What were the three main causes that produced the

authoritarian state?
1) Batista & Corruption- Batista took over power from the former president, in a coup 3
months before the elections were to even happen. Batista wasnt projected to win, so in order to
verify that he would win, he fixed the polls in order to do so. However due to the amount of
corruption within Cuba previously, the country was basically used to what Batista had done.
2) United States involvement with Cuba- United States President, Harry Truman, began to provide
military and economic support in echange for Cubas support, due to Batistas new rise to power.
During this time, the US was very involved in Cubas economy. This progression towards
capitalism led to the rise & revolution of Castro.
3) Castros Revolution- Overall, Castro was a strong advocate for the lower class and poor
population of Cuba. By joining the Cuban Peoples Party, Castro was able to begin changing the
quality of life for the peasant community. Castro was able to convince members of this party that
change needed to happen, and that Cubas government needed to be removed. This ultimately
sparked a revolution, which eventually allowed Castro to take over power, force Batista out of
office, and began to move away from Cuba becoming a capitalist type government.

Describe the specific aims of the leader as they rose

to power?
Fidels first and main belief was that he himself was not actually interested in power. Castro
claimed that he became the leader of Cuba, not because of the position of power, but rather so he
could help improve the life of the lower-class population as well as change the government for the
improvement of the people. Right after Castros victory over Cuba, people were celebrating
because the revolution was over. Castro wanted to improve the country as a whole, rather then just
improve himself, and take a bunch of power. This is one reason that he was able to gain such a
large support group.
[if !supportLists]2) [endif]Furthermore, Castro wanted to implement his socialist views throughout
Cuba. This began when Castro singed the First Agrarian reform in to law, which put a cap upon the
amount of land a certain person was allowed to own. The implementation of this reform, appealed
to the peasant community, because they began to receive portions of land from wealthy owners,
ultimately building up Castros support group. Furthermore, Castro declared Cuba a socialist state
in 1961, which was a step towards communism, even though Castro himself was not considered to
be completely communist.

Describe two - three of the main aspects describing

the ideology of the leader?

1) Castros love for Cuba. Fidel Castro can be considered an extreme nationalist. Once in power,
this helped him motivate the population of Cuba against the US. By referring to the quality of past
treatment of Cubans by the US, he was able to convince the majority of the population to remain
as far away from the US as they could. The majority of Castros basis for the revolution was
created based of his nationalism and support for those who could not support themselves.
2) Castros foreign policy. Castros foreign policy consisted of support from multiple different
support groups throughout other Latin American countries. (Bolivia, Venezuela, Nicaragua) In
addition, Castro obtained support from the USSR, who shipped goods and materials to Cuba to

help the country out. Castros main foreign goal however, was to promote the freedom of smaller
countries from their much more powerful and wealthier controllers. In addition, since the United
states attempted to cripple the Cuban government through a trade barricade, many other countries
that were against the US, began to support Castros regime.
3) New mans theory- this theory was an idea that Castro and Che Guevara created, that
regulated work and employment throughout Cuba. It consisted of the idea that all Cubans should
no longer work for the benefit of themselves, but rather for the good of everyone in society. This
increased benefits for Cubans, such as education. From this, Castro aimed to improve the entire
society as a whole, rather then just certain individuals.

To what extent did the leader achieve totalitarian rule?

- Fidel Castro acheieved totalitarian rule to a certain extent, due to some policies he implemented;

however due to his socialist principles, Cuba cannot be considered a totalitarian ruled country.
- First off, at the beginning of Castros regime, he implemented new policies that took care of the
poor community, by taking away money and land form the rich, and distributing it to the peasants.
Creating social equality, in the sense that there was no personal gain on jobs, everyone gets paid
the same amount, no matter what they had been previously paid, created a world of equality, and
hard working people. This ideology can be considered extremely communist, however Castro was
still considered a socialist, and therefore did not implement complete communist ideology.
- Castro improved many problems within cuba, through implementation of communist ideology. For
example, the literacy rate began to increase drastically throughout his rule, and quality free health
care was accessible to almost everyone. These economic policies and importance of such,
somewhat reflect that of a totalitarian ruled nation.
- Furthermore, Castro controlled the propaganda throughout Cuba. From controlling the media, to
banning certain books to be public accessible, Castro was able to create a totalitarian ruled state to
some extent, however not completely.

2) Establishment of Power:
] Describe

three specific methods that were used to

establish power? (force and/or legal)
1) First off, Castro used the corruption of Batista and other government officials, as well as his
distaste for the US, to gain power through the Cuban Peoples Party and gain a large support group
in order to spark a revolution. The Cuban revolution was based off the support for the peasant
population, and how their voices and opinions needed to be heard within the new government.
Thus, if Castro won the revolution, he would make sure that this would happen.
2) Castros personality and intelligence was a major factor in gaining supporters for the revolution.
Additionally, if they had won the revolution, and Batista were to be taken from power, it would only
make sense, for Castro, the leader of the revolution to become the new leader. Yet, even after
Castro won, he put a different leader in power, which showed to the public that he himself wasnt
after the power, rather he just wanted to improve the social situation of the country.
3) Ultimately, when Castro became Prime Minister of Cuba, he began to focus upon the poor
community and population of Cuba. By highlighting the importance of education, making it
accessible, redistribution of land to all people of Cuba, so that all members of Cuban society had
equal income and land, he was able to gain a massive support group that agreed and wanted his
ideology.
[if !supportLists]

Would you describe the authoritarian leader as left

wing or right wing? Explain.
- Castros ideology and the implementation of such, reflects those of a left wing authoritarian
leader. Communism in general is considered to be left wing ideology. Once Castro came into
power, his main goal was to create a sense of equality, making everyone live with the same rights,
and income. In addition, the implementation of his New Agrarian Reform and other reforms, reflect
those of a left wing leader. However, Castro cannot be considered as extreme as some other
rulers, such as Stalin, because his methodology was somewhat forgiving. Castro did not kill his
opposition or force anyone to believe in what he did. He highlighted, that through implementation of
new laws that he wanted to improve Cuba in a peaceful way. Although he sometimes did imprison
those who opposed his ideals, which reflects some right wing ideology, Castro can be considered a
left wing ruler.

[i

What was the nature of the treatment (give specific

examples) of opposition and to what extent was it
successful
1) The main rival throughout Castros regime was the United States. Even throughout his own
party, there was hardly any opposition, due to the fact that almost everyone believed in what he
was doing. As for the US, Castro used every possible way to get rid of US involvement in the
Cuban government and in the country in general. As an example, Castro re-took control over US
owned land in Cuba, so that the US had no means to be involved with Cuba what so ever.
2) Castros opposition with middle to upper class members of Cuban Society- throughout the first
couple decades of Castros regime, most of Cubas upper class members migrated into the US.
Many of these people were doctors, teacher, businessmen etc.. all people with money. Many of
them left due to the fact that they did not want to abide by Castros new social policies, which
would down grade there income and land, creating over all equality. In this sense, Castro did not
force out the people that didnt agree with him, like Stalin did, in fact, Castro left them to decide for
themselves, whether they wanted to leave or not, making it very successful. Below is a graph that
shows demographics of Cuban migration into the United States:

3) Domestic Policies and Impact:

[How did the the structure and organization of the government assist the rule of the
authoritarian ruler.
- The way that the government was set up, at the time Castro came into power, made it achievable
for Castro to create an authoritarian state. First, the structure of the government before Castro
came into power, began to look very similar to that of the capitalist United States, thus, the reason
Castro wanted to start a revolution. The people of Cuba wanted someone to look up to, as well as
someone who supported the poor community. At this time, a large majority of Cubas population
was in financial trouble.
- Additionally, Castro eliminated all government officials that did not agree with his ideology, which
created a government that reflected his socialist views and ideology. Even though Batistas
government was turning towards Capitalism, the base for it was still based on communism, which
allowed Castro to easily alter the government in order to create a new socialist government, fit best
for Cuba.
Describe the one of the following: the main political, social and religious policies used to
maintain power.

- Social Policies Castro used his popularity, and his focus upon the importance of education, as
a means to maintain power. As for popularity, Castro used this as his main tactic to maintain
power. By highlighting the importance of the people of Cuba, and how he wanted to help
improve the lives of Cuban society, through equality, he was able to maintain a large support
group, which ultimately allowed him to maintain power. Furthermore, Castro stressed the
importance of education. By making education easily accessible for a majority of the population,
Castro was able to improve the educational situation in Cuba drastically. The literacy rate
increased momentously. Here is a url to a website that shows the increasing literacy rate within
cuba :

Methods Used to Establish Power

Castro used US threats to increase his control, to bring about a one party system, and to mobilize
the people to transform Cuba.
1) Castro established a situation of dual power by creating alternative organizations that
increasingly bypassed the government.
In 1959, Castro created the Office of Revolutionary Plans and Coordination (ORPC) which created
a situation of dual power between the ORPC and cabinet, as the former began to push for the
revolution Castro wanted.
By 1960, Castro consolidated a centralized form of rule with the help of a handful of his friends
which strengthened his power and influence over Cuba.
2) There were many opponents of the regime throughout the years which fled to the United States
or were repressed by Castros forces.
To combat opponents of the growing influence of communists in his regime, Castro further
established his position by creating armed militias as part of the new revolutionary structure of
power.
The resulting wave of nationalist and pride following Cubas victory in the Bay of Pigs incident
meant that those opposed to Castros regime were viewed as traitors.
Castro launched a rectification campaign which became a drive against corruption and those
Castro felt were opposed to what he saw as Cubas economic needs.

3) Castro used communism as a force to unite the various communist groups of Cuba and later
destroyed them in order to consolidate his power and establish preeminence over all potential
rivals.
After a series of political manipulations and impeachment, Castro supported the radical left wing of
his movement and strengthened his control until the party posed no serious challenge.
As promised during the revolution, Castro introduced a new constitution that introduced a system
of Poder Popular which set up a three-tier system to allow for democratic decision-making.

Cuban relations with the USA:

No quick deterioration of the American-Cuban relations.

Castro was thought to be a social democrat, not a nationalist.

He outraged the USA by nationalising American-owned estates and factories.
President Eisenhower reacted by threatening to stop importing Cubas goods.
Forced Cuba to sign a trade agreement with Russia.

July 1960:

USA stopped import of Cuban goods

USSR promised to buy Cuban sugar

Cuba confiscated all remaining American property

Relations between USA and Cuba worsened, but USSR relations with
Cuba improved.

USA broke off diplomatic relations with the two countries.

Russia, at that point in time, was already supplying economic aid to

Cuba

The USA, President J.F. Kennedy even approved a plan to invade Cuba:

The Bay of Pigs happened on April 1961

Proposed by Batista supporters.

To be executed from American bases in Guatemala.

The CIA was deeply involved.

Badly planned and excecuted

Castros forces and its 2 planes therefore easily crushed it.

Missile Crisis (1962):
Brought the already torn world to the brink of nuclear war
In the summer the USSR supplied arms to Cuba, who directed them at the USA.
On October 22nd Kennedy announced that U-2 spy planes had detected Russian
missile bases were being built in Cuba.
He alerted the army & blockaded Cuba to stop further arms
Demanded the missiles to be taken down again (ultimatum)
Khrushchev agreed to removed offending missiles in return for Kennedys promise
not to invade Cuba
Cuba was expelled from the OAS (Organisation of American States) by suspicious
Latin American states. This made the Cuba even more dependent on Russia.
The cold war relaxed but American-Cuban relations stayed cool.
Castros greatest problem specific to Cuba:

How would the other American states react to a new socialist threat at their
doorstep?

Cubas economy was far too reliant on sugar and the price fluctuations
of the world sugar market.

The administration and the government was riddled with corruption

There was serious unemployment and poverty

Ernsto Che Guevara:

Ernsto Che Guevara, who had played an important role in the

revolution, took a position in Castros government.

He wrote a book on the guerrilla warfare, which had big impact on Latin
America.

By 1965 he became frustrated with government.

Left Cuba to organise revolutions. And was killed by Bolivian troops

1967.
The new government however was enthusiastic and dedicated:

During his first ten years Castro totally reformed Cuba:

Collective farms were introduced.

Factories and businesses were nationalised

Attempts were made to modernise sugar production and increase output

New industries were introduced to relieve heavy reliance on sugar.

Social reforms

Included attempts to improve:

Education

Housing

Health

Medical facilities

Communication

Achieved equality for Negros and more rights for women

Opened touring cinemas, theatres, concerts and art expeditions

Castro kept on touring the country, giving speeches urging for

greater efforts.
Governments success:

Especially in sphere of social reforms:

All children were getting some sort of education (only 50% before
1959)

Sanitation and hygiene improved.

Greater sense of equality and stability that ever before

After the first decade the government seemed to be popular with

the vast majority of people.
Governments failures:

The inability to diversify the industries and the agricultural output was
the most serious failure. This made Cuba more dependent:

1970s the harvest fell, worsened by a fungus infections (1980s)

This plunged the country into a economic crisis:

Unemployment rose

Increased immigration to the USA

Food was rationed

Economy heavily subsidised by USSR

After a promising start the progress was faltering.

Hitler

Edit

Origin and Nature: Hitler

Hitler as an individual
Role in the Munich Putsch (1923)

Strategies
1Propaganda
1

2
1

3
4

3
1

First to use radio

2
Mein Kampf
3
Played on already existing anti-semitism
4
Promised people what they wanted to hear
Political Platform
1
Rejects Treaty of Versailles
2
Strong central government
3
Promoted German nationalism
Historical Context
Political Instability
1
Collapse of Weimar Republic
1
Lack of leadership
2
No strong central government
3
Government criticized by right and left
4
Economic problems blamed on government
2
Reestablishment of NSDAP in Munich in 1924
Economic Situation
1
Post-Versailles reparations
2
The US Great Depressions effect on Germany
3
Chancellor cut government expenditure, wages and unemployment pay
4
Unemployment rose to 6 million
5
Hyper-inflation
1
German government trying to pay off reparations
Fear of revolution
1
Communism
Nationalism
1
Humiliation from guilt clause of Treaty of Versailles
1
Hitler was the first politician to speak out and take action against
treatys conditions
Elimination of Opposition
Strategies
1
Enabling Act
2
NSDAP gained relative majority of seats in Parliament in 1932 elections
1
Underestimated strength and popularity of the party
Sources of opposition
1
Religious groups
2
Youth movements
Limiting of Opposition
1
Trade unions abolished
2
Communists outlawed/imprisoned
3
Unions/democratic parties dissolved/made illegal
4
Hitlers Youth
5
Education reform
6
Use of propaganda

I. Methods: force, legal

a. March 5, 1933 Election
i. Nazis, (who were now in power) used all the apparatus of state, including press
and radio, to consolidate a
majority
ii. Senior police offices in Weimar Germany were replaced by loyal Nazis, and
50,000 auxiliary policeman were
called up from the SA and SS
b. Enabling Law, March 23, 1933
i. The government could introduce laws without the approval of the Reichstag for
the next four years, could ignore
the constitution, and sign agreements with foreign countries.
ii. Laws would be drafted by the Chancellor and come into operation the day they
were published
iii. Allowed Hitler to justifiably rule as dictator for the next four years
iv. The law passed due to Nazi intimidation
1. Nazis surrounded the Kroll Opera House and MPs had to force their way through
SS troops in order to
enter
2. The 81 communist MPs were not allowed to enter
3. Inside, SA and SS troops lined the walls and chanted, We want the bill, or fire
and murder.
4. Groups were afraid to vote against the bill, and the Catholic Centre Party voted in
favor of it, passing
by 441 votes
c. Education system was closely controlled so that children could be indoctrinated
with Nazi opinions

II. Form of government

a. Won 288 seats out of 647 in 33 election
i. 36 seats sort of an overall majority
ii. Note: At the height of their power, the Nazis were supported by only 44% of the
voting electorate
b. Gleichschaltung (forcible co-ordination)
i. Turned Germany into a totalitarian or fascist state
ii. Government controlled as many aspects as possible, using a huge police force
and the State Secret Police,
(Gestapo)
iii. Separate state parliaments (Lander) still existed but lost all power. Their
functions were taken over by a Nazi
Special Commissioner appointed in each state by the Berlin government

III. Nature, extent, and treatment of opposition

a. March 5, 1933 Election
i. Meetings of all parties, except Nazis and nationalists, were banned
b. February 27
i. Reichstag damaged in a fire
ii. Fire started by Dutch anarchist, van der Lubbe arrested, tried, and executed
iii. SA knew of van der Lubbes plans, but did not stop him so they were able to
blame the fire on the communists
1. Used this event to stir up fear of communism before he banned the party
c. Under the Gestapo, it was dangerous to oppose or criticize the Nazi party
d. Gleichschaltung
i. All political parties except the National Socialists were banned so that Germany
became a one-party state, (like
Italy and the USSR)
ii. The civil service was purged: all Jews and other enemies of the state were
removed until it was fully reliable

Forms of Government Control

Legally gained power through the Reichstag and elections.

Ruthlessly controlled the lives of the people. Brutal.
German Police replaced by the SS and the SA, his personal boy guards. Ordered
them to take out Communists and all other enemies of the state.
Complete dominance of the media, used propaganda to control the minds of the
people. Goebbels as is voice through the media.
Nazis were supported by 44% of the electorate in 1933.
Enabling Law- Allowed Hitler to become complete ruler. Unopposed. Absolute
power.
Used force and the SS to get laws passed. Threatened to kill people if they didnt
vote for the Enabling Law.
Gleichschaltung- Turned Germany into a fascist totalitarian state.
Banned other political powers. Single party state.
Controlled the education system. Hitler Youth.
Germany became a police state.
Beer Hall Putsch. Tried to forcefully start a revolution.

Ideology
Germans way of life dedicated to the furthering of the state.
Organization of all aspects of life.
Organized militarily. Always a standing military.
Anti-Communist
Race is an important aspect. Aryans vs. Non-Aryans. Master race. Jews and
others inferior. Anti-Semetic.
Creation of a powerful Germany.
Remove unemployment and give everyone jobs. Everyone works towards making
the state better.
Make Germany self sufficient by boosting exports and reducing imports.
Totalitarian state with control over industry, agriculture, and way of life. Personal
freedom limited.

Opposition
It became dangerous to oppose the Nazis after the Enabling Law. Hitler had
absolute control.
Early opposition were communists. Jailed many of them. Attacked by the SS.
Blamed the Reichstag fire on communists.
Suspected enemies of the state jailed for no reason.
Focused on the persecution of Jews later in his rule.
Hitler formed an agreement with religious (Concordat). Agreement broken, schools
shut down. Religious arrested.
Sent Jews to concentration camps.
Courts supported Hitler, no real trials.
Main enemies were communists, social democrats, Jews, Catholics, and
Protestants.
Used Jews as scapegoats. Hitler blamed them.
Nuremberg Laws- Deprived Jews of rights.
Final Solution- extermination of Jews.
Murdered General Rohm and other SA leaders when they opposed him. Knight of
the Long Knives.
Had people shot for opposing him. Brutal.

Stalin

I. Conditions that produced authoritarian and singleparty states

A. Russian Revolutions
a. The first revolution in March of 1917 overthrew the tsar and set up a moderate provisional
government.
b. This was just as bad so in November 1917 the Bolshevik revolution overthrew the
government.
B. Civil War
a. This new government was a little unstable so a civil war broke out between the White and
the Reds.
b. Thanks to Lenin and Trotsky though, the Reds were able to win the war, setting up a
communist regime.
i. The Red Armies had more troops, probably outnumbering the White by about ten to one.
They controlled most of the
modern industry and so were better supplied and had Trotsky as their inspirational leader.
c. The economy of Russian was completely shattered by both the civil war and WWI.
i. There were severe food shortages aggravated by droughts across the nation.
ii. New Economic policy was moderately successful but forced peasants to give up any
surplus produce.
d. Russia was now the worlds first communist state. Power was held by the communist part
and no other parties were allowed.
i. All opposition and other views instead of Communism were banned and many
government leaders were expelled.
C. Lenins Death
a. Lenin died in 1924, leaving the USSR isolated and facing an uncertain future. Lenin had
made no clear plans about how the
government was to be organized after his death, and this meant that a power struggle was
inevitable.
b. The Politburo didnt want Trotsky to be leader because his aims were too high and they
agreed they wanted to join the country
collectively for now.
c. The Politburo didnt think that Stalin was that strong of a leader and kept him in power
even Lenin had advised to have him removed.

II. Emergence of leaders: aims, ideology, support

A. Support
a. Stalin used his position to gain more support
b. His position allowed him to appoint and promote new officers, so he used this to place
people who supported him in power, and

removed those who gave him opposition. He surrounded himself with strong supporters of
his beliefs.
c. In the beginning Stalin was never strong in his opinions and kept to himself. Although
there was much argument after Lenin died
about how the Communist regime should be run, Stalin only expressed the ideal that
Trotsky should be exiled. This allowed him to
slowly get rid of his competition and rise to power.
d. Stalin knew the power of his position with his job he had the power of appointment and
promotion to important party positions. He
filled these posts with his own supporters and removed the supporters of rivals to remote
parts of country. Then, Party conferences and
congresses filled with his supporters, who then elected the top leadership.
B. Aims
a. Stalin aimed to reduce all competition to his party, even after he had gained power.
i. He felt insecure because the government had lost support due to the discontent with the
collectivization and hardships of
the Five Year Plans.
ii. This discontent led to a wide number of purges that moved millions of innocent people
into prisons and labor camps
because Stalin was paranoid of a government overthrow.
iii. The Great Terror from 1936-1938 showed how Stalin murdered over three million
people in two years because of his
aims to continue to gain more power across Russia.
b. Stalin strived to make the country produce more products.
i. With his collectivization of farms and Five Year plans, he made sure that the countrys
economy was on its way to a world
power.
C. Ideology
a. Improve the economic situation in Russia and strive to make the economy number one.
i. He did this through his collectivization and his Five Year Plans
b. Communist government throughout Russia without any opposition towards his
leadership.
i. He made sure that all everyone surrounding him in power was for his leadership and
eliminated anyone who showed any
opposition.

III. Totalitarianism: the aim and the extent to which it

was achieved.
A. Economic
a. The Five year plans were set up by Stalin to revolutionize industry as fast as possible with
as much outcome as possible.
i. The money from these plans was taken from mostly Russians themselves, who were
already poor. Many peasants

were charged heavily for use of government machinery. They were also forced to pay to the
government all profits and
surpluses.
ii. Stalins law brought about severe punishments for people with bad workmanship and
many were convicted for
being saboteurs when targets were not met.
b. Collectivization dealt with the farming problems and forced small private farms to merge
into one large collective farm to produce more
products.
i. Stalin wanted to eliminate the peasant class with collectivization because he thought that
the kulaks were a threat to Communism.
ii. All the peasants who were landowners were brutally forced into the collective farms.
They were stripped of all their land, crops and
livestock and forced to work for the government. Peasants who refused to join were
tortured, arrested and murdered.
iii. Collectivization didnt even increase production and ultimately failed.
B. Political Totalitarianism
a. Stalin felt that under his totalitarian rule political and social aspects must be controlled
just as much as economic life. He aimed at
complete and unchallenged power for himself and became increasingly paranoid throughout
his reign.
b. Stalin used the murder of one of his leaders to start the Purges.
i. Over the next four years hundreds of political leaders were arrested, tortured, and made to
confess all sorts of crimes that they
were mostly innocent for.
j. Millions of innocent people who were convicted ended up in labor camps.
C. Social Totalitarianism
a. Writers, artists, and musicians were forced to create things that promoted Communism
and Stalins regime and anyone who did not
conform was executed.
b. Education was also closely watched by the secret police, although literacy did increase.
c. Also, churches were closed and clergy were prosecuted.
I. Method of taking control in Russia
a. Russian Revolution- Despite not having much of an impact on the actual events of the
Russian Revolution, many sources refer to Stalin as little more than a petty thief for the
communists, but it did clear the way for Stalin to eventually seize power from his closest
allies.
b. Communist Party and Lenin- Stalin was quick in the post Tsarist Russia to make allies.
He aligned himself not only with the Communist Party but with its greatest leader; Vladimir
Lenin. Stalin took up the unthreatening position of General Secretary and made more
allies on the side that opposed Lenin, covering all his bases.
c. Upheaval of Trotsky- Stalin appeared to be right, as Lenin, on his death bed, declared
Leon Trotsky as his successor and pleaded with the Communist Party to listen. Stalin used

his allies from the party to quickly overthrow the intellectual Trotsky and seize the position
as the USSRs leader.
II. Form of Government in Russia
a. THE Communist State- The Soviet Union was the single most powerful communist state
in history and followed strict communist ideals under Stalin. However Stalin did slowly drift
away from traditional Marxism in favour of more cost effective means.
b. Cold War and Weapons Development- The Soviet Union and the United States became
locked in a struggle that would define the 20th century, as such, Stalin focused much of his
government on weapons development and expansionism. Russia even designed what is
universally referred to as the most reliable gun on the planet; the AK-47.
c. Suppression of the People- A cornerstone of Stalins society was that he maintained an
iron grip over almost every aspect of his people. Many consider Stalin to be one of two of
the biggest authoritarian dictators of the 20th century.
d. The Communist Elite- The Soviet Union was guilty of perpetuating a sort of Communist
Elite, something they always swore against, in which some communist wielded
unbelievable power and money over all other people in their nation.
III. Nature, extent, and Treatment of Opposition
a. Suppression of All Rights- As mentioned above, Stalin brutally repressed nearly all of his
peoples rights to the point that he was easily an authoritarian dictator, which allowed him
to easily crush opposition beneath his heel.
b. Detainment of Enemies- The Gulags are probably one of Stalins most famous forms of
dealing with his enemies. Although exile did exist, such as with Trotsky, Stalins preferred
method was sending all his opponents to the harsh Gulags.
c. Eventual Slaughter- Although not exactly a blatant slaughter directly ordered by Stalin,
Stalin must have been aware of the nigh unbelievable amount of people being killed at the
Gulags, and he used that slaughter to his advantage to scare other enemies into silence.

Stalin: Domestic policies and impact

I. Structure and Organization
a. Communist Party: In Russia, Stalins communist party was supreme. All criticism and
opposition is eliminated. People are expected to be totally loyal to the party and to the
leader. Stalin was the supreme ruler.
b. Supreme Soviet: The national assembly in the Soviet Union. This was created in 1936
by the new constitution in which everyone was allowed to vote to choose members of the
Supreme Soviet. However, this group only met for two weeks in the year. During this time it
would elect a smaller body, the Praesidium, to help carry out its tasks. The Supreme
Soviet also chose the Union Soviet of Commissars, which was a small group of ministers
with Stalin as the secretary. This group held much of the power making the democracy an
illusion.
c. Politburo: The real power remained with the politburo
II. Political, economic, social and religious policies
a. Political:
i. Purges: Stalins government had lost popularity because of the brutality of the Five Year
Plans and collectivization.
There was growing opposition within the party and a push for Stalins removal. This
caused Stalin to demand a purge of opposing party members. Many were sent to prisons
and labor camps in 1933-34, but none were executed at this
point.

ii. Great Terror: After the murder of Kirov in 1934, Stalins regime executed and sent to
labor camps nearly three million people. Officials were arrested, tortured, and forced to
confess crimes that they did not commit. Old Bolsheviks were targeted for bringing about
the 1917 revolution. The army was also targeted as the Commander-in-Chief of the Red
Army, 13 generals and top officers were executed. The great terror was successful in
creating fear within the Russian society to obey Stalin and his policies. However, because
so many top officials and educated people were executed, the countrys progress was
sacrificed.
b. Economic:
i. Five Year Plan: Stalin believed a rapid expansion of heavy industry was vitally important
to Russias success. He recognized that Russia was behind and that the country needed
to make up for lost time so he installed a series of plans to expand industrialization.
1. First Five Year Plan: The first of the two plans was concentrated on expanding heavy
industry including coal, iron, steel, oil and machinery.
2. Second Five Year Plan: This plan did not meet all of its targets. It tried to increase
consumer goods as well 'as heavy industry. These plans brought about strict working
conditions and if quotas were not met, some workers were sent to forced labor camps.
3. Success: The plans were mostly successful. By 1940 the USSR had surpassed Britain
in iron and steel production. The plans were made possible by cash provided by the
Russians themselves rather than foreign investment. Many foreign technicians were
brought in to the USSR to help with the plans.
ii. Collectivization:
1. Reasons: Small farms were inefficient and need to be replaced by larger, mechanized
farms. The Kulaks were enemies of communism, so extreme force needed to be used.
2. Process: Small farms were combined and made into larger, more efficient farms. Many
peasants were reluctant and had to be forced to give their land and cattle to the
government. Kulaks often revolted by burning crops and killing their cattle, however these
peasants that refused were either sent to labor camps or killed. In reality, the program was
not successful as total grain production did not increase. This led to famine during 1932-3.
While grain exports were increased, nearly 5 million peasants died of starvation. Stalin
claims collectivization was a success because it increased mechanization, but many critics
look to the amount of peasants that died during the process.
c. Social:
ii. Education: Education was closely monitored by the secret police and much of the
material taught glorified Stalin and the Soviet Union. Education was compulsory and free
and literacy rates did increase.
iii. Orthodox Church: Churches were closed and clergy was persecuted during Stalins
reign. However, Stalins plan to eliminate the Orthodox Church failed as half of the
population were still convinced believers in 1940.
III. Role of education, arts, media and propaganda
a. Education: This was one of Stalins main achievements. He was able to raise the
literacy rate from 50% to nearly 100%. Teachers reverted back to a more traditional style
of teaching with an emphasis on math and science. As part of the five-year plan, education
in colleges and universities was expanded to provide a new generation of skilled workers.
b. Media and propaganda were strictly regulated. Any anti-Stalin literature, news etc was
prohibited and anyone that openly opposed Stalin was sent to labor camps or executed.
IV. Status of women, treatment of religious groups and minorities
a. Kulaks: Stalin wanted to eliminate the class of prosperous peasants known as the
kulaks. He believed that they were standing in the way of progress so he used
collectivization to undermine their power. This led to the death and starvation of many
peasants, which Stalin saw as an easy was to get rid of the unwanted population.

b. Stalin was committed to shutting down the orthodox church by closing churches and
persecuting clergy.