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ZariBasden
ERWC
Mrs.Porraz
21September2014

AnnotatedBibliography1984HistoricalResearchPresentation
"CONSTITUTIONALRIGHTSFOUNDATIONBillofRightsinAction."BRIA74aTheStalin
Purgesand"ShowTrials"ConstitutionalRightsFoundation,n.d.Web.21Sept.2014.
<http://www.crfusa.org/billofrightsinaction/bria74athestalinpurgesandshowtrials>.
In1936,StalinintroducedanewconstitutionfortheSovietUnion.Someguaranteedrights
includedfreedomfromarbitraryarrest,rightofdefenseinapublictrial,andthedueprocessof
law.However,atthistime,StalinwaspartakingintheGreatPurgewhichresultedinthearrest
andexecutionsofmillionsofpeople,mostnotablyCommunistPartymembersandgovernment
officials.Amajorityofthesepeoplereceivedasecrettrialoranotrialatall.TheNKVDwould
sentenceadefendantwithoutthemeverbeingpresentorevenawareofthechargeagainstthem.
Therefore,Stalinestablishedshowtrialstomakeasomewhatmockeryofthedueprocessof
law.Theseshowtrialswereahighlypublicizedeventthatreceivedmediaattentionfromforeign
press.Between1936and1938,Stalinconductedthreeshowtrailsincludingabout50top
CommunistPartyleadersandgovernmentofficials.Stalinwishedtoconvinceforeignpressesthat
these"criminals"werebeingtreatedfairlyandreceivedprotectionundertheconstitution.
Nonetheless,theevidenceonlyconsistedofconfessionstoldbythedefendantsthemselvesand
stateappointedattorneysplayedalmostnoroleintheproceedings.Furthermore,thetrialswere
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scriptedandintendedtodiscreditanyoppositionandoldmembersoftheCommunistpartywho
wereathreattoStalin'spower.
"JosephStalin."JewishVirtualLibrary.AmericanIsraeliCooperativeEnterprise,n.d.Web.21Sept.
2014.<http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/stalin.html>.
Stalinwasborntoilliterateparentsinasmall,poorvillageinGeorgia.Growingup,he
experiencedcountlessoccasionsofabusethatevokedvengefulfeelingstowardsanyoneina
positionthatwieldedpoweroverhim.Forthedurationofhisteenageyears,hismothersethim
onapathtobecomeapriest,whichresultedinStalinstudyingRussianOrthodoxChristianityuntil
hewasalmosttwenty.Whileattheseminaryschool,Stalinbecameinvolvedinthesocialist
movementandwaseventuallyexpelledfromtheschoolon1899.Fromthatpointon,he
dedicatedhistimetoworkforthecommunistundergroundintheCaucasus.Nonetheless,during
theRussianRevolutionof1917,despitehisexpertise,Stalinplayednodirectroleintheactual
Bolshevikseizureofpower.However,aftertherevolution,hebuilthispostasGeneralSecretary
andbegandevelopingabaseofpoliticalsupportthroughouttheregime.AfterLenin'sdeath,
StalinformedatriumviratewithKamenevandZinivievinoppositiontoLeonTrotsky.By1928,
Stalinreignedsupremeandstartedexercisingcontrolthroughoutthepartyandcountry.To
ensurehisabsolutepower,StalinevokedaperiodknownastheGreatPurge.Thiswasintended
toeliminatepoliticalandideologicalopponents,mostnotablyoldmembersofthepartyandearly
Bolsheviksupporters.Thisincludedwidespreadpersecution,suspicion,imprisonments,
executions,andshowtrials.Concurrently,Stalinalsoorchestratedforcedfamines,migrations,
andstateterrorismagainstlargesegmentsoftheSovietpopulation.Thisensuedintheestimated
deathofabout40millionpeoplewithinthebordersoftheSovietUnion.
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"JosephStalin."PBS.PBS,n.d.Web.21Sept.2014.
<http://www.pbs.org/redfiles/bios/all_bio_joseph_stalin.htm>.
StalinwasborninGeorgiaonDecember18,1878.Asateen,hismotherurgedhimtoapplyto
theseminaryinTiflistobecomeapriest.Eventhough,Stalindidwinascholarshiptoattendthe
TheologicalSeminary,hewasimmediatelydrawntothecity'spoliticalrevolutionarymoment.
WhichresultedinStalinnevercompletinghiseducationfordisputedreasons.Ratherthanan
intellectuallikeLeninorTrotsky,Stalinspecializedinotherareasofrevolutionactivity.Hewould
distributeillegalpropaganda,organizeworkers,andplotrobberiestofundtheBolshevikcause.
Afterthecommuniststatewasestablished,Stalinwasappointedtovarioussmallleadershipjobs
withinthenewtheSovietgovernment.Thenin1922,StalinwasappointedtothepostofGeneral
SecretaryoftheCentralCommitteeoftheCommunistParty.ThispositionenabledStalinto
appointhisalliestogovernmentofficesandbuildupabaseofpoliticalsupport.AfterLenin's
deathin1924,Stalinoutmaneuveredanyopponentsandenemiesthatwereapotentialthreatto
hispower.Atfirst,thesepeopleweresimplyexpelledfromthepartyandexiledabroad
however,Stalinnoticedthattheycouldstillcriticizehimfromafar.SoheinducedtheSoviet
Unionaperiodofterror,knownastheGreatPurge.Thisincludedlargescalearrestsand
executionsofvariousmembersoftheCommunistParty,RedArmy,governmentofficials,and
peasants.Thisresultedinnopoliticalorintellectualopponents,leavingStalintosoleintellectual
forceinthecountry.Feelinginferiortotherestoftheworld,Stalinpursuedaneconomicpolicy
ofmobilizingtheUSSRtoachievethegoalofrapidindustrialization.Thiswasintendedsothe
SovietUnioncouldcompeteagainsttherestofEuropeasanindustrialsuperpower.These
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policieswerecoordinatedasaseriesofFiveYearPlans,whichinstitutedcollectivization,
industrialization,andagovernmentcontrolledeconomy.
"StalinTheFiveYearPlans."BBCNews.BBC,n.d.Web.21Sept.2014.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/russia/stalinfiveyearplansrev1.shtml>.
StalinwishedtotransformtheSovietUnionfromanagrariansocietyintoanindustrial
superpower.Todothis.StalinconstructedtheFiveYearPlansbetween1929and1941.The
stateplanningagency,Gosplan,drewupoutlinesofproductionforeachfactoryandcollective
farms.Thefirsttwowereintendedtoimproveheavyindustryandincreasetheoutputofindustrial
goods.From1928to1937,improvementsinproductionsubstantiallyincreased:coalproduction
wentfrom36millionstonsto130million,ironwentfrom3millionstonsto15milliontones,oil
wentfrom2milliontonsto29milliontons,andelectricityincreasedfrom5,000millionto36,000
millionkilowatts.Furthermore,theseplansgaveopportunitytowomen.TheSovietUnion
encouragedwomentogotoschoolandparticipateinthelaborforce.Therefore,countless
womenbecamedoctors,scientists,canaldiggers,steelworkers,andjoinedthearmy.
Nonetheless,thiswasattheexpenseofmanyworkers.Mostworkswereslaveworkersthat
tookpartintheproductionfromvariousgulagslocatedinSiberia.Thousandsdiedfrom
accidents,starvation,malnutrition,andexposuretocoldweather.Also,theactualconsumer
goodsproducedbytheseworkersweren'tdistributedtothepeople,andhousing,andwages
werebelowanecessaryamounttosustainmostoftheworkers.

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