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Terror, propaganda and the cult of Stalin
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In the 1930s Stalin used fear and propaganda to control the USSR. Millions were arrested, while Stalin was presented as a wise and loving leader.
The purges and show trials
After Kirov was murdered in December 1934, Stalin launched the purges.
Show trials in Moscow (1936 to 1938) put old Bolsheviks such as Zinoviev, Kamenev and Bukharin on trial. They confessed to impossible crimes and were executed.
In 1937 the army was purged, including Marshal Tukhachevsky, weakening the Red Army.
Show trials in Moscow (1936 to 1938) put old Bolsheviks such as Zinoviev, Kamenev and Bukharin on trial. They confessed to impossible crimes and were executed.
In 1937 the army was purged, including Marshal Tukhachevsky, weakening the Red Army.
The NKVD and the gulags
The NKVD (secret police), led by Yezhov at the height of the Terror (1937 to 38), arrested millions.
Victims were shot or sent to gulags: labour camps where many died.
Ordinary people were encouraged to inform on others.
Victims were shot or sent to gulags: labour camps where many died.
Ordinary people were encouraged to inform on others.
Propaganda, censorship and the cult
Socialist realism: art and writing had to glorify workers and Stalin.
Newspapers, radio and books were censored; history was rewritten and photos altered to remove purged leaders.
Schools taught loyalty; churches were closed and religion attacked.
The 1936 Constitution promised rights that were ignored in practice.
The cult of Stalin showed him in posters, statues and songs as the father of the nation.
Newspapers, radio and books were censored; history was rewritten and photos altered to remove purged leaders.
Schools taught loyalty; churches were closed and religion attacked.
The 1936 Constitution promised rights that were ignored in practice.
The cult of Stalin showed him in posters, statues and songs as the father of the nation.
Explain why Stalin used show trials.
- They removed old Bolsheviks who might challenge him.
- Public confessions made his rivals look like traitors.
- They spread fear, warning others not to oppose him.
Answer: To destroy rivals publicly and frighten everyone else into obedience.
Kirov's murder (1934) started the purges. Show trials (1936 to 38) removed old Bolsheviks; the army was purged in 1937. The NKVD and gulags spread terror. Censorship, socialist realism, rewritten history and the cult of Stalin controlled minds.
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