Establishing Social Equality

Prior to the times of Lenin and Stalin's modernization, the Tsars failed to industrialize Russia. Russia was well behind countries like Germany and Britain during the Industrial Revolution and was still an Agrarian state at this time. Russia also was late to abolish serfdom from its country. Lenin and Stalin were needed by the Soviet Union to modernize or else a serious crisis would occur. Although many people faced struggles in the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin's rule such as unemployment and hunger, the rise of new ideological economic systems and freedom among all citizens allowed these leaders to succeed in modernizing and establishing social equality.

Historical figures, Lenin and Stalin, wanted to improve their economic systems under the ideologies of capitalism and socialism to raise the level of culture and improve the Soviet Union in many ways. According to Lenin's collected works, he wanted to implement a New Economic Policy (NEP) to improve political education departments by reverting to capitalism to an extent, substituting tax for the requisitioning of food, (doc 2). At this time Lenin used his new policy to turn away from Communism and turn to capitalism to create a change to better and improve the economy from previous hardships. Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union, gave a speech before the communist party about how they needed a new political system to overtake and outstrip advancing countries, like Germany, technically and economically, or else they would collapse, (doc 4). The surrounding factors highlight how advanced countries have had greater success of the development of industry and technology, therefore Stalin choose to implement the Soviet system to develop their industry at a slower rate without the risk of falling behind countries like Germany.

Although the economic policies began to succeed in their work, individuals were still struggling mightily, such as the peasants and women, under capitalism. Soviet official newspaper, Pravada, was said to be on the path to emancipation, but working and laboring women faced horrid conditions, and were some of the ime economically and politically enslaved, (doc 5). The perspective of women changed under Stalin's rule, having many of their previous rights taken away, such as freedom by autocracy, and suffering from unemployment and hunger. Additionally to the documentary evidence, it was said by Stalin in support of the claim that domestic women were only beaten "privately and peacefully” by their husbands in the comfort of their own homes, describing the traditional role of women as housewives at this time. A letter from Feigin to a friend of Stalin stated that he had gone to many different farms and noticed how there were shortages of resources, diminishing livestock, and famine within peasant families, (doc 6). The purpose of this document was to bring attention to the changes and instability of kolkhozes and needing a permanent solution to the problem.

The soviets began to grant the people equality. A decree of the central executive committee of the communist party created 6 articles ensuring new equal rules on land, such as how the right to use land cannot be limited based on bias, prejudice, or how different people were from one another, (doc 1). These 6 articles ensured equality among land owning civilians. The manufacturing capacity in Russia greatly improved throughout the 1900s, passing the UK, Germany and France, (doc 7). It is highlighted that Soviet manfactiring greatly improved and was modernized.