Lenin’s Policy and Stalin’s Policy
The Soviet Union● Communism was in power in Russia from
1917-1991
● Much more of an international feel than
fascism
● Not nationalistic in the sense that
communism was marketable to other nations
● Trying to stop communism would be a
major effort for the west during most of the
20th century
Lenin’s Policy● Leon Trotsky organized the suppression of
all troops opposed to communism
● The ‘Cheka’ (secret police) was created
● Bolshevik party was the ‘vanguard’ of the
revolution
● Formed a dictatorship of the proletariat
● Politics and Economics becomes highly
centralized
War Communism● Economic policy during the civil war
○ Gov’t took control of banks, transport
facilities and heavy industry
● State forcibly acquired grain from the
country to put towards the war effort
● Foreign trade was now a state monopoly
● Decree passed to end all capitalism
○ Any factory over 10 workers was nationalized
● Proletariat don’t end up any better off than
they were before.
○ Sometimes worse
New Economic Policy (1921-28)● NEP created out of the failures of War
communism
● Peasants could start to make a profit again
● Food source became more stable in both
rural and urban areas
● Free market capitalism, with state control
● Characterized as a mixed economy
Trotsky v. Stalin● There were disagreements in the politburo
between Stalin and Trotsky creating factions
● Trotsky(left wing faction)
○ NEP betrayed communist values
○ Wanted rapid industrialization
○ Voluntary collectivization by the poor
peasants
● Stalin (right wing faction)
○ Stay the course with NEP
○ More slowly towards industrialization
○ More nationalist than internationalist
● Stalin gain support of the lower level party
officials
○ Take control of the Soviet Union in Lenin’s
absence
● Trotsky gets sent to exile in Siberia
○ Killed in Mexico in 1940 by Stalin’s Agent
Politburo - highest governing committee in Communist Russia
Stalin’s 5 Year Plans● 1928 - Stalin decided rapidly industrialize
○ Time to compete against the west/capitalists
● Build industry such as iron, steel and
machine tools
● Took upon centrally planning to ensure
economic success
● Industry grow 400% from 1928-1940
● For workers conditions weren’t great
○ Often worse than 19th century Europe
○ Crowded living quarters
○ Lack of food
○ Lack of sanitation
Collectivisation of Agriculture● NEP Agriculture
○ Not that successful
○ State had a price for grain but market was
often higher
■ Kulak(well off farmer) would try to
manipulate the market price by
hoarding grain
● Stalin reverses NEP
○ Kulaks were considered enemies of the state
● Forms collectivisation
○ Replaces private run farms with huge state
run/owned farms(collectives)
Dekulakization● Previously weak agriculture was blamed on
Kulaks(scapegoat)
● Stalin took their land for the state
○ Peasants were to form collectives on this land
● Kulaks were forcibly removed from their
homes
○ Many were shot or sent to siberian labour
camps
○ Millions died because of this
● 1937 - 90% of grain produced was
collectivized
● Policy did not successfully solve the food
issue in Russia
○ Millions would starve
Holodomor● 1932-33 genocide in the Ukraine
● Stalin implemented collectivist policies
● Used the grain from the farms to sell to the
west to help industrialize Russia
● Left millions of Ukrainians to starve(7-10
million died)
The Purges (1936-38)
Gulag - System of labour camps in the soviet union
where many people would die
● Fear within Stalin and leadership that they were
losing control
● Under Stalin disloyalty would lead to execution
(even before purges)
● Increased paranoia leads to Stalin starting to
attack his own.
● He either killed or sent these people to the Gulag
○ Members of the Politburo
■ Show Trials/Forced confessions
■ Highly publicized
○ Within all ranks of the Communist party
○ Citizens (killed women and children of ‘enemies’)
○ NKVD members (Members of Stalin’s secret
police
○ Bureaucracy
● 600,000 people died (approx.)
Soviet Union during WWII● Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact - Stalin secret
alliance with Hitler to divide Poland
○ Moves into Baltic States as well
○ Took Romania
● German Blitzkrieg tactics used against USSR
○ USSR loses many of its western satellite
states (Ukraine, Baltics, Etc.)
○ Now soviets allied with the Allied Forces
(Britain, Canada, eventually US, etc.)
● 1942 - USSR wins battle in Stalingrad
○ Germans defeat is a turning point in the war
● Russia encroaches on Germans from the
East
Potsdam Conference● Allies decide the fate of future at the end of
the war at this conference
● Soviets remained in many countries they
fought to liberate
○ Try to wipe out opposition to communism as
they sweep through
○ Empower the communist sympathizers
● Soviets end up gaining multiple satellite
states:
○ Albania(‘44)
○ Poland(‘44)
○ Bulgaria(‘46)
○ România (‘47)
○ Czech Republic (‘48)
○ East Germany (‘49)
○ Hungary (‘49)