Summary Cambridge A-Levels & IGCSE History notes- Russia, Chapter 4. Life in Stalin's Russia
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Course
History (9489)
Institution
Sunway University
Book
Access to History: Stalin\'s Russia 1924-53 4th Edition
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A2 History: Stalin’s Russia
Part 4- Life in Stalin’s Russia
The Cult of Personality
• The Cult of Personality refers to the way Stalin dominated
every aspect of Soviet life. He became not just a leader,
but an embodiment of the nation itself.
• Soviet communism becomes personalised around Stalin:
o The Communist Party became indistinguishable
from Stalin himself
o Communism was no longer a set of theories/Leninism, it was whatever Stalin said
and did (Communism = Stalinism)
o He represented not only the Party but the nation itself, and became the
personification of all that was best in Russia
o Every media- newspapers, radio, no matter what it’s theme, carried a reference to
Stalin’s greatness- Every achievement of the USSR was credited to him
• Glorifying the achievements a Georgian could achieve, and thus propaganda made ridiculous
claims about the greatness of Russia:
o Shakespeare was really a Russian
o Russian navigators were the first Europeans to discover America
o Russian mathematicians discovered the secrets of the atom long before Einstein
o In reality- the Russians weren’t that great. Stalin asked his scientists to recreate the
Coca-Cola he was given at Potsdam, but they failed
• Nikita Khrushchev first coined ‘Stalinism’ in 1936 at the introduction of a new Soviet
Constitution
o Despite his later denunciation of Stalin, Khrushchev viciously promoted Stalin as a
glorious hero
o He called him the Soviet’s “greatest inspiration” and that “Stalin is hope, Stalin is
expectation”
Irony: Communism, placing great emphasis on the will of the masses, became so dependent
on the idea putting Stalin on a pedestal as a great leader.
Propaganda
• Was the means of projecting Stalin’s cult of personality
o All main forms of information- newspapers, cinema and radio was controlled: It
ensured Stalinism pervaded every aspect of public life
o Worship of Stalin was not a response from below- it was imposed from above
o The image of Stalin as hero and saviour of the people was manufactured
1
Notes compiled by: Chew Wen Min
, ▪ Roy Medvedev- “cunning propaganda… gave Stalin credit for the successes of
others and even for ‘achievements’ that were totally fictitious”
▪ An example of this “fictitious” achievement was the Stakhanovite movement-
that the miner Alexei Stakhanov had individually hewn 14 times his required
quota of coal in one shift
-Worship of Stalin:
• Despite the Soviet attack on the Church, people still had a powerful sense of religion- this
was exploited by Russian authorities
o As people worshipped religious icons, propaganda portrayed Stalin as a literal icon
▪ His picture was carried on giant flags in processions
▪ On May-Day (Labour Day), planes few trailing huge portraits of Stalin
• Even MayDay took second place in importance to the celebration of Stalin’s birthday
o His birthday became the greatest celebration on the Soviet calendar
o It was the new form of tsar worship- day-long parades of marching troops,
rolling tanks, dancing children and applauding workers, and smiling Stalin on
a high rostrum overlooking Lenin’s tomb
• The Pravda and Isvestiya (official Soviet newspapers- ‘the times’)
o Stalin’s wisdom and brilliance were extolled daily- almost every article had an
obligatory reference to his greatness
• Indoctrination of the youth:
o Children learned from their earliest moments to worship Stalin as the provider of all
good things
o At school in all subjects, they were taught that Stalin was their guide and protector
o History was taught in chronological order following the great Tsars of the past- Ivan
the Terrible & Peter the Great, leading up to the triumph of Lenin and the Bolsheviks
in 1917. The climax of this story was Stalin.
• Books & the press
o Stalin’s greatness was not confined to just history books- there were no textbooks in
any subject that did not praise the virtues of Stalin: Master builder of the nation,
inspiration and glorious model for the people
o Trying to outbid the others in veneration of the leader, eulogies of Stalin poured
from the press
Komsomol (Youth movement)
• A useful tool for the spread of Stalinist propaganda- created as a formal
body in 1926 under the direct control of the CPSU
• Main features:
o Open to ages 14-28 (A Young Pioneer movement existed for
those below 14)
2
Notes compiled by: Chew Wen Min
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