[MUSIC] We have spoken so much about Stalin about his life and his deeds but finally the time has arrived for us to discuss what Stalinism is. Is there a definition of Stalinism? What is it? The term Stalinism appeared during the Stalin era, it was then a laudatory term and it was used to depict Stalin's policy as a continuation on development of Leninism. From the 1950s on, this term lost its positive connotations. There is no universally recognized single, generally accepted definition of Stalinism. Every historian who writes about Stalin and his era comes up with his or her own definition of this phenomena. Or makes do without any definitions at all. There are, however, a number of features which characterize the Stalin's rule, Stalin's rule and his era, and which are accepted by the majority of historians and other analysts of different political persuasions as being basic to Stalinism. What are these features? First of all, an extremely high degree of centralization of power in the hands of one person, Stalin. Stalin was indispensable for the existence and functioning of this system. There could be no substitute for him, because he created the system and molded it himself and for himself alone. All elements of this system were interconnected. None could be excised without the risk of destroying the whole structure. Second, the ubiquitous and omnipotent system of interconnected party and state institutions. The party and the state, in this system, were inseparable. Whatever functions, each part of this state machinery was designated to implement and whatever the formal hierarchy within it was, in reality the whole mechanism served the will of one person, Stalin. He could eliminate, restrict or reshuffle any Soviet and party institutions at will. Or have their staff incarcerated or executed. Of course, there were internal squabbles in each of these institutions. Of course, there were personal networks and interests within the regime. Even within Stalin's close circle. But ultimately, the fate of everyone in the USSR, from the bottom to the very top, was in Stalin's hands. Decisions were taken by Stalin alone, or together with his close circle outside formal structures. Even if later they were formalized as state documents. This did not really matter, since from the late 1920s on, particularly in the 1930s, there was no chance whatsoever that Stalin's decisions could be challenged. Stalin's system of management was often referred to as a command administrative system, management from the top by decree. This meant that every field and every aspect of social, political and economic life of the county was managed by decree from the top. The feedback from the bottom was minimal. As a result, instructions from the top were often far removed from reality. The command administrative system was a part of Stalinism that survived its creator by several decades. Stalin began to create his power base within the party apparatus, in the last years of Lenin's life. He selected people who were loyal to him personally, loyal to him more than to the system or to the idea. He strengthened this base during the struggle with various oppositions, whether real or invented. It was finally transformed into a powerful mechanism which knew only one master, Stalin. Stalin maintained his power and his ability to run this power machine by constantly playing one center of power within it against another. He never allowed any one group or person to get more power and influence than any other. There were no independent institutions in this system. No elements of this system were independent or could act even remotely independently. There were no independent courts. No independent media, no checks and balances. No presumption of innocence existed in the courts. Confessions were recognized as proof of guilt. Formalities were seldom observed, but sometimes they were. In all major show trials, the accused had a defense. This did not really matter much because advocates for the defense never questioned confessions by the accused or the circumstances in which these confessions had been made. In important cases, Stalin himself, personally, participated in formulating the charges, and even ordered the verdicts. Collective and preventive punishment was the norm. Soviet citizens could sometimes sue the offenders on minor issues. And even with their cases. But there was no way to find justice in any political case. The security organizations played an enormously important role in maintaining the system. They were more powerful than any other state institution. Even more than the party. They used torture to extract confessions. Invented and faked evidence and killed their victims. Yet, the staff could suffer the same fate. Time and again, Stalin purged the security operators, sending thousand of his security officers to the Gulag, or ordering their executions. The selection of cadres through purges and repression had to be a permanent process. The discarded people could be either got rid of or used as slave labor. Human life counted for nothing. [MUSIC]
