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Fun revise ussr history with me

I'll be writing short stories of key policies in the USSR which helps me revise key facts and hopefully you too.

DISCLAIMER: personality/attributes are fictional and what I think they would have been like. But all dates and statistics are facts.

(edited 4 years ago)

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Ya thanks

thanks hopefully this will help

Reply 4

noorgal

Lenin Media (Book 1, Chapter 1)

Lenin furrowed his brows, his Tatar-like eyes crinkling as he stared at the piece of paper in front of him. It was November 1917, and he had just issued the Decree of Press which gave the communist party emergency powers to close counter-revolutionary media. He stared at Stalin who was the editor of Pravda; and in three years time, it will become the most popular paper in the Soviet Union.
“You need better control of the media!” Cried Trotsky, jumping up animatedly. He was the head of the red army and one of the key proponents of the leftist faction of the party. Lenin agreed.
“Okay”. He said, “I’ll pass the Monopoly of State advertising this month.” Trotsky nodded vigorously while Stalin stayed silent.
“Nationalise the Petrograd Telegraph agency too.” Chipped in Zinoviev who was part of the Leftist faction with Trotsky and Kamenev, “This will give you control of electrical communication.”
“ROSTA next year will allow you to control the distribution of the press (effectively censor) and Cheka will punish the dissidents.” Shouted Trotsky who had sat down and started reading some government documents.
“That’s very good.” Said Lenin, his brow had relaxed by now and he buzzed with Euphoria. This Euphoria was reminiscent of Marx who declared in the Communist Manifesto that ‘A spectre is a haunting Europe, a spectre of communism.’
Lenin looked at Stalin who had not said anything yet. Stalin was a key member of the politburo although he was often very quiet and ‘in the background’.
“Anything to add Stalin?”Stalin looked up in thought then smiled at Lenin.
“You need to establish a cult of personality, this will made you the supreme leader.”
Lenin shook his head fervently. “No, I don’t believe in vanity; this is about the people, not me.”
Stalin looked down and smiled to himself. He knew that the cult of personality would play an important role in increasing public support for the regime. Even Lenin was not abhorred by the idea for long. In January 1918 a picture of him was published for the first time for the people and after his assassination attempt during the civil war, he was presented as a deity; a man of the people. Although Lenin did still disprove of the cult, he allowed it to flourish as he served as the face of the revolution.
Lenin’s control of the media was successful. In 1921 he closed 2000 newspapers and 575 printing presses. Avant-garde artists also supported the revolution and built on the Marxist concept ‘A spectre is a haunting Europe, a spectre of communism.’

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 5

noorgal

Original post by Kim~Shawn Mendes

thanks hopefully this will help

Original post by monotony

Ya thanks

I'm sorry the writing quality is a bit sh it but here's Lenin Media above. I'm also studying Mao's China and Lancastrians and Yorkists so I'll probably post something about that as well. What are you guys studying?

Reply 6

K.I.M

communist china and communist russia, the way u wrote it was actually really cool

Original post by noorgal

Reply 7

noorgal

Thank you! I'm studying the same topics as you then x
How are you feeling about Tuesday? :eek:

Spoiler

Original post by Kim~Shawn Mendes

communist china and communist russia, the way u wrote it was actually really cool

Reply 8

K.I.M

my first history exam is tomorrow and im going to fail, i was soo good at history in gcse but now im rubbish

Original post by noorgal

Thank you! I'm studying the same topics as you then x
How are you feeling about Tuesday? :eek:

Spoiler

Reply 9

noorgal

Good luck! You'll do amazing!!

Same omg! I feel like I've gotten worse since AS since I was getting A's throughout the year and now I've recently got Bs :bawling:

Original post by Kim~Shawn Mendes

my first history exam is tomorrow and im going to fail, i was soo good at history in gcse but now im rubbish

Reply 10

K.I.M

thanks, im planning on doing a history degree but i don't think ill get there, i would rather do something in music

Original post by noorgal

Good luck! You'll do amazing!!

Same omg! I feel like I've gotten worse since AS since I was getting A's throughout the year and now I've recently got Bs :bawling:

Reply 11

username4648086

Original post by noorgal

I liked it. Huguenots and French Civil war

Reply 12

noorgal

thank you

Good luck in your exams xx

Original post by monotony

I liked it. Huguenots and French Civil war

Reply 13

username4648086

Original post by noorgal

thank you

Good luck in your exams xx

Thanks Good Luck to you too

Thanks x

I'm not revising (nor am I a history student) but I enjoyed the first story. Will be bookmarking this thread. :smile:

Reply 16

noorgal

Original post by sinfonietta

I'm not revising (nor am I a history student) but I enjoyed the first story. Will be bookmarking this thread. :smile:

Thank you so much x

Reply 17

noorgal

The growing control of Media (Book 1, Chapter 2)

In 1921, the Communist Government were victorious in the brutal three-year civil war and Lenin decided that it was time to consolidate their power further. Lenin, in his early fifties, had been in good health but by the end of the year, he had fallen into a state of severe illness. He thus wanted to ensure that his legacy was enduring.
He had been persuaded by Trotsky and other disciplinarian members of the party to continue the stringent censorship of media. Dzerzhinsky, the head of the secret police (Cheka) was positively elated.
“Lenin is seeing sense and letting us control and establish discipline!” He shouted at an assembly of officers in the Cheka’s grand hall.
“Dissidents will be crushed!” Cheered the multitude of workers, throwing their caps in the air. Dzerzhinsky's lips stretched out into a feline-like smile.
He liked the new direction that the party was following.
Indeed, the following year, Dzerzhinsky introduced Glavlit; which oversaw systematic censorship of all press. The government employed censors who controlled access to economic data (the country was in economic turmoil due to the failing of War Communism), and banned books were purged in the so-called ‘book gulag’ scheme.
This was not meant to happen. Lenin promised before that censorship and terror were only temporary during the civil war. Even after Lenin lifted restraints of the economy during NEP; censorship was still present. He realised that control and suppression were far more effective than freedom of speech when consolidating power. This helped Lenin shape his powerful legacy.