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Life in a Totalitarian State Stalin. Totalitarian State a one party dictatorship that regulated every aspect of the lives of the people. To ensure obedience, Stalin used secret police, censorship, and terror Critics were sent to brutal labor camps (many died).
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Life in a Totalitarian StateStalin • Totalitarian Statea one party dictatorship that regulated every aspect of the lives of the people. • To ensure obedience, Stalin used secret police, censorship, and terror • Critics were sent to brutal labor camps (many died)
Propagandabombarded the public with propaganda that praised the successes of communism and told of evils of capitalism Take a look: the entire Soviet nation is singing and dancing Comrade Lenin cleanses the earth of scum Stalin in the Kremlin cares about each one of us
Under the leadership of the great Stalin--forward to communism! Study the great path of the party of Lenin-Stalin
An Equal Society????? • Communists promised equality but instead created a society where a few elite groups became the new ruling class • The New Elite the head of society were the members of the Communist Party (only a small amount of Soviet citizens could join), industrial managers, military leaders, scientiststhey got the best of everything
Social Benefits *Free medical care *Day care for children *Inexpensive housing *Women became equal under the law and were allowed into many jobs *Public transportation and recreation *Free Education for all (men and women) • Schools served an important goal educated workers were needed to build a modern industrial state. They also taught Communist values (atheism, collective farming, and love of Stalin)
Drawbacks • Standard of living remained low • Housing was scarce so people crowded into small apartments in cities • Bread was plentiful, but meat, fish, fruit, etc. were scarce VERY LITTLE OF: LOTS OF:
Censorship • Gov’t controlled what books were published, what music was played, and which works of art were displayed • Writers, artists, and composers faced persecution some were exiled or tortured
The Great Purge • Stalin was an insecure obsessive man who worried constantly that others would try to steal his power. • Stalin used his secret police to arrest thousands for plotting against him. • “Show trials” – people were forced to confess to all kinds of crimes • 4 million people were “purged”, of those at least 800,000 were executed.
Features of a Totalitarian State: • Single party dictatorship • State control of economy • Police spies and state terrorism • Strict censorship and gov’t control of media • Use of schools and media to indoctrinate and mobilize citizens • Unquestioning obedience to single ruler
Summary • Strict censorship, massive propaganda, and terror were used by Stalin to ensure personal power and to push the Soviet Union toward modernization. • By Stalin’s death in 1953, the Soviet Union was a world leader in heavy industry, steel, and oil production • Along with the U.S. it was one of the world’s two military superpowers
Choose 1 of the following • Make a propaganda poster for this time period or our time period. You should have a visual and brief description of your goals of the propaganda (p.880-881) • What are you trying to accomplish? What in your picture promotes that goal(s)? • Write a 5-7 sentence letter to Stalin telling him how you like or dislike the new totalitarian way of life. (p.874-879) • What is your job? Is life easy for you? How is your life different now?
