1. Totalitarianism

2. What is it?
A government that takes total control over every aspect of public AND private life.
People give up liberty for a sense of security.
Need a dynamic leader to pull it off
Stalin
Mao
Hitler

3. Case Study- Stalinist Russia
The KGB (secret police)
Kept tabs on EVERYONE
Tap phones, read mail, random arrests and interrogations/ forced confessions.
Arrest LOTS of people
send them to the gulag (labor camp)
Or shoot them

4. Vasili Blokhin (KGB Executioner)
Once shot 7,000 Polish prisoners in 28 Days
Nikolai Yezhov
(head of the KGB in the 1930’s)

5. Propaganda and Censorship
Stalin’s government controlled:
Newspapers, movies, radio, and other sources of info.
All Stalin, all the time
Everything was a success, all policies were great, Stalin was awesome, etc, etc, etc…

7. The communist party controlled ALL schools
Education & Indoctrination
The communist party controlled ALL schools
ANY teacher or professor who challenged the Party view was arrested.
Ex. – Stalin wasn’t in St. Petersburg for the start of the October Revolution(true by the way)?
OFF TO THE GULAG
10 – 15 years.

8. Communists don’t like religion
“Opiate of the masses”
Russian Orthodox church pegged as the “bad guy”.
Stalin especially hated churches – many torn down during is regime

10. Stalin and the Economy
Stalin saw that Russia was behind the rest of the world
Wanted to catch up quick
His solution was a COMMAND ECONOMY
Government makes all of the economic decisions.
Stalin’s idea  Five Year Plans
Set impossible goals for industrialization
Two ways to reach the goals
Don’t make as many consumer goods
Lie about the figures.
In the end it worked (sort of)
Production increased but numbers not met

11. Stalin and Agriculture
1928
Stalin decides to collectivize farms
big government farms
People forced off their land
Produce more but it is mismanaged from the start
Widespread famine (food shortage)
Results in the death of 5 – 10 million people.

13. In-Class Project (3-5 per group)
Write our leaders “myth” (extended writing)
Humble Beginnings, Triumph over Adversity, Victory
Who is the “Enemy of the State” (extended writing)?
Flag of the State (large posters)
Propaganda poster of our leader (large poster)
Poster of what the ideal society will look like (extended writing or large poster)