-Totalitarianism in the Soviet Union-

I. After Lenin’s death in 1924, Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky contended to become the new dictator of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) A. By 1927, Stalin was dictator and Trotsky was in exile

II. Five Year Plans A. Stalin thought the Soviet Union was economically backward B. In 1928 he started the first of three Five Year Plans C. These economic programs would advance the Soviet Union through two specific goals 1. Growth of heavy industry 2. Increased agricultural production

D. The Five Year Plans resulted in major industrial gains 1. Steel production quadrupled 2. Factories and workers had production quotas set by central planning boards a. This was a command economy put to use 3. One side-effect was that less consumer products were produced

E. The Soviet Union used collectivized agriculture where farmers had to give up their land and form collective farms 1. This led to increased food production 2. People were freed from farming and began to work in industry 3. The government’s complete control over farm production brought communism to the peasants

F. An ethnic minority known as the Kulaks resisted the collectivization movement 1. They chose to destroy their crops and livestock instead of turning them over to the government

2. Millions of Kulaks were executed or sent to forced labor camps in Siberia 3. Because of the Kulak resistance, famine was widespread during the 1930s in the Soviet Union a. The Ukraine, the Soviet Union’s breadbasket, was heaviest hit

III. Under Stalin, the Soviet Union was a Totalitarian state A. Citizens had no democratic rights 1. Freedom of speech 2. Freedom of the press 3. A trial by jury

B. Dissidents, those who went against the government, were punished severely C. Censorship and propaganda encouraged extreme nationalism 1. Authors and artists were expected to use their work to glorify the Soviet Union

IV. Life under Stalin was unpredictable A. Stalin used purges to remove his critics from the communist party 1. A period of extreme turnover from 1934-1938 is known as the Great Purge 2. Stalin ordered the deaths of many people out of paranoia

B. Unemployment was low C. Public education was improved and became mandatory for certain people

V. Stalin opposed Comintern, which was created to support communism internationally A. Comintern contained communists from around the world 1. Their goal was to spread the Russian Revolution

B. Under Stalin, the Comintern became less active 1. As a result, the Soviet Union gained international recognition 2. Britain and the U.S. both began diplomatic relations with the U.S.S.R. 3. In 1934, the Soviet Union was accepted into the League of Nations