Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Communism Rap
Dreams of equality
Hit by reality
No social structure,
No classes no culture
Eating at it like a vulture
The people were scared
Their freedom impaired
Their lives were in danger
We called him big brother
But he was a stranger
His name was Stalin
Their freedom was fallin’
He took away our lives
With police guns and knives
The children were starving
Their rights he was carving
Like a turkey on thanksgiving
What was the reason for living?
Khrushchev continued the destruction
Only with corruption
He tried to be nice
But it came with a price
Tensions with U.S.
Became a fuss
Between missiles and the race
From Cuba to space
There were economic devastations
Throughout all the nations
The economies fell
It was a depression spell
The lands were all bare
The children were nothing but bones and hair
Nothing was helping, no inner or outer forces
All they had was mismanaged resources
Industries had no form of mitigations
Neither did international relations
your neighbor is a traitor
your cousin a spy
you could be a political debater
or just a cool guy
but if you sang the wrong song
you wont be here long
If you make a mistake
then there's much at stake
into the gulags you go
the camps are no show
millions imprisoned
not one hopeful eye glistened
death is a might
Not much to fight
camp is a sight
where you have no right.
something isn't quite right
whimpering sound from a young lady
innocence already faded
Stalin is very hated
the purge is at it's peak
surviving this looks very bleak
where's this savior that we all seek
Hit by reality
No social structure,
No classes no culture
Eating at it like a vulture
The people were scared
Their freedom impaired
Their lives were in danger
We called him big brother
But he was a stranger
His name was Stalin
Their freedom was fallin’
He took away our lives
With police guns and knives
The children were starving
Their rights he was carving
Like a turkey on thanksgiving
What was the reason for living?
Khrushchev continued the destruction
Only with corruption
He tried to be nice
But it came with a price
Tensions with U.S.
Became a fuss
Between missiles and the race
From Cuba to space
There were economic devastations
Throughout all the nations
The economies fell
It was a depression spell
The lands were all bare
The children were nothing but bones and hair
Nothing was helping, no inner or outer forces
All they had was mismanaged resources
Industries had no form of mitigations
Neither did international relations
your neighbor is a traitor
your cousin a spy
you could be a political debater
or just a cool guy
but if you sang the wrong song
you wont be here long
If you make a mistake
then there's much at stake
into the gulags you go
the camps are no show
millions imprisoned
not one hopeful eye glistened
death is a might
Not much to fight
camp is a sight
where you have no right.
something isn't quite right
whimpering sound from a young lady
innocence already faded
Stalin is very hated
the purge is at it's peak
surviving this looks very bleak
where's this savior that we all seek
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Revolutions In Surrounding Countries
Throughout
history, there have been many revolutions that fight for certain causes. However, what exactly is a revolution? According to the dictionary, a revolution is the usually violent attempt by many people to end
the rule of one government and start a new one.[1] This definition is incomplete, because simply
defining a revolution does not show its impact on the actual countries that are
revolting. In order to find these
impacts, one has to research a time period of which there were many
revolutions, which is exactly what our group decided to do. The Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics, commonly known as the USSR, was the largest communist
republic in the world. It overtook the
governments of many countries, forcing the communistic beliefs onto the
people. Those who did not support this
party were either imprisoned or killed. Not only did this happen in the USSR
and its surrounding countries, but also many countries throughout Europe. The
revolutions in all of these countries, violent and non-violent, eventually led
to the collapse of communism in the USSR, changing the world forever.
One of the
revolutions that led to the downfall of communism in the USSR was in Poland. This was known as the Solidarity movement. Beginning
in 1981, the Solidarity movement was a non-communist trade union. Solidarity was the first step towards
independence for the Polish economy and government. Before this movement began, workers who
opposed the communistic work force were killed. In 1970, the Polish police
killed strikers who were protesting the government and the economy. In 1980, there was a sudden rise of the price
of food. People who worked in the
shipyard, Gdansk, demanded that they be paid higher wages to compensate for the
increase in prices. Unable to convince
the government, they organized a sit-in and refused to work until all of their
demands were met. They demanded an increase the worker’s pay, reinstallation of
a memorial for those who were killed in 1970, reinstatement for some of the
workers who publicly criticized the communist regime, and “the creation of
self-governing trade unions.” The communist government agreed to all of the
demands, except for the trade unions. Despite
this rejection, the workers continued to protest the communist regime. Their actions inspired other countries to
begin revolting against communism. Realizing that the country could not thrive
without the workers, the communist government began negotiating with them. On
August 31, 1980, Solidarity became official, thus starting the beginning of the
end of communism in Poland.[2]
In September
of 1956, a large group of Hungarian students gathered together and marched
through Budapest in protest against the Soviet regime. They marched to a radio station and
broadcasted their demands to be free from the control of the USSR. When those inside the radio station were
arrested, the other students outside the building began to uproar. This led to the secret Soviet police firing
at the students. After news of this
protest spread, the government began to collapse. The Soviets decided to send in troops and
artillery to help stabilize the government again. In order to protect
themselves against the Soviet military, the people of Hungary formed militias
and began attacking the troops. On November second, the Soviets sent in more
troops and weapons to surround Hungary.
At this point, five thousand tanks surrounded the capital city. Over twenty thousand people were killed and as
many as two hundred thousand had fled Hungary. Soon after, the Soviet police were forcibly
disarmed and withdrew from the country.[3] However, this did not completely end
communism in Hungary. In 1989, the
economy was suffering. There was
inflation, massive amounts of debt, and many suffered from poverty. The communist leader, János Kádár, and the
communist regime were compelled to recognize the collapse of communism due to
the failing status of the country.
The
revolutions in these countries were devastating. Many people were killed and forced to leave
their homes. To a student, this is just information on a piece of paper. In
order to really understand the events of these revolutions, I interviewed
someone who lived them, my grandmother, Maria. Listening to her relive her
horrible living conditions, and the other tragedies she encountered made me
understand more about her personality, lifestyle, and the way she is. Here is
her story*:
“I was born in Budapest on April 7, 1941.
I am the oldest of four siblings. My father died when I was ten, leaving my
mother to raise us by herself. She had
no family to help her, so my brother and I helped out all we could. We lived on a tiny farm, smaller than the
average apartment in New York City. Our
farm didn’t have many animals or plants.
We had a few pigs, chickens, and a couple of tomato and lettuce
plants. There was not much to eat
either. If there wasn’t enough food for
the entire family, my mother and I often went without. We didn’t have any money to buy clothes, so
my mother and I made them ourselves from the materials from the clothes that
didn’t fit us anymore. When I was
fourteen, my little sister, Theresia, died.
I remember being sad, but secretly a little relieved that we didn’t have
to provide for her. Of course I would
never tell my mother that, but I think she secretly knew how I felt, and I
think she secretly felt the same, but I won’t speak for her. Not long after Theresia died, my mother
became angry. She would often publicly
speak badly about the government. With
it being a communist society, this was not allowed. One day, the police came into our house, beat
my mother, and took her to prison. I was
petrified for the safety of my brothers, but I knew that I had to take care of
them. It was about a week until we saw
her again. She was different, quieter,
and not as optimistic. Some time passed
and we lived our day-to-day struggles. I
dropped out of school and helped my mother because she was getting old. When she died, my brothers and I made the
decision that we could no longer stay in Hungary. We were able to leave the country with some of
our neighbors, who also decided to leave. We were lucky, because we were able
to legally come to the United States. I was able to find work in a department
store, and my brothers worked in factories.
We lived with our neighbor from Hungary, who helped take care of
us. I thank everyday that I had
her. If it weren’t for her, my brothers
and I would have died. I was happy
living in New York, but I missed my mother and our farm. Life got a little easier when I met your
grandfather. We met in a church not far
from my apartment. About a year later,
we got married and had your father and uncle. My brothers also met their wives
and had children, and we went our separate ways. I found out many years later that my youngest
brother was sexually molested by some of the Soviet soldiers in Hungary. He never told me the details, but would you
expect him to? I think about my
childhood every day. And everyday I am
grateful for the life I have now.
“I feel that what I went through made me
a stronger person. Look where I am now,
I have a home, enough food to eat, enough clothes to wear, an amazing husband,
two healthy and successful children, and six beautiful grandchildren. My life in Hungary definitely made me
appreciate the freedom that this country has to offer. Even when this country seems to be at its
worst, I know that there is an even worse alternative to the living conditions.
If my mother was able to come with this country, I know that she would’ve
kissed the floor and appreciated it for all its worth.”
Works
Cited
2. Filipowicz, H., “Journey to Gdansk”: An
Introduction, Performing Arts Journal,
Vol. 6 No. 2, (1982), pp. 63-65.
http://www.jstor.org.proxy.wexler.hunter.cuny.edu/stable/pdfplus/3245016.pdf?&acceptTC=true&jpdConfirm=true
3.
Myers,
D.P., “Hungary and the World Nations,” World Affairs, Vol. 120 No. 1, (Spring
1957), pp. 3-10
http://www.jstor.org.proxy.wexler.hunter.cuny.edu/stable/pdfplus/20669337.pdf?&acceptTC=true&jpdConfirm=true
[1]
Merriam-Webster http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/revolution
[2] Filipowicz, Halina,
“Journey to Gdansk”: An Introduction, 1982, 63-64.
[3] Myers. Denys P., World
Affairs, Vol. 120 No. 1, Spring 1957, 3-10.
*
I had to edit her interview. My grandmother’s first language is not English,
and she uses very strong language.
By Samantha Garger
By Samantha Garger
Economic Problems within the USSR
The main difference economically between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (henceforth the USSR or Soviet Union) and most of the world was that the USSR was communist. The leaders of the communist regime believed that communism was superior to capitalism in every way, and during the early years of communism they were able to compete on a global level with the capitalist countries. However, in the late 1980's it became clear that the communist system was failing in many ways. This was due to economic mismanagement by those in power domestically and internationally.
Internationally, the Soviet economy suffered more due to outside forces than internal ones. The Truman Doctrine, delivered in 1947 severely restricted trade between the United States and it’s allies with any and all communist countries. Anything that could be of military use, or make things for military use, werenot traded. This, as noted by A. Köves, resulted in the Soviet Union trading predominantly with countries that were part of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) which were all Communist as well. This system was beneficial to the communist countries on paper but Soviet industries were forced to use sub-par materials and many sectors suffered over time as a result. A notable exception was the military sector.
However, as covered by R. E. Hebden, in the mid to late 1970s Soviets started trading with Capitalist countries at a much higher pace. This led to the export of mostly natural resources such as gas and oil. This was of course a huge boon to the Soviet economy. However, trade with the United States remained strained, notably in regards to the emerging computer field.
Robert Allen discusses and dissects the USSR’s economy and points out a few trends. First, he points out that from the 1930s up until 1970, the USSR showed constant, prolonged economic growth. However, from that point the growth stops, even decreasing, up until the USSR’s dissolution. Allen claims this is due to communist leaders mismanaging several industries, notably in regards to energy consumption.
H.H. Ticktin, while discussing the USSR’s economy makes a few interesting points that help show the mismanagement of the agricultural and manufacturing sectors. First he states, “…it is clear that industrialisation moved the population base from the country to the towns and …it effectively ended the political importance of the countryside.” He then explains that due to everyone moving to cities for industrial jobs there were very few people out in the countryside doing agricultural work. This would lead to serious food shortages throughout the Union for the working class.
In regards to the manufacturing sector, Ticktin mentions that more people were employed to repair goods than to actually make them. He says this is due to the Soviet Union using poor materials to make the products in the first place. This in turn was due to the trade limitations discussed by Köves.
Mark Harrison, in his dissection of the Soviet Union’s economy, attempts to explain it with an economic “game”. He proposes that the main factors of running the Soviet Union’s economy were the balance between government monitoring and whatever rewards or punishments producers received. He believes the reason for the communist downfall was that by 1989 the costs for monitoring had grown and, more importantly, the threat of punishment had severely lessened under Mikhail Gorbachev’s rule. This in turn led to more producers producing less and/or stealing profits. This occurring on a large scale then led to the Union’s economy plummeting.
While I feel Harrison’s theory provides the clearest explanation for the collapse of the Soviet Union economically, it is clear due to the many other scholars that the Soviet system had problems had several flaws throughout it’s existence. At various points in time it mismanaged its resources, industries, and international relations. All of these things I think, allowed for the situation in which Harrison’s theory excels to arise.
Works Cited
1. Truman, Harry S. Truman Doctrine.http://www.ourdocuments.gov/
2. Köves, A. “The Impact of Western Trade Restrictions on East—West Trade After World War II.” Acta Oeconomica , Vol. 19, No. 1 (1977), pp. 67-76
3. Hebden, R. E. “Trends in Soviet Trade Since 1960” Geography , Vol. 65, No. 1 (January 1980), pp. 49-52
3. Ticktin, HH. “Towards a political economy of the USSR, Critique.” Journal of Socialist Theory (1973): 20-41,http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/
4. Allen, Robert C. “The Rise and Decline of the Soviet Economy.” The Canadian Journal of Economics / Revue canadienne d'Economique , Vol. 34, No. 4 (Nov., 2001), pp. 859-881
4. Harrison, Mark. “Coercion, Compliance, and the Collapse of the Soviet Command Economy.” The Economic History Review, New Series, Vol. 55, No. 3 (Aug., 2002), 397-433
By Sean Logan
Internationally, the Soviet economy suffered more due to outside forces than internal ones. The Truman Doctrine, delivered in 1947 severely restricted trade between the United States and it’s allies with any and all communist countries. Anything that could be of military use, or make things for military use, werenot traded. This, as noted by A. Köves, resulted in the Soviet Union trading predominantly with countries that were part of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) which were all Communist as well. This system was beneficial to the communist countries on paper but Soviet industries were forced to use sub-par materials and many sectors suffered over time as a result. A notable exception was the military sector.
However, as covered by R. E. Hebden, in the mid to late 1970s Soviets started trading with Capitalist countries at a much higher pace. This led to the export of mostly natural resources such as gas and oil. This was of course a huge boon to the Soviet economy. However, trade with the United States remained strained, notably in regards to the emerging computer field.
Robert Allen discusses and dissects the USSR’s economy and points out a few trends. First, he points out that from the 1930s up until 1970, the USSR showed constant, prolonged economic growth. However, from that point the growth stops, even decreasing, up until the USSR’s dissolution. Allen claims this is due to communist leaders mismanaging several industries, notably in regards to energy consumption.
H.H. Ticktin, while discussing the USSR’s economy makes a few interesting points that help show the mismanagement of the agricultural and manufacturing sectors. First he states, “…it is clear that industrialisation moved the population base from the country to the towns and …it effectively ended the political importance of the countryside.” He then explains that due to everyone moving to cities for industrial jobs there were very few people out in the countryside doing agricultural work. This would lead to serious food shortages throughout the Union for the working class.
In regards to the manufacturing sector, Ticktin mentions that more people were employed to repair goods than to actually make them. He says this is due to the Soviet Union using poor materials to make the products in the first place. This in turn was due to the trade limitations discussed by Köves.
Mark Harrison, in his dissection of the Soviet Union’s economy, attempts to explain it with an economic “game”. He proposes that the main factors of running the Soviet Union’s economy were the balance between government monitoring and whatever rewards or punishments producers received. He believes the reason for the communist downfall was that by 1989 the costs for monitoring had grown and, more importantly, the threat of punishment had severely lessened under Mikhail Gorbachev’s rule. This in turn led to more producers producing less and/or stealing profits. This occurring on a large scale then led to the Union’s economy plummeting.
While I feel Harrison’s theory provides the clearest explanation for the collapse of the Soviet Union economically, it is clear due to the many other scholars that the Soviet system had problems had several flaws throughout it’s existence. At various points in time it mismanaged its resources, industries, and international relations. All of these things I think, allowed for the situation in which Harrison’s theory excels to arise.
Works Cited
1. Truman, Harry S. Truman Doctrine.http://www.ourdocuments.gov/
2. Köves, A. “The Impact of Western Trade Restrictions on East—West Trade After World War II.” Acta Oeconomica , Vol. 19, No. 1 (1977), pp. 67-76
3. Hebden, R. E. “Trends in Soviet Trade Since 1960” Geography , Vol. 65, No. 1 (January 1980), pp. 49-52
3. Ticktin, HH. “Towards a political economy of the USSR, Critique.” Journal of Socialist Theory (1973): 20-41,http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/
4. Allen, Robert C. “The Rise and Decline of the Soviet Economy.” The Canadian Journal of Economics / Revue canadienne d'Economique , Vol. 34, No. 4 (Nov., 2001), pp. 859-881
4. Harrison, Mark. “Coercion, Compliance, and the Collapse of the Soviet Command Economy.” The Economic History Review, New Series, Vol. 55, No. 3 (Aug., 2002), 397-433
By Sean Logan
Monday, November 25, 2013
Gulags & Arbitrary Imprisonment
When people look back at history, and events that have taken place they can see the horrors people faced. An example is the trail of tears, the armenian genocide, etc. One of the most horrific era was the Stalin era, in which he ruled from 1929-1953. The Stalin era was a horrific one because of the Gulags, and Arbitrary Imprisonment. The Gulags are defined as a system of labor camps, in which prisoners were sent to, well do labor. Arbitrary Imprisonment is when an individual is arrested, and there isn’t any evidence that the individual committed the crime, but still sent to prison. For this very reason the rule of Joseph Stalin over the U.S.S.R was one of the most horrific eras ever.
Gulags as mentioned before are labor camps where prisoners are sent to work, but most of the time prisoners died in the camps because of malnourishment. The guards and those in charge of running the Gulags buried the bodies on top of each other, and soon they would be bodies on top of bodies decomposing in the dirt, which they walked on. In most cases women prisoners were raped multiple times in the prisoners barracks, since theres was little to no supervision in the barracks. Gulags were never intentionally death camps, but the conditions such as the weather, which was “freezing” and conditions mentioned, death was inevitable. One thing that may be running through your mind is “how did the prisoners end up at the Gulags, and what kind of criminals were sent there?” Well not all the prisoners were actual criminals per se. (Joseph Stalin Red Terror)
The prisoners the Gulags contained had a lot of different kind of criminals. People who commit crimes such as stealing(from a candy bar to a bank) and murders(from 1 to 100 people) were sent to the camps, but ordinary people were also sent, which’s main purpose was to demonstration people that they (they meaning law enforcement) will put anyone in these camps. Sometimes certain people didn’t have to do with the political system at all but the paranoia of Joseph Stalin was the factor of being sent to the Gulags. The Soviet union gulags was a great use to Joseph Stalin for getting rid of political leaders who he believed were informers for other countries. These prisoners were called Political Prisoners, and under article 58 from the Soviet criminal code states that the politicians can be charged with counter-revolutionary and anti-Soviet acts. These terms however were so vague that sometimes officers could charge people with smiling like in the great terror from 1936-1938. (Gulag: Soviet Forced Labor Camps and the Struggle for Freedom)
The great terror (or purge) was an era of political suppression if you were a political figure in an organization you were more likely to get arrested. Certain examples are people who were arrested for smiling in a certain manner to the drunken soldiers, or the cook who applied for a job in the japanese embassy and was arrested for espionage. People who were arrested under the article 58 were forced to confess to crimes they sometimes they’ve never committed. Another perfect example would be Stalin’s comrades, in which some were killed off because of Stalin’s paranoia. Although the gulags were forced labor camp where falsely imprisoned, and wrongly imprisoned people were worked to death, the gulags helped the economy. For instance the prisoners in the gulags mined one third of gold that the soviet union possessed at the time. (Gulag: Soviet Forced Labor Camps and the Struggle for Freedom)
Even though the Gulags was a really appalling camp, it helped kick start the industrial revolution in the U.S.S.R. The prisoners were forced to work with no pay of course because they’re prisoners, and they were malnourished. If a prisoner died the authorities in the camp would care less because they would be another prisoner ready take the deceased place, you could see how the U.S.S.R benefited from the Gulags. The U.S.S.R economy at the time depended on the Gulags. Things that the prisoners produced were missile, leather goods, car parts, and other things such as gold and coal. (Gulag: Soviet Forced Labor Camps and the Struggle for Freedom)
After the Stalin era however the Gulags had given out many pardons for people that were arrested, and imprisoned unfairly. Although this was too late, since very often 5 years of imprisonment turned to 10, or perhaps even longer. 1 million prisoners died every year at the height of the Stalin era. This ladies and gentleman was one of the most horrific eras there ever was because it carried on for so long, and the happens mentioned happened almost everyday in the era.
Citations
Gulag: Soviet Forced Labor Camps and the Struggle for Freedom,http://gulaghistory.org/nps/
http://gulaghistory.org/nps/
“Joseph Stalin Red Terror”, BBC
By Juan Villalba
When people look back at history, and events that have taken place they can see the horrors people faced. An example is the trail of tears, the armenian genocide, etc. One of the most horrific era was the Stalin era, in which he ruled from 1929-1953. The Stalin era was a horrific one because of the Gulags, and Arbitrary Imprisonment. The Gulags are defined as a system of labor camps, in which prisoners were sent to, well do labor. Arbitrary Imprisonment is when an individual is arrested, and there isn’t any evidence that the individual committed the crime, but still sent to prison. For this very reason the rule of Joseph Stalin over the U.S.S.R was one of the most horrific eras ever.
Gulags as mentioned before are labor camps where prisoners are sent to work, but most of the time prisoners died in the camps because of malnourishment. The guards and those in charge of running the Gulags buried the bodies on top of each other, and soon they would be bodies on top of bodies decomposing in the dirt, which they walked on. In most cases women prisoners were raped multiple times in the prisoners barracks, since theres was little to no supervision in the barracks. Gulags were never intentionally death camps, but the conditions such as the weather, which was “freezing” and conditions mentioned, death was inevitable. One thing that may be running through your mind is “how did the prisoners end up at the Gulags, and what kind of criminals were sent there?” Well not all the prisoners were actual criminals per se. (Joseph Stalin Red Terror)
The prisoners the Gulags contained had a lot of different kind of criminals. People who commit crimes such as stealing(from a candy bar to a bank) and murders(from 1 to 100 people) were sent to the camps, but ordinary people were also sent, which’s main purpose was to demonstration people that they (they meaning law enforcement) will put anyone in these camps. Sometimes certain people didn’t have to do with the political system at all but the paranoia of Joseph Stalin was the factor of being sent to the Gulags. The Soviet union gulags was a great use to Joseph Stalin for getting rid of political leaders who he believed were informers for other countries. These prisoners were called Political Prisoners, and under article 58 from the Soviet criminal code states that the politicians can be charged with counter-revolutionary and anti-Soviet acts. These terms however were so vague that sometimes officers could charge people with smiling like in the great terror from 1936-1938. (Gulag: Soviet Forced Labor Camps and the Struggle for Freedom)
The great terror (or purge) was an era of political suppression if you were a political figure in an organization you were more likely to get arrested. Certain examples are people who were arrested for smiling in a certain manner to the drunken soldiers, or the cook who applied for a job in the japanese embassy and was arrested for espionage. People who were arrested under the article 58 were forced to confess to crimes they sometimes they’ve never committed. Another perfect example would be Stalin’s comrades, in which some were killed off because of Stalin’s paranoia. Although the gulags were forced labor camp where falsely imprisoned, and wrongly imprisoned people were worked to death, the gulags helped the economy. For instance the prisoners in the gulags mined one third of gold that the soviet union possessed at the time. (Gulag: Soviet Forced Labor Camps and the Struggle for Freedom)
Even though the Gulags was a really appalling camp, it helped kick start the industrial revolution in the U.S.S.R. The prisoners were forced to work with no pay of course because they’re prisoners, and they were malnourished. If a prisoner died the authorities in the camp would care less because they would be another prisoner ready take the deceased place, you could see how the U.S.S.R benefited from the Gulags. The U.S.S.R economy at the time depended on the Gulags. Things that the prisoners produced were missile, leather goods, car parts, and other things such as gold and coal. (Gulag: Soviet Forced Labor Camps and the Struggle for Freedom)
After the Stalin era however the Gulags had given out many pardons for people that were arrested, and imprisoned unfairly. Although this was too late, since very often 5 years of imprisonment turned to 10, or perhaps even longer. 1 million prisoners died every year at the height of the Stalin era. This ladies and gentleman was one of the most horrific eras there ever was because it carried on for so long, and the happens mentioned happened almost everyday in the era.
Citations
Gulag: Soviet Forced Labor Camps and the Struggle for Freedom,http://gulaghistory.org/nps/
http://gulaghistory.org/nps/
“Joseph Stalin Red Terror”, BBC
By Juan Villalba
Mistakes of Stalin
A man who killed roughly thirty million people, sent thousands to labor camps, eliminated all threats to his power and left millions starving during his reign is the same man who ultimately led to the destruction of Communism . He is the man who properly depicts the “1984” image of Big Brother and ruled with the iron fist of terror. This man is Joseph Stalin. His time of reign lasted from 1924 to 1953 and initially helped create one of the most powerful nations of his time. Although Stalin had contributed positively to the Soviet Union in many ways, he ultimately played a part in the downfall of the Soviet Union and the reign of the communist power. Stalin was so detrimental that after his death the soviet union had a destalinization process. Stalin’s copious mistakes had affected not only the people during his reign but rather all of Soviet Communism until it’s downfall.
Before one can understand how Stalin tore apart the fabrics of communism one needs to understand what communism is all about. Communism is the political theory derived from Karl Marx theology, which went against social classes and advocated equal distribution of wealth. The politics behind the theory derived from the The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx. Stalin, however, did not seem to follow the precedents set and ruled by dictatorship. Although he did technically obliterate social classes, he did not follow the rules set by the policies of communism. He was a brutal leader who followed a totalitarian like rule instead of a socialist type. Instead of having a society that controls and regulates wealth evenly, Stalin and his society worried about controlling the people and the power for themselves.
One of Stalin’s initial mistake was siding with the infamous axis powers. By siding with Germany, Japan, and Italy they became the victims of a surprise attack. Germany had betrayed them and thousands of russian soldier died in result and millions of Russian civilians were affected. If Stalin had sided with the allies he would have been much better off strategically. Stalin did however manage to eventually ward off the Germans and defeat them. This was only accomplished however after the loss of many soldiers and families.
If Karl Marx were to be the epitome of communism then Stalin is the complete opposite of it. Stalin reverted to the pre civilized error of dictatorship. Although Stalin cannot be compared to the equivalent of Hitler, they seem to share striking resemblances. “The patterns of complicity and resistance, terror and consensus, social organization and social ambition bear clear resemblances… (Overy).” They were both ruthless rulers, who seemed to have risen to power and helped the nation prevail but ultimately helped lead the nation to its demise.
The peasants, who supported the Bolshevik revolution and who were promised their land, had it confiscated from them and collectivized into kalhozi - collective farms, in which the peasants no longer received pay. This directly contradicted the “worker’s paradise” ideal of communism. This collective system resulted in many famines, even after Stalin’s death, as there was no way to reform it. Stalinism was based on the idea that the government would be the universal employer, thus guaranteeing virtual slavery for the peasants. In addition to this, Stalin’s snitching policies created a culture of corruption in the Soviet Union. If you wanted to get rid of someone, snitch that they were an enemy of the state, and they would disappear overnight. This is what George Orwell based his 1984 on. Just like Big Brother, Stalin was this all knowing, all seeing, and powerful being in control of everything. Stalin’s posters hung in practically every household. He was big brother. “On each landing, opposite the lift shaft, the poster with the enormous face gazed from the wall. It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move” (Orwell pg2). Both big brother and Stalin had controlled and brainwashed the nation. The problem was that no one was safe. Stalin focused on eliminating enemies and maintaining power. Labor camps were an essential part of his rule, helping him obliterate his enemies. During Stalin's purges, at least 39 million Soviet citizens were sentenced to prison, where many of them died (Encyclopedia and intelligence). Stalin did not seem to focus on society and progressing it forward. Education had become more strict as well as art more restricted. In Stalin’s era “for those who identified with the project of “building socialism,” the militant wistfulness that flooded Russian newspapers signified faith in achievement as well as a denial of any evidence of adversity” (Brooks). In other words, brainwash and total power over the media gave Stalin complete control over the nation’s mindset.
Stalin had created a Big Brother World where everything is deprived and society flourishing is at a minimum. Stalin slowed down the progression of time and will not allow his to properly follow the correct communistic society. He proved to have destroyed the true basis of communism and showed that the concept is not practical. He had indirectly led to the downfall of communism in the soviet union.
Work Cited
"Stalin, Josef." Encyclopedia of Intelligence & Counterintelligence. Armonk: M.E. Sharpe, 2005.
Credo Reference. Web. 15 November 2013
Boobbyer, Phillip (2000). The Stalin Era. Routledge..
Tucker, Robert C. (1992). Stalin in Power: The Revolution from Above, 1928–1941. W. W.
Norton & Company.
Overy, R. J. The Dictators: Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Russia. Penguin Books: London, 2005.
Print
Brooks, Jeffrey. Thank You, Comrade Stalin!: Soviet Public Culture from Revolution to Cold
War. N.p
By Pavel Shalumov
Before one can understand how Stalin tore apart the fabrics of communism one needs to understand what communism is all about. Communism is the political theory derived from Karl Marx theology, which went against social classes and advocated equal distribution of wealth. The politics behind the theory derived from the The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx. Stalin, however, did not seem to follow the precedents set and ruled by dictatorship. Although he did technically obliterate social classes, he did not follow the rules set by the policies of communism. He was a brutal leader who followed a totalitarian like rule instead of a socialist type. Instead of having a society that controls and regulates wealth evenly, Stalin and his society worried about controlling the people and the power for themselves.
One of Stalin’s initial mistake was siding with the infamous axis powers. By siding with Germany, Japan, and Italy they became the victims of a surprise attack. Germany had betrayed them and thousands of russian soldier died in result and millions of Russian civilians were affected. If Stalin had sided with the allies he would have been much better off strategically. Stalin did however manage to eventually ward off the Germans and defeat them. This was only accomplished however after the loss of many soldiers and families.
If Karl Marx were to be the epitome of communism then Stalin is the complete opposite of it. Stalin reverted to the pre civilized error of dictatorship. Although Stalin cannot be compared to the equivalent of Hitler, they seem to share striking resemblances. “The patterns of complicity and resistance, terror and consensus, social organization and social ambition bear clear resemblances… (Overy).” They were both ruthless rulers, who seemed to have risen to power and helped the nation prevail but ultimately helped lead the nation to its demise.
The peasants, who supported the Bolshevik revolution and who were promised their land, had it confiscated from them and collectivized into kalhozi - collective farms, in which the peasants no longer received pay. This directly contradicted the “worker’s paradise” ideal of communism. This collective system resulted in many famines, even after Stalin’s death, as there was no way to reform it. Stalinism was based on the idea that the government would be the universal employer, thus guaranteeing virtual slavery for the peasants. In addition to this, Stalin’s snitching policies created a culture of corruption in the Soviet Union. If you wanted to get rid of someone, snitch that they were an enemy of the state, and they would disappear overnight. This is what George Orwell based his 1984 on. Just like Big Brother, Stalin was this all knowing, all seeing, and powerful being in control of everything. Stalin’s posters hung in practically every household. He was big brother. “On each landing, opposite the lift shaft, the poster with the enormous face gazed from the wall. It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move” (Orwell pg2). Both big brother and Stalin had controlled and brainwashed the nation. The problem was that no one was safe. Stalin focused on eliminating enemies and maintaining power. Labor camps were an essential part of his rule, helping him obliterate his enemies. During Stalin's purges, at least 39 million Soviet citizens were sentenced to prison, where many of them died (Encyclopedia and intelligence). Stalin did not seem to focus on society and progressing it forward. Education had become more strict as well as art more restricted. In Stalin’s era “for those who identified with the project of “building socialism,” the militant wistfulness that flooded Russian newspapers signified faith in achievement as well as a denial of any evidence of adversity” (Brooks). In other words, brainwash and total power over the media gave Stalin complete control over the nation’s mindset.
Stalin had created a Big Brother World where everything is deprived and society flourishing is at a minimum. Stalin slowed down the progression of time and will not allow his to properly follow the correct communistic society. He proved to have destroyed the true basis of communism and showed that the concept is not practical. He had indirectly led to the downfall of communism in the soviet union.
Work Cited
"Stalin, Josef." Encyclopedia of Intelligence & Counterintelligence. Armonk: M.E. Sharpe, 2005.
Credo Reference. Web. 15 November 2013
Boobbyer, Phillip (2000). The Stalin Era. Routledge..
Tucker, Robert C. (1992). Stalin in Power: The Revolution from Above, 1928–1941. W. W.
Norton & Company.
Overy, R. J. The Dictators: Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Russia. Penguin Books: London, 2005.
Brooks, Jeffrey. Thank You, Comrade Stalin!: Soviet Public Culture from Revolution to Cold
War. N.p
By Pavel Shalumov
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