From April 3 1922 through October 16 1952 Stalin ruled the USSR with an iron fist. Changing Russia and the Former Soviet Union countries social climate, their politics and culture. Had he never come to power the Soviet Union would have been different. It would have allowed others to come to power that may not have ruled so absolutely cruelly. In retrospect Stalin’s legacy was one of oppression and fear but also one of admiration.
Joseph Stalin was born in 1878 in Georgia. He was born with the name Ioseb Besarionis Dze Jugashvili but later changed to Joseph Stalin to make himself seem more russian. His father, Bessarion Jugashvili was a businessman a cobbler by trade but when Stalin was young, became increasingly alcoholic. He eventually had
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Lenin also used many of the same ways to control people such as gulags, media control and killing people against his ideology. Much of what Stalin did was very similar to what Lenin did although Stalin’s economic policy was very different Lenin also imprisoned and killed many. In fact Lenin once said “"Comrades! The kulak uprising in your five districts must be crushed without pity ... You must make example of these people. (1) Hang (I mean hang publicly, so that people see it) at least 100 kulaks, rich bastards, and known bloodsuckers. (2) Publish their names. (3) Seize all their grain. (4) Single out the hostages per my instructions in yesterday's telegram.” (Courtois,1999) Not really the perfect infallible leader that he is portrayed as. Many argue that Lenin was more justified in his killing but it is likely that he would have intensified his methods of transforming Russia and the USSR to communism. He was the leader under the red terror and carried out many atrocities against the people of Russia but is rarely viewed in a negative light especially in Russia. Lenin’s legacy is based on the meer two years that the USSR was under his control.
Stalin’s legacy on the other hand became one of both great fear and great love, he helped win World War II for the Soviets, increased the political sphere of communism and brought Russia to what was it’s greatest amount of foreign power. This is why he has become such an interesting figure, why he is a paradox many Russians view him in a positive light even though under his rule there was more death, famine, shortages and overall dip in people's quality of
Following the death of Vladimir Lenin in 1914, Joseph Stalin took up his position as leader of the Soviet Union. After rising to power, Stalin made drastic changes to Russia that was still torn from war at the time. With his power, Stalin aimed to bring Russia to the top of the world. In the end, while he pushed the Soviet Union’s economy to new heights, his methods were cruel and had negative impacts. After the war, Stalin was determined to turn Russia into a great industrial power.
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. Stalin was good for the USSR, because he changed the USSR’s economy positively by using sets of goals, called the “Five Year Plan”. The objective of this was to multiply production in manufacturing, like coal, oil, pig iron, and steel.
Joseph Stalin became dictator of the Soviet Union in 1928 (“Joseph Stalin – Powerful Communist Ruler”) after the death of Russia’s former ruler Vladimir Lenin (“Joseph Stalin”). In the late 1920’s he created a sequence of five year plans which were created to alter the Soviet Union from a peasant society into a country that was industrially advanced (“Joseph Stalin.”) after he realised Russia was far behind in comparison to the west (“Joseph Stalin.”). The idea was for the government to control the economy in which they forced collectivization of Soviet agriculture, the idea in which the government controlled farming.
Stalin didn’t just use the secret police to crush the hopes and dreams of his people. He also banned religion. This was done because he believed in science and he didn’t want people to focus on life without communism. (Document Four) Stalin’s political actions can be seen as completely tyrannical but he did impact society as
Stalin’s iron fist totalitarian leadership is often viewed with negative connotations by historians today, although many of his policies advanced the Soviet Union at a rapid rate to become the United State’s primary competition in the years following his death. The use of five year plans by Stalin caused for many people to parish due to the all or nothing mentality put forward by him, causing for the U.S.S.R’s achievements to be reviewed in the future by historians as ruthless and questioned if the brutality used by Stalin was necessary. During his reign as leader, Stalin caused for the people of rural Russia to live lives filled with famine and immense abuse when they failed to hit quotas set out by the government in an effort to feed the
Although there are many different opinions about how Stalin became the dictator of Soviet Union for more than 25 years, most of the historians coincide in two main strategies that aided him to raise his power: the deletion of opposition and his role within the Party as a General Secretary. Stalin used political manoeuvres to fight against the leaders of both the Right and the Left, accusing them, pointing out the flaws of their ideologies, and making them lose credit. Surprisingly, one of his ways to come to power was shifting his ideology whenever it was convenient to fight the opposition. The Great Purges of the 1930s also exterminated all the present or potential enemies of Stalin, within the Party, in the Red Army or any other citizens
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. The journey of Stalin begins now.
Joseph Stalin was born Josef Vissarionovich Djugashvili on December 18, 1878, or December 6, 1878, according to the Old Style Julian calendar. Although, he later invented a new birthdate for himself: December 21, 1878. Joseph Stalin’s childhood has impacted him in many ways. He grew up poor with no siblings. His father was an alcoholic who was abusive to his son and worked as a shoemaker, and mother was a laundress who washed clothes.
Many debate whether the dictator of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, was influential based on the impact he left on his country and other countries around the world before, after, and during WWII. Author Michael Hart ranks the political leader Joseph Stalin sixty-sixth out of the one hundred most influential people. Hart conveys his strong feelings about how Joseph Stalin was not only a “power-mad dictator”, but he also states how he dominates history by introducing the Cold War. Hart says that “Stalin had more power---more actual effect on the world---than any living political figure” (Hart 334). From a young age, the young and impressionable Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili was submerged into the world of communism.
Process of Findings The first part of this report will discuss the evidence pertaining to the “genuinely concerned, pragmatic” side to Joseph Stalin’s leadership. Stalin was a leader who was honoured and praised by many of his people in the USSR for various reasons. He was portrayed on propaganda posters as a kind, caring and genuinely concerned leader particularly towards children who were the future of the USSR (Source A). By Stalin being portrayed as a leader who shows genuine concern and care for the children of his country, it propagates the message that children and the entire population of the USSR will have an “enlightened future” under his leadership13 (Source A), and would in turn help Stalin gain more support for himself.
Stalin not only followed Lenin’s example of terrorism against citizens, but he exceeded Lenin’s
The Rise of Joseph Stalin Born as Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili in Gori, Georgia, Joseph Stalin would go on to become one of Russia’s most notorious dictators and lead his country to victory in World War II. Contrary to his position of enormous power later on, Stalin began his life with very little power at all- he grew up in poverty. But after receiving a good education including attending a seminary school which he was later expelled from, Stalin began to take an interest in the Marxist revolutionary movement. In the next few years, he became highly involved in the Bolshevik party, working his way through positions until he reached the top. Once awarded the job of general secretary of the Central Committee and after Lenin’s predicted death, Stalin was able to success Lenin and become the ruler of the Soviet Union (“Joseph Stalin”).
The Russian Revolution did not meet its goals under Stalin's rule because he gave all power to himself. Stalin turned the Soviet Union into a totalitarian state which is a one party dictatorship that controls every component of the society. He sensored all information that was put out to make sure the soviet union looked good. He controlled art so it showed only positives to communism. Anybody who criticized the government would be taken by the secret police.
The Soviet dictator has not only exterminated, but also had potential enemies executed or been sent to labor camps. Stalin claimed his policies were based on Marxism-Leninism, but there can be no doubt
He was just a small town boy. Born on December 18, 1887 in Gorgi,Georgia , his mother a seamstress and father a cobbler .No one expected this small town boy to be a well known dictator. His name Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili but better known as Joseph Stalin . Accounting for Stalin’s