Joseph Stalin and Totalitarianism

A totalitarian government is when there is absolute control by the state or a governing branch of a highly centralized institution. In this case, the highly centralized institution was Joseph Stalin, a Russian dictator. He rose to power after Lenin's death. He controlled all aspects of public and private life. Stalin also controlled the media! He decided what the people should know and should not know.

Stalin created the "5 Year Plan." The 5 Year Plan was a plan in which Stalin wanted to rapidly industrialize Russia. Stalin described it as "making fifty to a hundred years worth of progress in a few years."

Stalin also created the "Great Purge." Simply put, Stalin would kill any people who opposed him. He even hired "secret police" to control the nation.

Film Lesson: Doctor Zhivago

The film "Doctor Zhivago" was definitely a powerful movie that helped bring the Russian Revolution to life. The Russian people disliked the unfair rulers called the czars. "Doctor Zhivago" depicted the Russian Revolution as a harsh battle between Bolsheviks and government. Because of the Russian Revolution, things were more fair in general. For the more wealthy, many of their belongings were taken away.

One example of this was when Yuri Zhivago returned home to Moscow. His belongings were taken away from him, there was less gas, and he couldn't even go outside to pick up a piece of wood to burn for heat. Everything was rationed. His ideas of communism were not so great when he returned home.

Causes of WW I

The Great War, or simply World War I was a war that spread all across Europe. A war so widespread and destructive was unheard of at the time. It was a clash between many nations due to nationalism, militarism, and alliances.

The Industrial Revolution led to imperialism. The Europeans needed resources and were competing against each other. It was all a large power struggle. They wanted land, resources and power.

Alliances also set off a domino effect within Europe. Because of the Triple Entente (Russia, France, Britain) and the Triple Alliance (Italy, Austria-Hungary and Germany), six nations were dragged into the war in a matter of days.