Stalin and His Five Year Plan
Compare and contrast the roles of education and propaganda in Stalinist Russia.
Intro:
Education and Propaganda were tools used by Stalin to maintain and consolidate his power in Russia. The exact year as to when Stalin was in power is controversial. For the purpose of this paper, Stalin will be recognized as in power of Russia in 1929, the year when most of his oppositions were defeat, especially Trosky.
Education
Though Stalin always addressed himself as the follower of Lenin, and all what he is doing is a continuation of Lenin. However, he prove himself wrong when he reversed the trends of education initiated by the Boshelviks after 1917. When Lenin and the Bosheviks were in power, young people were encouraged to learn trades and engage in activities that were of practical value. However, Stalin went on a different approach: he wanted his people to be literate. Stalin started to build up his own system of education, some of the terms include:
• 10 years of compulsory schooling for all children
• Core curriculum include: reading , writing, math, science , history , geography, Russian, Marxist theory
• State prescribed text books to be used
• Fees to be charged for the last three years of non compulsory secondary
His educational plan did worked and as a result of these education policies: Between 1929 and 1940, the number of children attending school rose from 12 million to 35 million and literacy rate for the population over age of nine increased from 51% to 88%. However, as much as Stalin want to promote communism, the introduction of fees for the last there years of schooling may appear to challenge the notion of an egalitarian education system. The party had the right to nominate those who were to receive the higher grade training that would give them access to university, and in this case, party members’ children would have the first claim on the best places. Between 1928 and 32 a third of all undergraduates were party nominee.
Propaganda
Intro:
Education and Propaganda were tools used by Stalin to maintain and consolidate his power in Russia. The exact year as to when Stalin was in power is controversial. For the purpose of this paper, Stalin will be recognized as in power of Russia in 1929, the year when most of his oppositions were defeat, especially Trosky.
Education
Though Stalin always addressed himself as the follower of Lenin, and all what he is doing is a continuation of Lenin. However, he prove himself wrong when he reversed the trends of education initiated by the Boshelviks after 1917. When Lenin and the Bosheviks were in power, young people were encouraged to learn trades and engage in activities that were of practical value. However, Stalin went on a different approach: he wanted his people to be literate. Stalin started to build up his own system of education, some of the terms include:
• 10 years of compulsory schooling for all children
• Core curriculum include: reading , writing, math, science , history , geography, Russian, Marxist theory
• State prescribed text books to be used
• Fees to be charged for the last three years of non compulsory secondary
His educational plan did worked and as a result of these education policies: Between 1929 and 1940, the number of children attending school rose from 12 million to 35 million and literacy rate for the population over age of nine increased from 51% to 88%. However, as much as Stalin want to promote communism, the introduction of fees for the last there years of schooling may appear to challenge the notion of an egalitarian education system. The party had the right to nominate those who were to receive the higher grade training that would give them access to university, and in this case, party members’ children would have the first claim on the best places. Between 1928 and 32 a third of all undergraduates were party nominee.
Propaganda