Essay plans chap 3 control of the people
HOW FAR WAS GOVERNMENT CONTROL OVER THE SOVIET PEOPLE IN THE YEARS 1917-1985
THE RESULT OF THE USE OF TERROR
Introduction / argument
government control over the soviet people in the years 1917-85 was largely due to the use of
terror. This is as although the cult of personality and mass media/propaganda did, at certain
points, keep people loyal to the leader or government, the control over the soviet people and what
kept them in line was fear of punishment, from executions to labour camps to physiatrics facilities.
Although the extent of terror under di erent leaders di ered, it was still very much a part of soviet
life and what kept people from uprising when things were unstable.
Paragraph 1
- Terror
- Terror under Lenin - estimated 200,000 killed by the Cheka, and Lenin ruthlessly rushed
rebellions such as the Tarnov uprising and Kronstadt Mutiny. In 1921 they suppressed a
rebellion by deporting 100,000 people to labour camps and attacking villages with poison gas =
using terror to crush rebellions
- Under Stalin and the secret police, the Gulag grew huge. In the 1930s, estimated 24 million
were accused of treason, as well as 35,000 in the army, party bureaucracy and rival political
gures. Created an atmosphere of fear through the secret police, who monitored people and
has their own courts. Some historians estimate as many as 50 million passed through the
gulags, with millions dying there. To step out of line was to go here, or be executed after a
show trial.
- Under Khrushchev and Brezhnev - low pro le dissidents put into physciatric facilities, KGB
developed advanced technology to listen in and in show trials like Sinyavsky-Daniel trial it was
made clear that dissenting = punishment - 10,000 in physciatric faciltiies
Paragraph 2
Media and propaganda
Paragraph 3
Cult of personality
HOW SIGNIFICANT WAS STATE CONTROL OF THE MASS MEDIA AND PROPAGANDA IN
SUSTAINING THE SOVIET REGIME IN THE YEARS 1917-53?
Introduction / argument
Signi cant - a core reason ie one that backs up others
Backs up cult of personality
It was initially extremely important in sustaining the regime in Lenin’s early stages where power
was being consolidated. However, as time progressed although it was important in helping to
indoctrinate the people as well as being signi cant due to its key role in the cult of personality, its
importance shouldn’t be overstated, as there were other signi cant factors behind the sustaining
of the soviet regime , such as terror.
Paragraph 1 - lenin and mass media / propaganda
• Lenin certainly understood the role of propaganda and determined the newspaper to be
one of the most important tools of a propaganda state.
• The establishment of Pravda was one of the rst tasks he undertook when he came into
power. Pravda achieved the goals of Bolshevik propaganda by motivating the people and
controlling the media available to them
• The Russian Association of Proletarian Writers (RAPP) also controlled the media available
to the public.
• Bolsheviks were basically the only political group allowed to contribute; Mensheviks in
particular were not allowed to submit articles
• Radio:
◦ In 1917, radio was a fairly recent development and therefore easier for the
Bolsheviks to in uence it, especially as there was no long tradition of independent
activity
fi fi fl ff fi fifi ff fi
, ◦ the radio was used for morse code during the revolution, and by 1921 programmes
were being broadcast. the 'spoken newspaper of the russian telegraph agency'
featured news and propoganda
◦ radio receivers were expensive (a limitation) and in order to get their messages
across to the people, the bolsheviks installed loudspeakers in public places eg
factories and clubs
◦ group listening ensured collective responses that ensured everyone got the
intended message
◦ control of radio communications were later centralised as the government realised
the importance of communication. by 1922, Moscow had a well-developed
broadcasting station
◦ radio was especially useful medium becuase it enabled the govenment to get its
message across to the population. radio stations were controlled by the
government and was very helpful during the german invasion to provide morale
◦ conveyed o cial messages alongside classical or light music
◦ 65% were illiterate so it was very good
• NEWSPAPERS
Successes
◦ November 1917– banned all non-socialist newspapers.
◦ Printingpress was nationalised.
◦ 1920s – banon non-Bolshevik newspapers
◦ All editorsand journalists were employees of the government (Union of
SovietJournalists) and were expected to be Party Members.
• Limitations
◦ 65% of thecountry were illiterate
• Did it help spread propaganda?
◦ Papers were cheap to buy and posted on boards on pavements so people could
easily access them – widely available.
◦ Both were uses as vehicles of propaganda used to highlight the achievements of
thegovernment and socialism.
◦ Instrument of propaganda, agitation and organisation.
- Glavlit: censorship organisation. The GPU was put in charge of policing publications, new
professional censors were employed, all books investigated for anti-communist bias, and lists of
banned books created.
- during the civil war, despite resources being scarce, busts and statues of lenin were produced
and Lenin’s photograph appeared with title such as ‘leader of the revolutionary proletariat’. Also
presented wearing caps that working people work = man of the people. Lenin wasn’t comfortable
with the personality cult but kept to because it gave the revolution a face
Overall: lenin was able to use mass media and propaganda in order to sustain the soviet regime. It
especially helped him as it promoted his personality cult, as he was presented through posters
and images as an almost godlike gure who was simultaneously a man of the people
Under stalin hel+ Khrushchev
- under Stalin, censorship became even more tightened. Books by Zinoviev, Trotsky, Kamanev
etc removed, Lenin’s works edited to remove anything that agreed with stalin’s enemies. Even
stalin’s own workers were edited to remove any indications he had been close to those he
purged. Soviet history was also rewritten to emphasise stalin’s role in the revolution and reduce
those of his enemies
- Glavlit controlled access to economic data . Soviet media was forbidden from publishing
stories about natural disasters, suicides, industrial accidents, or even bad weather in order to
create the impression nothing bad ever happened in the soviet union. Anything bad that was
reported was blamed on saboteurs.
- Also focused on stalin as a leader - a semi-divine gure , father gure, saviour of Russia etc etc
Overall: Media and propaganda were useful to Stalin to develop his cult of personality and secure
his position as a supreme, unchallenged leader.
Khrushchev
ffi fi fi fi
HOW FAR WAS GOVERNMENT CONTROL OVER THE SOVIET PEOPLE IN THE YEARS 1917-1985
THE RESULT OF THE USE OF TERROR
Introduction / argument
government control over the soviet people in the years 1917-85 was largely due to the use of
terror. This is as although the cult of personality and mass media/propaganda did, at certain
points, keep people loyal to the leader or government, the control over the soviet people and what
kept them in line was fear of punishment, from executions to labour camps to physiatrics facilities.
Although the extent of terror under di erent leaders di ered, it was still very much a part of soviet
life and what kept people from uprising when things were unstable.
Paragraph 1
- Terror
- Terror under Lenin - estimated 200,000 killed by the Cheka, and Lenin ruthlessly rushed
rebellions such as the Tarnov uprising and Kronstadt Mutiny. In 1921 they suppressed a
rebellion by deporting 100,000 people to labour camps and attacking villages with poison gas =
using terror to crush rebellions
- Under Stalin and the secret police, the Gulag grew huge. In the 1930s, estimated 24 million
were accused of treason, as well as 35,000 in the army, party bureaucracy and rival political
gures. Created an atmosphere of fear through the secret police, who monitored people and
has their own courts. Some historians estimate as many as 50 million passed through the
gulags, with millions dying there. To step out of line was to go here, or be executed after a
show trial.
- Under Khrushchev and Brezhnev - low pro le dissidents put into physciatric facilities, KGB
developed advanced technology to listen in and in show trials like Sinyavsky-Daniel trial it was
made clear that dissenting = punishment - 10,000 in physciatric faciltiies
Paragraph 2
Media and propaganda
Paragraph 3
Cult of personality
HOW SIGNIFICANT WAS STATE CONTROL OF THE MASS MEDIA AND PROPAGANDA IN
SUSTAINING THE SOVIET REGIME IN THE YEARS 1917-53?
Introduction / argument
Signi cant - a core reason ie one that backs up others
Backs up cult of personality
It was initially extremely important in sustaining the regime in Lenin’s early stages where power
was being consolidated. However, as time progressed although it was important in helping to
indoctrinate the people as well as being signi cant due to its key role in the cult of personality, its
importance shouldn’t be overstated, as there were other signi cant factors behind the sustaining
of the soviet regime , such as terror.
Paragraph 1 - lenin and mass media / propaganda
• Lenin certainly understood the role of propaganda and determined the newspaper to be
one of the most important tools of a propaganda state.
• The establishment of Pravda was one of the rst tasks he undertook when he came into
power. Pravda achieved the goals of Bolshevik propaganda by motivating the people and
controlling the media available to them
• The Russian Association of Proletarian Writers (RAPP) also controlled the media available
to the public.
• Bolsheviks were basically the only political group allowed to contribute; Mensheviks in
particular were not allowed to submit articles
• Radio:
◦ In 1917, radio was a fairly recent development and therefore easier for the
Bolsheviks to in uence it, especially as there was no long tradition of independent
activity
fi fi fl ff fi fifi ff fi
, ◦ the radio was used for morse code during the revolution, and by 1921 programmes
were being broadcast. the 'spoken newspaper of the russian telegraph agency'
featured news and propoganda
◦ radio receivers were expensive (a limitation) and in order to get their messages
across to the people, the bolsheviks installed loudspeakers in public places eg
factories and clubs
◦ group listening ensured collective responses that ensured everyone got the
intended message
◦ control of radio communications were later centralised as the government realised
the importance of communication. by 1922, Moscow had a well-developed
broadcasting station
◦ radio was especially useful medium becuase it enabled the govenment to get its
message across to the population. radio stations were controlled by the
government and was very helpful during the german invasion to provide morale
◦ conveyed o cial messages alongside classical or light music
◦ 65% were illiterate so it was very good
• NEWSPAPERS
Successes
◦ November 1917– banned all non-socialist newspapers.
◦ Printingpress was nationalised.
◦ 1920s – banon non-Bolshevik newspapers
◦ All editorsand journalists were employees of the government (Union of
SovietJournalists) and were expected to be Party Members.
• Limitations
◦ 65% of thecountry were illiterate
• Did it help spread propaganda?
◦ Papers were cheap to buy and posted on boards on pavements so people could
easily access them – widely available.
◦ Both were uses as vehicles of propaganda used to highlight the achievements of
thegovernment and socialism.
◦ Instrument of propaganda, agitation and organisation.
- Glavlit: censorship organisation. The GPU was put in charge of policing publications, new
professional censors were employed, all books investigated for anti-communist bias, and lists of
banned books created.
- during the civil war, despite resources being scarce, busts and statues of lenin were produced
and Lenin’s photograph appeared with title such as ‘leader of the revolutionary proletariat’. Also
presented wearing caps that working people work = man of the people. Lenin wasn’t comfortable
with the personality cult but kept to because it gave the revolution a face
Overall: lenin was able to use mass media and propaganda in order to sustain the soviet regime. It
especially helped him as it promoted his personality cult, as he was presented through posters
and images as an almost godlike gure who was simultaneously a man of the people
Under stalin hel+ Khrushchev
- under Stalin, censorship became even more tightened. Books by Zinoviev, Trotsky, Kamanev
etc removed, Lenin’s works edited to remove anything that agreed with stalin’s enemies. Even
stalin’s own workers were edited to remove any indications he had been close to those he
purged. Soviet history was also rewritten to emphasise stalin’s role in the revolution and reduce
those of his enemies
- Glavlit controlled access to economic data . Soviet media was forbidden from publishing
stories about natural disasters, suicides, industrial accidents, or even bad weather in order to
create the impression nothing bad ever happened in the soviet union. Anything bad that was
reported was blamed on saboteurs.
- Also focused on stalin as a leader - a semi-divine gure , father gure, saviour of Russia etc etc
Overall: Media and propaganda were useful to Stalin to develop his cult of personality and secure
his position as a supreme, unchallenged leader.
Khrushchev
ffi fi fi fi
