Methods of Control

In order to ensure that himself was in power, Stalin used several methods. These are some that you will need to learn for the IGCSE. This was used throughout his reign



Propaganda
  • Stalin was represented as a central figure of Russia and he developed a cult
  • Pictures, statues, and propaganda posters spread this image
  • 16 cities were named after Stalin in countries that were under Stalin's control
  • Children were taught that Stalin was the "wisest man of the age"
  • Photographs were changed so that he would appear to be the hero of the revolution alongside Lenin, and opposition such as Trotsky was removed from records
  • Stalin's cult was further enforced after success in WW2
  • There were big celebrations on Stalin's birthdays, and it was clear that Russia was dependent on Stalin


Terror
  • By 1941, Stalin almost had full control over all of Russia
  • Stalin had sent people to the gulags (prisoner camps in Siberia) who had to perform harsh labour and lived in extremely bad conditions
  • Around 50 million died in the gulags in 1930-1950
  • Stalin was brutal towards his opponents and purged them if they posed a threat to him


Political Action
  • Political Rivals such as Trotsky and Kirov had been murdered
  • Purges were carried out
  • Anyone suspected to not be loyal were expelled, imprisoned, or put on public trial
  • Stalin established himself as the only political figure with power
  • 81/103 of generals and admirals of the army were purged


Control over Ordinary People
  • 20 million Russians were sent to the gulags, millions of those people died
  • People lived in fear of the NKVD (Stalin's secret police) and the random persecution of the people
  • Stalin introduced Russification, a policy to force people to only adopt Russian traditions and speak Russian
  • Christians and Muslims were attacked
  • Those who cooperated were given benefits such as jobs, holidays, housing, and education


Control over Russian culture
  • All types of media (eg. books, films, art, plays) were only allowed if they were in favour of Stalin's beliefs
  • Stalin believed that the arts should picture his struggle for communism as a humble working man to justify harsh rule


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