Totalitarianism In the Soviet Union and Germany

Seeds of Totalitarianism In Russia

During the Russian Revolution of 1917, The Bolsheviks Claimed They Would Hold a Vote to legitimate their rule They did badly in this vote and just ignored it

Remember, Lenin believed that he knew the way forward for Russia

The Russian Civil War

Bolsheviks aka ‘the Red Army’ The Whites (Tsarists, aristocrats,

conservatives) Lenin’s Reds Fought Effectively

Dropped out of World War I Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Used Harsh Military tactics Trotsky

Elimination of the Romanov family

During the civil war, Lenin’s forces executed the tsar and his family. Why would they do this? No rallying point for the whites.

Rumors existed for a long time after that one of the tsar’s daughters survived. Anybody know her name? Anastasia

Lenin’s forces won the civil war. They renamed Russia the U.S.S.R. or Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or Soviet Union

Lenin had engineered the first successful Marxist revolution in history. The problem is that he had little time to enjoy his victory because… He died of a stroke in 1922, only 5 years after the Revolution started

Instead, the task of running the Russian Revolution fell to… Joseph Stalin…

Flags of Communist Nations

The Treaty Of Brest-Litovsk

Communist Soviet Union/ U.S.S.R. (name change) Was Isolated as a Pariah

U.S. even sent troops to help the Whites Some historians have argued that this actually helped

the Reds…huh? Communism was seen as a terrible threat

Preached international revolution No private property

U.S.S.R. was not invited to the treaty negotiation at the end of the war (Treaty of Versailles)

Reds Won the Civil War What now?

Economy in Soviet Union was in shambles 4% of 1913 production This is related to Lenin’s ‘War Communism’ (know from the

book!)

Lenin instituted NEP New Economic Policy Allowed limited capitalism to rebuild Soviet economy Was a success Lenin knew he wasn’t ready to nationalize peasant land…

he had to wait until he was stronger

Post Civil War Leadership

•Why didn’t Lenin run the Soviet Union?

•Death of a stroke

•Who did Lenin say should replace him?

•Trotsky not Stalin

•Why Trotsky?

•Stalin was too ruthless

“A single death is tragic. A million deaths is a statistic.” Joseph Stalin

“The outstanding characteristic of Stalin’s personality was total ruthlessness.” historian.

Stalin is Ruthless!!!

Stalin’s son Yakov shot himself because of Stalin's harshness toward him, but survived. After this, Stalin said “He can't even shoot straight".

Yakov served in the Red Army during World War II and was captured by the Germans. They offered to exchange him for captured German Fieldmarshal Paulus Stalin turned the offer down, allegedly saying "A lieutenant is

not worth a general"; others credit him with saying "I have no son," to this offer, and Yakov is said to have committed suicide, running into an electric fence in Sachsenhausen concentration camp, where he was being held.”

Examples of Stalin’s Ruthlessness

Stalin’s Coup

He used his position as Communist Party General Secretary to make deals and apply pressure Also, his support of ‘one-country Communism

helped’ (make sure you know it from the book!) He eventually united enough people against

Trotsky that Trotsky, afraid for his life, fled the country

Just for the record- Trotsky spent the rest of his life traveling the world criticizing Stalin as a tyrant, until Stalin had him murdered by an assassin with an ice pick

Stalin Seized Total Power and Abandoned the N.E.P.

It might

be helpful

to think

of Stalin

as a

modern

day …

=

•Before Collectivization

•many Soviet peasants had gotten land in the years before WWI and especially during the Russian Revolution

•large landholders were known as Kulaks

•Stalin’s plan was to seize all land and have peasant farmers work on their farms collectively

•Agricultural produce would be ‘shared’

•After Collectivization

•Stalin eliminated Kulaks

•Killed or sent to prison

•Collectivization

•Everyone shared the work and produce of the farm together

•… where does any extra food actually go?

•To Stalin, which brings us to…

The Five Year Plans

•Stalin planned to use the extra food from Collectivization to pay hundreds of thousands of factory workers to literally build new factories from scratch.

•He demanded a certain increase in productivity in a set 5 Year period

•1st plan demanded a __________ increase in heavy industry

•Do we know what heavy industry is?

•If you are in charge of a factory and you don’t meet the demands?

“It is sometimes asked whether it is not possible to slow down the tempo somewhat, to put a check on the movement [the Five-Year Plans]. No, comrades, it is not possible!

One feature of the history of old Russia was the continual beatings she suffered because of her backwardness. She was beaten by the Mongol khans. She was beaten by the Turkish beys. She was beaten by the Swedish feudal lords. She was beaten by the Polish and Lithuanian gentry. She was beaten by the British and French capitalists. She was beaten by the Japanese barons. All beat her because of her backwardness, military backwardness, political backwardness, industrial backwardness, agricultural backwardness.

Such is the law of the exploiters-to beat the backward and the weak. It is the jungle law of capitalism. You are backward, you are weak-therefore you are wrong; hence, you can be beaten and enslaved.

If you do not want this you must put an end to its [Russia’s] backwardness in the shortest possible time… There is no other way.." We are fifty or a hundred years behind the advanced countries. We must make good this distance in ten years. Either we do it, or we shall be crushed.”

Was Stalin successful? Yes and No. THE GROWTH OF HEAVY INDUSTRY IN THE USSR

INDUSTRY UNIT 1932 1938 Coal millions of ton 64 132 Oil millions of tons 22 32 Pig Iron millions of tons 60 140 Steel millions of tons 6 18 Automobiles thousands 23 211 Tractors thousand 50 176 Machinery billions of rubles 18 33 Chemicals billions of rubles 2 6

T-28

T-34

By WWII, Russia had the best tanks in the world.

Collectivization Failed

No increase in agricultural production Peasants had almost no incentive to work hard

Ukrainian Peasants Challenged Collectivization By Refusing to Work

- remember… no matter how hard they work…

Stalin Sent the Red Army Into Ukraine

They took every scrap of food they could find

Then they pulled out and blocked all roads in and out

6-9 million starved to death…

•Why didn’t anyone complain about this to Stalin?•One person did… Stalin’s wife. •One night at dinner, Stalin got in a public argument with her over Ukraine•The next morning she was found shot to death

•Doctor’s ruled it a suicide

A Culture of Fear

•Purges

•Stalin killed 70% of the officers in the Soviet Army because he felt they were not loyal enough to him

•He killed millions of other Soviets who were a threat or not loyal enough

Soviet Totalitarian Culture

Positives Women’s rights

increase U.S.S.R. started to catch

up with European nations

Urban standard of living slowly rose

Socialist benefits Free medical care Full employment

Negatives Culture of fear No access to the truth

(propaganda and censorship) Rural life was harsh Gulags- political prisons Purges Unions were crushed Inability to cope with rapid

urbanization No political or religious

freedom (atheism) Secret police Constant fear

The Rise of Hitler

Stab-in-the-back Theory Failed attempt to seize power

Mein Kampf Great Depression

Nazi Vote Share Rises Hitler is elected in 1933

He has promised to rebuild Germany’s military and to defy the Treaty of Versailles

Somewhat paradoxically, fear of the spread of Communism is one of the reasons that Germans support Hitler and Italians support Mussolini Mussolini and Hitler promise NOT to collectivize land and nationalize

businesses They support capitalism and so win the support of the leading industrialists

The End of WWI- Germany in Shambles

Kaiser Fled at the End

Of WWI Interesting anecdote

about the Kaiser and

WWII

Weimar Republic established…it is weak

Too many partiesNo military to command respect

In debt because of Treaty of Versailles and blamed for thistreaty too…

Even fringe parties

Helped stab in the back theory supported by Hitler and other German nationalists

Germany was not fully invaded at the end of WWI…

Radicalization•Hitler’s first military assignment after the war was to spy on a small extremist party

•But Hitler found that he liked the parties’ views

•He ended up joining, and because he was a great speaker, he eventually rose to be its leader

•He changed its name to…

•National Socialist Party or the Nazi Party

•Swastika

Beer Hall Putsch Attempted to seize power by

force Failed- Hitler is jailed In the trial that followed,

Hitler’s speeches were covered in the media… he became a celebrity (his powerful speaking style!)

Wrote Mein Kampf in prison (‘my struggle’)

Bestseller… Hitler became famous

Great Depression Helped the Nazis

Hitler Promised…

•To put Germans back to work

•To crush the Treaty of Versailles (especially to re-arm)

•To regain German Honor

=

Great Depression Helped Nazis (cont.)

Don’t forget, Totalitarians can get things done!

Also, Hitler knew how to tap into German emotion. He promises to build a Third Reich that will last for 1000 years.

Reichs

Nazi’s Won a Enough Votes to Choose the Prime Minister of the Weimar Republic in 1933

There is much more to this story in the text

Chose Hitler Hitler Used a fire in the

Reichstag Fire to Eliminate German’s Natural Rights

Hitler Set Up a Totalitarian State

Hitler Youth

Purges

eliminated your own followers who are a threat

Propaganda and Censorship

SS and Gestapo

Women are ‘Baby Machines’

(10 kids story)

Began to Rearm Germany… This helped Unemployment.Can be done quickly because… ______________)? (might remind you of Stalin’s ______________)?

Hansen Name ________________AP Euro Totalitarianism in the Soviet Union and Germany

Part I. Seeds of Totalitarianism In Russia • During the Russian Revolution of 1917, The Bolsheviks Claimed

They Would Hold a ___________________________________– They did badly in this vote and _________________

• Remember, Lenin believed that _________________________ __________________________________

The Russian Civil War• Bolsheviks aka ____________________________ • The Whites (Tsarists, aristocrats, conservatives)• Lenin’s Reds Fought Effectively

– Dropped out of World War I • Treaty of ___________________________

– Used Harsh Military tactics• ______________________

– Elimination of the Romanov family Communist Soviet Union/ U.S.S.R. (name change) Was Isolated as a Pariah• U.S. even sent troops to help the Whites

– Some historians have argued that this actually helped the Reds…huh?

• Communism was seen as a terrible threat– Preached _________________________________– No private property

• U.S.S.R. was _________________ to the treaty negotiation at the end of the war (Treaty of Versailles)

Reds Won the Civil War• What now?

– Economy in Soviet Union was ___________________• _______________________________• This is related to Lenin’s ‘War Communism’ (know

from the book!) • Lenin instituted NEP

– __________________________________– Allowed ______________________________ Soviet

economy– Was a _____________________– Lenin knew he wasn’t ready to ____________________…

he had to wait until he was stronger

Post Civil War Leadership• Why didn’t Lenin run the Soviet Union?

– _____________________________• Who did Lenin say should replace him?

– _____________________________• Why Trotsky?

– _____________________________Examples of Stalin’s Ruthlessness • Stalin’s son Yakov shot himself because of Stalin's

harshness toward him, but survived. After this, Stalin said “_________________________________________".

• Yakov served in the Red Army during World War II and was captured by the Germans. They offered to exchange him for captured German Fieldmarshal Paulus

– Stalin turned the offer down, allegedly saying “______ ______________________"; others credit him with saying "I have no son," to this offer, and Yakov is said to have committed suicide, ____________________ _____________________in Sachsenhausen concentration camp, where he was being held.”

Stalin’s CoupHe used his position as Communist Party ___________________

to make deals and apply pressure– Also, his support of ‘__________________’ helped

(make sure you know it from the book!) • He eventually united enough people against Trotsky that

Trotsky, afraid for his life, ___________________________

Before Collectivization• many Soviet peasants had gotten land in the years before

WWI and especially during the Russian Revolution • large landholders were known __________________• Stalin’s plan was to seize all land and have peasant farmers

work on their __________________________– Agricultural produce ______________________

After Collectivization• Stalin eliminated Kulaks

– _________________________• Collectivization

– Everyone shared the work and produce of the farm together

– … where does any extra food actually go? – _______________________________________

The Five Year Plans • Stalin planned to use the extra food from Collectivization to pay

hundreds of thousands of _____________________ to literally build __________________________________.

• He demanded a certain increase in productivity in a set 5 Year period– 1st plan demanded a __________ increase in heavy industry

• Do we know what heavy industry is? _______________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________

• If you are in charge of a factory and you don’t meet the demands?– _____________________________________

Collectivization Failed• ________________________________________________________• Peasants had almost no incentive to ____________________Stalin Sent the Red Army Into _________________• they took every scrap of food they could find• Then they pulled out and _________________________________• _______ million starved to death…A Culture of Fear• Purges• Stalin killed _______________________________________ because

he felt they were not loyal enough to him• He killed millions of other Soviets who were a threat or not loyal

enoughSoviet Totalitarian Culture• Positives

– _________________ rights increased– U.S.S.R. started to __________________________________– Urban standard of living slowly ______________– Socialist benefits

• _______________________• _______________________

• Negatives– Culture of _______________– No access to ________________ (propaganda and censorship) – ________________life was harsh – Gulags- ____________________– Purges – Unions were crushed– Inability to cope with rapid urbanization– No political or religious freedom (_______________!)– ______________________– Constant fear

Part II. The Rise of Hitler • Stab-in-the-back Theory - ________________________________• Failed attempt to seize power

– Mein Kampf• Great Depression

– Nazi Vote Share Rises • Hitler is elected in 1933

– He has promised to rebuild Germany’s military and to defy the Treaty of Versailles

• Somewhat paradoxically, __________________________________ is one of the reasons that Germans support Hitler and ___________ ______________________________________

– Mussolini and Hitler promise NOT to ___________________ ________________________________________________

– They support ________________ and so win the support of the leading industrialists

• The end of WWI – Germany in Shambles – Kaiser Fled. Problems?

• ______________________• ______________________• ______________________

• Germany was not fully invaded at the end of WWI – Helped

___________________________________________• Hitler’s Radicalization

– Hitler’s first military assignment after the war was to spy on a _____________________________

– But Hitler found that he __________________views– He ended up joining, and because he was a

______________, he eventually rose to be its leader – He changed its name to…

• ___________________Party or the Nazi Party• _______________

• Beer Hall Putsch story (retold- no more notes here) • Great Depression Helped Nazis (ditto)

– Don’t forget, Totalitarians can ____________________! – Also, Hitler knew how to tap into German ________. He

promises to build a _______that will last for __________. • Nazi’s Won a Enough Votes to Choose the Prime Minister of the

Weimar Republic in 1933– Chose Hitler – Hitler Used a fire in the _______________ to Eliminate German’s

_______________• Hitler’s Totalitarian State

– Hitler Youth – SS and Gestapo – Baby machines?