The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the executive leadership of the party. Delegates are tasked with determining the best way to maximize economic productivity within the communist system, addressing Stalin’s purges and the role of the NKVD, and identifying how to proceed with the Korean War. Additionally, the Central Committee as a whole needs to devise ways to maintain Soviet control over Eastern Europe.
Representing Zhumabay Shayakhmetov, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Kazakh SSR, Olivia wrote position papers describing her stance on economic productivity and maintaining power in Eastern Europe.
Economic Productivity
Of all the ways a slowly-collapsing shell of an empire could be re-kindled into roaring existence, Stalin’s theatrics were perhaps the least likely source of ignition. There is no doubt in my mind, however, that the Soviet Union was in dire need of reconstruction, something that was achieved over years of economic hardship, a struggle for stability in Eastern Europe, and the overarching theme of disorder, which continues to threaten the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Since the fall of Tsar Nicholas II in the October Revolution, a wave of Communism led by the Bolsheviks has swept our Republics, (5) providing not only refuge for the peasantry, but also forging a newfound sensation of progression and unity among the public. In the words of Joseph Stalin himself, “Where the Soviet Union is concerned, its interest in the matter of world peace cannot be separated from the cause of peace in the whole world.” (6) These words will no doubt guide our progression over the next years as we work to foster peace in places untouched by it for decades.
As both a proponent of Communist ideals and an ally to the Russian Republic, as well as a native-born Kazakh citizen, I am pleased to occupy the position of First Secretary of the Communist Party in the Kazakh SSR. (1) I feel a certain responsibility to uphold and defend the liberties and wishes of those I represent—the Kazakh peasantry and working-class come first in my personal priorities (2)—but I realize the magnitude of bolstering the economy and uplifting working citizens throughout Europe. (3) The decades of lethargic agricultural and industrial production within the USSR can be traced back to the root cause of an unsupervised economy and the lack of basic resources for the general public. This decline in economic productivity rendered the working-class susceptible to famine and poverty, and left the Soviet Union unstable and fragile. Although attempts were made by Bolshevik leaders to restore the economy, progress became most observable when Stalin made an effort to oversee workers and launch the USSR into a new era of industrialization starting in 1946. (4) More recently, the Five Year Plans have been successful in increasing consumer goods and providing cost-free education and sustenance to the public. Having the cruciality of education as a gateway to success driven into me by my father, and teaching in a university myself, (3) I have realized that extending educational services to workers will be beneficial to increase their yield, along with the implementation of management policies to boost the economy.
In an effort to protect the Kazakh SSR from rapidly growing Soviet infrastructure, however, I must digress from the typical standards of Communist growth and see expansion for what it is: potentially harmful to the land I oversee. (2) In anticipation of the increasing need for untapped land to exploit, I plan to divert the course of action away from agricultural or land-based convenience and focus in on resource-provision for workers, oversight of production and the workplace, and management of the economy. This Resource-Oversight-Management project, dubbed ROM-Communism, aims to appoint members of the 19th Central Committee to these three categories of positions based on their respective experience in each. Once divided, members would convene and discuss amongst themselves how best to provide educational and food resources, oversee the yield from workers, or manage the economy and make adjustments, working with the other two sectors as necessary.
Maintaining Power in Eastern Europe
As a former member of the local police and criminal investigation authorities, I understand the ins and outs of governmental jurisdiction. (3) Firstly, I recognize the benefits of applying pressure to tumultuous situations; this can be observed through the restoration provided by the Red Army. Emerging after the outbreak of the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, the Red Army was recruited among the working class and by the end of the World War II, the armed forces totaled over eleven million officers and men. (7) It was successful in securing non-Russian lands through occupation, which constructed the Soviet Union. (8) The drawbacks to enforced control, however, are arguably more severe; I have witnessed the cleansing of nations occupied by the Soviets in an attempt to create the ideal homogeneous state, and the process is infamously disruptive. Forced deportation is unprincipled, but viewed as a necessary when occupation occurs. (9) As an ethnic Kazakh citizen, the idea of cleansing hits especially hard. I am dedicated to preserving the liberties of Kazakh people, and plan to rally around other methods of power preservation in Eastern Europe. Persuasive media, especially through the radio, has been effective along with enforcement by Red Army to teach citizens about the Communist agenda and assure that no harm will come their way. (9) This type of influence is a gateway for true action, and before any type of execution by the NKVD occurs, the media must be utilized to inform the masses.
I believe that taking a systematic and more moderate approach will allow the USSR to maintain authority in new territories while allowing the ethnic peoples of these regions to prosper. In the spirit of creating prosperity for those at the top and bottom of the Soviet Union, I propose a two-pronged plan to maintain power in Eastern Europe: Station Formation for Soviet Administration. The first step creates a Soviet radio station and a newspaper ad campaign for the purpose of reassurance and persuasion to the people of Eastern European countries. These facets of the media will cater to a wide range of citizens and will feature positive information about Communism and the USSR, creating a sense of intrigue and reassurance in its receivers. This type of influence opens the door for the second portion of this plan: enforcement through the NKVD. Now open to the idea of Soviet authority in their country, people will be more compliant and collected, eliminating the need for unethical and harmful force. Governmental authority can then intervene for mostly nonviolent purposes, further reaffirming that Soviet authority is beneficial to Eastern European countries.
Works Cited
1- Kassymova, Didar, Zh. B. Kundakbaeva, and Ustina Markus. “Historical Dictionary of Kazakhstan.” Google Books. Google. Accessed March 2020. https://books.google.com/books?id=kWXSgG28y4IC&pg=PA73&lpg=PA73&dq=zhumabay+shayakhmetov&source=bl&ots=ZfxGczY241&sig=ACfU3U0kCwybTmbIRc1psPs4viI1sluJ3w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjN58-NwuPnAhUhn-AKHdXcBU0Q6AEwBnoECBQQAQ#v=onepage&q=zhumabay shayakhmetov&f=false.
2- “Virgin Lands Campaign.” WikiZero. Accessed March 2020. https://www.wikizero.com/en/Virgin_Lands_Campaign.
3- “Zhumabay Shayakhmetov.” Home. Accessed March 2020. http://world-nan.kz/en/.
4- Harrison, Mark. “The Soviet Union After 1945: Economic Recovery and Political Repression.” Accessed March 2020. Mark Harrison: Publications, 2011. https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/mharrison/public/.
5- Hoffman, David L. “History Milestone: The October Revolution in Russia.” Origins. Accessed March 2020. History Departments of The Ohio State University and Miami University, November 2017. http://origins.osu.edu/milestones/november-2017-october-revolution-russia
6- Stalin, Joseph V. “Speech of the 19th Party Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.” Speech of the 19th Party Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Accessed March 2020. Red Star Press Ltd., London, 2009. https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/1952/10/14.htm.
7- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Red Army.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Accessed March 2020. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., November 20, 2017. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Red-Army.
8- Pipes, Richard. Formation of the Soviet Union: Communism and Nationalism. London: Harvard University Press, 1997.
9- Dubinsky, Vladimir. “How Communism Took Over Eastern Europe After World War II.” The Atlantic. Accessed March 2020. Atlantic Media Company, October 22, 2012. https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/10/how-communism-took-over-eastern-europe-after-world-war-ii/263938/.