Y10: 3-13. Stalin Film III

Today you are going to continue watching the film on Stalin!

-Part A-

In the last scene we saw Nadia visiting her parents after Jakov’s attempted suicide and Stalin calling her there to come home…

It is the 1930’s. Stalin is modernizing the USSR by means of Collectivization & Industrialization.

It is 1932.
Nadia on her way back to Moscow, by train.
She sees the deportation of hundreds of peasants. This was part of the collectivization process.
Peasants either deported to: Siberia, infertile land, or other Collectives.

Many in the countryside respected Stalin (due to propaganda portraying him as a great leader).
Therefore, many peasants thought that Stalin was not aware of their cruel treatment!

It is the Celebration of the 15^th anniversary of the Revolution.

It is 1932.
Beria’s wife dances for Stalin…
Nadia returns…

People are increasingly trying to please Stalin – especially Beria.
Stalin is increasingly cruel, nasty and evil.
Nadia is reaching breaking point, as she realises what a vile person Stalin is…

There is a scene between Sergo Ordzhonikidze & his wife Zina (Zinaida). Sergo is advising/warning his wife that, if they wanted to be safe, they had to turn a blind eye to Stalin’s activities…

Stalin is in the graveyard. He is genuinely devastated…

It is about 1934 and historical footage of Industrialization is shown.

Stalin at his Dacha (country house) with his children and Nadia’s parents (who looked after the children)…

Stalin III-A. (16:47 minutes long)

-Part B-

We see Nicholai Bukharin’s wedding (to Anna Larina).

Spot…

Kamenev
Zinoviev
Kirov (He gives a present to Bukharin & his wife.)
Nadia’s parents (Olga & Sergei Alliluyev)
Ordzhonikidze

Bukharin was very popular and thus a threat to Stalin’s position. Stalin is greatly aware of this!
Everyone is beginning to be cautious in Stalin’s presence…

Kirov was also very popular! Therefore Stalin appointed one of his own supporters (Yagoda’s deputy) to the NKVD in Leningrad (were Kirov was Party leader) to spy on Kirov. Stalin’s excuse for doing this is that there are supposedly people in Leningrad who are conspiring against Kirov.

Yagoda is at home. He receives a call from Stalin…

…of Yagoda’s fear of Stalin!

(Yagoda was appointed as chief of the NKVD, or secret police, in 1934.)

Stalin is at his Dacha (country house) just outside Moscow. (By now Stalin had become a very paranoid man, suspecting everyone of conspiring against him!)

Censorship… even all feature films were censored by Stalin!
By now Nazi Germany became increasingly stronger. Nazi Germany was an ideological enemy of the Communists and a threat to the USSR.

Spot…

With Stalin are:

Yagoda
Kaganovich
Voroshilov
Molotov

Stalin instructs Yagoda to keep an eye on Kirov…

It is still 1934. Some Party members at the 17^th Party Congress (held early in 1934) wanted Kirov to be General Secretary… This was a great concern for Stalin!

The film moves into the era of the purges… We see the assassination of Kirov, by Leonid Nikolaev: It is Dec.1934. Kirov is shot under suspicious circumstances, probably on Stalin’s orders!

Kirov’s bodyguard was not with him… He was distracted by the NKVD and did not follow Kirov into the building!

It is Dec.1934. Stalin is going to Leningrad to personally investigate the assassination of Kirov.

Spot…

With Stalin, as he gets off the train, are:

Voroshilov
Molotov
Kaganovich
Yagoda

Leonid Nikolaev is interrogated by Stalin (& Yagoda).

Nikolaev does not know what to say, because he was told to kill Kirov, by Yagoda (who was instructed by Stalin).
Initially Stalin & Yagoda made as if they knew nothing…
Stalin then tells Nikolaev to say it was one of Zinoviev’s supporters who approached him to kill Kirov. He is told that if he works with Yagoda & Stalin he will receive privileges (e.g. a new house) and his family (also arrested) will be set free.

Stalin tells the officers to get Nikolaev’s ‘confession’ and to “finish him off”! One of the officers is Yezhov…

Bukharin, his wife Anna Larina, and Svetlana (Stalin’s daughter) are in a park with Bukharin’s pet fox (that was given by Kirov to Bukharin at his wedding). The fox is called ‘Grisha’. (Zinoviev also happens to be called ‘Grisha’ as it was a short version of ‘Grigory’.)

Stalin threatens Zinoviev & Kamenev in his office… The reason why they were called in is because Stalin accused them of working with Trotsky to kill Kirov!

First, Stalin tries to get a very simple confession from Zinoviev: that Bukharin named his fox after Zinoviev!
Then, Stalin threatens them to confess that they worked with Trotsky to kill Kirov. If they do not confess, Kamenev’s son will be executed. (Stalin says that Kamenev’s son is supposedly plotting to kill him, Stalin! A new law stated that children over the age of 12 years could get the death penalty for certain crimes, just like adults!)

Stalin says if Kamenev and Zinoviev confess to conspiring with Trotsky, then their lives and that of their families would be saved…

Spot…