidence.” **Zinoviev, one of Lenin’s closest associates, defends Stalin against Lenin’s call, in his will, for Stalin’s removal (p.66)**: “Comrades, every word of Lenin’s is law to us…but we are happy to say that in one point Lenin’s fears have proved baseless. I have in mind the point about Stalin. You have all witnessed our harmonious cooperation in the last few months; and like myself, you will be happy to say that Lenin’s fears have proved baseless.” **Stalin, ‘The Year of Great change’, November 1929, article, (p.67):** We are advancing full steam ahead along the path of industrialisation…We are becoming a country of metal, a country of automobiles, a country of tractors. And when we have put the Soviet Union on an automobile and the farmer on a tractor, let them try to overtake us! **Stalin, speech to factory managers explaining the need for industrialisation, 1931, (p.67):** Tsarist Russia suffered many defeats because of her backwardness. All those countries defeated her because she was weak. This is why we must no longer lag behind. Do we want our Motherland to be defeated and lose her independence? If you do not want this, you must put an end to backwardness in the shortest possible time. We are 50 to 100 years behind the advanced countries. We must catch up in 10 years or they will crush us. **Restrictions placed on workers in the Soviet Union (p.69)**: **Russian worker, 1930s (p.72):** The working conditions here are terrible. Yet all of us are working hard and not complaining. Russia has gone through so many difficulties. We want to build a new Russia for our children. They should not go through what we have gone through. Even our women work as hard as the men. **Russian factory owner, 1930s (p.72):** We have always depended on the countries in Western Europe for our industrial goods. That might have been okay in the past but things are different now because we are a Communist country. What will happen to Russia if they refuse to sell their goods to us? We have no choice but to build our own factories and steel works as soon as possible. **Member of the Communist Party recalling the 1930s (p.72):** It was a time of great deeds…Stalin was able to keep discovering new challenges, and we looked to the future as if under a spell.
 * Date || Restriction placed on workers in the Soviet Union ||
 * 1929 || All factory workers had to work seven days a week ||
 * October 1930 || Workers were not allowed to move around the factories during working hours ||
 * December 1930 || Factories were not allowed to hire people who had left their previous jobs without permission ||
 * January 1931 || Workers would be sent to prison if they broke any rules of the factories ||
 * February 1931 || All factories were to keep notes on a worker’s job record ||
 * March 1931 || Workers were responsible for any damage to tools ||
 * July 1932 || Workers could be transferred from one place to another without their agreement ||
 * August 1932 || Workers could be sentenced to death for stealing things from the factories, as these belonged to the government ||
 * November 1932 || Workers could be dismissed if they missed a single day of work ||
 * December 1932 || Workers had to make a passport for any travel within the Soviet Union ||


 * Stalin speaking to Communist Party members in 1927 (p.73):** What is the way out? The way out is to turn the small and scattered farms into large united farms…The way out is to unite the small and dwarf farms slowly but surely, not by pressure but by example and persuasion into large farms…There is no other way out.


 * A landless Russian peasant (p.74):** This idea sounds good. With collectivisation, I will be a co-owner of the land and I will get what the other peasants with land get.


 * A Russian peasant who rents the land he works on**: This is a good idea, we no longer need to pay absurdly high rent to work on the land.


 * A rich peasant:** In the past, we got good prices for selling our crops. That was fair, given the amount of effort and time we spend in the fields. With collectivisation, we will have to sell our produce at very low prices to the government.


 * A Russian peasant sent to work on a collective farm:** It sounds fine for those of us who work hard, but what about those who are lazy? Why should we share our hard-earned money with them?

//*** Following the murder of a Communist Party member, Stalin launched an attack against his opponents within the party. He accused them of murder. Thousands were arrested. The number of those sent to prison and labour camps tripled. Anyone who was seen as a threat to Stalin’s rule was arrested. They were forced to sign confessions and implicate others. Some believe that it was Stalin himself that ordered the murder that started the purges. Over one million people would be executed or exiled under Stalin’s rule.**//

British historian: **Two members of the Communist Party were kept in heated cells, at the height of summer and were worn down by continuous questioning. They were told that their families would be killed if they did not cooperate.**
 * Both were found guilty an executed


 * Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Russian writer, discussing memories of being interrogated by Stalin’s secret police:** They would threaten to arrest everyone you loved. Sometimes this would be done with sound effects. Your wife has already been arrested but her fate depends on you. They are questioning her in the next room- just listen! And through the wall you can actually hear a woman weeping and screaming. Sometimes they simply play a recording of the voice of a typical wife.


 * A Soviet joke from the 1930s that describes the atmosphere of fear under Stalin:** At four o’clock in the morning, there was a knock on the door at a house. Everyone leapt out of bed, but none dared open the door. The knocking grew louder. Finally, one of the tenants took courage and opened the door. He was heard whispering for a few moments and then came back to his terrified fellow tenants with a bright smile on his face. He said, ‘Nothing to worry about comrades, the house is on fire, that’s all.’

//Did Stalin bring more harm or good?//
 * Point of view 1**: The measures Stalin took to modernise the Soviet Union caused great hardship for many Russians. However, there were also Russians who benefited from Stalin’s rule. For instance, there were some workers whose lives were vastly improved compared to their lives during the days of the Tsarist rule.
 * Point of view 2:** By the late 1930s, Stalin had achieved his aim of making the Soviet Union an industrial power. Although this was achieved as great human cost, Stalin’s government was an inspiring example for other countries where communists were also trying to launch a revolution.
 * Point of view 3:** Despite the hardship the Russians had to endure under Stalin, many of them felt that it was Stalin’s vision for his country that had lifted their country out of backwardness. It was Stalin’s policies that enabled Communist Russia to catch up with advanced countries like Britain. Stalin died in 1953, but even today, there are Russians who believe that he was a good leader.