Research shows that “the NKVD had its eyes on the rich peasants, academics, artists, and scientists. The purge was also directed against national minorities” (Budanovic 7). This explains who was targeted by Stalin’s agents - anyone who could have the knowledge of how to, or the idea, take control of the country from him. By targeting Russia’s critical thinkers, he was eliminating ‘threats’ to his power, and removing dangerous people with dangerous minds from the public eye. Placing the blame on foreigners, by taking the minories residing in Russia, turned the loyal Stalinists against other nationalities, keeping the facts of the arrests relatively contained.
World War II was a crucial time in history, where dictators rose to power and promised to bring a change to their country, through tough love and intimidation. A prime example of a dictator who was all about these principles was Joseph Stalin. A man who made his name through instilling fear into the hearts of those who crossed his path. Joseph Stalin grew up poor and didn't have much. .It ’s fair to say he indeed had a harsh childhood, and you would think that a man who had that kind of upbringing would not be so desensitized to the rest of his people, however, that was not the case.
Although the society illustrated in George Orwell’s novel seems implausible, Orwell aimed to reflect certain aspects of the time period in which he lived and warn readers of the impending future he foresaw. The rise of tyrannical governments during the 1940s, such as Hitler in Germany and Stalin in Russia, fueled Orwell’s paranoia and thus resulted in Big Brother, the representation of totalitarian government he predicted could arise. This, along with the seemingly constant warfare and the inherent loss of highly valued democratic ideals provoked Orwell’s allegory as a way to warn the general public. As a result of the communist and fascist dictatorships of Orwell’s time, 1984 sought to reflect the tactics of manipulation, fear, and stripping one’s individuality employed to control the population by illustrating the principal theme of totalitarianism. Manipulation, a primary aspect of tyrannical government, reflects the leadership of several dictatorships during the World War II era and manifests itself in the
In fact, a factor that contributed to a large extent to Castro’s rise to power can arguably be Batista’s government. Batista’s government was the main cause of instability in Cuba from 1952 up to 1st of January 1959. Batista seized power and created a dictatorship. Moreover, adding to this dictatorship, his government was also corrupted. This factor led to Castro’s rise to power as the Cubans did not want to live under such government which used violence as a mean to control the population.
According to Merriam-Webster, totalitarianism is defined as “the political concept that the citizen should be totally subject to an absolute state authority.” This concept has been used in countries including North Korea, the Soviet Union, and Iraq, by the leaders, Kim Jong Un, Joseph Stalin, and Saddam Hussein, respectively. In addition, totalitarianism is a prevalent concept in George Orwell’s 1984, due to the repressive nature of the Party. This is exemplified in their use of censorship, indoctrination, secret police, and other methods of absolute control. The totalitarian government shown in North Korea, Iraq, the Soviet Union, as well as in George Orwell’s 1984, is unethical and infringes on the people’s basic rights as stated by “The
From 1929 to 1953, Stalin ruled Soviet Union. After the Civil War ended, Stalin took over the country and started to rule by force. Initially Soviet Union was a nation of low level farmers but in his time period it became a powerful government of strong military and industrial strength. However, due to his brutal actions towards people killed many of them. 2.
They also utilized propaganda to strengthen their influence over their peoples’ lives (). This became evident when Stalin and Hitler used propaganda to glorify themselves and to criticize Western ideals (). This enabled them to rule with an iron fist (). With this achieved, both men began setting their sights on world domination (McAleavy,
Totalitarian governments, such as Nazi Germany, and their use of controversial techniques in order to rise power are significant influences on literature, creating parallels between it and novels such as 1984 by George Orwell. The system deployed by the Nazi regime in order to rise to power was undoubtedly, while immoral, very effective in eliciting the results desired by its enforcers. State sponsored murder or execution, prevalent in both Nazi Germany and 1984, were utilized by the government to incite hatred within its citizens. Big Brothers overbearing presence in the citizens lives strikingly resembles the relationship that dictators such as Adolf Hitler held with countries through implementation of similar propaganda techniques seen in
Ambition is usually what can help a society and is a pressure that facilitates pressure on societies ahead. When the energy of a nation falls into the hands of a single man or woman, ambition takes much dazzling and unpleasant paperwork. It can be each, the making and destruction of that man or woman, however, no matter the “net effect”, ambition could have deep political, socio-economic, and cultural roots. There is more than one dictator that was taken by ambition and it driven them into a pricey, lengthy, battle to achieve, keep strength, and to continue maintaining power no matter what they have to do. Some examples of dictators are Napoleon Bonaparte, Idi Amin, Julius Caesar and of course Macbeth.
Marquez explains how the country has extreme levels of corruption due to anarchy and savagery. The story also leads into how the nation’s dictator who lead a tyrannical government under an absolute power until his death came. The ruler is seen as a self centered man who focuses on his personal desires such as women, love, and fear of loneliness. The dictator comes to the conclusion that: “he himself is the government” and that no one will get in the way of his rule. Marquez uses these many aspects of the dictator the express the outcome of the life in Latin America under an absolute power.
Joseph Stalin instilled a totalitarian government into Ukraine’s society. Moreover, Stalin tried to cut any threats that would affect his plan in making Russia a communist utopia, by using the secret police. (document 1) But, the Ukrainians were independent, rebellious people who believed strongly in their culture and
At the end of WW2 the United States had so much power, influence, and reach around the world, even they were frightened how they stood alone when taking into consideration the balance of power idea. The Soviet Union wanted this badly, so in their minds, by invading Afghanistan and aiding the Marxist allies, they
The mid and late 1900’s is characterized by the seemingly endless struggle of ideologies between the Soviet Union and their spread of communism and the United States and their idea of democracy. The spread of communism reached Poland, where Lech Walesa is from. Communism often takes the people 's rights which is unfair and an individual is bound to speak out in order for change to occur for the best interest of the people. Walesa stood up for the working people and ensured that Poland wouldn’t become oppressive like the Soviet Union. He is a notable and prominent figure in Poland which should be recognized for his accomplishments.
I would have to agree with Timasheff’s idea wholeheartedly being that Stalin created a dicatorship in which he held all the power and repressed workers because he believed it was necessary for the "good of the state". He also reinforced and revised his early work, Foundations of Leninism (1924) to create a revamped view of Leninism that would support his twisted policy which painted a pleasant picture of collectivism and industrialism, which is reality was the exact opposite. Stalin also believed that the class struggle intensified after the revolution, which is shown in The Great Purge through how the Communist Party (mostly Stalin) sought out enemies and dissenters in its own ranks as well as in society and had them executed/exiled/sent to
Stalin vs. Mussolini During the 1930s and 1940s, two leaders by the name of Joseph Stalin and Benito Mussolini were in control of the Soviet Union and Italy. Stalin and Mussolini were very similar, but yet so different. Stalin was born on December 18, 1879, and eventually changed his name from Losif Dzhugashvili to Joseph Stalin.