Was Stalin A Disaster For The Soviet Union Essay

“To what extent was Stalin a disaster for the Soviet Union?”

By Noah Lovett,

Stalin assumed power at an increasingly volatile time in Russian history. His power struggle amongst the bolsheviks and the lack of recourses and infrastructure to supply his five-year plan led to Stalin going to extreme lengths to develop the Soviet Union, and despite his implementation of collectivisation and industrialisation strengthening the nation, the people of Russia were neglected, with famine, tenuous work, and little freedom and the damage caused to the Russian government leading to no one being able to challenge him or hold him to account.

Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was born in Gori, Georgia to an impoverished family. Stalin was awarded a scholarship

Talk about removing Stalin as leader and replacing him with Kirov was hugely popular, however, shortly after congress, Kirov was shot. This began ‘The Great Purges’. Stalin started by purging members of the Communist Party who opposed him, starting off with Zinoviev and Kamenev, his old rivals in his struggle for power. Both were put on a trial which was broadcasted on the radio. These “show” trials were used to remove opponents and solidify his position as leader, however, these did not scratch the surface of Stalin's elimination, with him denouncing and expelling many communist parties. These would lead to arrests, and in many cases torture, which would lead to further arrests, creating a cycle of denunciation and death. Stalin used the purges to consolidate rule, having no opposition within his party, and distilling fear into the USSR, showing he is not one to be opposed. 12 million people died during the purges, either through execution or through intensive work at labour camps, showing Stalin’s wrath as a leader to be feared. Senior Party members became too afraid to challenge Stalin, and this lack of challenge within the party increased Stalin’s ego. It also affected wider society, with writers and artists too afraid to produce work that might be seen as critical of Stalin, and within the armed forces, the purge of experienced officers left the Soviet Union less equipped to challenge the Nazi invasion in 1941. If Stalin had been more open to criticism and dissent the Soviet Union may have been more of a dynamic and open society, but equally, he may have found it harder to implement his economic policies, which did have long-term positive