Stalins USSR and Hitlers Germany

USSR
Single Party Communist Dictatorship under the leadership of Stalin. Council of 7 people led by Stalin who had a close knit group of supporters carrying out his ideas without questioning. Stalin was a domineering and threatening person who wielded power through fear. &he 'SS( was a one party system but there were members of his own )olshe#ik Party who did not like the policies that Stalin was putting into place. Political opponents were often arrested* tortured or sent to gulags. Communism was about impro#ing life for e#erybody +Socialist policies, but Stalin disliked the a!i ideas.

GERMANY
Single Party Fascist Dictatorship under the leadership of Hitler. Hitler had a close knit group of a!i officials to carry out his plans for "ermany for him. Hitler was a charismatic and persuasi#e figure who $charmed% the people into supporting him and his ideas for a better life.

Style of Government

Political Opponents

-nce Hitler assumed power "ermany became a one party system. Hitler particularly disliked the Communist Party in "ermany. &he .nabling /ct made Hitler the all0powerful Fuhrer of "ermany. &he 1aw against the Formation of Parties declared the a!i Party the only political party in "ermany. 2t was an offence to belong to another Party. /ll other parties were banned* and their leaders were put in prison. a!i Party members* howe#er* got the best 3obs* better houses and special pri#ileges. 4any businessmen 3oined the a!i Party purely to get orders. T e National &a'o(r Service sent men on public works e.g. autobahns. 'nemployment fell from 8 million to almost nothing. &he armed forces were built up through conscription 9 soldiers needed equipment. &he 1uftwaffe ga#e 3obs to fitters* engineers 9 designers. &he a!is needed thousands of clerks 9 prison guards. &he )*++ !arm &a# assured farmers of sales with subsidies. &he go#ernment kept food prices at the 6:;< le#el but farmers were organised into the (eich Food .state 9 strictly controlled. &he )*+, Ne# Plan stopped imports 9 subsidised industry. &his is called =/utarky= 0 self0sufficient. Production of oil* steel* coal 9 iron. "oering%s !o(r Year Plan proposed to get the army 9 industry ready for war in > years. -UT businesses were strictly controlled? they could be told to make something different@were not allowed to raise wages@workers could be sent to other factories. .conomists know now that these policies cause massi#e economic problems. &he a!is tried to make people proud. -UT trade unions were banned and all workers had to 3oin the "erman 1abour Front and lost their right to strike for better pay 9 conditions. Aages fell. People who refused to work were imprisoned. Aages 9 conditions on the (/D schemes were #ery poor.

Economic Policies

T e !ive Year Plans 5 started under 1enin and continued by Stalin which enabled the 'SS( to de#elop economically but at a great cost to the So#iet people 5 learn what the successes and costs were. Sta" anovite Medals for #or"in$ ard. %ollectivisation 5 a policy for%impro#ing% So#iet agricultural production that would pro#ide money for abroad. Had a serious impact on the 'SS( and created the first man made famine. &he 'SS(%s economy impro#ed dramatically in 3ust 67 years 5 they were now prepared in case "ermany attacked. &he 'SS( may ha#e had more money but it had come at a great cost to the So#iet people who were star#ing* afraid and unhappy with the new go#ernment under Stalin.

Stren$t t ro($ .oy Movement Aorkers were offered cut0price holidays* theatre trips and concerts as rewards for working hard. &he a!i Party members became the elite force in "ermany. People generally felt happier in a!i "ermany. Children were gi#en new opportunities and learnt to lo#e Hitler. .mphasis was placed on idoli!ing women. "ermany was led to belie#e that as /ryans they were the 4aster (ace and needed 1ebensraum. &here was a strong sense of morals being placed on the family. &he phrase was $speak through flowers% 5 you ha#e to be careful and what and where you said things. =Ahen an opponent declares* =2 will not come o#er to your side=* 2 calmly say* =Dour child belongs to us already=. &he a!is replaced anti0 a!i teachers and 'ni#ersity professors* and school lessons included hidden indoctrination 0 requiring children to calculate how much mentally disabled people cost the state* or to critici!e the racial features of Eewish people. "erman boys were required to attend the Hitler Douth* which miCed eCciting acti#ities* war0games and a!i indoctrination. "erman girls went to the )D4 and learned how to be good mothers* and to lo#e Hitler. Hitler signed a Concordat with the Pope* agreeing to lea#e the (oman Catholic Church alone if it stayed out of politics. &his meant that most Catholics were happy to accept the a!i regime. Protestants 9 Eeho#ah=s Aitnesses 0 if they opposed the a!is 0 were sent to concentration camps. Eews were persecuted in a!i "ermany during the a!i (egime through a systematic genocide known as the Holocaust 5 almost 8 million people were killed throughout a!i controlled .urope. /ll of this was in direct opposition to the ;H Point Programme outlined by Hitler and the a!i Party stating that a!i "ermany would ha#e religious freedom.

Social % an$es

.quality was abandoned. &he Communist Party .lite became the new aristocracy. &he armed ser#ices re#erted to being a hierarchy. Stress was placed on the family unit. 4orality in the 6:B7s 9 6:>7s was the same as under the &sars. Aomen were eCploited 5 child bearers and cheap manual labour.

Ed(cation Policies

&he &sars had spent money on education and Stalin continued this. 4ore skilled workers were produced due to the Fi#e Dear Plan. .ducation was offered to more people and there was great scope for the talented.

Reli$io(s Policies

Stalin attacked the 4uslim Faith 5 he attacked them in almost the same way that Hitler attacked the Eews. Stalin=s role in the fortunes of the (ussian -rthodoC Church is compleC. Continuous persecution in the 6:B7s resulted in its near0eCtinction. )y 6:B:* acti#e parishes numbered in the low hundreds* many churches had been le#elled* and tens of thousands of priests* monks and nuns were killed. During Aorld Aar 22* howe#er* the Church was allowed a partial re#i#al* as a patriotic organi!ationF thousands of parishes were reacti#ated* until a further round of suppression in Ghrushche#=s time. &he Church Synod=s recognition of the So#iet go#ernment and of Stalin personally led to a schism with the (ussian -rthodoC Church -utside (ussia that remains not fully healed to the present day. Eust days before Stalin=s death* certain religious sects

were outlawed and persecuted.

Personality %(lts

Stalin established a /%(lt of Stalin 0ors ip from a desire to be seen as autocratic 9 retain absolute power. 2t de#eloped from a sense of Paranoia 5 he needed people to worship him 9 if he had to achie#e it by terror then he would. Stalin ordered a censorship on anything that reflected badly on him* placed pictures 9 statues of himself e#erywhere* demanded continuous praise 9 applause. Stalin ordered streets* hospitals 9 towns to be named after him. 4others taught their children that Stalin was $the wisest man of the age%. History books 9 photographs were altered to make him the hero of the (e#olution 9 obliterate any information about opponents he had purged from the So#iet 'nion* i.e. &rotsky.

Hitler established a /%(lt of Hitler 0ors ip1 He belie#ed that people in "ermany needed to see him as a father figure who would take care of them from the $cradle to the gra#e%. &his would ensure his continuence as an absolute leader. Hitler used a series of propaganda and threat of terror to achie#e his cult status. Posters were put up e#erywhere of Hitler* 4ein Gampf was gi#en as a special gift to married couples and children on special occasions* his speeches were broadcast all o#er "ermany and the Douth were made to worship him.

Role of Terror

P(r$es 2 aim was to unify the country* prepare for "ermany%s in#asion and from Stalin%s own paranoia. Apparat(s of Terror 2 CH.G/ and GID +Secret Police,* remo#al +purges, of industrialists* Gulaks* Political -pponents* /rmy leaders* Church officials* ethnic groups and e#en ordinary people. G(la$s 2 ;7 million people sent to Siberia to li#e in the gulags were they became sla#e labour. .ffects of the purges are still felt today in (ussia. / comprehensi#e attempt to dominate the cultural and artistic life in the So#iet 'nion. Culture was to ser#e the state +and Stalin, and there were laws on art* music and drama. Stalin decided what could be said in poems* nursery rhymes 9 folk songs. Censorship was the order of the day.

-n ;8 /pril 6:BB* Hitler set up the Gestapo and the SS* 9 encouraged "ermans to report opponents 9 =grumblers=. &ens of thousands of Eews* Communists* gypsies* homoseCuals* alcoholics 9 prostitutes were arrested 9 sent to concentration camps for =crimes= as small as writing anti0 a!i graffiti* possessing a banned book* or saying that business was bad. -n the Ni$ t of t e &on$ 3nives +6B Eune 6:B>, Hitler used his legal power to assassinate all his opponents within the a!i Party.

%(lt(ral 4evelopments

Hitler%s regime demanded a sense of nationalistic pride in "ermany. &here was an emphasis on "erman tradition. &he only music allowed was )eetho#en* Aagner* 4o!art or "erman folk songs. Plays 9 books could only be by "erman authors. Films could only be acted out by a!i authori!ed actors 9 actresses. ewspapers were freed of foreign influence. &he free and easy eCcesses of the 6:B7s was abandoned 5 censorship was paramount.