The USSR by 1953

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The USSR by 1953

By 1953, the USSR was a superpower engaged in a Cold War with the US. Stalin left a lasting legacy on the Soviet Union.

USSR in 1953

By 1953, the Soviet Union was recovering from WW2. It emerged as a ‘superpower’, alongside the US.
Tensions between the Soviet Union and the US were growing in the Cold War.
- Ideological conflict drove the Korean War.
The Soviet Union was strengthening ties with its satellite states through the Cominform and COMECON.

Stalin

Stalin died in 1953. After his death, there was a power struggle for control. In 1956, Khrushchev would become the next leader.
Stalin was a totalitarian dictator.
He ruled through terror, eliminating enemies through purges.
Stalin drove collectivisation and industrialisation in the USSR.
- Historians disagree over the success of these programmes. It is clear that Stalin’s focus on heavy industry led to famines and the death of millions.
- The standard of living for the population was very low.
Stalin played a key role in the emerging Cold War. Using his ‘salami’ tactics, Stalin sought to spread communism across Eastern Europe.

1The Leadership Struggle, 1924-1929

1.1Struggle for Power 1924-28

1.1.1Stalin & his Rivals

1.1.2The End of Lenin & Stalin

1.1.3Stalin & the Communist Party

2Five Year Plans & Collectivisation

2.1Changes in Industry

2.1.1Industrialisation & Gosplan

2.2Agriculture & Collectivisation

2.2.1Five Year Plans & Grain Hoarding

2.2.2Collectivisation

2.2.3Kulaks

3Purges, Show Trials & The Cult of Stalin

3.1The Use of Terror in the 1930s

3.1.1Purges

3.1.2NKVD

3.1.3Show Trials

3.1.4Labour Camps

3.2Propaganda & Censorship

3.2.1Art & Religion Under Stalin

3.2.2Media & the Cult of Stalin

3.2.3The Cult of Stalin

3.2.4History

4Life in the Soviet Union, 1924-1941

4.1Life in the Soviet Union

4.1.1Living Conditions & Ethnic Minorities in the USSR

5The Second World War, 1941-1953

5.1USSR in the War

5.1.11941-1942

5.1.21943-1945

5.2Stalin & WW2

5.2.1Stalin's Popularity

5.2.2Post-War Consolidation

5.3Post-War Recovery

5.3.1Economic Recovery

5.3.2The USSR by 1953

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