Stalin - Man or Monster?

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Stalin's Russia Source Coursework

Depth Study B: Russia 1905 - 1941
Assignment B: Objective 3
Stalin: Man or Monster?

1) Study Sources A, B and C.
Do these sources give similar or different impressions of Stalin?
Explain your answer. (6)

These sources give different impressions of Stalin, however there are some similarities.
Source A is a cartoon published in Paris in the 1930´s. It shows Stalin and the results of his policies according to the artist. The cartoon features Stalin showing three pyramids of skulls as if he was a tour guide. The caption under reads, "Visitez L´URSS ses pyramides!" This translates to, "Visit the pyramids of the USSR!"
This source is very famous and was drawn by an exiled Russian, therefore the artist could be bitter and biased against Stalin and his policies.
Source B is an official Soviet painting of Stalin with workers at a hydroelectric power station in the 1930´s. It is trying to show the results of industrialization. It shows Stalin talking to the workers, they seem very proud to be meeting Stalin. Because it is an official Soviet painting it is very likely to be biased and a source of propaganda as it would be Stalin or the government who commissioned it.
Source C is a photograph of Stalin congratulating wives of army officers. The women are reaching for Stalin in a fanatical manner; they seem desperate to touch him. The source is a photograph, which gives the impression that it is a reliable source. However this isn´t true, Stalin could have had the photograph doctored or had people pose and claimed it was showing something it wasn´t.
The sources give very different impressions of Stalin.
Source A shows Stalin to be a monster responsible for the death of millions of people.
Stalin´s policies were responsible for the death of millions of people. Collectivization caused the death of thousands of Kulaks and left many homeless and starving. One million people were executed during the purges, two million people died in camps, one million people died in prison and eight million people died as a result of the work ethic Stalin began.
Source B shows Stalin to be a great man who made Russian industry prosper.
Stalin´s industrialization did make Russia a very successful industrial country. By the late 1930´s many Soviet workers had improved their conditions by gaining well-paid skilled jobs and earning bonuses for meeting targets. There was an almost non-existent unemployment rate. Stalin also encouraged woman to work by setting up childcare services; four out of five new workers recruited between 1932 and 1937 were women. Stalin also made education compulsory and free for all.
However the source does not show the negative side of Stalin´s industrialization. Life was very hard, factory conditions were very dangerous. Any kind of discipline problems such as lateness or absence would be punished with sacking, which could also mean the loss of homes.
Source C shows Stalin to be a caring man who was congratulating the wives of his army officers. It shows him to be admired, even idolized by his people and put in a hero like position. This is a good representation of some Russian people´s view of Stalin. Many people saw him as the hero of Russia and a very great man. However many opposed Stalin and his policies, but in voicing their view they could be punished with death. Stalin had one million people executed during the purges. Many of the people executed had opposed Stalin but were accused of crimes such as spying and plotting to murder. Many others were sent to labour camps.
However, sources B and C are similar in some ways. They both show Stalin to be a great man who cared about his people and was prepared to talk to them. They also show Stalin to be greatly admired by his people and thought of as the hero of Russia.
In conclusion, the sources are very different in the impression they give of Stalin. However both source B and source C share some similarities. Although the sources seem very different they show how people saw Stalin. Some people idolized him, while others thought he was fiend like dictator.

2) Study Source D.
Does this source provide any useful evidence about Stalin? Explain your answer. (7)

Source D was written by Stalin in 1945. This means the source will give good representation of how Stalin portrayed himself within the U.S.S.R at this time.
It will also be biased, as Stalin would be trying to improve his public image after the measures he had taken during his reign. The evidence suggests that Stalin wasn´t at all how he portrays himself in the source.
In the source Stalin is describing a time he spent in Siberia in exile. He is using the example to try make him look good and the old leaders look like tyrants. The source is describing an event that took place in Siberia during the spring floods, the river had swollen and some of the men had gone the pull out timber that had been washed away by the river. When they returned one of the men was missing. Stalin describes the man as "Comrade" which is a communist word for brother showing that he thought of this man as equal, an attempt at showing he was a true communist not a dictator. Stalin showed concern for the man asking where he was, the simply replied that he "remained at the river". Stalin, again trying to improve his public image goes on to say that the men didn´t have any interest in the man saying he asked them what they meant by that. They replied by saying, "He drowned of course". The men hurried off saying they had to water the mare. He goes on, "When I told them off for having more concern for animals than men." He is trying to justify his actions by showing that in this case he had a very good reason for taking action against the men. The men then go on to say "why should we be concerned about men? We can always make another man."
Stalin uses this story to say that the lack of concern these men had was like that of the leaders, "It seems to me that the lack of concern our leaders show towards the people is the same attitude I met in far-off Siberia."
The manner in which the Stalin tells the story is similar to a parable, the story has a moral meaning behind it.
The source shows some interesting things about Stalin, it shows that Stalin had the means to broadcast these kinds of stories about his past. It also shows that he had the power to make people believe these things.

3) Study Sources E and F.
Which of these two sources is the more reliable? Explain your answer. (8)

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Source E is from a speech by a writer to the Congress of Soviets in 1935 and was published in Pravda, the paper of the Communist Party. From this we know that the source is going to be very censored as everything that was published in Pravda was heavily censored, it is also written by a Communist for a Communist paper so it will be nothing but positive things about the party.
Source F is a speech made by Bukharin in Paris in 1936. Bukharin was a supporter of Stalin against Trotsky. This was because Trotsky wanted world wide Communism whereas ...

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