Global Studies II

Unit II Russia

Name ______________________________
Date ____________

Totalitarianism under Stalin

1. Define the term totalitarianism
A government where the government controls all aspects of society.

2. While reading the excerpt, create a list of methods of control used by Soviet leaders and examples

Methods
Secret Police
Education
Propoganda and Art
Religious Persecution

Examples
Stalin used his secret police to kill people, put
down riots, and keep the people under his
control.
Schools taught virtues of the communist party.
Any form of media that did not conform to the
views of the states was censored.
Churches and other religious buildings were
turned into Museums of atheism.

Of all the methods of control, which allows the MOST long-term control?

The most long term method of control is control of education because if you raise children to be
fervent communists then they will most likely be loyal communists for the rest of their lives.
3. Stalins methods of control.
a. What was the Great Purge? How would Stalins use of this action increase his power?
The great purge was time when Stalin used the KGB to eliminate anyone who threatened his power. This
secured Stalins power because everyone feared to step up against him.

b. What was Pravda? How did Stalin explain the purpose of art in the USSR?
It was a communist newspaper that was used to feed propaganda into the minds of the people. Stalin said
that media must be used to show the proletariats positive models of initiative and heroic labor.

c. What is an atheism? How did Stalin use atheism to influence his control over his citizens?

Atheism is the belief that there is no god. He tried to make everyone in Russia believe that religion was
just a superstition but many people still clung to their beliefs.

4. Stalins control over the economy.

a. What is a command economy? Economic system where the government makes all the decisions
b. Stalins Five Year Plans
1. Purpose
Goals set by Stalin to increase the output of resources like steel, coal and etc.

2. Results?
Impressive increase in production of steel, coal, and others.

c. What methods did Stalin use to bring agriculture under state control?
He stole land from farmers and combined it into state owned collective farms.

d. Kulaks - Who were they?

Farmers that resisted the taking of their land.
1. How did they create a problem for Stalin?
They destroyed machinery and killed livestock to resist taking of their land.

2. How did he solve the problem?

Killed them.