Stalin Coursework - sources explaining collectivisation and its effects.

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Stalin Coursework: Question 4

Source H is a photograph showing the peasants demonstrating against the kulaks and favouring collectivisation. It is also subjective towards Stalin and has probably been doctored in order to indoctrinate the Russian people to the way of thinking that Stalin desired. The first problem with the photograph is that the banner that the peasants are carrying reads, “We demand collectivisation and the liquidation of the kulaks as a class”, and however, since most peasants in the 1930 were illiterate, the whole idea of the peasants carrying a written banner suddenly becomes implausible. Stalin would have probably staged this whole photo in order to convey positive political propaganda, showing that despite claims that collectivisation was failing, the peasants themselves still supported the scheme and so it was going to work. In fact, the peasants in the photograph may not be actual peasants, but Soviet Party members who have been asked by Stalin to participate in staging this photograph. However, whilst there is a strong possibility that this photograph has been doctored to suit Stalin’s wishes, looking at if from a different perspective, some peasants did see the lack of kulaks as a lack of competition and a chance to become one of Russia’s elite farmers. This was a very small minority, but Stalin might have been able to gather up enough volunteers to stage this photograph. However, overall I think that this photograph is not reliable as not only does it not reflect the common view held by peasants and normal citizens alike that Collectivisation was doomed to failure (many protests were held from 1928 onwards demonstrating the anger of the peasants that collectivisation was being introduced), but also the whole idea behind the written banner when in reality the majority of Russia was illiterate makes Source H seem quite untrustworthy.

Source I is a newspaper article published by an international body called ‘Reuters’ which gathered news. Since this was an international news body, it was not bound by the restrictions of the Russian media and was therefore free to publish an article that criticised Stalin’s regime, unlike the Russian media that had to abide by the ‘Socialist Realism Policy’ and had to be subjective towards Stalin. The lack of restrictions imposed on ‘Reuters’ is apparent in this particular passage, as there is a lot of admonition of the Soviet way of life. Little things like referring to the Communist simply by political creed and not by name and the emphasis on the starvation he was witnessing imply that this particular correspondent was subjective against Stalin.

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“There is no bread; we are dying”

The correspondent includes this quote to support his article about the atrocities that have followed Collectivisation and this claim is supported by the fact that Stalin sent out a requisition squad and took all the grain from villages. The consequence of this was the death of 5-7 million people from famine. Furthermore, the correspondent states how he “walked alone though villages and twelve collective farms”. The fact that he walked through only 12 collective farms when there were at least 50 State farms, meaning that the correspondent didn’t see the whole ...

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