Stalin's Ideas

Stalin’s political policies consisted of a totalitarian state, a country in which a dictator controls every part of the lives of its citizens. The slightest difference was not tolerated by the government. Similar to Lenin, Stalin had a secret police. Stalin arrested and executed millions of suspected traitors. Stalin was able to stop rebellion because of his strict policies enforced upon the people in Russia and the secret police. One of the cornerstones of Stalinism in the internal politics of the Soviet Union was the theory of aggravation of the class struggle along with the development of socialism which Stalin put forth in 1933. Stalin believed that ongoing repression of political opponents is necessary. Stalin began persecuting his real

Joseph Stalin ruled the USSR. He was a very bad ruler. He also ruled for quite a long time. He rule from 1929 to 1953. That is 24 years. Stalin absolutely transformed russia. He made them very strong. Stalin did not rule like you think a ruler would. It was not good. He turned the Ussr from a peasant country to a great military superpower. When Stalin got into office he killed all potential threats. He killed anybody that he thinks could have hurt him or done something to get him out of office. Stalin killed lots of people and lived a terrible life. Millions of people died while Stalin was the ruler. Fun fact : Stalin killed more people than hitler did. Stalin was born into poverty. He was very poor as a child which led him to do bad things like criminal and gang activity.

Stalinism a form of communism under the rule of Joseph Stalin, was the main form of government in

Stalin’s brutality and reign of terror forced Russian society to change for the better. BBC’s documentary, “Stalin: Inside the Terror” gave me a better understanding of Russian industrialization and Stalinism and explored the connections between Stalin and his way of government, and the deciding factors to make him dictator of Russia. Both factors contributed to my learning during these last few weeks in History.

Despite all the numerous horrible things that Stalin has done in his reign of terror as I liked to call it, there are some good things that he has done in his rise to power. Firmly believing that Stalin doesn’t deserved to be called Peter the great of the 20th century. To evaluate Stalin as a ruler, it seemed that he would be a ruler with an iron fist and with fear. Though it seems that he didn’t escalate his tactics for being in power. Until there was an assassination of Kirov that sent him into a downward spiral of paranoia. Thinking everyone is against him and to establish his power with fear and to make a cult of personality. To make people afraid to stand up to Stalin and not to a question his method or how he is ruling.

The purges, show trials and use of Terror plunged the Soviet Union into a state of fear and intimidation that served to transform the nation into a totalitarian dictatorship, from which Stalinism developed during the 1930s. The show trials and purges of political opponents covered the entire breadth of this period and were significant in the development of Stalinism as it destroyed existing political dissent towards policies (their implementation and continuation). The use of terror and purges upon society also helped the growth of Stalinism for it divided Russia as people, living in fear of execution, became distrustful towards one another, but increasingly dependent and obedient to Stalin. In addition, the purge of the military allowed Stalinism

The Soviet Union believed in elitism. Elitism is the rule by a group of individuals who possess a disproportionate amount of political power. Majoritarian politics, the complete opposite of elitism, was not permitted in the Soviet Union. Citizens were not allowed to express their thoughts and worked under strict orders. Stalin had potential enemies executed or sent to forced labor camps. Even though these actions are inhumane, it is still considered a legitimate use of power. Since Stalin was a dictator, he could easily change and control the law. His dictator status gave him the authority to use his political power in any way and at any time. In fact, it could also be said that he was the law, and hence the legitimacy of his use of

According to this website "Joseph Stalin's Rise to Power." History.com. A&E Television Networks shows him getting closer to what he wants. In 1924 when Vladimir Lenin died, Stalin took over the whole leadership of the Soviet Union. Fear became one of the main weapons Stalin used against the Soviet people. He began growing with his power and control. Stalin had eventually got his rivals and won the power struggle for control of the communist party. By the late 1920's he become dictator of the Soviet Union. Starting in the late 1930'2 Stalin launched a series of five year plans. He intended to transform the Soviet Union from a peasant, weak society into an industrial superpower. His developed plan mostly focused on the government’s economy and its wealth. Stalin took control over the farms and forced to collect the Soviet agriculture. Whoever did not cooperate with Stalin’s order were exiled. The forced collectivization led to widespread famine acrid the Soviet Union that killed millions of people. He wanted to create a strong union by his

Josef Stalin is known throughout Russia for his legendry use of terror, political manipulation and demanding policies who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. However, the question of the legitimacy of his position as leader of the Bolshevik party still remains. Following the death of Lenin in 1924, a power vacuum developed within the Bolshevik party and it was clear that a leadership race between candidates had begun. Stalin was able to rise above men like Trotsky, Kamenev and Zinoviev to launch into new economic policies, collectivisation and industrialisation. The main key to Stalin’s success in gaining power after Lenin’s death was held in his alignment with the former ‘hero’ of Russia, as well as his ability to plan, manipulate

Ideology established by the government allowed the suspension of moral resources. Many people had faith that Stalin that he would establish socialism in the Soviet Union due to his image. As a result, people accepted the cult of Stalin, or indoctrination. For example, Stalin edited “Stalin is the Lenin of today” to “Stalin is the worthy continuer Lenin’s work…” (Glover 253). Stalin had total control over information, which allowed him to maintain the image of a modest man. This creates the mindset that ideology becomes reality. Also, the ideology was skeptical of ethics. Marx believed that morality was used to protect class interest. Because of the rejection of morality, the belief system favors the ideas of any means necessary and believe

Stalin was an extremely unpeacful dictator who took things by force if necessary. Those who opposed him were punishable by death. Stalin also used manipulation as a way of winning over followers. Therefore it is clear through his actions that Stalin was a callous leader who did not welcome or harbour peace.

Stalinism or Stalinization refers to the influence that Stalin had over the Russian people and economy. It spread through the power of a special secret police and several intelligence agencies. Stalin generated intelligence networks across Europe, to further communist political propaganda and support communist actions. He believed in and imposed violence to integrate public activities. Propaganda was one of the key aspects to the success of Stalin’s regime, as the people of Russia accepted Stalin as their leader. It was so cleverly exposed, that any picture of Stalin made him look to the best of his ability, and always portrayed him in a good light with the use of airbrush techniques that were very modern for the industry of Russia at that time. The public was never fully aware of a situation taking place in Russia, as Stalin had control over the media. The people only were informed on what Stalin and the Communist part wanted them to hear, making it very easy to convince them what the best thing for the country was. He generated a cult of personality around Lenin and himself. Towns and villages were renamed after him, institutions were set up in his honor, grandiloquent titles were adopted and an attempt was made to rewrite Soviet history, pinpointing Stalin as the hero of the Russian Revolution. Stalin even included his name in the Soviet national anthem. Stalinization of Russia made the leader the focus of

However, in Eastern Europe, Stalin’s communism was more or less enforced, although sometimes there was collaboration within the states. Their economies were gradually reassembled, but they suffered from the same complications as that of the Soviet Union. Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia also each had periods of revolts where they tried to at least reduce Soviet influence. In each case, the U.S. and Western Europe chose to stay out of the Soviet sphere of influence. The fate of Germany, one might say, is somewhat representative of what happened on a larger scale across Europe and represented the divide between the East and West more generally. By the end of World War II, diplomacy between the Soviet Union and its Western counterparts had weakened,

>Political ideology(2): Stalin 's ideology is interesting and not as clear cut as many people think. In theory, Stalin was a communist, but he was not a communist along the same lines as Marx or Lenin. During the Russian Civil War, the Bolsheviks resorted to War Communism to save their collapsing country. War Communism involved central planning and a bureaucratic structure that was meant to be eliminated as soon as the war was over, and it was, in favor of the New Economic Policy which allowed capitalistic elements in the Soviet Union. Lenin understood the need for capitalism in such an underdeveloped nation as Russia. This is where Trotsky 's idea of permanent revolution comes into play. Russia would not become socialist nation overnight, it would take years of work to reach a Socialist Russia. This is where Stalin steps in. Stalin desired power for himself and he needed to oppose Trotsky who was the natural successor to Lenin and the NEP. Stalin had become General Secretary of the Communist Party in 1922 and began to build a bureaucratic system similar to the one in place during the War Communism years. Stalin claimed that it had

Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s USSR are considered being on opposite sides of the political spectrum, yet there is a dreadful symmetry that must be addressed between the two regimes. Both Hitler and Stalin were their nation’s respective ‘strongmen’, who ruled with absolute power. Each had an overwhelming sense of political mission to revolutionize their respective societies. The many millions of deaths, which occurred as a direct result of their diabolical policymaking, showcase the nature of their totalitarian regimes. Despite the vast differences in context between Germany and the former Soviet Union, subordinating the individual to the state was an integral aspect for Hitler and Stalin’s regimes.