The use of censorship to remove opposition demonstrated that radical groups in both tsarist and communist regimes were halted in influencing the masses to become radical so that they can overthrow the regimes. However, in Nicholas 2nd’s regime, censorship was effective as it was another repressive measure to remove opposition. Nicholas felt that the Russian youth were exposed to propagandist’s ideals so with the belief that the government had power to control what is published or read censorship decreased the influence that radical groups needed to carry out their plans. Tight rules of censorship continued since 1848-1855 then changed in 1855-63 as censorship was relaxed with the implementation of the glasnost (Policy of openness) . Which indicated that the government realized the idea to withdraw ‘dangerous orientation’ which increased books in 1855 as there were 1,020 and 1864 with 1,836 establishing that it was easy to print material especially when the government had economic and social problems. Resulting in radical groups influenced to the extent that they were powerful enough to assassinate Alexander 2nd in 1881. However, the rules remained relaxed until the 1905 revolution, which effectively removed oppositional groups in influencing people in a crucial time where propaganda would have been effective in overthrowing the tsar.
Although, his abdication proves that with tight rules on censorship oppositional groups were finding other ways, which were unsuccessful, in overthrowing the tsar establishing that censorship in Nicholas 2nd’s regime removed opposition greatly than any other tsar or communist. This is evident as in Stalin’s regime publishers had to write under ‘socialist realism’ , which reflected heroic efforts...
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...ppress counter-revolutionaries rather than remove opposition. Because of the Bolsheviks abolished press freedom and control of the news indicated that opposition was bound to take place resulted in retaliating with violence which reduced opposition but established annihilation in Stalin’s regime. Censorship and other repressive methods were used often in tsarist regimes to effectively control radicals and anti-state crimes, which is reflected mainly in Nicholas 2nd’s regime indicating that this effective measure removed opposition without the use of terror or violence that Stalin always relied upon.
Works Cited
Russia and its Rulers, 1855-1964, Holland
Stalin and Stalinism, Alan Wood
Rethinking the Russian Revolution, Action
Russia Under The Old Regime, Pipes
A People's Tragedy, Orlando Figes
The Modernization of Russia, Service
The Great Terror, Robert Conquest
New York, Replika Press Pvt. Ltd. Deutscher, Isaac, Ed 1967. The Unfinished Revolution Russia1917-1967. U.S.A. Oxford University Press. Fitzpatrick, Sheila, Ed 1982.The Russian Revolution.
Originally platformed by Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin took control of the communist party in 1924 when Lenin died of a stroke. Communist ideals were heavily in opposition to classical liberal values; Whereas Liberalism stressed the importance of the individual, Communism sought to better the greater good of society by stripping many of the individual rights and freedoms of citizens. Communism revoked the class structure of society and created a universal equality for all. This equality came with a price however. Any who opposed the communist rule were assassinated in order to keep order within society. Joseph Stalin took this matter to the extreme during an event known as the Great Purge. The Great Purge, also known as The Great Terror, began in 1936 and concluded in 1938. During these two years, millions of people were murdered and sent to labour camps in Siberia for opposing the Communist party and the ultimate dictator, Stalin himself. In some cases, even those who did not oppose the regime were killed. Sergey Kirov was a very popular member of the communist party and Stalin saw this as a possible threat to his ultimate power. As a result, Stalin order Kirov to be executed. Stalin furthered his violation of individual rights by introducing the NKVD who worked closely with the russian secret police force. One of the primary goals of the secret police was to search out dissidents who were not entirely faithful to the communist regime. This violation of privacy caused histeria en mass in the Soviet Union and millions were killed as a result. The Soviet union resisted liberalism to such an extreme that it resulted in the deaths of millions of people, leading to some of the darkest days in russian
Repressive-To not allow someone to do something, to control someone or something by force. The Russian empire under the rule of Nicholas the First suppressed novel, religion, and cultures that did not have to do with Slavic traditions and the Russian Orthodox Church. Alexander the second lifts some of the oppressiveness of the government only to be twice as repressed after Alexander the second assignation , and Alexander the third taking the throne. In 1831, Russia stop a polish uprising and, destroyed its army, and annulled the polish constitution.
But Stalin’s dictatorship increased in strength and by 1938, the purges had made Russian’s so fearful, they were willing to accept the totalitarian ruler instead of the democratic system which had originally been hoped for in the February 1917 revolution. Stalin had also used fear as a motivator for workers and managed to industrialise. Overall the most similarities occur between Alexander III and Stalin due to their repressive actions but although all the Tsars and Stalin depended on central control, it cannot be said that there were more similarities because of the power and support for Stalin’s when his reign ended compared to the weak Tsarist system which Russians felt was not worth saving.
In order to conclude the extent to which the Great Terror strengthened or weakened the USSR, the question is essentially whether totalitarianism strengthened or weakened the Soviet Union? Perhaps under the circumstances of the 1930s in the approach to war a dictatorship may have benefited the country in some way through strong leadership, the unifying effect of reintroducing Russian nationalism and increased party obedience. The effects of the purges on the political structure and community of the USSR can be described (as Peter Kenez asserts) as an overall change from a party led dictatorship to the dictatorship of a single individual; Stalin. Overall power was centred on Stalin, under whom an increasingly bureaucratic hierarchy of party officials worked. During the purges Stalin's personal power can be seen to increase at the cost of the party.
Rule of Lenin vs the Tsar The beginning of the 20th century saw a great change in the political structure of the Russia. A country once led under an autocracy leadership. was suddenly changed into a communist state overnight. Dictatorship and communism are at separate ends of the political spectrum. This study so clearly shows both involve the oppression of society and a strict regime in which people are unable to voice their opinions.
...ns of anti-Bolsheviks and according to Service, 500,000 sent to the Gulags through 1917-21. Pipes highlights the significance of the Red Terror as ‘a prophylactic measure designed to nip in the bud any thoughts of resistance to the dictatorship.’ Lenin also used class warfare to terrorise the middle classes and hostile social groups. This played well with the workers and soldiers and made it difficult to criticise the new government. As a result, Lenin’sintroduction of the Cheka (1917) and the emergence of the Red Terror (1918) ensured his rule was absolute not only within the party but across the Soviet Union.
The Great Terror, an outbreak of organised bloodshed that infected the Communist Party and Soviet society in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), took place in the years 1934 to 1940. The Terror was created by the hegemonic figure, Joseph Stalin, one of the most powerful and lethal dictators in history. His paranoia and yearning to be a complete autocrat was enforced by the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs (NKVD), the communist police. Stalin’s ambition saw his determination to eliminate rivals such as followers of Leon Trotsky, a political enemy. The overall concept and practices of the Terror impacted on the communist party, government officials and the peasants. The NKVD, Stalin’s instrument for carrying out the Terror, the show trials and the purges, particularly affected the intelligentsia.
Even before the creation of the Soviet Union, Russian empire had an on and off policies dealing with censorship particularly with books and writings . Before the 1900’s, during the reign of Tsar Alexander he had views and expressions about censorship. From years 1855 to 1865 was actually a decade of non censorship in Russia. “Censorship reforms began in Russian in a single decade of tolerance (1855-1865) during the reign of Tsar Alexander II” (Newth, 2002). Many people such as the media enjoy freedom of censorship up until censorship was restored. When the Russian revolution happened and the temporary government won, censorship bans were taken off. However, this did not last long as the Bolsheviks revolted and led to the creation of the USSR.
During Stalin’s regime, the individual Russian was the center of his grand plan for better or worse. Stalin wanted all of his people to be treated the same. In the factory the top producer and the worst producer made the same pay. He wanted everyone to be treated as equals. His goal to bring the Soviet Union into the industrial age put tremendous pressure on his people. Through violence and oppression Stalin tried to maintain an absurd vision that he saw for the Soviet Union. Even as individuals were looked at as being equals, they also were viewed as equals in other ways. There was no one who could be exempt when the system wanted someone imprisoned, killed, or vanished. From the poorest of the poor, to the riches of the rich, everyone was at the mercy of the regime. Millions of individuals had fake trumped up charges brought upon them, either by the government or by others who had called them o...
Wood, A. (1986). The Russian Revolution. Seminar Studies in History. (2) Longman, p 1-98. ISBSN 0582355591, 9780582355590
Stalin’s hunger for power and paranoia impacted the Soviet society severely, having devastating effects on the Communist Party, leaving it weak and shattering the framework of the party, the people of Russia, by stunting the growth of technology and progress through the purges of many educated civilians, as well as affecting The Red Army, a powerful military depleted of it’s force. The impact of the purges, ‘show trials’ and the Terror on Soviet society were rigorously negative. By purging all his challengers and opponents, Stalin created a blanket of fear over the whole society, and therefore, was able to stay in power, creating an empire that he could find more dependable.
Despite his reputation as a brutal dictator, Stalin introduced many social policies that would help the Russian people, The two main categories that Stalin focused on were Education and Women’s Rights however to see the extent of the change we need to decide if they were for the good of the people or to cater for Stalin’s own agenda.
Over the next few years, Russia went through a traumatic time of civil war and turmoil. The Bolsheviks’ Red Army fought the white army of farmers, etc. against Lenin and his ways. Lenin and the Bolsheviks won and began to wean Russia of non-conforming parties eventually banning all non-communist as well as removing an assembly elected shortly after the Bolshevik’s gain of power. Lenin’s strict government, however, was about to get a lot stricter with his death in 1924.
...t Party, repression of poor,persecution of people who were not affiliated and the leadership of Red. Wide spread police surveillance, imprisonment, spread suspicion of saboteurs and executions. During the great purge also known as the great terror, Stalin made sure that those who knew too much about the purge of the Army and Stalin's critics were killed. Joseph Stalin put fear in every soviet by having critics of his policies of collectivization and treatment of peasants arrested and prosecuted. Stalin ruled as a dictator of the Soviet Union from 1932 till his death in 1957. (Ask.com)