rutr part 3

please no more

After collectivization

• The west is in great depression. US people had went to russian market. 

• By 1934, goals to collectivize ag and increase economic growth was reached 

• Soviet leaders gathered, 17th party congress in moscow. Called it the congress of the victors. Stalin declared party super united but there are sometimes unhealthy moves . 

• stalin was very popular and powerful but there were still fractures in party. Open disagreement during congress about if economic growth should continue or not. Molotov wanted more industrial growth . some thought stalin should be replaced by someone more liberal as leader of party 

• Sergei kirov: member of political bureau (high rank) and very popular. Were approached to be asked to lead in stalins place and offered to vote for him. Rejected that proposal. Stalin’s boy 

• This was reported to stalin. People in party leadership wanna replace him with kirov 

• Kirov was assassinated 

• Stalin used assassination a reason for starting the moscow trails and the great purge . was perhaps staged 

The great purge aka great terror 

when

• mid to late 30s (1938)

who

• stalin

• wealthy peasants (kulaks), nepmen (people who had private enterprise under NEP), clergymen, former oppositionists, communist leaders and party members, red army, intelligentsia 

what

• Period of extreme persecution and oppression in soviet union

• stalin killed and arrested many people, mainly CPSU members that could be competition

• Imprisonment and executions not only of wealthy peasants (kulaks), nepmen (people who had private enterprise under NEP), clergymen, former oppositionists, but also communist leaders and party members, red army, intelligentsia

• Any stain on record, perceived associated with enemy, brought suspicious of NKVD/Cheka (soviet secret police)

• So called enemies were charged with treason, wrecking, espionage, 

why

• Stalin targeted communists (own party members) bc wanted to concentrate power in his hands

• eliminated people who had joined party earlier

  • Wants to flush out old elites and replace them with younger people, better educated, smarter, and loyal to him 

• Also wanted to concentrate power bc hitler was coming to power 

• Leninist party destroyed 

• Mini stalins all over soviet union were happy to knock out any competitors 

• see two schools of though for why stalin was so violent

result

• Stalin destroyed any opposition in soviet union and it became very authoritarian  

1934

• By 1934, goals to collectivize ag and increase economic growth was reached 

• Soviet leaders gathered, 17th party congress in moscow. Called it the congress of the victors. Stalin declared party super united but there are sometimes unhealthy moves . 

Sergei kirov

• : member of political bureau (high rank) and very popular. Were approached to be asked to lead in stalins place and offered to vote for him. Rejected that proposal. Stalin’s boy 

• This was reported to stalin. People in party leadership wanna replace him with kirov 

• Kirov was assassinated 

• Stalin used assassination a reason for starting the moscow trails and the great purge . was perhaps staged 

year the purge was over

1938

holdomor date

1932 - 1933

soviet union famine date

1931-1934

Ukrainian capitol city moved

1933

•  to kiev, was previously Kharkiv

armenian genocide by turks date

1915

acknowldge by US 2019

• Volhynia massacre 

date

1943

Grigori Aleksandrov

• Film producer, socialist realism 

socialist realism

• writers/poets/composers write for goal of socialism. New genre is called socialist realism 

Holodomor:

• man made famine in ukraine 1932 to 1933 (peak)

• There was also famine in soviet union (1931-34) but ukraine was worse bc of political decisions that were aimed or only in ukraine 

• Millions of soviet citizens died (russia, kazakhstan, ukraine) 

• “Hunger extermination” 

• Started from stalin wanting to collectivise in 1929. Forced peasants to relinquish land, property, housing to collective farms . deported kulaks (wealthier peasants) and anyone who resisted 

  • Crime against russians, etc, including ukraine but not specifically targeted 

• 1933 Ukrainian capitol city moved to kiev, was previously Kharkiv

• Collectivisation led to drop in production and food shortages 

• Sparked series of peasant rebellions in ukraine 

• Famine was officially denied by kremlin for more than half a century 

  • Unable to mourn trauma (example jewish people can live in germany bc germany acknowledged holocaust) (example armenian genocide 1915 [acknowledged by US in 2019 bc turkey is in NATO] by turks that turkey does not acknowledge = beef ) (example slavery in US acknowledged) 

  • Recognized it as a famine, not as a genocide. Genocide would mean they deliberately targeted ukrainians to die 

• After soviet union collapsed and 15 republics became independent, ukrainians distanced themselves from russia 

  • Became part of national identity (“chosen trauma”) after ukraine gained independence. Used to distinguish themselves from russians. 

  • Project responsibility onto opponent (russians are bad guys and we should hate them and project responsibility onto them, specifically onto Stalin) 

  • 1943 Volhynia massacre. Ukrainians killing poles  .he claims this was downplayed bc does not fit idea of ukrainians 

Culture in 1930s

Culture wars 

• After bolsheviks came to power in 1920s, struggle between genders, greater freedom of artistic expression

• Stalin introduced new official policy with goal that writers/poets/composers write for goal of socialism. New genre is called socialist realism 

• Mobilize artists to become tool of construction of socialism. 

• Socialist realism: life is to be depicted in its revolutionary development. In doing so, truthfulness and historical concreteness of artistic depiction must be combined with the task of ideological remolding and re-education of the toiling people in the spirit of socialism”

• Most soviet film directors had worked abroad in hollywood so had influence on society cinematography 

  • But Soviet heroes: working class, farmers and industrial workers as builders of new society 

  • And tried ugly sides of capitalism (Circus 1936). Confronted american rascism . promoted ideal of soviet inclusivity 

  • Grigori Aleksandrov is producer

Two schools of thought as to why stalin was so violent 

• Totalitarian . emerged during cold war. Stalin’s mindset. Stalin bears responsibility for death and was ruthless 

• Pluralist. Multiple causes for terror. Competing groups in society created conditions in which violence was inevitable. Stalin was not ruthless but merely a leader who shifted support between groups abruptly and playing them against each other 

kulaks

wealthy peasants

hitler ideology

• Considers slav as inferior. Untermenschen . subhuman . german used to compose some of russian elite in imperial russia (22% officers) , catherine the great . exploited this fact to claim that russia was only powerful due to german element over inferior race 

• Considers jewish people even worse . animal antisemitism. element of decomposition 

  • Needed an enemy to explain problems and challenges. Needs a scapegoat to project onto. 

  • Problems of German people beginning after WW1 were projected onto Jews. also had religious prejudice against them so even easier 

  • Mobilize people against external enemy . USSR previously had friendly relations with germany. 

  • There were many jews in the bolshevik party which he also exploited to mobilize anti soviet sentiment and antisemitism in germany 

• Proclaimed hostility towards USSR in 1923 . wanted russia as Lebensraum / colonize it 

• Thought that soviet union was weak and thought of it as a jewish empire. 

  • Thought german pressure would make it collapse form within 

• Bolshevism is christianity’s illegitimate child. Both are inventions of the jew. 

  • Jesus was a jew 

  • Marx was a jew (bolshevism based on marxism) 

• 1933 hitler came to power as already established enemies with soviet union 

• Wanted all german speaking people under one umbrella, creating the third Reich 

• Lebensraum / living space  = poland, russia, ukraine . fertile land 

First countries to sign agreement with hitler

• Vatican , the pope 1933 

  • Pope concerned that hitler and his party didnt trust catholics. Had their spiritual center outside of germany 

  • Guarantees that catholics in germany would not participate in any political life . catholic political party dismissed in germany. 

  • Hitler as warrior against godless bolsheviks 

• Poland 1934

Soviet response to hitler coming to power 

• Maxim Litvinov. Soviet diplomat. Initiated policy to stalin was Collective Security 

• Mean to sign agreements with european democracies (france, england) to create shield against potential aggression of Nazi Germany . initially very successful 

• USSR and collective security 

  • 1933: normalization of relations with US 

    • Franklin D roosevelt 

    • Rationale: (1) need embassy in moscow to influence developments in USSR. (2) great degression: US corporations want business in USSR (300,000 americans actively participated in soviet rapid industrialization). (3) national security interests of US and soviet union coincided bc Japan was thinking about expanding its empire. 

  • September 1934: USSR enters league of nations. End of Soviet isolation 

    • Predecessor to united nations 

    • US is not member bc want no more wars . isolationism 

  • Polish-german nonaggression pact 1934 accelerated Moscow's shift to new course of collective security involving apparent partnership with western democracies in europe and asia 

  • 1935: franco soviet pact signed in paris

  • 1935 soviet czech pact signed 

  • 1935 seventh comintern congress

  • 1936 german army units enter the Rhinland and build sigfried line of fortifications 

    • Hitlier Violated the versailles agreement. Was not allowed to keep military units on border with france / Rhinland 

    • France reacted quickly 

1936 germany italy japan anti cominern pact

1936 hitler told generals that Germany  had rearmed sufficiently to undertake the aim expoinded in Mein Kampf

Anschluss of austria 1938

sudetenland

Czechoslovakia had area called Sudetenland . 3 million ethnic germans lived here as czech citizens and hitler wanted to bring them into one umbrella (Reich) which means war. 

• Prime minster of england decided to intervene and prevent war . want agreement with hitler to save peace 

• Munich agreement 1936 . appeasement . GB conceded self determination for sudeten germans . france then agreed. Then czech 

• Then there were new demands and chamberlain no longer agreed. 

• France and GB agreed to hand our sudetenland to germany. Czech not consulted . to avoid war 

• Ultimately four eu countries met in munich and signed agreement surrendering czechoslovakia to germany to avoid war 1938 . germany, GB, france, italy . czechoslovakia not invited 

• GB and france hoped that they would wage war in east instead and west will capitalize on war

1934

• Poland signed agreement with hitler 

• USSR enters league of nations. End of Soviet isolation 

• Polish-german nonaggression pact

1933

• Ukrainian capitol city moved to kiev, was previously Kharkiv

• Hitler came to power 

• Vatican signed agreement with hitler 

• normalization of relations with US 

1935

• franco soviet pact signed in paris

• soviet czech pact signed 

• seventh comintern congress

1936

• german army units enter the Rhinland and build sigfried line of fortifications 

• germany italy japan anti cominern pact

1938

• Anschluss of austria

• Munich agreement

Maxim Litvinov.

• oviet diplomat. Initiated policy to stalin was Collective Security 

Collective Security

• Mean to sign agreements with european democracies (france, england) to create shield against potential aggression of Nazi Germany . initially very successful