Life Under Stalin

01/27/03

Using propaganda and censorship Stalin supported his regime. To further support himself Stalin limited writers and artists to using their methods of art to glorify the Soviet Union and praise Stalin. Beginning in 1932, the government brought together all the writers in the Soviet Union and created what is called the "Union of Soviet Writers". The purpose of this union was to monitor all the writers and what they were writing. This organization praised the writers that supported the state and Stalin, but punished those who wrote works going against the ideas of the Soviet Union. Writers who did not praise Stalin were expelled from the Union, and could not get their works published.

Using terror as the means of silencing critics was a popular aspect of Stalin's rule. He cracked down on critics in the communist party, and thousands were expelled. Acts of violence include the assassination of a high party official, Serge Karv, who was probably executed by Stalin's agents. After Karv's death, Stalin used the atrocity to launch the Great Perge. In the following four years, millions of men and women were arrested. A great number of these people were tried and executed. Under Stalin's rule, no one was safe from government persecution. In the 1930's the standard of living throughout the Soviet Union was extremely low. There was a dire need for food and housing. Continuing on with the five year plans, heavy industry continued to be emphasized while the consumer goods that were badly needed were neglected. What this meant for the people was that necessary items like clothing and household items became extremely rare. Although at a time when it seemed as if the conditions were so horrible there was still support from the people of the Soviet Union. There was no unemployment despite the low wages. Aside from the negative, the government offered free public education and pensions for the elderly. These aspects of life were neglected during the Czar's rule.

When you think of communism it normally means that it is a classless society and no one person is considered higher than another. In fact, under Stalin's rule there was a small group of people who enjoyed better lives than regular people. This includes engineers, artists, and intellectuals who supported Stalin and what he stood for. Also included in this category were the high party officials. This fueled many Russians to take advantage of the public education and to try to improve their state of life.

Throughout our website, we have mostly neglected the role of women under Stalin's rule. After the Russian revolution of 1917, women won equal rights. During the years that Stalin was in power, many women went outside their homes to work. These new jobs included being factory workers. Because wages were so low, the extra income was desperately needed to help their families survive. Women also took advantage of the universities and entered high positions in areas such as medicine.

Written by Lauren Weaver and David

This site was last updated 01/27/03