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Impact of Stalin's Rule (Political (Great Terror (1934-1938) by…

- - - - (1934) failure of first 5-yr plan and collectivisation led to low crop yield and hence caused dissent among russians and division in Politburo
        
        communist party decided to strip Stalin of secretary-general position electing him as secretary alongside Kirov who favoured relaxation of 5-yr plans
        
        Kirov was also approached by Bolsheviks as potential alternative candidate for Secretary-general
        
        assassinated under mysterious circumstances on 1 Dec 1934
        
        NKVD investigation concluded that assassination was part of plot to kill Stalin & other politburo members
        
        capitalised on report conducting mass arrest to identify & purge suspects
        
        took opportunity to eliminate opponents and questionable loyalties (Kamenev, Zinoviev, Bukharin)
    - - Kirov's death used as an excuse to place Yezhov in charge of NKVD to remove anti-soviet elements
        
        political rivals (KZB) were accused of conspiring with Trotsky to kill Stalin & overthrow the govt
        
        were put on show trials where they readily confessed & executed
        
        confessions were extracted after physically & psychologically torturing them (threatening to harm their families)
        
        NKVD arrested, questioned & force ppl to denounce one another
        
        entire pop was in a state of terror
    - - arrested, killed on the spot, forced to labour camps to prevent them from organising opposition
        
        39mil killed 3 mil sent to labour camps where living conditions were poor,ppl died from overworking
        
        high-ranking red army commanders & officers were accused of treason and shot due to connection & loyalty to Trotsky
        
        younger,inexperienced members who owed their advancement to Stalin were promoted as he needed a loyal army
        
        consolidate power and control ppl by playing with their fears
        
        huge loss of intellectuals affected strength of nation & efiiciency in managing state affairs
        
        smaller workforce to support industrialisation
        
        lack of experienced military personnel
- - - - Modernised Farming
        
        the increased lvl of mechanisation increased overall productivity
        
        replaced 17mil peasants who left farms to work in factories in industrial cities (magnitogorsk)
        
        providing much needed labour for industrialisation
      - Supported industrialisation programmes
        
        merging made it easier for Stalin to ensure food supply to factory workers for continuation of industrialisation
        
        control over food production enable Stalin to export grains to buy equip for 5-yr plans
    - - Destroyed Farming and led to Great Famine
        
        (1931-1934) grain harvest dropped drastically and hence food shortage
        
        Great Famine where 7mil died
        
        stockpiled grains were exported to raise funds for machines to support ambitious 5-yr plans
        
        (1950) production regained pre-1928 lvls
        
        great hardship & misery
      - Persecution of Kulaks
        
        many defied by slaughtering livestock (100mil of sheep & goats)
        
        those resisted were shot & killed or sent to labour camps (siberia) where they became slave labours
        
        worsened lives as accumulated wealth & property was lost
        
        living in constant fear
  - - - Strengthened USSR economically
        
        more goods were produced, industrial workforce expanded
        
        By 1940, had overtaken Britain in Iron and steel production, becoming a major industrial power through modernisation and industrialisation
      - Strengthened USSR militarily
        
        by developing heavy industries, USSR had necessary economic resources to fight modern industrial war
        
        strategic location of industrial cities place them far beyond reach of western invaders, ensuring that production critical to war efforts will not be easily sabotaged
      - Improved workers' conditions
        (towards mid 30s)
        
        system of rewards & incentives were implemented (medals and discount for holidays rewarded)
        
        big campaign was introduced to teach Russians skills to tackled uneducated labour force
        ( new colleges, schools unis built)
        
        improved living conditions (cheap meals, free uniform subsidised healthcare)
    - - Worsened plight of workers
        
        (1929) labour unrest
        
        severe restrictions on workers (sent to prison if they broke anything in the factory)
        
        bad living conditions (neglected production of consumer goods led to shortage & increased prices)
        
        poverty, starvation & suffering
- - - - minority nationalities lost their autonomy with the creation of the Soviet Union
        
        allowed to use their own language, governed by own govt but were all controlled by Moscow
        
        same effects that soviet russia felt were also felt
        
        many members of nationalist groups which advocated autonomy were among those targeted in the Great Terror
        
        speculated that mil of Ukrainians who died during the Great Famine of 1932-1933 was a deliberate attempt to attack Ukrainian nationalism
    - - concept was introduced to influence ppl to be dedicated to their work and to production
        
        ordinary ppl were promoted to the state as celebrities aka Stakhanovites
        
        much pressure to perform up to state's standards and the oppression faced by those who fail
        
        ppl became pessimistic and lacked self-confidence
        
        heavy emphasis on achieving target caused resentments and growing dissatisfaction
    - - abortion and divorced were legalised to give women more control over their lives
        
        industrialisation encouraged women to enter the workforce
        
        state-run childcare centres
        
        (1936) abortion was made illegal to protect mother and childhood
        
        women had to fulfill the roles of both worker and housewife
        
        change was welcomed as it was seen as way to enhance the status of women
    - - raised literacy rates
        
        before revolution 40% males btwn 9-40 yrs, were able to read. By 1939, this rose to 94% and the % of women who were literate grew from 16% to 65%
        
        improved chances of getting better jobs
        
        school was compulsory, 9 yrs of free edu
        
        education was loaded with propaganda, emphasised communism, technical subjects for industrialisation
        
        served to further the interests and influence of communist party