Famine led to many deaths. Stalin wanted a better industry so he was trying to turn the Soviet Union into an industrial superpower. They had agricultural needs, along with needing oil, coal, steel and
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 is given much credit for defeating the Nazis and gaining power during World War II, and its believed if it wasn’t for his toughness and strength that would not have been achieved. Russia has always taken a liking to strong and authoritative figures just like their current “President of Russia, Vladimir Putin”. Putin who in the eight years he has been in power has used Stalin as the leader he would like to be (“President of Russia”). Under Putin's reign a lot of Stalin's crimes and oppressive ways have been downplayed in the Media. The government controls Russian media and propaganda and through this they have held Stalin as more of a hero than he actually was.
Lenin and Stalin Pre- Stalin era Despite his notoriety and corruption to his state, Russia had experienced tremendous trauma prior to Stalin’s reign. Stalin’s predecessor was Vladimir Lenin. Although Lenin was famous for his methods and his ideals during his rule like the creation of the Gulag system. He did encourage the creation and production of art with the condition that “it aimed serving the goals of a new society” (Roseberry, 1982: 10). Maes (2002) explains that although Stalin was open to the concept of creating art, he still kept a grip on the process by saying “the relative liberalization had been ushered in by the regime itself and was carefully controlled” (Maes, 2002: 243).
As a defeated country, Russia suffered a lot at the expense of ground, natural resources and its train system. When Lenin was dead, Stalin succeeded him and became the new leader of the state. As soon as Stalin came to power, he began to make a five-year economic plan for the sake of realizing Lenin’s dream of turning Soviet Union into an industrialized country. Meanwhile, he also took some measures within the party. He obliterated the party and got rid of the rivals.
Stalin ruled over the Union with an iron fist embalmed in the blood of his people. He brutalized civilians in order to "make an example" of those who would commit crimes such as murder, treason, etc. Depending on who you are, this can be taken as a good or bad
Research question: "Was Stalin's Great Terror in the late 1930s driven by a fear of foreign infiltration?" This investigation focuses on the late 1930s when the state-orchestrated purges were most intense. This investigation studies the purge of foreign elements who might betray the state during war. The purge of the Red Army and the intelligence apparatus is analysed in relation to the threat of these organisations being penetrated by foreign countries. The Kulak Operation is analysed in relation to the threat of foreign countries encouraging rebellion amongst kulaks.
Leon Trotsky was a big part of the Russian Revolution. He make big impact in Russian history. Trotsky was a man that was not afraid of stating his opinion or trying to make a change. He has such a edgy background and I doubt people would’ve really thought what a great impact he tried to make. He was not best of friends with either Lenin nor Satalin.
They consolidated their power and influence through the imprisonment, torture, and killing of rivals to political power. This allowed them to rule by fear, to create an atmosphere of fear and reverence surrounding their leader, and to consolidate their control of the people. For example, during the leadership struggle following Lenin’s death, Stalin removed his main rivals to power though show trials. These well publicised trials and executions were a display of the solidity and intimidation of Stalin’s rule, and an opportunity to remove rivals while deterring further opposition. Most significantly, the Trial of the 16, 1936, led to the execution of Zinoviev and Kamenev, two high-profile contenders for the position of leader after Lenin’s death.
Germany and its allies responded and when peace negotiations were finally spoken of, Trotsky turned the meeting into a propaganda forum. Between Lenin’s position and Bukharin’s call for war Trotsky proposed the formula “No war, No peace.” The Germans resumed their offensive attack in mid-February. Following this Trotsky resigned and was made commissar of war, with the task of rebuilding the Red Army from its ashes. Though his army was small it was a formidable force, however Trotsky was criticized for dropping his beliefs and recruiting previously tsarist officers and putting them to work under communist military supervision. Stalin resisted Trotsky’s policies and the two had a bloody clash over what would be Stalingrad.