Introduction: Looking to further consolidate his power, Stalin initiated a series of purges during the 1930s. Stalin wanted to secure his position as the head of the USSR and to achieve this he had to remove any possible opponents. Long lists of so-called 'enemies of the state' were drawn up. Huge public show trials were held, in which important CPSU leaders, under torture and threats to family members, confessed to extraordinary crimes. Amongst those tried and found guilty were Stalin's rivals of the 1920s, Kamenev, Zinoviev and Bukharin. Even Trosky was located in Mexico and assassinated.
- The purges created an atmosphere of fear, suspicion and secrecy
- By the end of the purges the position of Stalin himself was now completely unchallengeable. All possible sources of opposition in the party, in the Armed Forces, among economic & political theorist and in industry had been crushed
- Apart from the human cost, the whole security of the Soviet Union had been nearly undetermined as the price of this transformation. The Red Army paid a terrible price for arousing Stalin's mistrust, three mashals out of five, and thirteen army commanders out of fifteen died. 25,000 Army officers eliminated: - all leading to a loss of much military expense
- The CP that had bore the brunt of the purges was transformed. Stalin had effectively destroyed the revolutionary generation of Russian Communists; of Lenin's Politburo only Stalin and Trotsky remained alive.
- - Nearly all of his real enemies were disposed of
- Possible rivals had been removed. Old Bolsheviks who remained (eg Molotov) were those he was fairly sure of
- Plenty of scapegoats had been provided to blame for the mistakes of the First Five Year Plan
- Positions left vacant were filled by Stalin's appointments. Future leaders such as Khrushchev and Brezhnev began their careers during the purge
- Loyalties to family, church and community were broken down. Trusting no one people depended on Stalin
- Histories were rewritten. Lenin had really had been surrounded by traitors! But faithful Stalin had beaten them
- By terrifying people, Stalin controlled them.
Stalin's Cultural Revolution
Industrialisation and Collectivisation had created many enemies for Stalin. He became paranoid. He wanted people to be loyal to only himself and the CPSU.
The Cult of Stalin
- Propaganda and censorship were extensively used to build up Stalin into a God-like figure
- Dictator-size portraits were displayed everywhere
- Stalin became known as 'The Great Helmsman'
| Censorship of the Arts |
- Stalin imposed restrictions and regulations on literature, drama, films, music and painting - Pressure on artists and writers to fill their words with heroic stories about the joy of communism - known as 'social realism' |
| Youth Groups |
- 3 Youth Groups were set up to indoctrinate young people in Communism a) The Grandchildren of Lenin (5-11yrs) b) The young Pioneers (11-17yrs) c) The Komsonol (17-25yrs) |
| Education |
- Controlled by the CP - Emphasis on technical subjects to help in industrialisation |
| Religion |
- Stalin viewed religion as a threat to the ultimate power - Priests imprisoned, property confiscated, anti-religion propaganda - Sunday abolished as a day of rest |
| Family |
- Wanted to reduce the influence of the family as an alternative form of loyalty to him - Easy to divorce, women paid same as men and encouraged to work - Child bearing rewards |
