POL101Y1 Lecture 13: Lecture 13 Jan 8 What was Communism
Lecture #13 jan 8, 08
SLIDE 1:
What was Communism?
Lenin: Party as an organizational Weapon
Stalinism: Making the Profane Sacred
Stalinism and the Theory of Totalitarianism (arbitrary power, police over party)
Theory of ¯military° state VS. developmental state.
Stalinist politics and policies: industrialization and terror
Lenin realized that the working class was intensely corruptible. Full time revolutionaries (identity).
Organizational weapon. Party is the charismatic organization. Ideal instrument for making the
revolution.
Building a modern society Vs making a revolution, seize power and transforming the society. Stalin,
Lenin¬s successor was brutal and terrorize the society. He defined new combat task. Stalin was able
to define new task for party, making a revolution by transforming a society. Steel, electricity, military,
creating a city. Stalin commanded the party to do this. All social organization became subordinated to
that goal. Art, culture, science involved in making modern soviet society. The building of industrial
society was successful. Justice VS Injustice. A type of rule, relied on modern technology and
bureaucracy. Totalitarianism, hitler and stalin were enemies looking at power how it is organized in
Nazis and soviet. The use of technology and demonization, terror and arbitrariness. The secret police,
KGB has raised in power over the party itself. Power was not total, but the claim was total in the
theory of totalitarianism. The society was completely penetrated by the state. Everything was
subordinated to the state. The point of all of this was to create a powerful military. The way they treat
the internal society, but what they do with it. Very good at defending from external pressure with its
military. ¯%attle of the steel front° communists wanted to conquer with its superior military. terror +
progress= result of communism
SLIDE 2:
End of Terror (Party reasserts power over police)
Khrushchev¬s secret speech and limits of destalinization
Brezhnev and stability in cadres- party lacks combat task b/c developed socialism already exists
Contradictions of economic order: planned economy vs market economy.
Treadmill of reforms
Corruption and economic decline (relative and absolute): historical and regional comparisons.
www.notesolution.com
Document Summary
Stalinism and the theory of totalitarianism (arbitrary power, police over party) Lenin realized that the working class was intensely corruptible. Building a modern society vs making a revolution, seize power and transforming the society. Lenin s successor was brutal and terrorize the society. Stalin was able to define new task for party, making a revolution by transforming a society. All social organization became subordinated to that goal. Art, culture, science involved in making modern soviet society. A type of rule, relied on modern technology and bureaucracy. Totalitarianism, hitler and stalin were enemies looking at power how it is organized in. The use of technology and demonization, terror and arbitrariness. Kgb has raised in power over the party itself. Power was not total, but the claim was total in the theory of totalitarianism. The society was completely penetrated by the state. The point of all of this was to create a powerful military.
