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Stalin used internal power and the products (infrastructure) produced during that time period to consolidate external power.

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land, animals, and other technology was taken from peasants and given to the state

anyone who didn’t agree was deemed an enemy of the state and became a “kulak”

peasants became workers rather than bourgeoisie

Two goals:

modernize agriculture

crush the peasants (sometimes even those who supported the movement)

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People’s Republic of China, Nazi Germany, and the Republic of Indonesia all followed this example

some were finished before their due date while others took longer than expected or were never finished at all

industry and commerce would be in the hands of the state

primary goal was to reach the rest of the world in industry

50 to 100 years would become a matter of a decade

Stalin had complete control

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"When we hang the capitalists they will sell us the rope we use."

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The Great Purges and direct quotes from people living it:

Victor Kravchenko pointed out: “Hundreds of suspects in Leningrad were rounded up and shot summarily, without trial.

Alexander Orlov, a NKVD (People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs)  officer, “Stalin decided to arrange for the assassination of Kirov and to lay the crime at the door of the former leaders"

Stalin thought that Hitler was as approachable as most European countries, and any anti-Hitlerism in the Bolshevik was swiftly rid of

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Even after joining and having an alliance with Czechoslovakia, Stalin was not invited to attend the Munich Conference

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German-Soviet non-aggression pact of 1939

The German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact fell apart in June 1941, when Nazi forces invaded the Soviet Union.

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Commissar for External Affairs

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First plan of action from Litvinov was to join the League of Nations

The League of Nations soon thereafter showed weakness when the Manchurian Crisis of 1931 and the Italian invasion of Abyssinia in 1935 damaged the reputation of ‘collective security"

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To explain how desperate Stalin was, Litvinov had every characteristic of Stalin’s victims, but was never targeted

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The Siege of Leningrad:

Nazi invaders forced the surrender of Leningrad and Stalingrad after a 900-day siege. An estimated 600,000 people died.

The Battle of Moscow:

Stalin became upset with Germany’s Operation Typhoon and used General Zhukov and the harsh climate to prevent German victory.

The Battle of Kursk:

The Red Army lost 1500 tanks and suffered 860,000 casualties but managed to fend off the Germans and help recover the city of Kharkov.

The Siege of Stalingrad:
Stalingrad could not be lost for pride reasons and also the fact that it supported the transport of Soviet oil supplies from the Caucasus to the Red Army in the north.

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Another example of Stalin's foreign policy

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USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War: Crash Course World History #39

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Is a successful foreign policy necessary for an authoritarian leader to consolidate and maintain power?

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Is a successful foreign policy necessary for an authoritarian leader to consolidate and maintain power?

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Stalin had a falling and failing foreign policy.  However, he was still very successful in maintaining and consolidating power within Russia.

How? Fear.

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foreign policy was “not an area of expertise for Stalin”

Solution = Litvinov

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The Hiring of Maxim Litvinov:

He was appointed as the Commissar for External Affairs because his skills were needed in determining foreign policy, which was not one of Stalin’s areas of expertise. Litvinov influenced the USSR to join the League of Nations and he favored cooperation with anti-fascist governments. He was later replaced by Vyacheslav Molotov.

A relationship with Britain and France:

The likelihood of such an alliance was undermined by the events of 1938, when Stalin was not invited to attend the Munich Conference.