Joseph Stalin. A tyrant who annihilated individuals and entire nations. To maintain power, he was able to enter into the most surprising alliances. One of his most important allies throughout his political career turned out to be ... vodka.
After the death of Vladimir Lenin, there was an interregnum in the Soviet Union. The main contender for taking over the scheda after the leader of the revolution was Lev Trotsky. Ideological communist, dogmatist, faithful continuator of his predecessor's thoughts.
Both with Lenin disgusted the so-called "Drunken politics", that is, obtaining horrendous profits to the budget at the expense of citizens' health. In 1923, during a meeting of the Central Committee, Trotsky thundered:
Working out, strengthening and crowning the anti-alcohol regime in a country of the reborn working class - that is our task! (…) There can be no concessions here.
Lenin was a staunch supporter of Prohibition. The steel, however, did not intend to follow in his footsteps (photo:public domain).
Meanwhile, his mortal enemy, Joseph Stalin, step by step built around himself an alliance of comrades for whom the restoration of the liquor industry was one of the priorities. He began to actively fight for the availability of alcohol during Lenin's lifetime, when the leader of the revolution deteriorated in health and gradually retired from politics.
End of Prohibition Orgy
Light wine was legalized in 1921, beer was legalized a year later, and in 1923 all drinks below 20% alcohol were legalized. Finally, in 1925, the almost ten-year prohibition was completely abolished, despite opposition from Trotsky and his friends.
There is no denying that Stalin's actions met with great enthusiasm of the public.
The article was based on the book by Mark Lawrence Schrad entitled "Empire of vodka. Drunken politics from Lenin to Putin ”(WUJ 2015).
Mark Lawrence Schrad cites in "The Vodka Empire" the account of William Henry Chamberlin, an American journalist and eyewitness to the events:
The recent resumption of the sale of pre-war vodka with 40% alcohol strength for a large proportion of Moscow residents was a signal to start a wild orgy . Long lines have formed in front of the shops selling fiery liquor, and it is not unusual to see a customer tear the cork from his bottle and eject all of its contents standing in the circle of jealous and cheerful onlookers.
A call that never happened
Was it Stalin the one who best understood the needs of ordinary people? If so, he did not take much account of them. However, he did take care of the budget, especially when the country was getting ready for accelerated industrialization.
Thanks to the revival of the spirit monopoly, Józef Wissarionowicz was able to kill two birds with one stone. He strengthened the state's finances, and the changes he proposed enjoyed strong public support. No wonder the scales of victory clearly tilted towards him.
Stalin did not mind that "Drunken father is a misfortune for the family," as this poster proclaimed.
The last way to defend Trotsky was to constantly lean on the opinions of Lenin, whose cult at that time was reaching its zenith. Stalin resolved this issue in an extremely brazen way. He publicly referred to an alleged secret conversation with the revolutionary leader himself:
Comrade Lenin made several declarations to each of us - we read in the already mentioned Mark L. Schrad - that (...) it will be necessary to introduce a monopoly on vodka, that it is especially necessary to create a minimum fund to support the currency and to support the industry .
Everyone probably knew it was a true lie . However, Stalin already had most of his comrades on his side, and Trotsky's fate was doomed.
Even adhering to Lenin's views did not help Trotsky (photo:public domain).
A happy life for the chosen ones
The primary goal of Stalinist rule was to keep citizens in check. The stick and carrot method was used. Ruthless terror caused an overwhelming fear, while the appearance of prosperity and luxury was supposed to bring relief. It was to be provided by the Armenian Anastas Mikoyan, to whom Stalin assigned the task of completely reorganizing the food industry.
Mikoyan was an efficient activist and quickly achieved his goal. Thanks to the propaganda of success, a specific culture of consumption was created. In addition to commonly available vodka, the bourgeoisie could taste other, more noble alcohols. It was a real treat for the nouveau riche coming from the provinces.
"Democratic luxury" or "simple plebeian luxury" was an important part of everyday life of Soviet people. - we read in the book "Soviets from the kitchen. Mikoyan and Soviet gastronomy. ”
The article was based on the book by Mark Lawrence Schrad entitled "Empire of vodka. Drunken politics from Lenin to Putin ”(WUJ 2015).
It expressed itself particularly strongly in the numerous parties and celebrations typical of those times. Signs of this luxury were:champagne, cognac, caviar, chocolate boxes, cakes and perfumes . No wonder then that those whom Stalin graciously allowed to live were more likely to enjoy social advancement, accusing them of contesting the omnipotent terror.
When Mikoyan was confronted with accusations of drunkenness, he explained:
( …) under the tsar, the nation became poor and people drank not for joy, but for grief, poverty . They drank just to get drunk and forget about their damned life. (...) Now life has started happier.
In fact, translations were redundant at that time. There were fewer and fewer opponents of "drunken politics". The members of the Society for Combating Alcoholism landed in camps, and their main ideologist, Nikolai Bukharin, was executed as part of the Stalinist purges.
Caucasian Bolsheviks:Anastas Mikojan, Józef Stalin and Sergo Ordzhonikidze (photo:public domain).
Drunk means brave
Vodka turned out to be an ally of Stalin also at the most critical moment - when the rushing German army devoured more and more expanses of the Soviet empire.
It is not right to undermine the enormous propaganda effort that allowed to unite Soviet citizens and unleash their superhuman tenacity and determination in the fight against the Nazi invader. Undoubtedly, the terror of fear also had a huge impact on this attitude.
Yet another aspect cannot be underestimated. Mark L. Schrad quotes historian Fyodor Sverdlov in the pages of his book: When a man is drunk, he feels more determined, more courageous. He does not think that he will die. He's walking forward, trying to kill his opponent.
This poster read:"We drink water from the native Dnieper, we will drink from Prut, Nemunas and Bug", but the Red Army men dreamed of a different drink.
One billion liters for soldiers
Stalin knew about it. On August 25, 1941, vodka rationing was introduced at the front.
Each soldier was guaranteed one hundred grams of alcohol a day. At Stalin's personal order - writes historian Konstantin Pleszakow - 28 million people were given a glass of vodka every day for four years with the result that the next generation was fully adapted to functioning in a drunken society.
The distilleries worked as hard as the arms factories . Suffice it to say that they had to supply the army with around billion liters of vodka annually! The one hundred grams mentioned was only a basic allocation.
After years of drunkenness in the war, many veterans had to be told what could be bought for children for the equivalent of a liter of vodka.
It is known that the Red Army also quenched their thirst with loot from the enemy. And in portions that could not be used by the fallen soldiers. It was always good to serve on foot - recalled the veteran Simonov. - In infantry or artillery. Most people died there and nobody checked how much vodka we sent back.
It is strict discipline and excessive bravado - most often stimulated by alcohol - that are widely believed to be the key to the success of the Red Army in defeating Hitler's troops. So it is safe to say that the Red Army entered Berlin in the sea of vodka. And Comrade Stalin was again pleased with the help of his faithful ally.
Bibliography:
- Mark Lawrence Schrad, Vodka Empire. Drunken politics from Lenin to Putin , Ed. Of the Jagiellonian University, Krakow 2015.
- Catherine Merridale, Ivan's War. The Red Army 1939-1945 , Rebis, Poznań 2007.
- Irina Glushchenko, Soviets from the kitchen. Mikoyan and Soviet gastronomy , Krytyka Polityczna, Warsaw 2012.
You can read about the alliance between Stalin and vodka in the book:
Would the Soviet Union become a world superpower if not for vodka? How drunk politics in the 1990s contributed to the fall of communism and to the health problems of society? How could the Kremlin overcome the obstacles related to alcohol abuse and lead to social, economic and democratic prosperity?
The article was based on the book by Mark Lawrence Schrad entitled "Empire of vodka. Drunken politics from Lenin to Putin ”(WUJ 2015).
Schrad takes a close look at the 20th and 21st-century Russian state, where the famous drink replenishes the treasury and enables the manipulation of the people. Viewing Russia's history through the prism of a vodka bottle will help us understand why the "alcohol issue" remains relevant to Russian politics at the highest level today - nearly a century after it was dealt with in almost all other modern countries. Recognizing and tackling the devastating power of vodka's political legacy is perhaps the greatest political challenge facing the current generation of Russia's leaders and possibly the next.