the purges of stalin
STALIN 'Death solves problems - no man, no problems' Joseph Stalin was born on December 21st, 1879 and died on March 5th, 1953. He was the leader of the Soviet Union from mid 1920's till his death in 1953. He was also the general secretary of the communist party of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1953. After Lenin's untimely death, there were many issues left to resolve, even though the financial crisis had been taken care of like the path to socialism, democracy and the leadership of the party. These issues led to major controversies and a fight for power as there were conflicting feelings between all the important personnel, for the next 5 years. Eventually, in the 1920's Stalin prevailed over Leon Trotsky and rose to power. Stalin often claimed his principles were based on Marxism and Leninism, but his policies were made into a new category called Stalinism. He was a staunch Communist, and during his rule, the rich became richer and the poor became poorer, leading to rebellious feelings among the lower classes of society. Stalin replaced the New Economic Plan of the 1920's with the Five- Year Plans in 1928. He would also confiscate grain which led to famine. Stalin also helped defeat Nazi Germany in World War Two, after which he developed the USSR into one of the two Superpowers of the world. Stalin's rule was marked by its state terror, deportation, political repression,
Stalin Sources Questions
G.C.S.E History Coursework - Stalin Question 1 From my study of the sources, I have concluded that Source A gives a negative impression of Stalin and his policies and that Source B is in support of Stalin. However Source C could be interpreted in two ways. In one way it could be perceived as Communist propaganda or on the other hand it could be seen as being neutral. However to fully understand these sources you have to know when, where and who compiled the sources. With all these factors accounted for, you will then be able to comprehend the impressions that he sources are trying to portray. Source A was drawn in the 1930's. It was published in Paris, the capital of the allied country of France. Source A portrays a negative view of Stalin. It enforces the idea that Stalin's policies resulted in mass death to the Russian people. The picture also has another meaning in that Stalin has no regard or respect for human life. Source A is biased. Stalin's paranoia led him to kill innocent people. Another factor why Stalin killed so many people was because there were a lot of states and regions within the Soviet Union. Stalin thought that with so many people in these areas not everyone would have taken him seriously. One of Stalin's tactics was to create a famine in the state of Ukraine. This area was very prosperous and vast in minerals. As a result of the famine, many thousands
Was Stalin a Success?
Was Stalin a Success? Whether Stalin was a success can only be measured in two ways, his own terms, in the terms of Russia or in the terms of Communism - meaning whether what he did with 'Communist' Russia would have been seen as Communist by Karl Marx. How much of a success was Stalin? - If at all and from whose point of view was he a success or not. Stalin being a success in his own terms that is what he would of felt he achieved and what he believed made him a success. He was very successful politically as he won the Struggle for power in 1917, this he would have seen as a success, and he would have seen his life as a resounding success in his own terms. The First Five Year plan, he would have deemed a success as it achieved the crash industrialisation and doubled the productivity of industry, which meant the working class grew, which meant communism was growing as well. He managed to collectivise the peasants so controlling the food supply for the workers - a success (in his terms). The Great Terror 1936-38, he now had total control over his people, government and army, he had created a Totalitarian State through the Trotskyite - Zinovievite conspiracy, which made people produce more and through the fear of being named as a conspirator. Another success in his eyes was the performance of the Red army in the WWII, as he believed they won by capturing of Berlin - with
World War One - Source based research.
2.a) Chamberlain believed that Germany had been badly treated by the Allies after it was defeated in the First World War. He therefore thought that the German government had genuine grievances and that these needed to be addressed. He also thought that by agreeing to some of the demands being made by Adolf Hitler of Germany and Mussolini of Italy, he could avoid a European war. British people were afraid of war because some years earlier they saw the German bombing of Spain in Spanish Civil War. Some also remembered WWI and there was widespread fear of the devastating effects of war. But that was not the only reason. There was no other way to prevent the war as the League of Nations had failed in 1933. Many beleived that Hitler's demaneds were reasonable and that Germany was treated unfairly in the Treaty of Versailles. Also many politicians beleived that the real threat was communism in USSR so a strenghtened Germany would act as a barrier for USSR expansion. Another important reason was that British army needed time to prepare for war as noone was expecting another war. British people had no interest whatsoever in the problems of Chechoslovakia. Britaint was also fighting another war in the East with Japan. She was not strong enough to fight both Germany and Japan at once. B) The source is a viewpoint of the Munich Agreement of September 1938 that was printed in a British
Stalin Notes
Stalin Early Life * Born in 1879 in Georgia. Lived in a very hostile environment and was deeply influenced by this in his later years. * His father abused him and his mother. He wanted Stalin to become a shoemaker like himself. * His real father's identity is highly disputed and may have been one of the various men around the town. * Stalin was a very bright boy and worked hard in his studies. He was also teased by others and bullied others too. He showed early signs of being a gangster and was respected and fear by many in his town. Becomes a Revolutionary * Lived under czarist domination and was introduced to forbidden Marxist's books * Preached revolution to the workers and ran crimes in order to fund his communist operations. * Was sent to Siberia and prison many times but always managed to escaped. * In 1903 he joined with other activists to plan an overthrow of the Czarist government. Lenin saw Stalin as a man who could get the job done. * His involvement in the 1917 revolution was limited though. * During the Civil War he became the enforcer of the party and fought for the communists Family Life * His first wife Ekaterina Svanidze died in 1907. Stalin loved her very much and was crushed by her death. * They had a son named Yakov Dzhugashvili who Stalin did not care for. Later in WWII Yakov was captured by the Germans and commited suicide with an
Joseph Stalin.
Joseph Stalin Joseph Stalin was the Communist dictator of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) from 1929 to 1953. He ruled by terror and was responsible for the deaths of millions of people. But he also transformed the USSR into a major world power. Vladimir Ilich Lenin was the first dictator of the USSR. Lenin led the Bolshevik takeover of the provisional Russian government in what was known as the October Revolution of 1917. (The revolution took place on November 6-7 according to the modern calendar adopted in 1918. According to the Julian Calendar, which was used in Russia up to that time, the revolution took place in October). The first Soviet leader hoped the revolution would set off other socialist revolts in Western countries. Lenin gained political stature through his writings and then as head of the Bolshevik party. He led the 1917 Bolshevik takeover of the provisional government, which had governed Russia since the fall of tsarist rule a few months earlier. After becoming dictator, Lenin set a slow course towards socialism, waiting until domestic and foreign conflicts were resolved before initiating most of his revolutionary economic policies. Here, Lenin ends a speech, which was recorded on a gramophone in 1919. The Russian revolution On March 8, 1917 (or February 23 by the Julian calendar), a street demonstration in Petrograd (now St Petersburg)
Lenin and Stalin
Sam Gunningham DEPTH STUDY B: Russia 1905 - 1941 Assignment A: . Compare the characters and beliefs of Lenin and Stalin 2. Assess the impact Lenin had on Russia and the Russian People 3. Assess the impact Stalin had on Russia and the Russian People 4. Who was the more important figure in Russian history, Lenin or Stalin? Lenin and Stalin had many similarities, yet there were vast and fundamental differences between their personalities and ideas about communism. Lenin was from a middle class background, was highly educated, and very intelligent and intellectual. On the other hand, Stalin was from a working class background. He was never educated to a high standard, was not a refined intellectual, and often did the dirty work for the party and faced numerous punishments in his revolutionary years; this made him strong, tough tactful, and with a feeling of revenge and hated. Despite being pushed back many times, Lenin returned to Russia from exile in 1917, after the Tsar had been overthrown, and led the November revolution. This persistence shows amazing determination and bravery: he was known to work through the night. Both Lenin and Stalin had the same ruthlessness and non-compromising technique that is seen in their fight for power. However, one fundamental difference between Lenin and Stalin was that while Lenin was stubborn and dealt harshly with his criticizers, he
"Hitler's aims and actions were the only cause of World War Two." Do you agree or disagree with this statement?
"Hitler's aims and actions were the only cause of World War Two." Do you agree or disagree with this statement? When considering the reasons for the outbreak of war in 1939 it is easy to place the entire blame on Hitler's aggressive foreign policy in the late 1930s. One British historian, writing a few years after the end of the war, claimed that 'the Second World War was Hitler's personal war, in that he intended it, he prepared for it, he chose the moment for launching it.' In this assignment it is my intention to show that Hitler's foreign policy was a major factor in causing the conflict but that other reasons, both long term and short term, need to be recognised as well. Probably the first factor that need considering is the Treaty of Versailles, of 1919. The harshness of the Treaty and the way in which it blamed Germany for World War I crippled Germany. Much of its territory was taken away from it, including West Prussia that went to form a new Polish Corridor to the sea. Plus the Treaty forced Germany to reduce its army, demilitarise the Rhineland and get rid of its navy. The Treaty also forced harsh reparations for the War resulting in a great deal of the German people resenting the Allies. And it was later that Hitler used the bitter memories of Versailles to gain public support for his actions. Another factor in causing World War II was the Wall Street Crash of
Stalin Souurces Questions
Rob Griffin Russia GCSE Coursework There are many people in Russia who don't agree with Stalin or his policies. This upset the leader and he wanted to crush the opposition the only way he knew how was called terror. Terror: began was called "The Great Purge". He even formed a secret police. These actions spread fear throughout Russia. He eliminated anyone who was a threat to his power. These people, most innocent, were sent to camps and then killed or died. The victims included thousands of old communist who supported the opposition. If we take source A it states at the bottom that it was published in the 1930's in Paris. It illustrates three pyramids of skulls and vultures flying above them. The skulls are most likely the victims of his purges and policies. He seems to be pointing at the skulls as if he is proud of them, as some sort of achievement. The vultures flying above the pyramids seem to be there to indicate death or the vultures could indicate the NKVD (secret police) that is what this cartoon seems to be trying to project about Stalin. It is trying to condemn the Russian leader for his ridiculous policies and criticise the way in which he keeps control of his country. The source seems to be putting forward a tourism theme. It uses the pyramids of Egypt to carry this out. The French writing in the illustration translates to, "Visit the Pyramids of
Why Did Stalin Build The
Why Did Stalin Build The "Iron Curtain?" The Iron Curtain was the term used in the West to refer to the boundary line, which divided Europe into to separate areas of political influence. This was set up from the end of World War Two until the end of the Cold War. During this period, Eastern Europe was under control and influence of the Soviet Union (USSR,) where as Western Europe enjoyed freedom. It was a border set up by Joseph Stalin, the ruler of the USSR in the years after the Second World War. The term the "Iron Curtain," was first introduced in Winston Churchill's long speech, "an Iron curtain has descended across the continent," on March 5th, 1946. Churchill's speech triggered Stalin to tighten the Iron Curtain. Stalin had various reasons for setting up the Iron Curtain. He assumed he had the right to control Eastern Europe, and that the West would control Western Europe. This is why he set up the boundary in the following year. During 1944 the Allies (Britain, USA and USSR) got on fairly well with each other. Yet there was still a lot of distrust, both sides were so completely different. The USA believed that the Soviets wanted to expand communism across the globe. They were concerned that having beaten Germany, they were now going to get a new dictatorship. In 1945, Stalin was anxious to build a buffer zone, against any more German invasions. Stalin did not
