Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
The Stalinist dictatorship and reaction, 1941-64 - Coggle Diagram
The Stalinist dictatorship and reaction, 1941-64
Stalinism in wartime
-
The political, economic and social impact of the war.
Political impact
- The war saw the deportation of whole nations and ethnic groups away from their homelands, in an effort to counter potential threats to state security. (Brutally enforced, many deaths).
- The communist party grew and changed its composition, as millions of army and navy members joined as a result of intense political propaganda.
- Victory in the war strengthened belief in the communist system. Stalin could portray the war as a victory for communism over fascism.
Economic impactThe economy had to be reorganised to ensure economic survival:
- Farmland was destroyed to make it useless to invading troops.
- Factories and their workers were transferred from Western Russia to an area East of the Ural mountains.
- Wartime production was quickly established, thanks to the USSR's centralised, planned economy.
- Most national expenditure was diverted to military requirements, with focus on building giant giant heavy industrial complexes to manufacture munitions. By Mid 1943 the USSR's industrial output outperformed that of Germany.
- Food shortages were addressed by rationing and quotas from the Kolkhozes.
Social impact
The panic of invasion helped reunite society, as men rushed to military service. Stalin referred to the 'Great patriotic war' to strengthen spirit.
Churches
Persecution was temporarily halted.
The churches were used to boost morale and encourage patriotism.
Soldiers and workers
All sections of society were recruited and centrally deployed for war work.
Working hours increased.
Discipline (in both factories and army) was tightened.
Propaganda and culture
Intense propaganda was used to promote unity.
Posters and the press encouraged heroism and self-sacrifice
Artists and musicians enjoyed more freedom, to encourage an atmosphere of national reconciliation.
Partisans
Many soviet citizens and soldiers left behind the German lines formed partisan groups, using sabotage against the enemy.
They risked terrible Nazi reprisals, as did innocent civilians caught behind German lines.
Women and family
The importance of family was emphasised.
Women's burdens increased - they were essential wartime workers but also expected to raise large families.
Women worked in industry, on farms or in the armed forces, but received little reward.
Living condtions
Food shortages led to the death of millions.
Many had to flee the German advance or relocate to factories in the east.
Housing and fuel shortages were acute.
Health problems increased.
Many died in the Gulag.
The effect of war on Stalin, government and the people
StalinWar turned Stalin into a hero, however after 1945, his anxiety about real or imagined enemies grew:
- Returning POW were often transferred to labour camps.
- Collaborators who had fought for Germany were executed, with reprisals against their communities..
- Returning servicemen were interrogated by the NKVD
Government
- The war established the USSR as a great military power.
- All regions under the Nazi-soviet Pact were retained.
- Acquired a band of satellite states in Eastern Europe.
- Stalin continued as Head of the government and party secretary and the Politburo continued to operate as in the 1930s.
PeopleThe Russian people endured terrible wartime suffering. Nearly 30 million civilians and soldiers were killed and 25 million in the west lost their homes.
Despite this, War brought hope:
- The sense of collective endeavour revived hopes for change.
- Comradeship among soldiers helped spread new liberal thinking.
- Greater exposure to western influence led to hope for a more open post-war society.
Such hopes were not achieved. In reality, 1945-53 was among the most bleak of the Stalinist period.
Political authority, 1945-53
Political authority and government to 1953 - High Stalinism
In the years 1945-53 (often known as 'high stalinism'), Stalin's authority over the state and Party reached new heights.
Political - High StalinismStalin's post-war policies re-established the regime of the 1930s and reaffirmed his personal dominance:
- Wartime institutions were dismantled:
- Military hierarchy was downgraded - Stalin became Minister of Defence and senior officers were moved to inferior posts.
- Stalin remained Head of the party - despite a new Politburo and Secretariat being elected in 1946.
- Politburo became an advisory body - with decisions made by Stalin and his inner circle.
- The party lost its autonomy and became a bureaucratic structure - members recruited from administrative ranks; the 'old guard' of members committed to Marxist ideals disappeared.
Cultural - High StalinismNew controls over intellectual life were introduced in the zhdanovchina (named after Zhdanov, who launched a cultural purge in 1946). Stressed conformity to socialist ideals and cult of Stalin. Westernisms condemned as decadent; all things Russian were promoted.
- Anti-soviet authors were condemned and publications banned (particularly those supportive of Western culture.
- Social-realism became the norm in literature, art, music and film.
- Only pro-soviet authors allowed to to visit USSR and few soviets allowed to travel west.
-
Stalin's cult personality after 1945From 1946, he became increasingly reclusive and irrational. However his GOD-LIKE STATUS remained:
- Portrayed as the worlds greatest living person and a 'man of the people' even though he spent many of his later years in seclusion.
- Newspappers praised him and towns took his name.
- 'Stalin' prizes were founded, ovations were given, and monuments were set up throughout the USSR and satellite states.
Power vacuum on Stalin's deathAt a Party congress in October 1952:
- Stalin suggested stepping down from Party secretary - but Stalin had done nothing to prepare a successor and his suggestion was rejected.
- Politburo replaced by Presidium - with members nominated by Stalin; seemed to suggests preparations for a purge.
Stalins death in 1953 lead to a hysterical public display of grief. Also triggered a leadership struggle between three prominent party leaders: Beria, Malenkov and Beria.Khrushchev initially considered lower in power rankings.
Khrushchev and reaction to Stalinism, 1953-64
-
Policies and ideology, and de-StalinisationBeginning of 1956, Khrushchev started to reverse Stalinist policies - releasing prisoners and attacking the Police.
- 20th Party congress in Feb 1956 - delivered a secret speech in a 'closed session' (though content soon spread):
- He accused Stalin of responsibility for Purges, terror, torture, Mass arrests, executions and the Gulags.
- blamed Stalin for betraying Leninist principles and for harming socialist progress.
- Questioned Stalin's war leadership.
- LIMITATIONS TO POLICIES:
- Left a lot uncriticised - economic controls, strong leadership, a single party or the elimination of factions.
- Brutally suppressed uprisings - Georgia, Poland and Hungary.
- He refused to take responsibility for the crimes he had
denounced.
Political and Party changeCHANGES
- Both party and government institutions became important again as centres for debate and decision-making due to the leadership struggle.
- Police became less influential - they returned control of the party and government. The secret police were reduced in size.
- The independence of the Judiciary was partly restored.
Khruschev's use of traditional party processes (E.g using central committee against the Presidium) helped restore the Party's position to that of 1920s.
The Soviet Union by 1964The years 1941-64 were a period of instability and change. After the tough post-war period, reforming governments:
- Dismantled parts of the 'Stalinist system'.
- began to redistribute some of the wealth generated by Soviet Industrialisation to the ordinary soviet Citizens.
The Political condition of the Soviet unionStalin had made himself central to the Soviet Political system, portraying himself in the post-war era as god-like.
His death in 1953 left a political vacuum.1953-64:
- establish a new-style leadership backed by the authority of the Party rather than an indivual,
- Moves away from the autocracy and coercive practices of the Stalinist era.
Power of the party-elite depended on the Party's control over the state.
This made it essential to preserve the one party state and centralised economy. Many reforms were half-hearted.
The economic condition of the Soviet UnionSTALINS INDUSTRIAL BASE:
The industrial base created under Stalin meant that by 1953 the economy had recovered from the effects of WW2.KHRUSHCHEV'S REDIRECTION
Khrushchev was therefore able to redirect resources away from heavy industry and armaments towards:
- Consumer goods
- Housing
- Agriculture.
- Technology
- Nuclear weapons
- Rocketry
POST 1953 ISSUES
Challenge of stimulating greater productivity in agriculture and industry without increased labour. Khrushchev attempted a limited degree of decentralization to stimulate more productivity, HOWEVER:
- Expanded Bureacracy - changing the workings of of centralised command economy created new problems.
- Poor planning - Khrushchevs campaigns were sometimes ill thought through.
- Lack of technical effection - increases in yield were more the result of the cultivation of new land than of technical improvements.
- No significant increase in output from factories or farms.
The social condition of the Soviet Union
- Living standards began to rise rapidly and consumers began to benefit from industrialisation.
- Generated a mood of optimism with a seemingly 'better society' being built in the USSR.
- Still massive unsolved problems in Society.
Key Chronology
Political developments
- 1941 - Nazi invasion of USSR.
- 1945 - End of WW2.
- 1953 - Death of Stalin.
- 1953 - Malenkov becomes head of state.
- 1953 - Khrushchev becomes first secretary of communist party.
- 1955 - Bulganin replaces Malenkov as Head of State.
- 1956 - Khrushchev's secret speech.
- 1957 - 'Anti-Party' group defeated.
- 1964 - Removal of Khrushchev.
Economic and social developments
- 1946 - beginning of Zhandovschina.
- 1946-50 - Fourth five year plan.
- 1951-55 - Fifth five year plan.
- 1954 - virgin lands scheme adopted.
- 1956 - Sixth five year plan (abandoned 1958).
- 1957 - Economic decentralisation adopted.
- 1959 - Seven year plan adopted.
- 1961-65 - Seventh five year plan.
-
-