Post WWl, Russia was still not industrialized, suffering economically and politically and in no doubt in need of a leader after Lenin’s death. “His successor, Joseph Stalin, a ruthless dictator, seized power and turned Russia into a totalitarian state where the government controls all aspects of private and public life.” Stalin showed these traits by using methods of enforcement, state control of individuals and state control of society.
Undoubtedly, Joseph Stalin was the most influential ruler in Europe because of his ruling prowess and iron fist. For one, he had complete rule over his people, thus making him an extremely powerful leader. Second, he was a propaganda master who could manipulate even the strongest people. Finally, he was a smart man who could leverage his spot in the government any time he wanted, making him a dangerous foe for most of his political opponents.
Joseph Stalin, 1878-1953, established totalitarianism in Russia, and forever changed the nation. He used police force to gain power, and instilled fear in all of his followers. This reign of terror was known as the Blood Purges or the Great Terror. During the Blood Purges, Stalin blamed Russian citizens for crimes he committed, and imposed the worst of punishments on them. Death or being sent to a labor camp, such as Gulag, was the fate of most. From 1936 to 1938, people were being killed over paranoia and no actual evidence. The purges were aimed to efface the threat of political retaliation.
Joseph Stalin was and still is universally known for his harsh leadership in the Soviet Union. To examine the extent of his cruelness, World Civilization II: The Rise and Fall of Empires© 1500-present stated, "Stalin was not a communist; he was a sociopath. He enjoyed hurting people and ordering their deaths. In his time as dictator of the Soviet Union, he was responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of his people, and the cruel torture and imprisonment of millions more" (Sattler, 71). However, this only scratches the surface of what Stalin put the Soviet Union through. Stalin was a very persuasive man, his writings make it seem as if he is in the right and is innocent. To support this statement, two pieces of Stalin's writings were
In the following essay, I will be talking about Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin. I am going to go more in depth of how Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin rose to power. Stalin was a Russian dictator who ruled from 1920 until 1953, which was the same year of his death. He was born in December 18, 1878, until March 5, 1953 which was when he died. He was also an author during his spare time and he wrote many books like: The October Revolution, The Foundations of Leninism, and many others.
Russian Atheist with an Iron Fist Joseph Stalin shows a harsh example of religious persecution during his reign in power. It can be shown through the history of the laws, Atheist propaganda, and it’s ever so lasting effects after his death. On December 18, 1879 a boy named Joseph Stalin is born. He is born to an abusive, alcoholic cobbler and a religious washerwoman. In his early years he contracted smallpox at age seven.
One of the biggest questions people ask is how can one person influence hundreds of people to kill. Many people think of Joseph stalin, Adolf HItler, and Jim Jones. According to ibtimes.com, Joseph Stalin killed about 35-49 million people. Adolf HItler killed roughly 11 million people (historyrocket.com). And lastly, Jim Jones killed around 900 people (jonestown.sdsu.edu). But the real question is, how did they do it? Jim Jones influenced people through trust, Joseph Stalin influenced people through threat, and Adolf Hitler influenced people through manipulation.
Introduction Joseph Stalin is perhaps one of the most important and discussed people in Russian history. He was arguably a feared tyrant cursed and despised by many. At the same time, one finds sufficient evidence for the adoration and worship of Stalin that used to exist in the minds of the citizens of the Soviet Union. One reason for this worship was the existence of the so called ‘Cult of Personality’ where Stalin was celebrated as a wise leader, father of all people, and the architect of victory of the Second World War. In his book, The Stalin Cult: A Study in the Alchemy of Power, Jan Plamper states that Stalin’s cult of personality was largely a visual phenomenon.
The best way to answer any question is to be clear about what is being asked and to look only for the facts of that question. We are not being asked whether Joseph Stalin was a good person. The question is, what are the accomplishments of Joseph Stalin that improved his country and made it great? From this point, we can clearly identify what he did, as seen in the articles. Was Stalin beneficial to the USSR? Stalin was indeed good for the USSR, because he improved the economy by using collectivization farms, which led to an increase in quality of life. Although he did good for the country, he wanted prosperity and recognition more than anything, so he was willing to sacrifice his own citizens’ lives.
During the 1930s the Soviet Union went through several changes economically and socially. Some historians see what happened in the Soviet Union at this time as a Second Revolution. However, this is an understatement as the Soviet Union actually went through more than one revolution at this time. This period saw rapid political, social, industrial and agricultural change that shaped the future of the Soviet Union and arguably the 20th century as a whole. All four of these changes worked together to form a rapid socioeconomic revolution. Moreover, a revolution from the government against its people made this socioeconomic revolution possible. This revolution was implemented through the use of terror. Historian Robert C. Tucker saw this as a revolution
Citizens of the Soviet Union were so petrified of being sent to gulags that they did not show any opposition to his rule. With almost all the intellectuals out of the way, Stalin could brainwash the rest of the population. These are scenarios similar to Montag’s world in the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
In a repressive regime, many people cannot conclude whether it was the fault of the people or the fault of the ruler. Without taking the people into consideration, new rulers come into the government, knowing how they want things to go, regardless of how the people feel. Stalin used his power, and fear to be sure that they were going to do what he wanted. Although while Stalin was getting power, the people were not aware of what was going on. The people were at fault because they sat back and watched the events unfold.
Stalin Primary ambition was to turn what he believed to be the industrial backwater that was the Soviet Union into an economic a world superpower. His goal was to make up decades or even years of time in just a single decade. By the definition of his goal he succeed he had turned a mostly agricultural country into an industrial super power, but it did not come without a cost. Those cost fell on the soviet working class in two ways the first was their atrocious living conditions and the second was their personal freedoms.
Before Stalin become an ally to the U.S. and U.K., he was an ally to Nazi Germany. Stalin sought to achieve only what he felt was in his best interest. Stalin wen so far as to break promises that he made at the conference of Yalta to organize free elections, and inserted a puppet government. Stalin believed that the communist political, social, and economic ideology was what he could spread throughout the world. Just as President Wilson wished to spread democracy far and wide, Stalin desired to spread communism far and wide.
Joseph Stalin was a communist dictator who used deception and violence to gain power and rise as dictator. He came to power in the Soviet Union after the previous leader Lenin had died. Russia needed a successor to replace Lenin. Obviously,