yr13_ia_2007_burridge_b

=Summary of Evidence (500-600 words)=

Joseph Stalin was a General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee from 1922 until 1953. By 1930, Stalin was in full control, and his propaganda focused on political discipline, getting the Five Year Plans underway, ambitious programs for the collectivization of agriculture and establishment of heavy industry. He had a rather distinct personality; some say he was a brutal and cold man, of average intelligence. And that he had no consideration for his fellow humans and had nothing but disrespect for his aids. Zhukov, who worked for him described him as an imposing figure. Despite this, he managed to create an image of himself as a caring leader whose genius had saved the Soviet Union from it’s enemies and made it the envy of the world.[|[1]] Stalin’s desire to dominate and be the hero of the revolution highly influenced the propaganda fabricated under his rule.[|[2]]

During Stalin’s rule, the five-Year Plans for the National Economy of the USSR were a big thing. The plans were used to improve economic development throughout the Soviet Union. They were developed by the Gosplan, which was the state committee of planning, and were based on the ‘Theory of Productive Forces’ which was part of the guidelines of the Communist Party for economic development. Following out this plan became the Soviet bureaucracy’s responsibility. In total, there were 13 five-year plans. The key economic task of the second 5-year plan, technical re-equipment of the national economy, had been fulfilled. And during the 2nd 5-year period, industrial output went up by 120%. The USSR moved into first place in Europe and second in the world in gross industrial output.[|[3]] These plans were partly created to purge opposition. Therefore, it was essential for Stalin to use propaganda to generate more support and to crush this opposition. Doctoring photographs, posters and convincing film were his tools of control. Huge propaganda campaigns were used to encourage workers to raise their productivity, which was outstandingly low previous to the plans; the Stakhanovite movement was probably the most significant propaganda initiative.[|[4]]

Propaganda was constantly used in the Soviet Union under the rule of Joseph Stalin. People within the Communist Party killed or arrested those who he considered enemies, basically anyone who disagreed with his politics. They also tried to remove these people from photographic archives and ultimately remove them from the entire media. The Communist’s of the 1930’s and their apparent ‘truth’ travels worldwide in approved books.[|[5]] Photographs, films and posters were strictly controlled under Stalin’s party, his propaganda campaign reached into every area of live. Ordinary people believed that Stalin was the essence of all that was good and wise, almost a god-like being.[|[6]] The fact that the photos were distorted, their posters had such strong meanings and their films were sending strict messages was not known by Russian people at the time. Propaganda was one of the most infamous features of Stalin’s Russia. Interestingly, the photographs were doctored to interest people in the greatness of communism and to boost the reputations of those in power. Photographs are usually considered factual, that’s why it was such a well thought out plan that worked well, the Russian people believed them. Many of the doctored photographs were issued in the ‘Pravda’, which was originally an underground revolutionary Bolshevik newspaper, later it become the official newspaper for the Communist Party.

[|[1]] Russia and the USSR 1905-1991, Philip Ingram, 1997, p51 [|[2]] Communist Russia Under Lenin And Stalin, Chris Corin & Terry Fiehn, 2002, p308 [|[3]] An Official History of the USSR, [|[4]] Communist Russia Under Lenin And Stalin, Chris Corin & Terry Fiehn, 2002, p187, p190 The Stakhanovite movement – part of the government campaign to make workers produce more, ‘Stakhanovites’ who did so were given privileges such as better food and accommodation [|[5]] http://www.newseum.org/berlinwall/commissar_vanishes/main.htm [|[6]] Russia and the USSR 1905-1991, Philip Ingrim, 1997, p51