Stalin Sources Questions
RUSSIA COURSEWORK ) Study Sources A, B and C. Do these sources give similar or different impressions of Stalin? Explain your answer. (6) 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 over these pyramids seem to be there to indicate death that is what this cartoon seems to be trying to project about Stalin. It is trying to condemn the Russian leader for his ruthless and murderous policies and criticise the way in which he keeps control of his country solely by the use of fear. The source seems to be putting forward a sarcastic tourism theme. It uses the pyramids of Egypt to carry this out. The French writing in the illustration translates to, "Visit the Pyramids of Russia". Overall this source seems to give a fairly negative impression of Stalin, but we have to recognise that it was published by an outsider, a French cartoonist such a person was not under any of Stalin's mind control, if you would like to call it that. A non- Russian would probably see Stalin's extreme methods as ruthless and murderous. A Russian citizen may not. We also have to recognise that it was at the time
What happened to the Romanov Family? - Sources A and B give similar accounts. Does this mean they are reliable?
History Coursework: What happened to the Romanov Family? (A) Sources A and B give similar accounts. Does this mean they are reliable? Both Sources A and B are similar in that they all state that Nicholas Romanov, two royal servants and a maid were all murdered by the Reds in Ipatiev House in 1918. Both sources are different interpretations of the same information. Source A is an account of Judge Sergeyev's findings by an American newspaper, and Source B is a short extract from the report given to the British government by Sir Charles Elliot. Both sources were written in 1918, before Judge Sergeyev was sacked. Both America and Britain were strong opponents of the Bolshevik regime suspected of the murder of the Russian royal family and as such their dependability can be immediately questioned, they may have been biased against the Reds. Judge Sergeyev himself was a white supporter and as such his documented reports may be biased against the Bolsheviks by making them seem worse and more atrocious than they actually were, and therefore damaging them in a critical time of the Russian revolution. The Whites were the forces opposing communist Russia, composing many minority groups who were for some reason or other against the ideas that communism was founded upon. Foreign governments for example, and the aristocracy of Russia were whites. Both Britain and America opposed the
What were the causes of the Russian Revolution in March 1917?
< What were the causes of the Russian Revolution in March 1917? > Revolution is an act of making a successful, violent attempt to change or remove a government. The word 'successful' makes a revolution somewhat a big thing, because there usually are changes after a revolution. However, a revolution does not happen in a short time because of a trivial reason, but happens over a long time of significant events. This is true especially in Russian Revolution in March 1917's case. One of the very long term causes of the Russian Revolution in March 1917 are the economic causes. At the beginning of the twentieth century, all the peasants were living a hard life. Their main food was grain made into rye bread or porridge, and cabbage soup, which did not contain enough nutrition for the peasants who had to work all day in the farm without any animal and sometimes even without tools. Pies and pancakes were delicacies only eaten on religious days and at festivals. However, that was when the harvests were good and when there was food to go around. When the harvests were bad, there was starvation and disease: 400,000 people died in 1891 when crop failure coupled with cholera hit the countryside. The fact that peasants lived in highly unhygienic cottages where the temperature inside is hardly any higher than outside, crowded with people did not help to prevent or stop the disease. There
Stalin: Man or Monster?
Stalin: Man or Monster a. The sources give a number of different impressions of Stalin and his character, however there are some similarities. All the sources show different views which people in Russia would have had of Stalin' it is obvious after looking at the three sources that A is against Stalin and his regime, whereas B and C give more positive views about Stalin's character. Source A is a cartoon produced in Paris in the 1930´s. The cartoon features Stalin showing three pyramids of skulls as if he was a tour guide. The caption translates to, "Visit the pyramids of the USSR" The cartoon shows the result of his policies and shows the fact that he is willing to put human lives down to achieve his goals. Source A shows Stalin as a cruel and ambitious man willing to sacrifice Russian lives to stay in power and ensure the modernisation of Russia. The skulls represent the deaths caused as a result of starvation as there was a shortage of food in Russia; also many deaths occurred as a result of the Purges, which were measures Stalin took to get rid of opposition. An exiled Russian drew this source; 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. Source B however is different to source A because it is aiming to support Stalin and
Investigate the changes that took place in Horsforth between 1700 and 1900
Introduction I am going to investigate the changes that took place in Horsforth between 1700 and 1900, and in doing so prove that these changes were because of the Industrial Revolution which took place at that time hence proving my main point that Horsforth, like most villages during that time, changed from an agricultural village to an industrial town. The evidences I will be looking at include buildings of historical value, road names that reflect ideas then, names of pubs which give an idea of the types of activities that went on in Horsforth, the census which could tell us how the population and types of jobs changed during that period. Industrial Revolution First of all we need some basic ideas about the Industrial Revolution itself and how it changed the entire nation: As the 18th century began, an expanding and wealthier population demanded more and better goods. In the productive process, coal came to replace wood. Early-model steam engines were introduced to drain water and raise coal from the mines. The crucial development of the Industrial Revolution was the use of steam for power, and the greatly improved engine (1769) of James Watt marked the high point in this development. Cotton textiles was the key industry early in the Industrial Revolution. John Kay's fly shuttle (1733), James Hargreaves's spinning jenny (patented 1770), Richard Arkwright's water frame
Consider this judgement on the consequences of Stalin's leadership of the Soviet Union 1928 - 1953
'The Soviet People paid to high a price for the achievements of Josef Stalin' Consider this judgement on the consequences of Stalin's leadership of the Soviet Union 1928 - 1953 Stalin began his rise to power after the death of Lenin in 1924. At this time, Russia was in social, political and economic turmoil and suffering from ailing international relations following the revolution of 1917 and growth of a one party communist sate. The 'uprising of the proletariat' had occurred in a country without a recognisable working class. In order for Russian industry to develop, the political system needed stabilising and capital invested in the major companies. Stalin implemented hard-line tactics to obtain this in the shortest possible time - the consequences of this method of developing the country are to be discussed in this essay. The politicians of the period had to contend Stalin's ruthless quest to become the omnipotent and unopposed ruler of Russia. The communist system was a relatively new radical political system within Russia. Stalin felt that the less extremist governments preceding him (Provisional Government) had failed drastically, and that the only way to rule such a large country, further hindered by its retarded industrial revolution and multitude of minority nations was through force. He considered purging any suspect opposition as a way to establish the
How and why did the Bolsheviks seize power in 1917?
How and why did the Bolsheviks seize power in 1917? There are many factors that help explain how and why the Bolsheviks managed to seize power in 1917. It was a combination of long and short term causes that together, created a revolution. The political system itself was long overdue for reform, but with a weak Tsar, the economic and social conditions became worse and worse. In 23 years, Nicholas II dropped from the glorious 'Little Father of Russia' to prisoners of his own country, hatred and despised by the majority, for the suffering and unhappiness he had helped create. There were many long-term causes that gradually led up to the revolution in 1917. The political system installed in Russia under the Tsar was long overdue for reform. Russia was a vast empire rather than a single country, and as the Tsar believed in 'divine right' he was its supreme ruler, which even with a great, strong charactered ruler, is still a huge task. Nicholas believed in absolute autocracy, and by doing this he did not manage the country well. He could appoint or sack ministers or make any other decisions without consulting anyone else. Unlike most other countries that had at least given them some freedom to say how their country was run, the Tsar was dedicated with the idea of autocracy, and seemed to be obsessed with the great past of his family. This could be the cause of Nicholas'
To what extent was Stalin's economic policy successful? In the 1920's the soviet economy was failing disastrously the revolution and the civil war had devastated the soviet economy and the economic output
To what extent was Stalin's economic policy successful? In the 1920's the soviet economy was failing disastrously the revolution and the civil war had devastated the soviet economy and the economic output was less than that under the Tsar. There were Famines followed by high prices and hyperinflation and major crises like the scissors crisis. Stalin instigated a series of vast five year plans, collectivisation and other economic policies. These policies were drastic and vast, enabling the USSR to effectively defend against the Nazi advance. Historians differ on their views Stalinisation many view it as an act of greed which in cost equalled genocide. Whereas some tow the moderate line accepting that despite the heavy cost Stalinisation did do great things for the USSR. Some of the more radical historians even go as far to say that Stalinisation was a completely necessary evil in terms of defending Europe and that the cost was insignificant to the necessity. My hypothesis is that Stalin's economic policy was successful as it transformed the USSR despite this the cost of this was vast. However how much of this change was down to Stalin's economic policy and how successful were the regimes he implemented? There are five main factors that you can attribute the success of Stalin's economic policy: Collectivisation: Collectivisation was probably the major aspect of Stalin's
Source based work on Impressions of Stalin?
a) Study Sources A and B Do these sources give similar or different impressions of Stalin? Explain your answer with reference to the sources. [6] There is clearly a lot of disagreement between these first sources. Upon first glance we plainly see Source A blaming Stalin for the deaths of millions of people, Source B on the other hand shows him to be a great man responsible for the success of Russia's industry. Source A is a cartoon which features three pyramids of skulls with vultures flying above. These both signify death and the skulls no doubt represent the victims of Stalin's harsh policies. These policies were the cause of much anguish throughout Russia; Collectivization was responsible for the death of thousands of Russian Kulaks. He ruthlessly put to death a million people during the purges and millions more were murdered in camps, prison and due to the artificial famine. The cartoon shows Stalin to be pointing at the pyramids with pride. It is ironic that his great monuments are the result of the death and destruction. Source B gives a very different impression of Stalin; he is shown in a more complimentary light. Stalin is standing with workers at the site of a new hydroelectric plant. This source is meant to show that Stalin's policies were hugely successful. It is true that he achieved improved working conditions for well paid skilled workers and a very low
Stalin - Man or Monster? - Sources Questions
Study Sources A, B and C. Do these sources give similar or different impressions of Stalin? Source A is a cartoon, which shows the results Stalin's purges (such as the 'dekulakisation' programme that he introduced). The cartoon was published in Paris in the 1930's. This raises questions about its reliability as the cartoonist is portraying communism from the perspective of a capitalist country. Source B is a painting, which depicts Stalin mingling with workers, insinuating that he is a man of the people. It is an official Soviet painting, showing that it conforms to the 'Socialist Realism' Policy that Stalin introduced to ensure that all pictures, songs and pieces of writing corresponded with Stalin's views and policies and did not portray them in a negative light. Source C shows a photograph of Stalin shaking hands with the wives of army officers. This is quite an ironic photograph as the wives of many army officers are congratulating Stalin and yet he purged 3/5 Marshals and 50,000 troops were sent to the gulags. Source A depicts Stalin in a negative light as the caption, when translated, reads, 'Visit the pyramids of the U.S.S.R.'. The cartoon also shows piles of skulls that have been shaped into pyramids. Perched on top of the piles of skulls are several black Ravens. This could refer to the fact that during the purges, members of the N.K.B.D., nicknamed 'The Black
