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Date Posted: 18:20:09 04/25/03 Fri
Author: John D Clare
Subject: Stalin - good or bad?
In reply to: E.L. 's message, "Role of Stalin? An evil or saviour of Russia?" on 17:48:15 04/25/03 Fri

There are four pages of the Russia topic minibook which will allow you to write an answer for this one - the pages on 'Stalin Takes Power', 'Collectivisation', '5-Year Plans' and 'Stalin's Terror' at <a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://www.johndclare.net/Russ9.htm">http://www.johndclare.net/Russ9.htm</a> onwards.

Was Stalin good or bad? All such 'debate' questions are answerable in the same way, and they are REALLY EASY.
I'm sorry to appear cynical, but it's exam time, and neither I nor the examiner are bothered about the truth - what's at issue here is your ability to argue a good case... for OR against, it doesn't matter!

So:
FIRST, read the four pages and make a preparation list of 'Points FOR Stalin', and of 'Points AGAINST Stalin'. It's a good idea to do this now, because if you leave it till the exam you'll have to think on your feet, under pressure of time, from memory, and it will be a lot harder.

SECOND - when you have completed your two lists - write the essay like this:
You say:
'In some ways, Stalin did things that look good...' and then you talk about them, pointing out how and why they were good for Russia and the Russians.
Then you write:
'However, in other ways Stalin was bad...' and you write down all the things in your 'bad Stalin' list, explaining how and why these things were bad for Russians.
Finally, you write:
'In conclusion, therefore, I would say that...' and you come to some conclusion (whatever you like) weighing the things you have said for and against the proposition.

As I have said before, it is ESSENTIAL that you flag up the developing argument by using the phrases 'In some ways...', 'However, in other ways...' and 'In conclusion therefore...'. Also, leave a line between each section to emphasise the argument's sections. Otherwise you will just look as if you are disgreeing with yourself.

You can use this pattern for ANY question which asks for your opinion about an historical issue, or which sets up a proposition ('Stalin was good') and asks you what you think.

And what do I think about Stalin myself? I think my conclusion would be that there were some horrific things about Stalin's rule, but you cannot take it away from him that he SAID that Russia had ten years to prepare before the west tried to destroy her, that he was aboslutely correct in that (Hitler invaded), and that - in the event - Russia WON WWII.
And if I were you and I was also trying to add just that little bit of sophistication into my conclusion, I would suggest to the examiner that the collapse of Communism in 1989 has altered our perspective about this question. If I had been asked this question in 1966, when I did my GCEs, I would have perhaps said that Stalin's excesses were warranted, because they had saved Russian Communism from destruction. Now that Communism is collapsed and gone, people have to ask the question 'Was it all worth it?', to save an ideology that would outlive Stalin only by 36 years.

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