Evaluate the view that Stalinism produced positive changes for Soviet society.

When assessing the impact of Stalinism on Soviet society, it is easy to subsume the regimes achievements beneath the pall of misery the dictator inflicted on his people. In reality, Stalinism had both positive and negative effects. On the positive side, it produced rapid economic growth and modernisation. On the negative side, it was responsible for one of the highest death tolls in human history. Economically, Stalins achievements were mixed. is industrial policies in the !"#$s, were spectacularly successful, with the three %ive &ear 'lans transforming (ussia from a bac)ward semi*developed nation to one which could match the West in industrial output. +y !"##, output levels were four times that of !"!#. 'roduction of oil and gas rose by !#$ percent between !"," and !"#-. Over that same period, production of coal and iron ore rose by ,#$ percent each, steel by ,./ percent, electricity by 01$ percent, and chemicals rose by almost !$$$ percent. 2hese successes were built on the sacrifices of the wor)ing class. 3ost production was of industrial goods, allowing investment to remain high. 2here were very few consumer goods available, which meant that living standards remained low. In fact, by !"#/ they were lower than they had been in !",-. Even so, the more productive wor)ers were rewarded with higher wages, bonuses or special privileges, and the rest came to believe that their incomes would eventually rise too. 4t the same time, Stalins agricultural policies were an economic failure. is clumsy efforts to collectivise the land resulted in a precipitous decline in food production. 2he number of sheep and goats in (ussia fell from !1. million in !",- to 1, million in !"##. 5attle numbers fell from /$ million to #1 million over the same period. 2otal agricultural production did not recover to the !",- level until !"#-. owever, the disaster in the countryside had more than 6ust an economic impact. +ecause of the fall in production and heavy demands of the state for grain, the 7SS( was hit by famine in !"#,*## 8 a tragedy which was exacerbated by Stalins decision to punish those who failed to meet their grain re9uisition targets. 4bout / million people died during this famine. (esponsibility for their deaths lies with the 'arty :eneral Secretary, ;oseph Stalin. 2he historian 4lec <ove argues that collectivisation played no effective role in the industrialisation process, rendering these deaths completely meaningless. Socially, Stalinism also had a mixed impact on (ussia and its people. 2he dictator maintained most of the reforms introduced by his predecessors= e9ual pay for e9ual wor), the right to education and divorce, legal recognition of common law marriages, the payment of child maintenance, the provision of maternity benefits and child care facilities, and the right to abortion on demand. Education levels and health care improved dramatically in the !"#$s, and large numbers of women were able to enter the wor)force. owever, some of these reforms were later reversed, as Stalin imposed a new conservatism upon society. In particular, divorce laws were tightened and abortion was banned. 2he cult of personality also had a negative social impact, as truth was drowned in a sea of Stalinist propaganda. +eginning in !",", Stalin was presented as the >Supreme :enius of umanity 8 the true successor to ?enin. is face appeared everywhere 8 in photographs and paintings, on the sides of houses and buildings. 5ities and towns were named in his honour. 5hildren were taught to give than)s to him for their happy

lives. Stalin also arranged for history to be rewritten, to emphasise his own role the (evolution and the 5ivil War. 4ll this had a stultifying effect on society. 'olitically, the impact of Stalinism on society was universally negative. Stalin gradually dismantled ?enins system of collective leadership, centralising all power in his own hands. e then proceeded to purge all those who might present a threat to his rule. 3anagers, doctors, scientists, artists, wor)ers 8 all were sub6ected to the dead hand of the secret police. In human terms, the cost was staggering. (obert 5on9uest estimates the number )illed to have been !- million between !"#$ and #". 2he impact of the 2error was that fear permeated every level of society and trust all but disappeared. 'eople were left with little choice but to accept Stalins claims that a giant conspiracy was ta)ing place against himself and the (evolution 8 particularly since so many senior 5ommunists were confessing to this. ence, it must be concluded that the impact of Stalinism on Soviet society was mixed. While he did oversee the industrial development of the country, allowing it to resist the <a@i onslaught in !"1!, he also sub6ected his people to a regime of lies, fear and dictatorship, which resulted in over ,$ million deaths.