...The Struggle for Power: Key Players Joseph Stalin Background * Born into a family of Georgian peasants in Gori in 1879 * Educated in a local religious school because his parents wanted him to become a priest. * Continued his spiritual education in Tbilisi upon leaving the seminary and converted to Marxism * Joined the Communist Party in 1902, and in 1912 he was made a member of the Central Committee. * Throughout this time, he was continually in trouble with the police, and was eventually exiled to Siberia, from which he escaped 5 times. Position(s) * General Secretary * Controlled the Politburo agenda * Selected delegates for the Party Congresss * Controlled promotions and appointments within the party. * Head of Rabkrin * Controlled party discipline Revolutionary Record * Was a committee member during the October Revolution and the years that followed * Saw himself as a military tactician and refused to accept Trotsky’s authrotiy during the Civil War. * Never distinguished himself as a revolutionary hero during this period, but in spite of this, by 1921, his presence on many senior committees secured him a position at the highest level of government. Relationship with Lenin * First meeting occurred in 1905. * In the period prior to the Oct. Rev, Lenin came to rely on Stalin’s administration ability and loyalty. * Prior to Lenin’s illness, Stalin was careful to back him on controversial issues. ...
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...STALIN, THE GREAT PURGE, AND RUSSIAN HISTORY: A NEW LOOK AT THE ~EW by MARSHALL SHATZ Paper No. 305 1984 CLASS' STALIN, THE GREAT PURGE, AND RUSSIAN HISTORY: A NEW LOOK AT THE 'NEW CLASS' ~ MARSHALL SHATZ Paper No. 305 1984 Marshall S. Shatz received his B.A. from Harvard College and his M.A., Certificate of the Russian Institute, and Ph.D. from Columbia University. He edited The Essential Works of Anarchism (New York: Bantam Books, 1971; Quadrangle Books, 1972) and is the author of Soviet Dissent in Historical ¥erspective (Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 1980). He is Professor of History, University of Massachusetts at Boston. 1 STALIN; THE GREAT PURGE; AND RUSSIAN HIsroRY: A NEW IOOK AT '!HE • NEW CLASS' Though nearly fifty years in the past; Stalin •s Great Purge of the 1930s still loans as one of the nost enigmatic events of the twentieth century. Whether we think of the Great Purge as a IOOre or less continuous process fran the assassination of Kirov in 1934 to Ezhov's replacement by Beria as head of the secret police at the em of 1938; or limit it to the EzhoVshchina of 1937 and 1938; When the terror reached its peak; operation is astounding. the sheer nagnitude of the The nuniber of arrests; deportations; imprisonments; and lives lost in these years is impossible to measure; and attempts to do so have varied wildly. Even the lOi/est estimates; however; are staggering.l It ...
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...Lincoln High School IB History Internal Assessment Student Handbook Table of Contents What is the History IA? Planning Your Historical Investigation Examples of Types of Investigations Examples of Research Questions Choice of Topic 20th Century History of the Americas Alternative The Written Account & Assessment Criteria A. Plan of the Investigation B. Summary of Evidence C. Evaluation of Sources D. Analysis E. Conclusion F. Sources and Word Limit Sample History IAs 1Trotsky and the Russian Civil War 2US in Chile 3Women in the French Revolution 4PreWWI Alliances 4 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 14 1 2 2 3 4 10 16 Information in this guide is gathered from a variety of sources, including, but not limited to: The IB History Course Guide, Oxford’s IB Skills and Practice, IBOCC, and anecdotal experience. What is the History IA? The History IA is your chance to explore a period, theme, or event in history that you are interested in. For full IB Candidates, it also serves as 20% of your final History Grade. The final paper will be assessed by your teacher, with a sampling sent off to IB for score moderation. The History IA asks you to use the full range of skills you have been taught in class. In particular: ● knowledge and understanding ● application and interpretation ● synthesis and evaluation...
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...How successful were the Bolsheviks in consolidating their power between 1917 and 1924? Scott Anderson In the period 1917-24, the Bolsheviks successfully managed to remain in control of Russia. Consolidating their power meant that they were able to increase their influence within Russia. However, the process to becoming the absolute power was very gradual and involved some very key decisions. To determine how successful we must consider whether the Bolsheviks made any mistakes or could have done anything more effectively. Firstly, we must look at the initial problems facing the Bolsheviks when they came to power in 1917. After completing the revolution many of the problems of Tsarist Russia still remained, leaving Lenin and the Bolsheviks to solve the problems swiftly in order to increase their claim to power. The problems of lawlessness, land redistribution, attitude of peasantry, the war, economic problems and issues to do with the Constituent Assembly all had to be resolved. The party also had created new problems when it came to power; these were mainly caused by groups and people not supporting the party. On top of all this, the Bolsheviks had no real plans for their Government, they had no experience of Government, they had expected a world revolution and they had expected the State to just wither away. The Bolsheviks also did not control the whole of Russia. Most of the country was oblivious to the fact that they were in power, the Revolution occurred in towns and cities...
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...Snowball and Leon Trotsky “Animal Farm was meant to help destroy the Soviet myth.” – George Orwell. Orwell was a democratic socialist and this led him to denounce that what was going on in the Soviet Union had anything to do with socialism. As people equated the Soviet Union with socialism, he thought no one could appreciate what democratic socialism is. Orwell doesn’t criticize the act of revolution itself but the misery it could cause if the leaders go corrupt, shortsighted, and greedy. George Orwell’s Animal Farm demonstrates a symbolism of the Russian Revolution through features of Snowball and the historical figure of Trotsky. Animal Farm is an allegorical novel written by George Orwell in 1945 that reflects the social issues of the Soviet Union in the time period of 1917 to 1943. This essay will explain about who Snowball is, who Leon Trotsky was, similarities and differences between these two characters, and the author’s purpose of using Snowball to represent Trotsky in his novel. Snowball is a Napoleon’s rival who contends for control of the Animal Farm after the rebellion. In Animal Farm, chapter two on page 16, it describes Snowball as an eloquent, inventive, and vivid leader. He is most clearly attuned to Old Major’s thinking and devotes himself to actualize it. Snowball insists that in order to defend Animal Farm and strengthen the reality of Old Major’s dream without human beings, the animals should stir up rebellions in other farms throughout England. He brings...
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...corrupt with power, because he had control over all of the animals. He controlled how much food they received and how much and how hard they were forced to work. The way Mr. Jones controls the animals on the farm parallels how Czar Nicholas II controlled the Russian people. There was an old pig called Old Major, who symbolizes Karl Marx, in that, Old Major convinced all of the animals to rebel. Before the rebellion took place Old Major died, the same as Karl Marx. In the Battle of Cowshed which parallels the Russian revolution, one pig named Snowball stood out among all the others. Snowball was a natural leader, well educated, a good speaker and a firm believer in animalism (communism/socialism). Snowball has all of the same traits as Leon Trotsky. In the battle, Snowball was the pig who took charge and organized a defense. Because of Snowball the animals ultimately won the battle against the men. After the battle, the animals celebrated their...
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...Mothers 4th child- 3 previous pregnancies that all resulted in death. Stalin’s mother was very protective because of this. Ridicule- Caught small pox and suffered from scares on his face as a result. Kids called him “Poxy” Tiflis Theological Seminary- Did well in his studies, which resulted in a scholarship to Tiflis Karl Marx- Became part of a secret group that supported Georgian independence from Russia when he was first exposed to the ideas of Karl Marx Expelled- Misconduct and disrespect Arrested/ Deported- Stalin was arrested after coordinating a strike at the large Rothschild plant at Batum. After spending 18 months in prison Stalin was deported to Siberia. Linin Reward- Rewarded for his continued return to Russia as well as an article in favor of the current practices of Linin November, 1917- Lenin appointed Stalin Commissar of Nationalities. Civil War- During the Civil War Stalin played an important administrative role in military matters and took the credit for successfully defeating the White Army Mass Terror-In August, 1918, Moisei Uritsky, chief of the Petrograd Secret Police was assassinated. Two two weeks later Dora Kaplan shot and severely wounded Lenin. Stalin, who was in Tsaritsyn at the time, sent a telegram advocating an "open and systematic mass terror" against those responsible. The advice of Stalin was accepted and in September, 1918, Felix Dzerzhinsky, head of the Cheka, instigated as the Red Terror. It is estimated that in the...
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...How successful was Lenin in creating a totalitarian society by 1924? Lenin, the leader of the Bolshevik party and most importantly the ruler of Russia had to sacrifice a lot to get the Communist utopia Karl Marx foresaw. Despite it being a modification of the official ideology which people refer to as Leninism, it had major flaws which made you question, was Lenin really successful in creating a totalitarian society? Lenin was very successful in creating a totalitarian society; one of his beneficial areas of control was his one party state which was crucial in order to achieve Lenin’s adaptation to Marxism, this would mean the Bolsheviks would have complete control over the state and get rid of all and any opposition to their ideology. Lenin did this by dissolving the constituent assembly which meant a step forward in a totalitarian state by means of no opposition, Lenin made sure it stayed this way by ensuring the ban on factions within the Party as well as using the Cheka to make sure everyone stays in line and does not oppose the new Bolshevik regime. This was effective as it now left the Bolsheviks in complete control in this area. Another reason Lenin was successful was the fact he had control over the economy which is absolutely essential in any Totalitarian regime as controlling the economy meant they have the financial capability needed to maintain and produce a totalitarian society. As well as that, it meant sure that the state controls everything and that communism...
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...Running Head: STALIN’S TERROR MACHINE Stalin’s Terror Machine There are a handful of names in modern history that are associated with the word “terror.” One of those names is Joseph Stalin. He served as the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union for a period of 30 years from 1922 until 1952. During his reign, millions perished as the result of his totalitarian terror machine. He eliminated all those who he saw as a threat, whether they were actually a threat or not. Stalin’s uses of propaganda were crucial in maintaining power. The totalitarian state controlled education; making sure that the subjects were in line with what Stalin wanted. History books were rewritten to overplay Stalin’s part in the Revolution of 1917 and his relationship with Lenin, who was a father of the revolution. Many previously printed books were banned and the new ones were censored. Stalin, just like Hitler, developed a cult of personality. Many people blindly believed everything that Stalin and the Communist Party put out. This blind belief coupled with fear gave Stalin the ability to use state terror against his own people. Many were executed and many more sent to perish in the vast emptiness of Siberia. In order to better understand state terrorism in The Soviet Union, it is important to understand what lead up to it, how and why the state used terrorism, how the international community viewed the situation, as well as what was the final outcome...
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...With reference to source C and D and your understanding of the historical context, which of these two sources is more valuable in explaining why Lenin replaced War Communism with the New Economic Policy in 1921? (25) It is evident from the dissatisfied tone in source C that the toilers regarded War Communism in 1921 as a huge problem. In referring to the published programme headed ‘’What are we fighting for?”, the sentence ‘’At last the police baton of the communist autocracy is smashed’’, shows the disappointment with the communists, as they had hoped for a more successful outcome. Thus by the tone in source, furthered by the programme outlining the reasons why they were unhappy, source C gives a suggestion as to why Lenin replaces War Communism with the New Economic Policy (NEP). This is because during the war in 1921, the requisitioning of food from the peasants in order to feed the red army as well as ensuring the cities where the workers were located were properly replenished, created an aggressive peasant resentment, as they denied soldiers food. As a result of this, many physical interactions between the people occurred causing the Bolsheviks to loose support. This can be regarded as valuable in explaining why Lenin replaced War Communism with the NEP as it is evident that this is the reason why industry and production ground to a halt with production in heavy industry falling to nearly 20% of its 1913 levels, food production falling to nearly a third and a breakdown...
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...The Russian Civil war was the Bolsheviks fight to stay in power and get rid of all their competitors which they successfully achieved. The Reds At the time, the political party of the Bolsheviks was called the All-Russian Communist Party. In politics, the colour red is traditionally associated with leftist groups, socialism, and communism. The colour red on a flag can symbolize courage, toughness, and revolutionary political views, the bridge being shed blood and violence The Whites The terms White Movement, White Army, White Guards and the like have their roots in the historic connection between the colour white and royalism. Russian emperors were also called White Tsars. The colour white has been associated with royalist causes since the late 18th century In spite of this general connection that exists between white and royal, it does not mean that everybody connected with the White Movement during the Russian Civil War was in favour of a return to the monarchy. Some were, some weren't. However, white was a good contrast to red, so the name stuck. Let's keep in mind that the expression White Movement, when used in context of the Russian Civil War, refers to a group of people with different agendas and different ideas. But what they all had in common was their disagreement with the Red Bolshevik Communists. Note that the Whites did not get their name from White Russia, which is another name for Belarus, a country in Eastern Europe, nor from the White Russian cocktail,...
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...English E.O.C.A The novel “Animal Farm” was written in 1945 by author George Orwell. George Orwell was the pseudonym of Eric Arthur Blair, a British writer born in Motihari, India in 1903. After serving in the Indian Imperial Police force, Orwell wrote “Down and Out in Paris and London,” an account of the conditions faced by the poor in France and England. Next, in 1936, he fought in the Spanish Civil War, which was his source of inspiration for “Homage to Catalonia.” After his days in service, he devoted his efforts to speaking out against the domination of one man over another. This is shown in books such asAnimal Farm” and “Nineteen Eighty-Four.” “Animal Farm” takes place in England, on Manor farm (later renamed Animal Farm) in Willingdon. It incorporates all seasons of the year, as it takes place over the course of many years, tracing the lives of all the animals. The point of view in the novel is third person, omniscient. “Animal Farm” is an allegory of the Russian Revolution and the course of communism in Russia and the USSR. The many characters in the book symbolize either one person or a group of people. The pigs represent the communist government and are the ones that become corrupt. More specifically, Old Major is Karl Marx, the “father of communism,” Snowball is Vladimir Lenin and Napoleon is Joseph Stalin. The dogs that Napoleon uses as his personal guards symbolize the KGB, the Soviet Police force. Most of the other characters like Boxer, Clover...
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...empire is gone, executed and left to deteriorate. Significant territories including Poland, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, parts of Ukraine, Belarus and more lands have either broken away or been taken away, while the population has diminished by at least twenty five million people. Production has fallen to the levels of the times of Peter the Great, hunger and devastation are the general picture all around. In fact, things are going so bad, even the revolutionary leadership, backed fearlessly by millions of people just a few years before, is itself becoming a target of mass anger. Fresh uprisings grip Siberia, the southern and western regions and even spread to the Red Army. The new communist regime headed by Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky realizes something needs to be done quickly to prevent the country from falling into complete chaos and anarchy. The tax cut One of the first measures taken by the Communists was the reduction of the farmer’s tax. During the First World War and throughout the Revolution all farmers were obliged to give most of their production to the state to provide food for the entire nation. Following the destruction of the Empire, the inexperienced new regime faced a...
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...factor in terms of why Stalin’s opponents were unable to prevent him becoming leader. However, the other three factors are still very important and also played a role in helping Stalin. Therefore, I will be discussing all four of the factors and what effects they had. Errors made by Leon Trotsky were some of the main reasons why Stalin was able to become leader of the USSR by 1929. After Lenin’s death in 1924 there was wide speculation that Trotsky, head of the red army would succeed Lenin. Lenin wrote a testament outlining his opinions on the head Bolsheviks, and Stalin was described as being very dangerous and should be dismissed from the party immediately. However despite this, Stalin eventually became the leader of the USSR. The reason why Trotsky was the most likely candidate to succeed Lenin was because he was very popular among young communists, this was due to his revolutionary heroism in 1905, 1917 and during the civil war, coupled with his stirring speeches. However, despite the fact that Trotsky was clearly more suitable, Stalin still managed to outmanouver him into becoming leader of the USSR. This was because of a multitude of reasons, starting with the fact that from 1917 onwards Trotsky openly and rather viciously criticised many leading Bolsheviks, this lead too many people within the party to hate him. Furthermore, his arrogant nature and aloofness earned him even more enemies within the party.in...
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...Why were Stalin's opponents unable to prevent him from becoming the leader of the USSR by 1929? Stalin and 4 other men ; Bukharin, Trotsky, Kamenev and Zinoviev were competing to become leader of Russia after Lenin’s death in 1924. Since you couldn’t vote because it was democratic it was harder to choose become the leader of Russia. One of the reasons that his opponents were unable to prevent him from becoming leader of the USSR was Stalin used the job of General Secretary to promote peoples loyalty to him, to remove from the party people who were disloyal and to collect information on every party member. After Lenin's death he waited, allowing other Politburo members to state their preferred policies - he then ganged up on groups of them, using his alliances and his party contacts to destroy the opposition. His did this twice in the 1920s, destroying Trotsky and his supporters and Zinoviev and Kamenev and their supporters. This left him as the ruler of Russia by about 1929. Another reason is Lenin’s testament. The communist didn’t reveal what the testament said. In the testament Lenin said this about Stalin. "Stalin is too rude and this defect, although quite tolerable in our midst and in dealing among us Communists, becomes intolerable in a Secretary-General. That is why I suggest that the comrades think about a way of removing Stalin from that post and appointing another man in his stead who in all other respects differs from Comrade Stalin in having only one advantage, namely...
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