Stalin Rise to Power

Document A: Situation in Russia

In 1914, the First World War broke out. Russia, under the rule of Tsar Nicholas II, joined the war on the side of the Allies. Much of the food, clothing and livestock of the country went to the army. For a short time, the war united the Russian people in a burst of patriotism (they called the First World War the Great Patriotic War).

Within 12 months the elation gave way to despair. Between 1915 and 1916 more than 4 million Russian soldiers were killed or wounded in action. The war aggravated the domestic problems of the country. Since most production was directed at the war effort, peasants and workers bore the brunt of the sacrifice. Livestock and grain grown by peasants was sent to the army, leaving them to go with very little.

Food was often difficult to find in the urban areas and working and living conditions were cruel. As food prices continued to soar, hunger and suffering grew. While the war had at first united the Russians, they now only craved peace. Unhappiness among the peasants and workers exploded and across the country strikes and riots were staged.

Since 1916, workers had held strikes and protests against the Tsarist regime…The protests turned into full blown mutiny and the Tsar lost all control of the country, and it became necessary for a Provisional Government to rule Russia until a new government was established.

The Provisional Government instituted in March 1917 consisted mainly of middle class liberals. It had no real power without the support of the communists which formed the majority of the Russian population. Without their support the Provisional Government could not be effective.

Elation: (n) great happiness and exhilaration. Aggravated: (adj) made more serious by attendant circumstances Mutiny:  (n) an open rebellion against the proper authorities

Source: South African History.org

Document B: Lenin’s Last Testament (Modified)

Context: The first leader of Communist Russia was Lenin. Lenin did not like Stalin very much. However, Stalin used his power as Secretary of the Communist Party to develop many connections with others in the Communist Party. When Lenin died, Stalin used this to his advantage. His supporters helped him seize power over his only rival, Trotsky. Trotsky was forced to leave the country and anyone who supported him was punished (and sometimes worse.) Below is Lenin’s “Last Testament” where he share’s his true feelings about Stalin.

Comrade Stalin, having become secretary-general, has boundless power concentrated in his hands, and I am not sure whether he will always be capable of using that power with sufficient caution….

Stalin is too rude and this defect, although quite tolerable in our midst and in dealings 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, that of being more tolerant, more loyal, more polite and more considerate to the comrades, less capricious, etc.

Source: Vladimir Lenin “Lenin’s Last Testament” 1923

Document C: Textbook Account (Modified)

Context: This document shows what most communists believed before Stalin came to power. Communists believed that the revolution would not be over until the whole world was communist.

  After November 1917, the communist hoped to hold on to power long enough to inspire workers in the more economically developed states, such as Germany and Britain, to carry out communist revolutions of their own. The signs in the years 1918-20 were encouraging (especially in Germany) communist leaders in Russia fully expected that, following successful communist revolutions elsewhere, worker’s governments would be willing to give financial and technical aid to backward Russia in completing the revolution.

Document D: Socialism in One Country (Modified)

Context: This document shows how Stalin changed the beliefs of the Communist Party when he came to power. He decided that communists should focus solely on Russia for the time being.

Stalin thought that Russia’s first tasks was to consolidate Lenin’s revolution and the rules of the party by turning the USSR into a modern state, capable of defending itself against its internal and external enemies. Russia, therefore must work:

·      To overcome its agricultural and industrial problems by its own unaided efforts

·      To go on to build a modern state, the equal of any nation in the world

·      To make the survival of the Soviet Union an absolute priority, even if this meant suspending efforts to create the international revolution

Source: Reaction and Revolution: Russia 1894- 1924. Michael Lynch. Michael Lynch is the Modern History Lecturer at Leicester University, United Kingdom.

McCarthy Videos

https://youtu.be/bf6fhMlxjMk

https://youtu.be/lAur_I077NA

Rise of McCarthy

Student Name ___________________________________________________ Date ________________  

The Rise of Joseph McCarthy

McCarthy’s Speech: Wheeling, West Virginia, February 9^th,1950

1.[....] Today we are engaged in a final, all-out battle between communistic atheism and Christianity. The modern champions of communism have selected this as the time, and ladies and gentlemen, the chips are down—they are truly down.... 

2. Six years ago...there was within the Soviet orbit, 180,000,000 people. Lined up on the antitotalitarian side there were in the world at that time, roughly 1,625,000,000 people. Today, only six years later, there are 80,000,000,000 people under the absolute domination of Soviet Russia—an increase of over 400 percent. On our side, the figure has shrunk to around 500,000. In other words, in less than six years, the odds have changed from 9 to 1 in our favor to 8 to 1 against us.  

3. This indicates the swiftness of the tempo of Communist victories and American defeats in the cold war. As one of our outstanding historical figures once said, “When a great democracy is destroyed, it will not be from enemies from without, but rather because of enemies from within.” [...] 

4. The reason why we find ourselves in a position of impotency is not because our only powerful potential enemy has sent men to invade our shores...but rather because of the traitorous actions of those who have been treated so well by this Nation. It has not been the less fortunate, or members of minority groups who have been traitorous to this Nation, but rather those who have had all the benefits that the wealthiest Nation on earth has had to offer...the finest homes, the finest college education and the finest jobs in government we can give.  

5. I have here in my hand a list of 205...a list of names that were made known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping policy in the State Department....  

Joseph McCarthy Speech

February 11^th to Democratic President Harry S. Truman

            “In the Lincoln Day speech at Wheeling Thursday night I stated that the State Department harbors a nest of Communists… who are helping to shape our foreign policy. I further stated that I have in my possession the names of 57 Communists who are in the State Department at present. A State Department spokesman promptly denied this, claiming that there is not a single Communist in the Department. You (Truman) can convince yourself of the falsity (untruth) of the State Department claim very easily. You will recall that you personally appointed a board to screen State Department employees for the purpose of weeding out fellow travelers—men whom the board considered dangerous to the security of this Nation. Your board did a painstaking job, and named hundreds which had been listed as dangerous to the security of the Nation, because of communistic connections.

            While the records are not available to me, I know absolutely of one group of approximately 300 certified to the Secretary for discharge because of communism. He actually only discharged approximately 80. I understand that this was done after lengthy consultation (discussion) with the now-convicted traitor, Alger Hiss. I would suggest, therefore, Mr. President, that you simply pick up your phone and ask Mr. Acheson (Secretary of State) how many of those whom your board had labeled as dangerous Communists he failed to discharge (fire). The day the House Un-American Activities Committee exposed Alger Hiss as an important link in an international Communist spy ring you signed an order forbidding the State Department’s giving any information in regard to the disloyalty or the communistic connections of anyone in that Department to the Congress.”