Learning Goal The students will understand the Rise of

the Dictatorial Regimes after WWI.

Media Attitudes Totalitarian States Fascism Collectivizm

Discussion  Why might focusing on rapid

industrialization harm the living standards of the peasants?

In a communist country the government controls the economy, and focusing on industry would lead to neglect of the peasants' interests.

Stalin's rise to power: Lenin's death in 1924 led to a power struggle between Joseph Stalin and War Commissar Leon Trotsky. Trotsky wanted to end the NEP and focus on industrialization as well as worldwide communist revolution. Stalin used his post as general secretary of the Communist Party to gain complete control of the party, appointing officials who supported him, and removing or killing those who disagreed with him.

New directions under Stalin: Stalin removed from government the Bolsheviks of the revolutionary era and created a rigid dictatorship. He shifted economic policy in 1928, ending the NEP and launching the first of several Five-Year Plans to promote industrialization.

Discussion  What problems do you think such

drastic economic changes might have caused in the Soviet Union?

The Five-Year Plans and collectivization brought great hardships to the people.

Soviet Social and Political Problems

Hardships associated with industrialization: Industrial growth and labor force expansion led to housing shortages. Despite increases in productivity, wages declined. Many workers and their families had miserable living conditions.

Hardships associated with collectivization: In rural areas, private farms were taken over by the government. Stalin allowed each family only a small garden plot; all other land was used for collectives. Peasants resisted by hoarding food and slaughtering livestock. Widespread famine killed millions of people.

Stalin's repression of opposition: Stalin's desire to exert complete control over the country led to purges of party members who disagreed with him. These included army officers, intellectuals, and union officials. About 8 million people were arrested. Millions were sent to forced labor camps in Siberia and never returned. Many others were executed.

Family policies: Stalin adopted more conservative social policies than his predecessor, focusing on encouraging parental responsibility rather than on social legislation.

Discussion  How can you explain the changes to

the image of Stalin and Nikolai Yezhov? 

Stalin attempted to eliminate all traces of Yezhov, in real life as well as in the photograph.

Discussion What does it mean to work

collectively on a project?

to work together

Discussion In a collective project, which is more

important—the work of one individual or the work of the group?

the group

Eastern Europe: Most of the new parliamentary systems set up in eastern Europe following World War I failed. Most eastern European countries were rural, with large landowners maintaining a grip on power. Many people feared communism and ethnic conflicts. Authoritarian systems soon replaced the struggling democracies. These governments worked to preserve the old order.

Spain: In 1936, General Francisco Franco led Spain's military in a revolt against the country's republican government. The result was a brutal civil war. Foreign countries aided both sides. Germany used its revived air force to aid Franco, bombing cities held by the republican government. One example was the city of Guernica, which was completely destroyed. Franco's forces prevailed, and Franco established a military dictatorship. His government was considered authoritarian rather than totalitarian because he did not seek to control every aspect of people's lives, though he did rely on secret police.

Discussion  Why might the Soviet Union have

supported the republican government in the Spanish Civil War?

The Soviets thought that the republic more closely reflected Soviet ideals than did the forces of General Franco, who was a right-wing conservative.

Background  Picasso's Guernica was only one of many

famous works inspired by the horrors of the Spanish Civil War. Others include George Orwell's 1938 novel Homage to Catalonia, John Dos Passos's 1939 novel The Adventures of a Young Man, and Ernest Hemingway's 1940 novel For Whom the Bell Tolls. Also significant is Robert Capa's photograph Death of a Loyalist Soldier, Spain, taken in 1936.

Discussion  What was the goal of a totalitarian

state?

to create a new society shaped by the ideas of a single leader