ipl-logo

Communist Political Dominance

1229 Words5 Pages

How significant was control of the media in the achievement of communist political dominance in the years 1917-1941? A communist government assumed control of the USSR in 1917, following the Bolshevik Revolution. They consolidated their power through the Civil War of 1917-1921, and through several radical political, social and economic changes. Control of the media was significant to a large extent in advancing their control; it was used as a tool to suppress opponents’ views and thereby grant a large platform to spread their own. Many would argue that there were more significant factors in achieving communist political dominance in these years, such as the use of terror and control over religion. However, there is less evidence to support …show more content…

They consolidated their power and influence through the imprisonment, torture, and killing of rivals to political power. This allowed them to rule by fear, to create an atmosphere of fear and reverence surrounding their leader, and to consolidate their control of the people. For example, during the leadership struggle following Lenin’s death, Stalin removed his main rivals to power though show trials. These well publicised trials and executions were a display of the solidity and intimidation of Stalin’s rule, and an opportunity to remove rivals while deterring further opposition. Most significantly, the Trial of the 16, 1936, led to the execution of Zinoviev and Kamenev, two high-profile contenders for the position of leader after Lenin’s death. Terror was also used to consolidate communist political dominance on a state-wide level; it was not just a tool used to eliminate specific rivals in the higher echelons of the party. Stalin’s great terror of 1935-38 was responsible for the deaths of around 10 million Soviet citizens, including members of the military, and kulaks, richer peasants who were believed to have bourgeois views. This use of terror was important in the achievement of communist political dominance as it eliminated rivals in politics, while tightening the party’s control over the people of the USSR. However, this …show more content…

Specifically, the influence of policies towards religion and terror could be seen as the most important, yet these arguments are limited by the inconsistency of policies towards religion and the involvement of the media in spreading the impact of the terror. There are much stronger arguments to support the view that control of the media was the most significant factor. The media, as a tool to suppress dissenting views and promote the communists’ own views and agenda was the most important aspect of the communists’ achievement of political dominance at this

Show More
Related
619 Words | 3 Pages

Post WWl, Russia was still not industrialized, suffering economically and politically and in no doubt in need of a leader after Lenin’s death. “His successor, Joseph Stalin, a ruthless dictator, seized power and turned Russia into a totalitarian state where the government controls all aspects of private and public life.” Stalin showed these traits by using methods of enforcement, state control of individuals and state control of society. The journey of Stalin begins now.

Read More
744 Words | 3 Pages

In a repressive regime, many people cannot conclude whether it was the fault of the people or the fault of the ruler. Without taking the people into consideration, new rulers come into the government, knowing how they want things to go, regardless of how the people feel. Stalin used his power, and fear to be sure that they were going to do what he wanted. Although while Stalin was getting power, the people were not aware of what was going on. The people were at fault because they sat back and watched the events unfold.

Read More
1207 Words | 5 Pages

Through the use secret organizations, these leaders were able to control the citizens under the government and earn their respect so they would not have to face consequences such as going to a concentration camp or death. By manipulating the youth, leaders were able to build a basis of respect from young kids for generations to come. Lastly, propaganda made leaders look more appealing and make other organizations look bad to get more votes for their party. In conclusion, totalitarian leaders were able to effectively gain and maintain power through the manipulation and termination of all opposing

Read More
643 Words | 3 Pages

The author says that perhaps many citizens may be drawn to Communist ideology if the social injustices become more prevalent, and urges the readers to look into the problems of Communist civilizations. This article is an example of how many felt during the Red Scare and Cold War in regards to communism. It shows that people felt a collapse

Read More
678 Words | 3 Pages

Another influence was the success of the communist party organization of labor unions and its opposition to fascism. By the 1930s the Communist Party of

Read More
595 Words | 3 Pages

With a feeling of distrust towards the educated and raised by a dysfunctional family, Joseph Stalin released his anger over all of Russia with mass amounts of power. Joseph Stalin, the leader of Russia from 1924 until his death, is remembered as a murderous dictators, creating the largest man-made famine in history, all as leader of the communist party of Russia. Born into a poor, dysfunctional family, Stalin had a feeling of distrust and anger toward those around him instilled in him from a young age. He quit his education as a priest, as he was drawn towards revolutionaries and the Bolshevik movement. His actions, however, were unlike Lenin, the leader of the Bolshevik party; Stalin was reckless, and his actions drew Lenin’s attention, allowing

Read More
1481 Words | 6 Pages

Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible to show the alarming similarity between the witch trials of Salem, Massachusetts in the 1600s to the witch hunts of his own time, the communist investigations of the 1950s. Arthur Miller was an American playwriter. He spoke out against the government and, once was even questioned by the United States Government about his un-American views. In the 1950s through the 1960s the United States and Russia were in the Cold War.

Read More
981 Words | 4 Pages

The communists also used way to suppress opponents, but they were not to the extent of the fascist

Read More
806 Words | 4 Pages

Communism, an ideology developed by Karl Marx, was a key component in the revolution of USSR. Marx envisioned a society where the lower and upper classes were equal in regards to property and rights. During the Russian Revolution, an extensive amount of propaganda was used to promote communism. Although propaganda was used in various forms, the posters made a huge impact in convincing the population of Soviet Union to support the communist cause. The posters contained several healthy messages about the effects of the revolution in Soviet Union.

Read More
990 Words | 4 Pages

Through the folds of history, the phrase “the end justifies the means” has appeared often in an attempt for leaders to degrade their terrible acts and exaggerate their achievements that resulted. In the late 1800s, during the repressive and absolute rule of Stalin, many Russian citizens argued however, that Stalin did not justify his end with his means. The death of tens of thousands of Russian citizens from both execution and starvation, which were a direct result from his goals of a perfect communist utopian society, is not an act that can be ignored when considering his ultimately ‘good’ goals of pulling Russia out of poverty and stagnant economic and political growth. Joseph Stalin was able to greatly boost the Soviet Unions economy by instituting the 5-year plans with a resulting goal of rapid industrialization, and by instituting collectivization. Joseph Stalin ruled with an iron fist.

Read More
371 Words | 2 Pages

The Soviet dictator has not only exterminated, but also had potential enemies executed or been sent to labor camps. Stalin claimed his policies were based on Marxism-Leninism, but there can be no doubt

Read More
1319 Words | 6 Pages

Joseph Stalin was and still is universally known for his harsh leadership in the Soviet Union. To examine the extent of his cruelness, World Civilization II: The Rise and Fall of Empires© 1500-present stated, "Stalin was not a communist; he was a sociopath. He enjoyed hurting people and ordering their deaths. In his time as dictator of the Soviet Union, he was responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of his people, and the cruel torture and imprisonment of millions more" (Sattler, 71).

Read More
1012 Words | 5 Pages

War communism had a devastating impact on the peasants and proletariat in Russian society between 1918 and 1928. However, the New Economic Policy that followed the Civil War effects was opposite, raising living standards and reinstating support for the Bolshevik party. Vladimir “Lenin” Ulyanov, known as the head of the notorious Bolshevik party, introduced War Communism (1918-1921) and the NEP (1921-1928). As Martin McCauley states “If War Communism was a leap into socialism then the New Economic Policy was a leap out of socialism” The aims of War Communism and the NEP were both successful in a large number of areas, however, the effects of both policies were not all favourable.

Read More
2798 Words | 12 Pages

A media source which ignores or censors important issues and events severely damages freedom of information. Many modern tabloids, twenty four hour news channels and other mainstream media sources have increasingly been criticized for not conforming to general standards of journalistic integrity. In nations described as authoritarian by most international think-tanks and NGOs media ownership is generally something very close to the complete state control over information in direct or indirect ways. Undesirable consequences which occur due to media imperialism are: • Commercially driven ultra-powerful mass market media is primarily loyal to sponsors i.e. advertisers and government rather than to the public interest.

Read More
1853 Words | 8 Pages

The media system in China is a combination of different media philosophies and the result of the long history of Chinese civilization. In this system, the Chinese Communist Party, government, private enterprises, media professionals, public individuals and Chinese culture play different roles and provide different forces from

Read More

More about Communist Political Dominance

Related Topics

Open Document