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Emergence of communist dictatorship, 1917-1941 - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Dec 1917 - Cheka created.
        
        Jan 1918 - Constituent assembly dismissed.
        
        1918-21 - Repression and Terror imposed during civil war years.
        
        To achieve the 'dictatorship of the proletariat', active repression of the 'counter revolutionaries' would be essential.
        
        A workers state demands the destruction of private enterprise and capitalists.
        
        1918-21 - Private enterprise and capitalism were replaced by central government control of industry and agriculture.
        
        The importance of Marxist ideology for the new state was brought to question in 1921 when, faced by an economic downturn which provoked popular disturbances, Lenin appeared to 'change course' and launched his New economic policy. His decision to adopt a more capitalist economic policy suggests pragmatism was more important to him than ideology.
        New ideological principles also emerged in the years up to 1924:
        
        The party could never be wrong. (This also involved the destruction of all opposition voices: SR party outlawed in 1922).
        
        The party always spoke with one voice (established with the ban on factions in 1921)
- - - - Proletarianization important to socialism, but conditions hard for workers. Introduction of wage differentials after 1931.
  - - - civil war
        
        Many Priests starved (deprived of rations).
        
        Muslim property confiscated, Sharia courts abolished.
        
        From 1921
        
        Teaching of religion in schools banned.
        
        Church property transferred to the state.
        
        Church officials forced to agree to keep out of politics.
        
        Churches ransacked.
        
        Christian festivals replaced with secular celebrations.
        
        Stalin, 1929-41
        
        Worship restrictions.
        
        New six-day week had no sunday.
        
        Muslim practices restricted.
        
        1936 constitution criminalised religious propaganda (although priests regained the right to vote).
        
        By 1641, around 65,000 churches and mosques had been converted into other buildings.
        
        However, religious belief remained strong.
  - - - Stalinist state
        The Stalinist state remained officially opposed to racial discrimination. Most campaigns were politically rather than racially motivated.
- - - - No independent institutions or rival power centres were permitted.
      - Only communist party could put up candidates for election.
      - A complex bureaucracy underpinned the regime.
      - Stalin wielded personal power through individuals or small groups of local officials.
      - The nomenklatura system kept power in the hands of local officials.
  - - - Economic Positives
        
        By 1941, Stalin's Five year plans had transformed Russia into a highly industrialised and urbanised nation, while all Russian farms had been collectivised and the free market ended. (Urban population went from 17-33% from 1926-39)
        
        By 1940, the USSR had overtaken Britain in iron and steel production and was not far behind Germany.
        
        Development in heavy industry, transport and power resources, and huge investment in reamrment led to soviet victory in World war 2.
      - Economic weaknesses
        
        Economic development was uneven - consumer goods were scarcer in 1941 than under the NEP.
        
        The quality of goods was poor, thanks to over-ambitious targets.
        
        The central planning system was inefficient and local organisation was sometimes chaotic.
        
        Grain production was lower in 1941 than under NEP.
    - - Social weaknesses
        Quality of Life did not improve significantly under Stalin:
        
        Living standards remained low.
        
        Freedom of movement was restricted.
        
        Censorship and propaganda dominated.
        
        Mass organisations manipulated the people.
      - Social Strengths
        
        Communist control in the countryside had been strengthened: Peasants were living and working in the Kolkhozes, supervised by Party officials and NKVD units stationed at each MTS.
        
        Urbanisation had created a far stronger proletariat.
        
        Socialist values were promoted through education, propaganda the leadership cult, public celebrations, arts, culture and show trials.
- - - - Policies
        
        Food requisitioning (May 1918)
        
        Grain and other produce were forcibly bought or confiscated from the peasants.
        
        Kulaks (viewed by Bolsheviks as 'enemies of the people') had their stocks seized.
        
        Nationalisation of industry
        
        By November 1920 most factories and businesses had been nationalised.
        
        The state employed professional managers to reimpose worker discipline and increase output.
        
        Working hours were extended.
        
        Private trade and manufacturing were forbidden.
      - Problems
        
        Most peasants hid their crops, grew less and some even murdered members of requisition squads; grain shortages worsened, culminating in widespread famine in 1921.
        
        Industrial production fell, as transport was disrupted and factories were inefficient; money was largely replaced by a system of barter.
        
        Urban population declined, as workers tried to flee to the countryside, or succumbed to the typhus epidemic of 1920
    - - Terms:
        
        State control of transport, banking and heavy industry was retained, but private ownership of smaller businesses and private trade were permitted.
        
        Rationing ended and industries were made to be more efficient.
        
        Grain requisitioning was halted and peasants could sell any grain left over after supplying a proportion to the government.
  - - - Reasons for the Great turn:
        
        NEP was failing to produce sufficient growth.
        
        War scare in late 1920s made it important to rely less on on foreign imports and increase military strength.
        
        'True socialism' demanded a developed industry rather than dependence on peasantry.
        
        Stalin wanted to be associated with a new and successful economic direction.
      - Five-year Plans
        Implemented Stalin's economic programme through a series of five-year plans. These set challenging targets - to fail to achieve them was a criminal offence. This is resulted in corruption and false reporting of statistics. These plans were accompanied by much propaganda.
        
        First five year plan
        1928-32
        Aims:
        
        increase production by 300%
        
        Develop heavy industry.
        
        Boost light industry and electricity production.
        
        Results:
        
        Stalin claimed targets were met in the four years
        
        Shortage of skilled workers and poor central coordination
        
        No major targets achieved but impressive growth.
        
        Second Five year Plan
        1833-37
        Aims:
        
        Continued growth of heavy industry.
        
        New emphasis on the light industries.
        
        Concentration on engineering and tool-making.
        
        Development of communications.
        
        Results:
        
        Rapid industrial growth (mainly heavy industry).
        
        Improvements to communications.
        
        Not all targets met.
        
        Emphasis on quantity not quality.
        
        Third five year plan
        1938-42
        Aims:
        
        Focus on heavy industry.
        
        Promote rapid rearmament.
        
        Complete transition to 'Socialist economy' (communism).
        
        Results:
        
        Heavy industry grew strongly.
        
        Lack of good managers, specialists and technicians following stalin's purges.
        
        Hard winter in 1938 and diversion of funds into rearmament and defence undermined plan. Plan finished early following 1941 German invasion.
    - - Collectivization stage 1 (1929-30)
        In December 1929, Stalin announced forced collectivization into state farms (Kolkhozes) and the annihilation of the Kulak class. In January 1930, collectivization began using force and propaganda. Over half of households were collectivized by march. This created such hostility that the programme had to be shut down.
      - Collectivization stage 2 (1930-41)
        A new drive to collectivisation proceeded more slowly and involved the establishment of machine tractor stations. By 1941, All peasant households were collectvised.
        Problems with the implementation:
        
        Dekulakization removed millions of successful farmers.
        
        Grain and livestock was destroyed.
        
        Peasants had little incentive to work hard for the collective. They were only interested in their small private plots from which they could sell any surplus to markets.
        
        1922-33 brought disastrous famine, millions of peasants starved.
        
        Grain export levels did not reach pre-collectivisation levels until after 1935.
- - - - Enforcement
        
        The cheka (established in December 1917) tracked down and destroyed the families of suspected traitors.
        
        Confessions and names of 'accomplices' were obtained by opposition.
        
        Local Cheka agents sought out and 'discovered' opposition.
        
        Up to a million people were executed from 1918-21; others were sent to siberian labour camps (gulags).
        
        Even after 1921, when the worst of the terror was passed, kulaks and Nepmen profiting from the NEP were subject to random persecution.
      - Victims:
        
        The Royal Families
        
        Anyone labelled bourgeoisie.
        
        Priests, Jews, catholic and Muslims.
        
        Merchants, traders, kulaks and Nepmen.
        
        Workers accused of counter-revolution.
        
        Suspected traitors and their families.
        
        SR's and Menshiviks.