Stalin's Soviet Russia

Stalin was idolized by society

Stalin controlled every part of citizens lives through fear, manipulation, and force

Secret police force - NKVD, then later known as KGB

• monitored and suppressed political opposition

• carried out surveillance

• implemented Stalin’s policies of repression and terror of those deemed to be enemies of the state

Great Purge - killed citizens for “counter revolutionary activities”, even Bolsheviks

Gulags - Siberian work camps - people were shipped here and never seen again

Used media censorship to glorify Stalin’s achievements

Used indoctrination - education was controlled by the state

Stalin used the League of the Militant Godless to attack religion

Economic Policies - to outproduce any European power

• Command economy - state was completely in control of economics

• Five-Year Plan - increased output of steel, coal, oil, and electricity, but restricted production of consumer goods to meet these goals - as a result, Russians did not have basic necessities

• Collective farms - kolkhozes

  • kulaks protested collectivization of farms and were persecuted as a result

  • new kulaks emerged - anyone who employed other workers or owned working machines

• women had to join the labour force and state provided childcare for working mothers