Stalin's Policies and Their Impact on the Soviet Union

Historical Context of Russia/Soviet Union

• Under czar Nicholas II, Russia was perceived as backward compared to Western Europe, often around 100 years behind in terms of scientific, industrial, and societal advancements.

• Russia lagged significantly during the scientific revolution, reformation, enlightenment, and industrial technology until WWI, showcasing its deficiencies with a large non-industrial army against Germany.

Stalin's Commitment to Industrialization

• Post-Russian Revolution, even as the Soviet Union emerged, it was still deemed backward.

• Stalin's first priority was to industrialize the Soviet Union quickly, saying "let's put an end to the backwardness in the shortest possible time."

• Introduced the Five Year Plan (1928-1932), intending rapid industrialization despite its not literally lasting five years.

Five Year Plan Details

• A massive industrialization initiative where the state would own all production.

• The Gosplan, a state planning commission, was created to manage production quotas, wages, types of industries, and infrastructure projects such as dam construction.

• Industrial focus on coal, iron, steel, and electric power—essential for primary infrastructure.

• Urgency to develop industrial cities, as Russia was primarily rural with 80% of the population living in peasant villages.

Results of the Five Year Plan

• Achieved a 400% increase in industrial production from 1928 to 1940.

• Significant growth in vital sectors like electricity and steel to foster industrial strength and symbolically present images of strength against capitalist nations.

• Resulted in large-scale urban migration, creating housing shortages and poor living conditions.

Human Costs and Workforce Dynamics

• High quotas led to labor exploitation, with workers facing long hours and minimal compensation.

• Many peasants moved to cities for work, leading to overpopulation and lack of adequate housing.

Collectivization of Agriculture

• Stalin mandated that all farmland be state-owned, creating collective farms where farmers worked as state employees rather than private owners.

• The commune system obliterated individual family life, as farms operated under shared housing and regimented schedules.

Resistance to Collectivization

• The Kulaks, wealthier peasants, resisted by destroying land and livestock rather than surrendering to state control.

• Stalin retaliated by imprisoning or executing hundreds of thousands of them, leading to a drop in agricultural productivity.

Ukrainian Famine (Holodomor) 1932-1933

• Seen as a man-made famine caused by Stalin’s policies and aimed as punishment against Ukrainians for resisting collectivization.

• Unrealistic grain quotas devastated the population, with millions starving. Followers of Stalin often ignored and concealed this crisis from the outside world.

• The death toll ranged from 7 to 10 million, leading many historians to classify it as genocide.

The Great Purges (1934-1941)

• Marked by widespread executions, imprisonments, and a climate of fear where citizens suspected of being opponents of Stalin were purged.

• Triggered by the assassination of party boss Sergey Kirov, leading to Stalin's paranoia about dissent within the Communist Party.

• Show trials emerged where confessions under duress were forced, highlighting Stalin’s ruthless consolidation of power.

• During the period of purges, over 1,500,000 Soviets were arrested, with close to 700,000 executed.

Gulags

• Gulags were camps used for political prisoners that operated as forced labor camps.

• Approximately 7 million entered these gulags from 1934 to 1941, with an estimated 300,000 dying from harsh conditions and hard labor.

Cult of Personality

• Provided fabricated images of Stalin as a larger-than-life national figure through state propaganda, emphasizing his infallibility and projects like industrialization.

Concluding Remarks on Stalin

• Stalin's oppressive regimes—including mass industrialization, collectivized agriculture, and deadly purges—marked him as one of history's most notorious dictators, responsible for extensive human suffering.